Summary of the low expression of Boxer JKD
JKD is a disease that is highly variable in expression
i.e. in its time and degree of effect. Together with the failure of detection and diagnosis is likely to be responsible for the low incidence. What distinguishes Boxer JKD from other causes of kidney failure is its occurrence within family groups. This shows the importance of pedigree studies in diagnosis. When kidney failure occurs at any age within family lines of dogs that are known to produce JKD it is unlikely that other factors will be the cause of the disease; it is more likely that seemingly different kidney problems in these families all have the same root cause, they have inherited Boxer JKD. If all effects were screened for and included as a single disease, there might not be a shortage of reported Boxer JKD cases. |