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HEALTH NOTES

PHPT - Remembering my Anni, her

legacy and our quest for answers.

By Jane Saunders

Back in 2001 when my home bred the disease and asked for Anni’s
Anni was experiencing ongoing pedigree. It soon transpired that a
bladder stones and urinary infections half-brother had been treated at the
we had no idea of the journey that Royal Veterinary College a while
was before us. Anni had always been before and he told me he was handing
a happy, healthy girl and, with her over the pedigrees to Dr Barbara
litter sister Lucy, she was a joy. Skelly to research the disease.
In early 2001 we finally obtained the Apart from my personal loss, I was
diagnosis when by chance the vet at passionate that others should be
the diagnostic laboratory mentioned spared the heartache we’d had. Most
to my dear vet friend, Sue, that people will know the work Barbara
maybe we should test for PHPT! put into the early sample collecting
(Primary Hyperparathyroidism). He and it was disappointing that Richard
had spent some time in the USA so Goldstein announced the gene had
broke the news that Keeshonds had been found in August 2006 and, in
suffered from the condition in the the etiquette of research, Barbara
States. Back then, the Internet was had to discontinue the original plans
not as developed and social media in to do our own genome investigation
its infancy. I eventually made good of the available samples. Richard
contacts in the States and was Goldstein was keen to double his
particularly grateful to Kris Arnds of sample size and offered to test the
Winsome Keeshonds, who had nearly 200 samples stored at
experienced PHPT in her own dog and Cambridge. This was a double blind
championed getting the message out trial, meaning that he did not know
in her own country. the status of the individual dogs and
those who were known to have either
Despite excellent care and surgery high calcium or who had undergone
from the team at Cambridge Vet surgery, were entered twice.
School, who removed the offending
gland, the prior kidney damage over The test became available in January
the year before we had a diagnosis, 2007 and since then only one
lead to renal failure in January 2002, litter has been born in the UK from
and we had to make the dreaded an untested dam where the sire
decision on my birthday. was negative. Breeders and owners
in the UK were so fortunate to have
Professor Mike Herrtage, a personal the gift of mass testing at no cost
friend of Mike Stockman was Anni’s to themselves. Other European
consultant. He was keen to research
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