Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Inherited pancreatic insufficiency risk in German Shepherd dogs
By Westermarck, E et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2010·Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Heritability of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in German Shepherd dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A purebred German Shepherd dog with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) was bred with another affected dog, resulting in a litter of six puppies. Over 12 years, only two of the puppies developed pancreatic acinar atrophy (PAA), a condition related to EPI. This suggests that while EPI can be inherited, PAA is not simply passed down in a straightforward genetic manner. The findings indicate that not all puppies from affected parents will develop this condition.
People also search for: German Shepherd EPI symptoms · pancreatic acinar atrophy in dogs · inherited diseases in German Shepherds
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Several studies have revealed that exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is an inherited disease in German Shepherd Dogs (GSDs). Pedigree analyses have suggested an autosomal recessive inheritance model. OBJECTIVE: Test mating of 2 dogs with EPI. ANIMALS: A sire and dam purebred GSD both with EPI and a litter of 6 puppies. METHODS: Test mating and long-term follow-up of offspring. The pancreas was biopsied via laparotomy on 26 occasions. Serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity was measured. Study was approved by Animal Ethics Committee. RESULTS: During the 12-year study period only 2 of the 6 offsprings developed pancreatic acinar atrophy (PAA). In 1 puppy, end-stage PAA and in the other puppy partial PAA was diagnosed. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: PAA is not a congenital disease in GSDs. This study provided evidence that PAA is not inherited in a simple autosomal recessive fashion.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20102502/