To say I was sad in the face of Percy’s death is a gross understatement. I think in some ways I will never entirely get over losing such a young, sweet animal to such a disease. The sorrow of losing an older, beloved dog is its own kind of hard grief, but the loss of Percy was peculiarly difficult in ways I am still coming to grips with. Every time I see a very young animal I think of him, gangly legs and sweetness of being.
The evening of April 15 the vet took Percy’s body to biopsy the kidneys and send the tissue to Cornell for analysis. He told me that Percy’s kidneys were so small, they were difficult to locate: they were smaller than those of a good size cat, and Percy even after his loss of weight was four times the size of a cat.
Though for some in the face of such loss no further information is needed or wanted, I wanted as much information as I could gather about what had killed Percy. He was dead and nothing could bring him back to life, but the grueling experience of seeing what he went through when he was alive, and that there was nothing we could do to make him whole and healthy, propelled me to find out whatever we could.
The histopathology report was clear:
“The histologic lesions in both kidneys are consistent with a diagnosis of renal dysplasia. Renal dysplasia in dogs is often hereditary. The immature glomeruli, primitive mesenchyme and presence of primitive (metanephric) ducts are abnormal in an 11-month-old dog and diagnostic for renal dysplasia.”
Read the entire report by clicking the image, above.
Ideally, neither Percy’s sire or dam should have been bred again, as although at present no definitive diagnosis is possible for this breed and this disease (see Links for information on canine genetic studies at Harvard/MIT’s Broad Institute), Percy’s clinical presentation and the histopathology report leave little doubt that he suffered from juvenile renal dysplasia; we know that JRD is “often hereditary.”
The breeders focused on a genetic test we did in January 2010 with Dogenes, a Canadian lab that conducts canine genetic testing. We sent samples for Percy and for both the sire and dam; the results indicated that both parents were carriers and that Percy was affected, with a homozygous mutant allele. However, within a few months the breeders told me they viewed the lab to be largely discredited, at least anecdotally, in terms of tests done with other breeds. Due to the uncertainty surrounding the validity of the test and possibly the lab itself, I do not mention this testing elsewhere on Percy’s Page or in any way use the findings of the Dogenes test to support the diagnosis for Percy. This is also out of respect for the breeders, whom I generally believe have the best interest of the breed at heart.
I lost track of the Dogenes story, as it did not mean much to me in terms of knowing what killed Percy, but the breeders held fast to it and amassed details about the failings, in their eyes, of the lab and its director; they interpreted the lack of 100% certainty around this one genetic test to mean that the dogs were unlikely to be affected genetically, and that what happened to Percy was just bad luck, a bad twist of nature. The dam has since been bred again.
In the absence of a definitive genetic test, the facts remain the same. Percy presented clinically for JRD from the age of 3 1/2 months, the ultrasound suggested as much, and the gross autopsy and histopathology only further confirmed this. I would not take even a very slight chance that another puppy and owner would go through what he and I went through. And this is why Percy’s Page is here.
I am so sorry for your loss. I came across percussion page while researching diet for our aging pocket pit who has a miriad of issues including renal problems. I was happy to see that the diet I am creating is along the lines of yours. My little Hobe seems to love sweet potato which I use to flavor the mix. I will now try some of the other squashes. Again, I feel your pain. I am truly an animal lover who goes all out for their needs. Yours very truly, Melinda
I am in Queensland, Australia and have been virtually blacklisted by several Poodle clubs and breeders because I phoned around looking for a stud Miniature Poodle that DNA tested clear of Renal Dysplasia. The majority of breeders insist the disease doesn’t exist in Miniature Poodles. Every Poodle breeder I know dismisses the Dogenes test. My dog’s full sister was returned to the breeder as a vet confirmed JRD. The breeder denies this. I have just ordered a test kit from Dogenes to test a 3 week old puppy. Am I wasting my time and money? I need somebody ‘qualified’ to tell me this. Does anybody know who I could contact?
Monica, so sorry for the delay replying, for some reason your comment only came through now. Yes, there are questions around the Dogenes test and even if there weren’t breeders pretty much dismiss it out of hand.
You may have already found good resources. But my first suggestion is to talk to a smart, well-trained and trusted veterinarian about this, they can help you find supportive sources in Australia. In the US, the Broad Institute at Harvard/MIT is doing good work on genetic diseases in canines, I link to it on Percy’s Page but here is the link to the JRD page: http://goo.gl/ELpRmB
I have not been in touch with them in awhile, but know them to be super responsive– you can email the contacts listed. They don’t name poodles as a JRD-affected breed but neither are Spinoni named– it is a matter of numbers and data, but they may be able to tell you if they are seeing an increase.
Good luck, keep at it, and you are right to question breeders. Please write back to let me know how you make out.
-Brigid