Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Inherited liver blood vessel shunts and high bile acids in Maltese
By O'Leary, C A et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2014·School of Veterinary Science, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The inheritance of extra-hepatic portosystemic shunts and elevated bile acid concentrations in Maltese dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Maltese dogs was studied to understand if extra-hepatic portosystemic shunts (abnormal blood vessels that bypass the liver) and high bile acid levels after eating are inherited. The research found that about 17% of affected dogs had these shunts confirmed through surgery or necropsy. When breeding affected dogs, 25% of their puppies had the same condition, while 9% of puppies from matings between affected and unaffected dogs were affected. This suggests that both conditions are likely inherited in Maltese dogs, which is important for owners to know when considering breeding.
People also search for: Maltese dog liver shunt symptoms · inherited liver problems in Maltese · bile acid test results in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To determine the heritability of extra-hepatic portosystemic shunts and elevated post-prandial serum bile acid concentrations in Maltese dogs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Maltese dogs were recruited and investigated by a variable combination of procedures including dynamic bile acid testing, rectal ammonia tolerance testing, ultrasonography, portal venography, surgical inspection or necropsy. In addition, nine test matings were carried out between affected and affected dogs, and affected and unaffected dogs. RESULTS: In 135 variably related Maltese, shunt status could be confirmed in 113, including 19 with an extra-hepatic portosystemic shunt (17 confirmed at surgery, 2 at necropsy). Rectal ammonia tolerance testing results and post-prandial serum bile acid concentrations were retrievable for 50 and 88 dogs, respectively. Pedigree information was available for these 135 and an additional 164 related dogs. Two consecutive test matings were carried out between two affected animals (whose shunts had been attenuated), with 2 of 8 (25%) of offspring having an extra-hepatic portosystemic shunt. Six test matings were carried out between an affected and an unaffected animal, with 2 of 22 (9%) offspring affected. Heritability of extra-hepatic portosystemic shunt was 0·61 calculated using variance components analysis [95% confidence interval (CI) 0·14 to 1·0, P=0·001]. The best fitting model from segregation analysis was a common, partially penetrant, recessive model (allele frequency 0·34, penetrance 0·99, CI 0·09 to 1·0). The heritability of elevated post-prandial serum bile acid (and thus likely portal vein hypoplasia) was 0·81 (CI 0·43 to 1·0, P=0·2) after logarithmic transformation of post-prandial serum bile acid concentrations. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: There is strong support for extra-hepatic portosystemic shunts and elevated post-prandial serum bile acid concentrations both being inherited conditions in Maltese.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24299127/