GIANT SCHNAUZER HEALTH
From the Giant Schanuzer Club of America
Hip Dysplasia
In hip dysplasia, the fit of the joint is loose, and the harmony of joint movement is disturbed. The looseness is demonstrated on x-rays as a separation of the head of the femur from the acetabulum (subluxation). The result of separation is a widening of the joint space, stress on the joint attachments and or a shallowness of the acetabulum. The hip reacts by changes in bone size, shape and structure (remodeling), changes in the articular cartilage and in the synovial fluid. The end result is a form of arthritis called osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease. There are all degrees of change ranging from minimal subluxation, to severe bone reaction, to severe osteoarthritis.
The dysplastic dog thus has a weakened structural foundation. The weakness, depending on the individual dog and degree of joint damage, may be readily detected or may avoid detection for some period of time. Observation of the dysplastic dog’s movement may reveal all stages from normal to a crippled animal. Symptoms of pain or discomfort also vary with the stage of development. They are usually classified as the acute phase (3 to 2 months of age) or the chronic phase (arthritic symptoms in the mature dog). Severity of the symptoms depends on how well the individual adjusts to the problem and the type of environment in which the dog lives.
Hip dysplasia is an inherited trait. It is controlled by the genetic makeup (genotype) of the individual dog. The genotype is determined by the genes received from the parents. The current concept is: hip dysplasia is a polygenic trait. That is, many genes affect the trait of dysplasia. Affected dogs should not be used for breeding purposes. Affected females should be spayed and males neutered. With sensible care, many dysplasia-affected dogs can live reasonably normal lives as companion animals.
Studies in the last 5 years have demonstrated that large-breed puppies that are kept lean develop up to 60% less hip dysplasia than puppies that are allowed to free-feed. The current recommendation is to stop feeding puppy formulas at 6 months of age, keep the pups at a lean body mass, and not add any supplements. Bone growth is not complete until about 2 years of age, and allowing bone structure to mature before muscle mass grows reduces hip dysplasia.
Thyroid Dysfunction:
Autoimmune thyroiditis is the most common cause of primary hypothyroidism in dogs and is recognized as a heritable condition. Predisposed dogs are born with normal thyroid function and generally grow and develop in a normal manner. Evidence of an immune reaction in the thyroid glands begins to appear sometime in early adulthood in the majority of affected dogs. The initiating factors remain unknown, but part of the response is the appearance of thyroid autoantibodies directed at thyroglobulin and sometimes the thyroid hormones, T4 and/or T3. Eventually the autoimmune response results in irreversible destruction of the thyroid glands, an inability to make thyroid hormones, and finally, development of clinical signs of hypothyroidism. This pathologic process may extend for several years in many affected dogs. Thus detection of positive thyroid autoantibodies early in the course of the disease serves to identify dogs at increased risk of becoming hypothyroid in the future. Because of the variable onset of the presence of autoantibodies, periodic testing is recommended.
Hypothyroidism: This is probably the most common form of thyroid dysfunction observed in Giants along with many other breeds. Dogs afflicted with hypothyroidism have an impaired production and secretion of the thyroid hormones which results in a decreased metabolic rate. The common cause of thyroid hormone deficiency is as a result of the destruction of the thyroid gland itself. There are two common causes of adult primary hypothyroidism are lymphocytic thyroiditis and idiopathic atrophy of the thyroid gland. Secondary hypothyroidism is commonly due to a growing tumor that destroys the pituitary thyrotrophs. Congenital secondary hypothyroidism has been noted to occur in rare cases in the Giant Schnauzer, this form is associated with symptoms of disproportionate dwarfism, lethargy, gait abnormalities, and constipation.
Hypothyroidism is most commonly seen in dogs between 4-10 years of age. Because a deficiency of thyroid hormone will affect the function of all organ systems the symptoms can be varied or non-specific. Symptoms may include mental dullness, lethargy, intolerance of exercise, weight gain without a gain in appetite, mild to marked obesity, low body temperature causing the dog to seek heat. Coat and skin problems can include dryness, excessive shedding, retarded hair growth (in early stages), thinning hair or alopecia typically appears on both sides of the trunk, back of the thighs, top of the tail, lower side of the neck, and/or top of the nose. Thickening of the skin resulting in a puffy appearance of the forehead and face along with slight drooping of the upper eyelid. Hypothyroidism can disrupt the reproduction functions. In females this can cause failure or sporadic cycling, infertility, abortion, or poor litter survival. Males may experience lack of libido, testicular atrophy, hypospermia, or infertility.
