Familial renal disease is an uncommon cause of kidney failure in dogs and cats. Most causes are breed-related (familial) and some are inherited. Some are congenital (present at birth). Renal dysplasia is a type of familial kidney disease characterized by abnormal cellular differentiation of kidney tissue. Dogs and cats with kidney disease caused by these diseases have the typical symptoms of kidney failure, including weight loss, loss of appetite, depression, and increased water consumption and urination. A list of familial kidney diseases by dog and cat breeds is found below.
Basenjis can be affected by a type of kidney tubular dysfunction similar to that of Fanconi syndrome in humans. [1]
Beagles can be affected by glomerular amyloidosis, which is deposition of amyloid in the kidney. Findings include protein in the urine. It does progress.
Bull Terriers can be affected by an inherited type of kidney disease caused by basement membrane disease. Protein in the urine is a consistent finding. Bull Terriers are affected between the ages of one and eight years. [2]
Cairn Terriers can be affected by polycystic kidney disease. Multiple small cysts are found in the kidneys. Cysts are present by the age of six weeks. [2] It is inherited through an autosomal recessive mechanism. [3]
Chow Chows can be affected by renal dysplasia that progresses to kidney failure and secondary fibrous renal osteodystrophy, causing fractures and "rubber jaw".
Cocker Spaniels can be affected by glomerular disease before the age of four years. [2] It does progress to kidney failure. It is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. [4]
Doberman Pinschers can be affected by basement membrane disease of the kidneys that can progress to kidney failure.
German Shepherd dogs can be affected by multiple cystadenocarcinomas of the kidney. It is inherited and appears between the ages of five and 11 years. [2] Blood in the urine is often seen. It is sometimes accompanied by nodules in the skin or multiple uterine leiomyomas.
Lhasa Apsos and Shih Tzus can both be affected by renal dysplasia before the age of five years. [2] It does progress to kidney failure. It can be accompanied by fibrous osteodystrophy, caused by calcium absorption from the bone. Signs include bone fractures and "rubber jaw".
Miniature Schnauzers can be affected by renal dysplasia before the age of five years. [2] It does progress to kidney failure.
Norwegian Elkhounds can be affected by kidney tubule disease (Fanconi syndrome) that does not progress to kidney failure. A consistent finding is glucose in the urine.
Rottweilers can be affected by glomerular disease before the age of one year that does progress to kidney failure. [2] Findings include protein in the urine and high cholesterol levels in the blood.
Samoyeds can be affected by basement membrane disease of the kidneys. It is inherited through the X chromosome and is therefore more severe in affected male dogs. Findings in male dogs include the presence of protein and glucose in the urine and the inability to concentrate urine, and progression to kidney failure by the age of 9 months and death by 16 months. [2] Affected female dogs have protein in the urine and a failure to gain a normal amount of weight, but are usually otherwise normal.
Shar Peis can be affected by glomerular amyloidosis caused by deposition of amyloid in the kidneys and occurs secondary to Shar Pei fever. It progresses to kidney failure by the age of six years. [2]
Shih Tzus have a type of renal dysplasia characterized by persistence of the fetal glomeruli. The predominating signs are of chronic kidney failure. Severely affected dogs only live for a few months. The mechanism of inheritance appears to be through an autosomal dominant gene with incomplete penetrance. [5]
Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers can be affected by renal dysplasia that progresses to kidney failure. It is usually seen by the age of three years. [2]
Standard Poodles can be affected by renal dysplasia by the age of two years that progresses to kidney failure. [2] Secondary fibrous osteodystrophy can be seen.
Welsh Corgis can be affected by kidney telangiectasias between the ages of five and thirteen years. [2] It is characterized by red-black nodules in the kidneys. It can cause hydronephrosis and abdominal pain. It usually does not progress to kidney failure.
Abyssinians can be affected by glomerular amyloidosis between the ages of one and five years. [2] It progresses to renal failure. Findings include protein in the urine. It is inherited.
