02437-MOU: Characterization of Renal Disease in American Boxer Dogs

Abstract

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is often a progressive and fatal disease in dogs. Boxer dogs appear to have a predisposition for development of CKD, suggesting that kidney disease in this breed might be heritable. Studies in Europe report an increased frequency of Boxers with kidney and urinary tract maldevelopments leading to CKD, termed "juvenile nephropathy". The investigators’ International Veterinary Renal Pathology Service (IVRPS) recently found that juvenile nephropathies are a main underlying cause of CKD in young Boxer dogs; however, there are no published studies that have determined the predominant cause(s) of CKD in Boxer dogs in the United States. The investigators hypothesize that pedigreed Boxers in the U.S. may be afflicted by several causes of CKD, including but not exclusive to juvenile nephropathies. To assess the most common causes of CKD in Boxers, the investigators will perform detailed examination of medical records and archived tissue samples to retrospectively reveal the predominant cause(s) and prevalence of kidney disease in Boxers and will also prospectively collect and analyze tissue and fluid samples from pedigreed families of Boxers afflicted by the predominant types of kidney diseases. This work will determine if certain types of kidney disease in Boxers follow a heritable pattern and might be related to genetic mutations, allowing for future studies on genetic analysis if an inheritance pattern of disease is determined.

Funding for the research is provided through the efforts and generosity of the American Boxer Charitable Foundation. The AKC Canine Health Foundation supports the funding of this effort and will oversee grant administration and scientific progress.

Publication(s)

None at this time.