Thyroxine (T4) is the thyroid hormone replacement compound most commonly used in dogs for treatment. Replacement therapy is usually necessary for the remainder of the dog’s life and periodic monitoring to adjust the required dosage may be necessary. Improvement in condition typically can be noted after 1-2 months of therapy. Failure to improve can be due to incorrect dosage, the animal’s inability to absorb the product, or there was an incorrect diagnosis.
Hypothyroidism is one of the most over and under diagnosed diseases and many diseases can mimic or be misdiagnosed as hypothyroidism. Some of these symptoms do respond to the medications used to treat this condition.
Hyperthyroidism: Is an excessive secretion of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4, which results in symptoms that reflect an increased metabolic rate. This is not a commonly seen condition in dogs and thyroid carcinoma is the primary cause. The typical symptoms are weight loss, increased appetite, hyperexcitability, increased thirst and frequency of urinating, noticeable enlargement of the thyroid gland. These symptoms may also include vomiting, diarrhea, and increased fecal volume. Heart problems may be associated with hyperthyroidism. As with hypothyroidism an ongoing treatment therapy will be required throughout the remainder of the dog’s life.
Ophthalmology
Cataracts: Notable by the opacity of the lens of the eye or of its capsule. Cataracts are classified by their age of onset (juvenile, senile, or congenital), anatomic location, cause, degree of opacificaion, and shape. They can be inherited or caused by age, diabetes mellitus, malnutrition, radiation, inflammation, and trauma. Typically they can be treated by surgery and have the best results if when performed before the cataract maturation is complete.
Ectropion: A slack, outward turning lid margin, usually with a large fissure or cleft near the eyelid. This is a common bilateral conformational abnormality in a number of dog breeds and can also occur with contracting scars in the lid or with facial nerve paralysis. Exposure to environmental irritants and secondary bacterial infection can cause chronic or recurrent conjunctivitis. This condition can be treated surgically or in mild cases control of related intermittent infections can be treated without surgery.
Entropion: An inversion of all or part of the eye lid margins and may involve both eyelids and the where the upper and lower eyelid meet. This is an inherited defect and it may also follow cicatrix formation (a scar left by a healing wound that can appear contracted) or severe spasmodic winking from involuntary contraction of the muscle of the eyelids due to surrounding eye area or eye pain. Without surgical treatment this condition may cause discomfort, conjunctival and corneal irritation, corneal scarring, pigmentation, and possibly ulceration.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA): This is a group of degenerative noninflammatory disorders of the retina consisting of inherited photoreceptor dysplasia and degenerations that have similar appearance. Night blindness is noted early and progresses to total blindness over time. Cortical cataracts are common late in the course of PRA and may mask the underlying retinopathy. Blood and buccal mucosa-based DNA markers and specific gene tests have been developed to detect carrier and affected dogs before signs of development. Dogs with PRA move with caution, bump into objects, initially show defective vision at night or dusk. Owners may note pupil dilation before day vision is lost. The pupils then dilate totally as there is no response to light stimuli. The rate of progression varies with individuals, from a matter of weeks to 6-9 months. It appears that in most cases the dogs affected early in life progress to blindness more rapidly than those which show first signs at an older age. Peripheral vision is lost initially, but this may go unnoticed by the owner, then the central vision disappears rapidly and the dog’s ability to see immediate objects is lost.
Retinal Dysplasia: Is a congenital, focal, geographic, or generalized maldevelopment of the retina that may arise from trauma, genetic defect, or intrauterine damages, such as viral infections. Most forms are inherited. Focal areas of retinal maldevelopment may have no symptoms of this disease or it may interfere with the dog’s central vision. There are three forms: Folding of one or more areas of the retina (this is the mildest form and may not affect vision), geographic (folding and disorganization of the retina), and detached (severe disorganization associated with separation of the retina). Some loss of vision or blindness is associated with geographic or detached forms.
