boxerJKD.com
  • About JKD
    • What is Boxer JKD >
      • Kidney function
      • Information Sheet
      • What is Boxer JKD
      • Symptoms of JKD
      • Age of onset
      • Disease Progression
      • Treatment
      • Diet is important
    • History
    • Genetic expression >
      • Expression of JKD
      • Low JKD expression
      • Conclusions
    • Diagnosis >
      • Non-Diagnostic Tests
      • Diagnostic Tests
    • Screening Tools
    • Recommendations
    • Research
  • UK JKD
    • UK JKD pedigrees
    • Tell us about a UK case
    • UK Breeding Recommendations
    • UK Screening Recommendations
    • Research Proposals
  • International JKD
    • Australia
    • Denmark
    • France
    • Germany
    • New Zealand
    • Norway
    • North America
    • Other Countries
    • South Africa
    • Sweden
  • Publications
    • Insurance Statistics
    • Renal Presentation
    • Staging & Management
    • SDMA Assay 2015
    • Hoppe et al 2000
    • Chandler et al 2007
    • Brum et al 2008
    • Kolbjornsen et al 2008
    • Claudio Brovida 2012
    • Pelander et al 2015
    • Boxer Daily 2015
    • Vet Times 2016
    • Vet Times 2016 letter
    • Purina Newsletter 2018
    • Atlas of Renal Lesions in Proteinuric Dogs
    • Alfonsa 2021
  • More information
    • Blog
    • Facebook posts
    • Breeders experiences
    • Frequent Questions
    • Who is involved
    • Contact Us

FB 65

31/5/2018

0 Comments

 
FB 65. I have a bit of an eye problem at the moment so this report should be brief. A minor but almost amusing news flash is that my wife (also a geneticist) and I recently volunteered to join the committee of a breed club. We were accepted and then immediately nominated as delegates to Breed Council. Attending the recent Council meeting I had expected all sorts of fireworks on JKD but instead met a very different scene. Our club proposition that Breed Council encourage member clubs to hold open meetings on the disease so that everyone at last could hear all about it was passed unanimously, on minor amendment, mostly because of persuasion by a delegate from another club. The amendment was that my club hold the first meeting, and funding to aid this was included. This seemed to be a complete turn-around from actions in past meetings, but one disappointment in this for me was that I was left in the dark as to what the past hostility had been about. I can only say that if any delegate, club or individual wants to ask me anything about my actions, or those of boxerjkd, please just contact me by email (brucecatt8@gmail.com) and I will endeavour to explain everything and anything. 
However, setting this aside, the important news is that an open meeting is being planned, amidst the difficulties of finding a free date and venue can be found in this summer season of wall-to-wall shows. The speakers will be Professor Syme of the RVC who will explain the difficulties of the disease and its diagnosis. I will summarise the genetic findings from the boxerjkd efforts which will include the evidence on the inheritance and what tools we can use to help with Boxer breeding until the responsible gene is found. And then Professor Amos will tell us how far his research to find the gene has progressed. And from what I can learn, everything is going extremely well.
Additional news of interest is presented in a Purina publication (https://www.proplan.com/media/5954/boxerupdate_spr2018.pdf). It describes a new project on kidney disease specifically in American Boxers. I think we already know the answers to many of the questions they want to address but the more information the better. Many American cases have already contributed to Professor Amos’ search to find the gene.
I finish on the sad note of new JKD cases. The worst concerns a puppy only 4 months old and seriously ill. The big question has been whether at this young age she should be put on a renal diet? I have checked with our specialist and it seems one has to choose the least of two evils, and a renal or even a senior diet is recommended. Other new cases have rattled the concept that JKD is rare; we have recently had a UK litter with at least three affected puppies, with a fourth possible, and a Polish litter appears to have broken the record with five cases in one litter. How awful for all concerned. Here I recall I have to mention another disturbing issue. I have just learned that a boxerjkd diagnosis has been questioned and this has been used to diminish the evidence on JKD. On checking back on the records I found an ndisputable veterinary diagnosis from two independent vets, including ultrasound assessment of the kidneys. They were described as abnormal (with much detail) and it seems that the owner had simply misunderstood what was described and thought that ‘kidney abnormalities’ meant ‘ kidney tumours’ and told the stud dog owner this. And the word spread. Why are people content to believe word of mouth rather than seek the truth? I endeavour to find the correct answers to all questions.
boxerupdate_spr2018.pdf
File Size: 3048 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

0 Comments

FB 64 Update from Professor Bill Amos

9/5/2018

0 Comments

 
FB 64. I have a piece of exciting update from Professor Amos on his research. It reads as follows: “Many of you will have seen posts asking for samples from dogs affected with JKD. I am the geneticist to whom the samples are sent and I thought you might like an update on progress. I will try to write this in non-technical language but do feel free to ask me questions if you want more detail or require something explaining further.
First, I just want to say a massive thank you to all those who have sent me samples. I now have samples from 1,100 dogs of which about 100 have JKD and the rest are used as healthy controls for comparison. The first part of my study was completed in 2017 using a relatively crude analysis applied to about 600 samples. I was pleased to find a strong indication that the faulty gene lies in one particular region on one on the dog’s 38 chromosomes. I am 90% certain this is a robust result. I don’t say 100% because there remains some room for doubt. Having said this, Bruce told me about one top dog who he was sure was homozygous (carried two copies of the faulty gene). I have samples from 13 of his offspring and they all carry a trait that is much commoner in diseased compared with control dogs. Such a pattern would be highly unlikely unless Bruce was right and if the region was not involved with the disease.
With a good ‘hit’ I now want to find the gene. With so many new samples coming in over the last 4 months I am in a good position. My next experiment is to look much more closely at the candidate chromosome region by DNA sequencing (I will read the genetic code). As a trial run to make sure the method works, I will study about 500 dogs. Sequencing will take about 5 weeks and I will post the samples off on Monday 7th May. Fingers crossed! If this works well, I will analyse the full sample set. However, even with just the first half I should be able to say with confidence that the gene does (or does not) lie in this region, and may well be able to say what the gene is. I should also be able to start developing a simple genetic test to tell whether a dog is a carrier or not.
I should end on a slight cautionary note. While the disease clearly has a genetic basis and runs in families, it is not completely simple. You may already have asked yourself how a top dog can carry two copies of the faulty gene yet still be healthy. There are several possible answers: the disease could be very variable such that some puppies die before they are born while others live well into adulthood; it could be that there is a second gene involved that actually protects against the effects of the disease gene. The truth is that we do not yet know why. Thus, while I am confident that I am well on my way to tracking down the main player, this will not be the end of the story. In future I want to understand the disease fully. In this light, more samples will always be welcome! “
0 Comments

    BoxerJKD

    Communication posted through Facebook

    Archives

    May 2018
    March 2018
    November 2017
    September 2017
    June 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    September 2014
    August 2014

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture
No part of this website may be copied, published or reproduced without written permission
This website and contents are subject to copyright and remain the property of International JKD