Liver Shunt Research for Family of Dogs:
Karen M. Tobias, DVM, MS, Diplomate American College of Veterinary Surgeons
Professor, Small Animal Surgery,
University of Tennessee Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences
New Research - November 2002
To further help Dr Tobias in her search for finding a way to eliminate this
terrible disease we are searching for "Family's" of dogs that have produced
puppies with Liver Shunts. We need, Parents, Grandparents and Sisters and
Brothers to work with. If you would like to help us eliminate this
terrible and heartbreaking disease and have such a family of yorkies please
let us know. We will assist you with travel arrangements and expenses to
Dr Tobias at The University of Tennessee.
Liver Shunt Research update:
Would DNA help you?
We haven't done any DNA work yet; so far Michigan and Ohio State have not
been successful in this endeavor. If the gene is one of incomplete
penetrance or variable expressitivity, then it might be possible that a lot
of Yorkies carry it but don't have the disease. Finding a gene (if it is
only a single one) is like those kids' games where you try to find out
what's different between the two pictures. We look at DNA from normal dogs
and DNA from abnormal dogs and then try and figure out which genes are
different. Since DNA will vary a little from Yorkie to Yorkie, anyway, we
have to find a gene that is consistently different looking in the
abnormals. If some Yorkies are walking around with the gene and never
develop a shunt but maybe have mildly increased bile acids, then it's going
to be alot harder to identify the gene. That's why I'd like to narrow it
down a bit with a related family. Their genes should be much more similar
and maybe the search will then be easier. If there are several animals of
different generations that are affected, and we can test the supposedly
normal brothers and sisters, we may also be able to tell at a glance
whether the trait is dominant or recessive, and that would make the gene
search a ton easier. Karen
Karen Tobias DVM MS ACVS
University of Tennessee
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences
P.O. Box 1071
Knoxville TN 37901-1071
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