Hip Dysplasia
In hip dysplasia, the fit of the joint is loose, and the harmony of joint movement is disturbed. The looseness is demonstrated on x-rays as a separation of the head of the femur from the acetabulum (subluxation). The result of separation is a widening of the joint space, stress on the joint attachments and or a shallowness of the acetabulum. The hip reacts by changes in bone size, shape and structure (remodeling), changes in the articular cartilage and in the synovial fluid. The end result is a form of arthritis called osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease. There are all degrees of change ranging from minimal subluxation, to severe bone reaction, to severe osteoarthritis.
The dysplastic dog thus has a weakened structural foundation. The weakness, depending on the individual dog and degree of joint damage, may be readily detected or may avoid detection for some period of time. Observation of the dysplastic dog’s movement may reveal all stages from normal to a crippled animal. Symptoms of pain or discomfort also vary with the stage of development. They are usually classified as the acute phase (3 to 2 months of age) or the chronic phase (arthritic symptoms in the mature dog). Severity of the symptoms depends on how well the individual adjusts to the problem and the type of environment in which the dog lives.
Hip dysplasia is an inherited trait. It is controlled by the genetic makeup (genotype) of the individual dog. The genotype is determined by the genes received from the parents. The current concept is: hip dysplasia is a polygenic trait. That is, many genes affect the trait of dysplasia. Affected dogs should not be used for breeding purposes. Affected females should be spayed and males neutered. With sensible care, many dysplasia-affected dogs can live reasonably normal lives as companion animals.
Studies in the last 5 years have demonstrated that large-breed puppies that are kept lean develop up to 60% less hip dysplasia than puppies that are allowed to free-feed. The current recommendation is to stop feeding puppy formulas at 6 months of age, keep the pups at a lean body mass, and not add any supplements. Bone growth is not complete until about 2 years of age, and allowing bone structure to mature before muscle mass grows reduces hip dysplasia.
Thyroid Dysfunction:
Autoimmune thyroiditis is the most common cause of primary hypothyroidism in dogs and is recognized as a heritable condition. Predisposed dogs are born with normal thyroid function and generally grow and develop in a normal manner. Evidence of an immune reaction in the thyroid glands begins to appear sometime in early adulthood in the majority of affected dogs. The initiating factors remain unknown, but part of the response is the appearance of thyroid autoantibodies directed at thyroglobulin and sometimes the thyroid hormones, T4 and/or T3. Eventually the autoimmune response results in irreversible destruction of the thyroid glands, an inability to make thyroid hormones, and finally, development of clinical signs of hypothyroidism. This pathologic process may extend for several years in many affected dogs. Thus detection of positive thyroid autoantibodies early in the course of the disease serves to identify dogs at increased risk of becoming hypothyroid in the future. Because of the variable onset of the presence of autoantibodies, periodic testing is recommended.
Hypothyroidism: This is probably the most common form of thyroid dysfunction observed in Giants along with many other breeds. Dogs afflicted with hypothyroidism have an impaired production and secretion of the thyroid hormones which results in a decreased metabolic rate. The common cause of thyroid hormone deficiency is as a result of the destruction of the thyroid gland itself. There are two common causes of adult primary hypothyroidism are lymphocytic thyroiditis and idiopathic atrophy of the thyroid gland. Secondary hypothyroidism is commonly due to a growing tumor that destroys the pituitary thyrotrophs. Congenital secondary hypothyroidism has been noted to occur in rare cases in the Giant Schnauzer, this form is associated with symptoms of disproportionate dwarfism, lethargy, gait abnormalities, and constipation.
Hypothyroidism is most commonly seen in dogs between 4-10 years of age. Because a deficiency of thyroid hormone will affect the function of all organ systems the symptoms can be varied or non-specific. Symptoms may include mental dullness, lethargy, intolerance of exercise, weight gain without a gain in appetite, mild to marked obesity, low body temperature causing the dog to seek heat. Coat and skin problems can include dryness, excessive shedding, retarded hair growth (in early stages), thinning hair or alopecia typically appears on both sides of the trunk, back of the thighs, top of the tail, lower side of the neck, and/or top of the nose. Thickening of the skin resulting in a puffy appearance of the forehead and face along with slight drooping of the upper eyelid. Hypothyroidism can disrupt the reproduction functions. In females this can cause failure or sporadic cycling, infertility, abortion, or poor litter survival. Males may experience lack of libido, testicular atrophy, hypospermia, or infertility.
