pANCA Project - Continuation Study

Extract of a Letter from Dr Karin Allenspach, Royal Veterinary College, Autumn 2007

WHAT WILL MY TEST RESULTS TELL ME?

"Thank you for participating in this Research Project which we hope will establish whether there is a link between pANCA results and the later development of protein-losing disease in Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers.

Your results will be sent to you directly from the Royal Veterinary College in approximately 8 weeks. There is no need for concern if they haven’t arrived by then but if you have still heard nothing by 12 weeks after testing, please feel free to contact the Project Coordinator who will check if they have been sent out.

The report will inform you of your dog’s Albumin level (Albumin is a protein produced by the liver) and also whether your dog has tested positive or negative for pANCA. You will also receive advice about whether further action is needed (such as the need to re-test your dog at a future time).

Whatever your pANCA result is, you and your vet should continue to follow recommended protocols to monitor your dog’s health on a regular basis, such as annually submitting blood and urine samples to the Animal Health Trust, to be screened following the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier Health Profile.

A negative pANCA result is really encouraging, however, it should not, at this stage, be regarded as a guarantee that your dog could not develop protein-losing disease.

A positive test result does not mean anything in particular YET – because we do not know which dogs will go on to develop protein-losing disease.

More important than a positive result is probably the albumin level. If this is normal, then there is no need for concern at this point.

We will offer to re-test all dogs with positive results for pANCA in a few months time. If the result is still positive at that time, we will advise both you and your vet on the best way to monitor your dog closely and make recommendations for preventative treatment options.

It is much too early in the research to make any decisions regarding which dogs should not be bred – if the project produces a definitive result within the next 1-2 years, then appropriate recommendations may be made by the Breed Club.

What Next?

We will be following pANCA tested dogs up longitudinally, i.e. over the next 1-2 years and testing them every 6 months.

It will, however, be very important to get all participating owners (whether their dog was negative or positive) to report to us if their dog ever develops protein losing enteropathy or nephropathy, so we will ultimately be able to match their pANCA test results with disease.

Karin Allenspach, Dr.med.vet. FVH Dipl ECVIM-CA MRCVS

European Specialist for Small Animal Internal Medicine

Lecturer Royal Veterinary College

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If your dog participated in this project and has since died, Dr Allenspach would like to hear from you. Please Contact the Project Coordinator for Dr Allenspach's contact details.