Persians can be affected by polycystic kidney disease, characterized by small cysts in the kidneys. It is inherited through an autosomal dominant mechanism and can progress to kidney disease later in life. [3]
The Samoyed is a breed of medium-sized herding dogs with thick, white, double-layer coats. They are spitz-type dogs which take their name from the Samoyedic peoples of Siberia. Descending from the Nenets Herding Laika, they are domesticated animals that assist in herding, hunting, protection and sled-pulling.
Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as either acute kidney failure, which develops rapidly and may resolve; and chronic kidney failure, which develops slowly and can often be irreversible. Symptoms may include leg swelling, feeling tired, vomiting, loss of appetite, and confusion. Complications of acute and chronic failure include uremia, hyperkalaemia, and volume overload. Complications of chronic failure also include heart disease, high blood pressure, and anaemia.
Assessment of kidney function occurs in different ways, using the presence of symptoms and signs, as well as measurements using urine tests, blood tests, and medical imaging.
Alport syndrome is a genetic disorder affecting around 1 in 5,000-10,000 children, characterized by glomerulonephritis, end-stage kidney disease, and hearing loss. Alport syndrome can also affect the eyes, though the changes do not usually affect vision, except when changes to the lens occur in later life. Blood in urine is universal. Proteinuria is a feature as kidney disease progresses.
Glomerulonephritis (GN) is a term used to refer to several kidney diseases. Many of the diseases are characterised by inflammation either of the glomeruli or of the small blood vessels in the kidneys, hence the name, but not all diseases necessarily have an inflammatory component.
Hypertensive kidney disease is a medical condition referring to damage to the kidney due to chronic high blood pressure. It manifests as hypertensive nephrosclerosis. It should be distinguished from renovascular hypertension, which is a form of secondary hypertension, and thus has opposite direction of causation.
Birt–Hogg–Dubé syndrome (BHD), also Hornstein–Birt–Hogg–Dubé syndrome, Hornstein–Knickenberg syndrome, and fibrofolliculomas with trichodiscomas and acrochordons is a human, adult onset, autosomal dominant genetic disorder caused by the FLCN gene. It can cause susceptibility to kidney cancer, renal and pulmonary cysts, and noncancerous tumors of the hair follicles, called fibrofolliculomas. The symptoms seen in each family are unique, and can include any combination of the three symptoms. Fibrofolliculomas are the most common manifestation, found on the face and upper trunk in over 80% of people with BHD over the age of 40. Pulmonary cysts are equally common (84%) and 24% of people with BHD eventually experience a collapsed lung. Kidney tumors, both cancerous and benign, occur in 14–34% of people with BHD; the associated kidney cancers are often rare hybrid tumors.
Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a histopathologic finding of scarring (sclerosis) of glomeruli and damage to renal podocytes. This process damages the filtration function of the kidney, resulting in protein presence in the urine due to protein loss. FSGS is a leading cause of excess protein loss—nephrotic syndrome—in children and adults. Signs and symptoms include proteinuria and edema. Kidney failure is a common long-term complication of the disease. FSGS can be classified as primary, secondary, or genetic, depending on whether a particular toxic or pathologic stressor or genetic predisposition can be identified as the cause. Diagnosis is established by renal biopsy, and treatment consists of glucocorticoids and other immune-modulatory drugs. Response to therapy is variable, with a significant portion of patients progressing to end-stage kidney failure. An American epidemiological study 20 years ago demonstrated that FSGS is estimated to occur in 7 persons per million, with males and African-Americans at higher risk.
Cherubism is a rare genetic disorder that causes prominence in the lower portion in the face. The name is derived from the temporary chubby-cheeked resemblance to putti, the chubby-faced infants featured in Renaissance paintings, which were often mistakenly described as cherubs.
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) is a group of genetic diseases seen in certain breeds of dogs and, more rarely, cats. Similar to retinitis pigmentosa in humans, it is characterized by the bilateral degeneration of the retina, causing progressive vision loss culminating in blindness. The condition in nearly all breeds is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait, with the exception of the Siberian Husky (inherited as an X chromosome linked trait) and the Bullmastiff (inherited as an autosomal dominant trait). There is no treatment.
