Author: drjwv_writer

Skin Tears

I primarily associate skin tears in the American standard Chinese Shar-Pei with the prominent skin folds, “meat mouth” muzzle and thicker skin with bullae (blisters/vesicles). The skin often resembles the texture of an orange peel. This is known as Hereditary Cutaneous Mucinosis (Hyaluronosis). This condition results in high levels of hyaluronan in the dermis and epidermis of the skin. The excess hyaluronan disrupts the organization of collagen fibers in the dermis which are responsible for the strength and support of the skin much as iron rebar or steel mesh is used to strengthen concrete driveways and patios. Lastly, the excess...

ANNOUNCING A GENETIC TEST FOR SHAR-PEI AUTOINFLAMMATORY DISEASE (SPAID)

A validated genetic test is now available to measure the copy number variant (CNV) linked to Shar-Pei Autoinflammatory Disease (SPAID), reveals an international collaboration lead by scientists and veterinarians at Uppsala, Sweden and Wurtsboro, New York, USA. Details were published in the April 23 edition of the open-access journal BMC Genomics. http://bmcgenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12864-016-2619-0 This work represents the third step in the group’s ongoing research into the relationship between the Shar-Pei dog breed’s unique skin appearance and a complex hereditary syndrome, SPAID. In 2011, the team first reported the existence of a duplicated segment of DNA upstream of the gene hyaluronan synthase...

SPAID – Shar-Pei Autoinflammatory Disorder

SPAID is a term to describe the spectrum of clinical signs due to systemic and persistent inflammation in Chinese Shar-Pei.  All the signs in SPAID are autoinflammatory in nature and are related elevated levels of hyaluronan, a molecule which functions as a danger signal (a DAMP) that triggers the inflammatory response.  SPAID resembles human AID (autoinflammatory disease) that also presents with multiple inflammatory signs.  Many Shar-Pei with SPAID also receive relief from disease by the use of IL-1β inhibitors which suggests a cytokine-driven inflammation and a dysregulation of the innate immune response.  SPAID definitely is linked to increased levels of...

Newsletter: Volume 13, Issue 1, April 2011

The Answer Way back in 1983 we first started recognizing episodic fevers in Shar-Pei often associated with a swollen, painful hock joint. Later on it was observed that an early-onset kidney failure occurred in many of these dogs as well. I remember many individuals, including myself, remarking that this has to be associated with the wrinkles in some way and now we know it does. An important article was recently published in March, 2011, entitled ?A Novel Unstable Duplication Upstream of HAS2 Predisposes to a Breed-Defining Skin Phenotype and a Periodic Fever Syndrome in Chinese Shar-Pei Dogs?, Mia Olsson et...

Newsletter: Volume 12, Issue 1 February 2010

On October 23-25, 2009 I attended the AKC Canine Health Foundation 2009 National Parent Club Health Conference held in St. Louis, Missouri. This was the seventh conference which is held biannually and was sponsored by Nestlé Purina PetCare Company. The purpose of the conference is several-fold. It brings together many of the top researchers in the canine health field to bring the attendees up to speed on their AKC-CHF grant projects. It also allows the various parent club health representatives to catch their vision of the future – future diagnostic tests, future areas of research, and future therapies for canine...

Newsletter: Volume 11, Issue 1 November 2007

What’s new on the Shar-Pei front? I have not heard anything specific about the NIH (National Institute of Health) study involving FSF. The preliminary information a few months ago indicated the researchers were pretty close to identifying the genes responsible for FSF. Many thanks again to those of you who allowed blood sample for this study to be taken from your dogs. New information indicates FSF is an autoinflammatory disease and most likely represents an inflammatory response dysregulation problem — a problem involving messenger substances (cytokines, chemotactic factors), receptors, inflammatory mediators and cells involved in the inflammatory response. We are...

Newsletter: Volume 11, Issue 1 November 2007

What’s new on the Shar-Pei front? I have not heard anything specific about the NIH (National Institute of Health) study involving FSF. The preliminary information a few months ago indicated the researchers were pretty close to identifying the genes responsible for FSF. Many thanks again to those of you who allowed blood sample for this study to be taken from your dogs. New information indicates FSF is an autoinflammatory disease and most likely represents an inflammatory response dysregulation problem — a problem involving messenger substances (cytokines, chemotactic factors), receptors, inflammatory mediators and cells involved in the inflammatory response. We are...

Newsletter: Volume 10, Issue 2 December 2006

Veterinary medicine has changed quite a bit in the last decade with the advent of alternative medicine, three year vaccine protocols, raw food diets, wellness exams, specialty clinics, and other changes. I’ve always tried to advise clients based on my experience with my own dogs, keeping current with the veterinary literature, clinical experience with all the dogs in the practice, new information available on the Internet and talking with colleagues and specialists. I still give my dog’s annual vaccinations which I have been doing for 26 years with no adverse consequences, I know of. I still feed good quality commercial...

Newsletter: Volume 10, Issue 1 April 2006

GAG Mimetics Amyloid deposits are complex structures where the amyloid fibrils are intertwined with other amyloid proteins called proteoglycans that are always present in the deposits regardless of the type of amyloid fibril present. Proteoglycans, especially the sulfated glycosaminoglycan (PSGAG) molecule portion of specific proteoglycans, have been shown to interact with the amyloidogenic amyloid proteins. These GAGs promote fibril formation. Glycosaminoglycans may affect precursor processing, folding of the amyloidogenic proteins to form a beta-pleated sheet conformation or polymerization and deposition of amyloid fibrils. An increase in the rate of synthesis of glycosaminoglycans in tissues in which amyloidosis developed would argue...

Newsletter: Volume 9, Issue 1 September 2005

As many of you know I suffered a fractured heel bone at the end of May and have been recovering ever since. I’m still in physical therapy and realize an older body takes longer to heal. I want to thank you for your continued support, well wishes and help during this time. You have been patient in picking up your pets and putting them on the exam table for me, allowing me to sit down to do exams and waiting a little extra time for me to get medications, etc. Your help has been instrumental in my rehabilitation. Likewise I...