Past, Present, and Future:
WFA Supports Grants for Needed Research

Robert E. McCaskill, DVM, MPH

Fall 2001, NEWS

The Westie Foundation of America, Inc., approaches 2002 firmly committed to health research and education that will better the life of West Highland White Terriers. It seems only yesterday (though it was actually March 22, 1998) when we held our first in-person Board of Directors meeting in Dallas, Texas; earlier meetings had been held through telephone conference calls. In the course of this meeting we decided to underwrite the costs associated with a questionnaire that might serve to determine the health problems present in our breed being proposed by the West Highland White Terrier Club of America. This decision proved fortuitous as it allowed us to identify health problems affecting our breed quickly. We were then able to prioritize those diseases of most importance and seek research proposals we might sponsor, or co-sponsor, with the recourses that the foundation had at its disposal at that early date.

A LOOK BACK

Initial research grant support was undertaken in cooperation with The American Kennel Club's Canine Health Foundation. Our first project was one already underway at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine which involved the predilection of Canine Atopy; study results provided the new observation that atopic dogs responded to a lectin protein at a higher rate than non-atopic dogs. This facility's follow-up research is now trying to determine if that lectin protein can be used to identify dogs predisposed to Atopic dermatitis.

Also in 1998, we supported the development of a DNA-based diagnostic test for Craniomandibular Osteopathy (CMO) in Cairns, Westies, and Scotties. CMO is a painful bone disease affecting the quality of life of the afflicted dog. Our researcher hoped to develop a linkage-based DNA test. However, laboratory delay and new DNA developments in the Canine Genome resulted in our moving forward to develop the direct DNA test for CMO. Although the linked-based DNA test would have allowed us to identify carriers and homozygous animals, it does not allow for the precise identification of dogs with CMO that the direct DNA test will.

In 1999, we added our financial resources to those of the Canine Health Foundation with a third grant: Canine Immune Response to the Opportunistic Pathogen Malassezia pachydermatis. Malassezia, a budding yeast organism, is part of the common micro flora of canine skin that has been shown to contribute to atopic dermatitis by producing a Type-1 hypersensitivity response. As an opportunistic organism, it is believed to cause skin disease in dogs with immunological deficiencies. Currently, antifungal therapy is the treatment of choice but the recurrent nature of the disease, concerns regarding drug toxicity, and cost make it an imperfect therapy. Our researchers hope to develop a hyposensitizing immunotherapy treatment using the naturally occurring disease as a model. While the Canine Health Foundation has not yet released the final report on this grant, their April 2001 report indicated that the principal investigator would have no problem in providing a final report by the August 2001 deadline.

LOOKING AHEAD

With more resources on which to draw due to the generosity of many contributors, early in 2001 the WFA's health committee identified seven grants on issues specifically related to Westies that we wished to support between 2001 and 2003. At the same time, we joined with the Morris Animal Health Foundation in addition to the CHF. So, what is ahead?

AGGRESSION

Respondents to the initial health survey identified aggression as the second most common health problem in our breed. The WFA, believing education would be the best approach to understanding this problem, joined forces with the WHWTCA in supporting a University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine grant request for assistance in developing a simple questionnaire intended for dog owners to provide either researchers or behavior specialists with accurate and reliable information about their dogs' behavior and temperament. Three hundred questionnaires were mailed out to our parent club members; the return rate of 33% was exceptional. The Principal Investigator, James A. Serpell, PhD, a world-wide published animal behaviorist, spoke on the results of this survey and its meaning at the 2001 Montgomery Health Seminar.

The WFA has approved funding for six grants over the next two years.

1. Inherited cataracts have become a major health problem in dogs, showing a significant frequency in sixty-six breeds of which one is the Westie. In some breeds the puppy is born with cataracts (congenital) while in others they develop between six and eighteen months of age, long after the animal has moved from its breeder to a new home.

   We joined with nine other breed clubs and the Canine Health Foundation in support of a grant at the University of Michigan Medical School in looking for a linkage between a cataract gene and a DNA marker. We look for this study to develop a linkage-based DNA test for the condition and, once the causative gene is determined, to develop a direct DNA test.

2. The Canine Health Foundation accepted a proposal from the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine to test the hypothesis that there is an inherited difference in one or more lectin responsive pathways between atopic and non-atopic dogs. The expected outcome is to develop a readily detectable difference between atopic and non-atopic dogs and to predict the risk of allergic disease in preclinical dogs through a simple and inexpensive blood test. This proposal is awaiting final additional funding approval from the CHF.
3. Addison's disease is a late onset disorder caused by the deterioration of the adrenal gland that occurs in the domestic dog at approximately .1%, with some breeds showing a greater prevalence. Addison's was identified at a far greater rate on our health survey. Two proposals submitted the CHF gained their - and our - support. One proposal came from the University of California that has already done significant research on the disease in Bearded Collies. This grant has two objectives: (1) to develop a genetic marker associated with an Addison's locus in the Bearded Collie and (2) determine whether Addison's disease in the Standard Poodle, West Highland White Terrier, Portuguese Water Dog and Leonberger also has a genetic basis and, if so, whether there is a common genetic defect across all these breeds.
4. An immune reaction in which the body's own defense mechanisms destroy the adrenals causes Addison's; this process releases telltale antibodies into the circulation before severe damage occurs. The investigators in the second Addison's-related project propose to develop a test that will measure antibodies. With this test, veterinarians will be able to make an early diagnosis long before affected animals become ill.
5. We have now joined the Morris Animal Health Foundation in the support of two grant proposals. We have funded a study at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine to develop a new treatment for Atopic Dermatitis. Current therapy for Atopic Dermatitis has been keyed around hypo sensitization that is 80% successful but is lengthy and expensive. Veterinarians also use antihistamine and glucocorticoid. Human dermatologists have had success with oral cyclosporine; however, the toxicity of oral cyclosporine has yet to be worked out in dogs. Topical cyclosporine is not affected. Tacromlimus (TAC) is a chemical derivative having similar activity but is distinctly different from cyclosporine. It has been effectively used in humans. Our researches propose to evaluate the use of 3% TAC in dogs over a four-week treatment period and to evaluate the clinical absorption of TAC in dogs and its effect on CBC and chemistry panels. This grant is for one year.
6. A study at the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine will assess the effects of canine rush immunotherapy in the treatment of Atopic Dermatitis. Currently, the only specific treatment for canine atopic dermatitis is allergen-specific immunotherapy, a therapy that is only about 80% effective with many dogs not showing any positive effect for the first six months to a year. A circumvention of the induction period and quicker response would have a significant impact on the well being of affected animals. With rush immunotherapy, the induction period is reduced to one-three days. While our researchers have used rush immunotherapy in thirty dogs and found it a safe treatment to administer, scientific assessment of the effects of canine rush immunotherapy is lacking.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

As our support of health research and educational topics increases, the WFA health committee's expertise and time is taxed to its outermost limit. We could use two or three volunteers who would assist in tracking the current grants and converting these complex scientific reports and findings into simple terms. Our volunteers need to have a science base and understanding of complex medical and scientific terms. Written communication skills are critical. If you wish to volunteer in this area, please contact the Foundation.