Shar Pei fever is a condition seen in Shar Pei characterized by recurring fever and swelling of the hocks. It is similar to familial Mediterranean fever in humans. The cause is unknown, but it is thought to be inherited. Shar Pei fever can result in renal and liver failure through accumulation of amyloid in those organs (amyloidosis).
Bladder stones or uroliths are a common occurrence in animals, especially in domestic animals such as dogs and cats. Occurrence in other species, including tortoises, has been reported as well. The stones form in the urinary bladder in varying size and numbers secondary to infection, dietary influences, and genetics. Stones can form in any part of the urinary tract in dogs and cats, but unlike in humans, stones of the kidney are less common and do not often cause significant disease, although they can contribute to pyelonephritis and chronic kidney disease. Types of stones include struvite, calcium oxalate, urate, cystine, calcium phosphate, and silicate. Struvite and calcium oxalate stones are by far the most common. Bladder stones are not the same as bladder crystals but if the crystals coalesce unchecked in the bladder they can become stones.
Papillorenal syndrome is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder marked by underdevelopment (hypoplasia) of the kidney and colobomas of the optic nerve.
Renal–hepatic–pancreatic dysplasia is an autosomal recessive congenital disorder characterized by pancreatic fibrosis, renal dysplasia and hepatic dysgenesis. An association with NPHP3 has been described. It was characterized in 1959.
AA amyloidosis is a form of amyloidosis, a disease characterized by the abnormal deposition of fibers of insoluble protein in the extracellular space of various tissues and organs. In AA amyloidosis, the deposited protein is serum amyloid A protein (SAA), an acute-phase protein which is normally soluble and whose plasma concentration is highest during inflammation.
Polycystic kidney disease is a genetic disorder in which the renal tubules become structurally abnormal, resulting in the development and growth of multiple cysts within the kidney. These cysts may begin to develop in utero, in infancy, in childhood, or in adulthood. Cysts are non-functioning tubules filled with fluid pumped into them, which range in size from microscopic to enormous, crushing adjacent normal tubules and eventually rendering them non-functional as well.
Samoyed hereditary glomerulopathy (SHG) is a hereditary, X-linked, noninflammatory disease of the renal glomeruli, occurring in the Samoyed breed of dog. The disease has been shown to be a model for Alport syndrome in humans in that the disease resembles that of the human disease. Because of this, it is sometimes referred to by the name given to the disease in humans when referring to the conditions in Samoyed dogs. Alternatively, it may also be known as X-linked hereditary nephritis. Genetically, the trait is inherited as a sex-linked, genetically dominant disease, and thus affects male dogs to a greater degree than female dogs, since males only have one X chromosome.
Glomerulocystic kidney disease (GCKD) is a cystic disorder of the kidneys. GCKD involves cystic dilation of Bowman's capsule. It can occur with or without congenital abnormality.
Monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance (MGRS) are a group of kidney disorders that present with kidney damage due to nephrotoxic monoclonal immunoglobulins secreted by clonal plasma cells or B cells. By definition, people with MGRS do not meet criteria for multiple myeloma or other hematologic malignancies. The term MGRS was introduced in 2012 by the International Kidney and Monoclonal Gammopathy Research Group (IKMG). MGRS is associated with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). People with MGUS have a monoclonal gammopathy but does not meet the criteria for the clonal burden nor the presence of end organ damage seen in hematologic malignancies. In a population based study based on the NHANES III health survey; 6% of patients with MGUS were subsequently classified as having MGRS. The prevalence and incidence of MGRS in the general population or in specific populations is not known but it is more prevalent in those over the age of 50 as there is a monoclonal protein (M-protein) present in 3% of those 50 and years older and 5% of those 70 years and older, placing those 50 and older at increased risk of MGRS.