Health Report 2002

by Robert E. McCaskill, DVM, MPH
Fall 2002

Two thousand two was a monumental year for the Westie Foundation of America because we funded seven research grants- the largest number since the start of the Foundation five short years ago. With these grants, we have committed approximately $83,000 to support research into Westie health issues.

We supported three grants that are focused on skin disease; two grants on Addison’s disease; and one each on CMO and the genetic cause of cataracts. Most of our grants are for identifying genetic markers of diseases of specific interest to our breed; however, we did support research into clinical detection (Addison’s) and treatments (skin disease).

Because of a change in the grant cycle by the Canine Health Foundation, we have not received a progress report on every grant by the publication of this newsletter. However, we did receive the progress reports from the two grants supported with the Morris Animal Health Foundation and one grant progress report from the Canine Health Foundation.

Two of our Morris Animal Foundation grants support research into skin atopy treatments. The principal investigators on both grants reported success in accomplishing their grant objectives. Dr. Rosanna Marsella’s research with 0.3% Tacrolimus solution has shown the drug to be very effective as a treatment of atopic dogs. Her research will determine the efficacy and systemic absorption of the lotion. We expect her research to lead to FDA approval for this lotion to be used in the treatment of dogs with atopic dermatitis. Our second grant with Morris is to determine the success rate of rush immunotherapy for atopic dermatitis and compare it to conventional therapy. The principal investigators report initial success with this new treatment approach. Dr. George Brewer, principal investigator in our grant supporting the identification of the genetic cause of canine cataracts, reports that he and his team have made significant progress in narrowing the number of candidate genes tht cause this disease. They have collected sufficient West Highland White Terrier pedigrees to study congenital candidate genes.

Looking ahead to 2003 and 2004, our Board of Directors- at its Spring 2002 meeting- committed another $19,000 toward five additional research grants. We voted to continue to co-fund with the Morris Animal Health Foundation Conventional & Rush Immunology in Canine Atopic Dermatitis. This research is investigating if shortening the time of hyposensitization treatments improves an atopic dogs’ response to the treatment.

I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Ron Rosycheck, one of the co-investigators, speak on atopy this summer . He indicated that their initial research on "Rush Immunotherapy" appeared to improve the response time and response percentage for allergic dogs. He further indicated that treatment success increased if hypo-sensitization treatments started at a younger age. He stated that they observed cures in atopic dogs when using "Rush Immunotherapy" starting at a young age. He discussed treatment of atopic dermatitis using some of the new antihistamines and combination of different drugs. He specifically recommended a combination treatment of Temial-P (Pfizer) and hydroxizine.

Our board approved supporting a Canine Health Foundation grant proposal to develop a genetic test to identify individuals with Legg-Calvé Perthes disease. Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease is an orthopedic abnormality causing pain and decreased hip motion. The cause is unknown but it is currently thought to be a multi-factorial genetic problem. Similarly, mucopolysaccharidosis type VI (MPSVI) is a disease that causes hip and patellar abnormalities. It is an autosomal recessive inherited disease caused by a deficiency in the enzyme arylsulfatase B. Our researchers hypothesize that at least a subset, if not all, dogs with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease in fact have MPSVI. They will examine dogs with Perthe’s disease for the presence of MPSVI using enzyme analysis. Ultimately our researchers hope to develop a mutation specific DNA-test.

We also approved continuing support of Canine Health Foundation grants studying CMO and Basophile/Mast Cell research into Canine Atopy. These are the second year of previously approved grants.

Lastly the board voted to co-sponsor with the Morris Animal Health Foundation a University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine proposal to characterize the immunopathology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in dogs. Our initial health survey did not identify Inflammatory Bowel disease as one of the significant health issues in our breed. However, as our board members discussed health issues with members of the parent and regional clubs, it became evident to us that IBD is occurring with greater frequency in the breed. This grant will be followed for one year. Should the progress reviews show significant results, we would consider approval for a second year.