The following draft protocols are the outcome of a meeting in Melbourne in June between representatives of SCWTSNSW and WHEATEN ENTHUSIASTS of VICTORIA. Health problems in the breed on an international level were the focus of discussion and advice was sought from Gaye Dunlap (Gleanngay Wheatens USA) who has been instrumental in SCWT health matters over there. Information from the Wheaten health Initiative in the UK was also made available. The discussion was informed by the following data from SCWTCA:
Clinical signs of a disease are the things you can see or that your veterinarian may discover on his physical examination of your Wheaten. Remember, testing is important: in many conditions, clinical signs do not up until well after tests may show signs of the disease. Also, many clinical signs of one disease can also be signs of another.
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RD |
PLE |
PLN1 |
Addison's |
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1PLN is difficult to diagnose. The initial stages of the disease may be mistaken for liver, glandular or other enteric or kidney diseases. Wheatens with PLN may have serious thromboembolic events before renal failure starts, even before there is increased serum creatinine or BUN.
Your veterinarian can check for signs of these diseases with blood and urine tests. It is important the “panels” run test for everything listed here…not all “routine” blood and urine tests do, so you must make sure the ones listed here are run.
Blood and urine tests cannot predict whether a dog will develop these diseases. But they can determine whether or not a dog is now clear of signs of disease and establish baseline values for future comparison.
Your veterinarian should run the following tests:
If you or your veterinarian suspect RD or Addison's, the following tests can be run
The two optional tests above may be early indicators of PLE and PLN. You can arrange for these through your veterinarian at the same time you do your annual screening. Alternatively, you can take the samples at home and ship them for testing in a kit SCWTCA has developed. For information on these, please click on the links below:
These diseases can be difficult to diagnose and can be confused with each other. Here are some of the similarities and differences.
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RD |
PLN |
PLE |
Addison's |
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Age of Onset |
<1-3 yrs |
Mean ~ 6 yrs |
Mean ~ 4.5 yrs |
Young (in general) |
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Sex Predilection |
None noted |
Female:male = 1.6 |
Female:male = 1.7 |
Female (in general) |
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Polyuria / Polydipsia |
Yes |
Only 25% had PU/PD |
No, unless on steroids |
Yes |
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Vomiting / Diarrhea |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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No |
Possibly |
Possibly |
No |
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Yes |
Eventually |
No |
Possibly (pre-renal) |
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Kidney Size |
Small |
May be normal |
Normal |
Normal |
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Hypoalbuminemia |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Possibly (melena) |
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No |
No |
Yes |
Possibly (melena) |
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No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
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Low Sodium / Potassium (Na/K) ratio |
Not noted |
Rarely (~10%) |
Rarely (~10%) |
Yes |
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Urine Specific Gravity |
Mean 1.023 |
Mean 1.033 |
Low (medullary washout) |
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None or mild |
Yes |
No |
No |
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Histopathology |
Fetal glomeruli, fetal mesenchyme (K) |
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Source: 1999 ACVIM Proceedings: Wheaten terrier PLE-PLN; Meryl P. Littman, VMD, DACVIM, Philadelphia, PA |
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RD |
PLN |
PLE |
Addison's |
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Remember, diagnosis of PLE/PLN, RD, or Addison's is dependent on evaluating everything... test results, clinical signs and symptoms... so do not assume one "bad" item means your dog has these diseases.
If these results show any abnormalities, you and your veterinarian need to take immediate action.
You: Contact your breeder immediately. He or she will want to know in order to help you and to take action on other dogs in their breeding program.
Your veterinarian: Please contact Dr. Littman or Dr. Vaden for further advice on diagnosis and treatment.
Because of state veterinary medicine licensure regulations, Dr. Littman and Dr. Vaden can no longer consult with individual owners who are not patients of their institutions. Any contact with them should be solely through your veterinarian on a professional consultation basis; additionally, your veterinarian can consult with a local member of the ACVIM.
Find an ACVIM veterinary internist near you.
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Dr. Meryl P. Littman |
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Dr. Shelly Vaden |
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After discussion of all options an in-principle agreement was established that from now on reputable breeders will conduct annual testing regimes on all breeding stock:
If you or your veterinarian suspect RD or Addison's, the following tests can be run
It was agreed that as incidents of Addisons Disease have not been reported in Australia that it may be premature to start testing for that as yet. There have been incidences of RD in both Australian and NZ kennels and some breeders may also wish to pursue that issue. However, it was also decided that although incidences of Hip Dysplasia are rare, it would be wise to test all breeding stock for that.
We are aware that such a testing regime will involve additional costs for serious breeders but we wish to protect the future of the breed in Australia from the scale of health problems now evident in Europe and North America.
We encourage breeders to conduct discussions with vets in their regions about these protocols and add them to the list if possible.
This report will be published in the SCWTSNSW Newsletter shortly. If you wish to join the list of kennels involved please contact John Collard (president@wheatensaustralasia.org) or Lori Ann Davis (LORI.ANN.DAVIS@sydneywater.com.au) promptly. If you can advise of health incidents we should be made aware of and vets who can be engaged in promoting SCWT health please advise John or Margaret Gray (secretary@wheatensaustralasia.org) as a data base for Australasia is being constructed.
Dr. John Collard
President
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Society of NSW Inc.
0418 697170