An inherited predisposition for diseases causing protein loss from the intestine (protein-losing enteropathy, PLE) and kidney (protein-losing nephropathy, PLN) has been found in Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers. Dogs often show no signs of illness until middle age, and by then many dogs have been bred. Tissue biopsies commonly show inflammatory bowel disease and immune-mediated glomerulonephritis. The mode of inheritance is not proven, and an environmental trigger may be necessary for expression. After diagnosis, most dogs succumb to their disease within a year despite therapy, and some die suddenly.
Currently there is no predictive test to determine which animals may later become ill (affected), which may be passing on at-risk genes (carriers), and which animals are normal. By studying families of affected dogs and monitoring individuals annually with screening tests to detect early signs of abnormalities, we will study the significance of those changes, the clinical course of these diseases and we will attempt to alter the course with diet changes and medications. We will be able to store and begin to study DNA from affected animals, their families, and geriatric healthy animals, in an effort to find a genetic test to help identify affected, at-risk, and normal individuals.