Thyroxine (T4) is the thyroid hormone replacement compound most commonly used in dogs for treatment. Replacement therapy is usually necessary for the remainder of the dog’s life and periodic monitoring to adjust the required dosage may be necessary. Improvement in condition typically can be noted after 1-2 months of therapy. Failure to improve can be due to incorrect dosage, the animal’s inability to absorb the product, or there was an incorrect diagnosis.
Hypothyroidism is one of the most over and under diagnosed diseases and many diseases can mimic or be misdiagnosed as hypothyroidism. Some of these symptoms do respond to the medications used to treat this condition.
Hyperthyroidism: Is an excessive secretion of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4, which results in symptoms that reflect an increased metabolic rate. This is not a commonly seen condition in dogs and thyroid carcinoma is the primary cause. The typical symptoms are weight loss, increased appetite, hyperexcitability, increased thirst and frequency of urinating, noticeable enlargement of the thyroid gland. These symptoms may also include vomiting, diarrhea, and increased fecal volume. Heart problems may be associated with hyperthyroidism. As with hypothyroidism an ongoing treatment therapy will be required throughout the remainder of the dog’s life.
Ophthalmology
Cataracts: Notable by the opacity of the lens of the eye or of its capsule. Cataracts are classified by their age of onset (juvenile, senile, or congenital), anatomic location, cause, degree of opacificaion, and shape. They can be inherited or caused by age, diabetes mellitus, malnutrition, radiation, inflammation, and trauma. Typically they can be treated by surgery and have the best results if when performed before the cataract maturation is complete.
Ectropion: A slack, outward turning lid margin, usually with a large fissure or cleft near the eyelid. This is a common bilateral conformational abnormality in a number of dog breeds and can also occur with contracting scars in the lid or with facial nerve paralysis. Exposure to environmental irritants and secondary bacterial infection can cause chronic or recurrent conjunctivitis. This condition can be treated surgically or in mild cases control of related intermittent infections can be treated without surgery.
Entropion: An inversion of all or part of the eye lid margins and may involve both eyelids and the where the upper and lower eyelid meet. This is an inherited defect and it may also follow cicatrix formation (a scar left by a healing wound that can appear contracted) or severe spasmodic winking from involuntary contraction of the muscle of the eyelids due to surrounding eye area or eye pain. Without surgical treatment this condition may cause discomfort, conjunctival and corneal irritation, corneal scarring, pigmentation, and possibly ulceration.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA): This is a group of degenerative noninflammatory disorders of the retina consisting of inherited photoreceptor dysplasia and degenerations that have similar appearance. Night blindness is noted early and progresses to total blindness over time. Cortical cataracts are common late in the course of PRA and may mask the underlying retinopathy. Blood and buccal mucosa-based DNA markers and specific gene tests have been developed to detect carrier and affected dogs before signs of development. Dogs with PRA move with caution, bump into objects, initially show defective vision at night or dusk. Owners may note pupil dilation before day vision is lost. The pupils then dilate totally as there is no response to light stimuli. The rate of progression varies with individuals, from a matter of weeks to 6-9 months. It appears that in most cases the dogs affected early in life progress to blindness more rapidly than those which show first signs at an older age. Peripheral vision is lost initially, but this may go unnoticed by the owner, then the central vision disappears rapidly and the dog’s ability to see immediate objects is lost.
Retinal Dysplasia: Is a congenital, focal, geographic, or generalized maldevelopment of the retina that may arise from trauma, genetic defect, or intrauterine damages, such as viral infections. Most forms are inherited. Focal areas of retinal maldevelopment may have no symptoms of this disease or it may interfere with the dog’s central vision. There are three forms: Folding of one or more areas of the retina (this is the mildest form and may not affect vision), geographic (folding and disorganization of the retina), and detached (severe disorganization associated with separation of the retina). Some loss of vision or blindness is associated with geographic or detached forms.
From the NZKC Accredited Breeders Scheme
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