THE SILENT KILLER

The two main types of kidney disease affecting the Bull Terrier are Hereditary Nephritis (HN) and Polycystic kidney Disease (PKD), both are currently a major problem within the breed. HN is currently well recognised in the UK whilst there are currently no known cases of PKD at present, however in reality it is difficult to say what type of KD the dog had as little investigation is done.

Both HN and PKD are inherited diseases for which there is no cure, however, there are screening tests available to help detect early signs of the disease so these dogs are not used in breeding programs and the best treatment can be giving as early as possible, hopefully improving the life of the dog.

I hope this page helps you understand what KD is, how it is inherited and what steps you can take to prevent breeding any bullies with KD and buying puppies from KD free parents.

The famous Bull Terrier Jackandandy held the breed record for siring the most champions, died at just 8 years old from Kidney Disease, as did half of his off-spring, this disease strikes even the best.

I have tried, as much as possible, to explain the processes in lay mans terms so that everyone can understand the information whether from a medical background or not.

WHAT THE KIDNEYS DO

Canine Kidney - click to enlarge

The kidneys primary function is to regulate the plasma and tissue fluid in the body by the formation of urine, quite simply the kidneys are filtering harmful toxins from the body through the urine. In the process of urine formation the kidneys also regulate:-

1. The volume of blood plasma - and thus contribute significantly to the regulation of blood pressure,

2. The concentration of waste products in the blood,

3. The concentration of electrolytes and other ions in the plasma and

4. the pH of plasma.

As you can see, if the kidneys do not work correctly it can have a devastating affect on the whole body. As the kidneys degenerate the body will simply fill with harmful toxins, poisoning the blood, the blood pressure will rise and the concentration of electrolytes and the pH of the plasma will fluctuate causing stress to other organs.

 

click the picture to enlarge

The signs of KD

KD is well known as the SILENT KILLER as quite often there are no signs or those that are there are so easily missed or confused with symptoms for other things.

Some signs include

Increased water consumption

• Increased urination

• Bad breath (end stages)

• Sudden weight loss (end stages)

• Blisters (end stages)

• Shivering (end stages)

• Lethargic  (end stages)

• Vomiting (end stages)

• With PKD the dogs are often 'squirters' constantly having loose stools.

 

Of course a dog may show just one of these signs and in many cases the dog shows no signs or symptoms at all, if your Bull Terrier is young you may not notice the fact that he/she drinks a large amount of water or urinates a lot.

Many Bull Terriers affected with KD will live a perfectly normal life, play, sleep and eat as any other showing no signs of illness until the final stages of KD kicks in. This normally happens over just a few days and in some cases as quickly as 24 hours, the dog deteriates quickly with a great shock to the owner. The final stage is when the kidneys finally pack up and unfortunately there is nothing the owner or the vet can do other than humanly release the dog from pain and suffering. 

Currently it is believed that PKD is connected somehow to mitral valve disease as many dogs affected with PKD also have MVD, this is currently being researched in more detail.

There is no cure for KD, some diets and medication may slow down the speed of the kidneys degeneration, however this is still un-proven and the end result will be death. The age of Bull Terriers dying varies greatly between 2 years - 8 years old (some above and below this figure). Because most owners/vets are unaware of the dogs illness, these dogs are bred from and, unfortunately pass this dreadful disease onto their puppies.

 

How is HN and PKD inherited?

Extensive research was undertaken in Australia into Kidney Disease affecting the Bull Terrier. Along with medical research each bullies pedigree was looked at in great detail. It was found that both forms (HN and PKD) are an autosomal dominant hereditary disease, this means that each dog carrying the KD gene will develop KD in its life and only one parent need have this gene to pass it onto roughly half the litter.

Information on the research can be found by clicking the link below. The report may be hard for you to follow if you have no medical back ground, try to find someone who can explain the report to you in easier to understand terms! Print it of and show it to your vet!

The only way to be 100% certain on what is happening with your dogs kidneys is to have a biopsy, this should be a quick procedure and the only way to tell what kind of kidney disease your dog is suffering or if the UPC is high due to other factors. My advice at present would be to have this carried out and of course to share this information with others, this is the only way Bull Terrier breeders and clubs can begin to monitor these disease in the breed.

The UPC test is used as a screening process only, however any Bull Terrier with result above 0.3 should NOT be used to breed.

The UPC test will need to be carried out 6 monthly - yearly to monitor your dogs kidney function. A clear result at a 1 year old does NOT cover a dog for life and this can change as the dog gets older, in my own opinion stud dogs should be tested 6 monthly until the age of 4, then yearly and bitches should be tested mid season before they are mated.

If you own a breeding dog/bitch ensure you have a copy of the UPC ratio results from your vets (lab report), if you are buying a puppy be sure to ask for the results (make sure you see the UPC ratio print out from the lab) and please, please ensure they are in date (minimum of yearly).

This is a copy of a UPC test, click button below for full view. This should give you an idea of what a breeder should produce.

CLICK ABOVE FOR FULL VIEW

 

Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)

Unfortunately PKD does not always show in a UPC test, especially during the early stages. The only way to be sure your dog/bitch is not suffering from this disease is by having the kidneys scanned. This may require a light sedation to ensure the dog keeps still during the process however will not be painful to the dog at all.

The scan will detect whether the kidneys are normal or if there are abnormal amount of cysts present. A copy of the report should be kept in order to show potential puppy buyers.

Only one test in a dogs life is required to clear them of PKD. It is possible to have puppies scanned as young as 6 weeks old however it is advised to wait until they are around 1 year old before testing.

 

The way forward

If breeders all worked together and tested their stud dogs and brood bitches, removing those dogs with UPC's above 0.3 and any showing signs of PKD these diseases could be seriously reduced and almost wiped out in a matter of years.

In my opinion there is absolutely no reason why a breeder would not test their breeding stock for such a horrific disease, if any breeder has a valid reason then please feel free to tell me!

 

Please remember why this disease is called THE SILENT KILLER and ask yourself again, how do you know your dog is not suffering in silence?

 

NOTE: INFORMATION SUPPLIED ON THIS PAGE IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. IF YOU SUSPECT YOUR DOG HAS ANY OF THE ABOVE SYMPTOMS OR PROBLEMS PLEASE SEEK THE ADVICE OF YOUR VET.