Hereditary and Pathohistological study of Anasarca, congenital edema, in hungarian English Bulldog population
Demand for high quality breeding stock is continously increasing among dog breeders and requires familiarity with genetic disorders and their control. In preventive veterinary medicine genetic counceling is of gaining importance. In the offsprings of eight British Bulldog stud dogs the prevalance of generalized edema was studied (Figure 1 and 2). As a result of test matings with randomly selected bitches only two males were declared free of the inborn disorder (Table 2). In one male (number7) a high grade affectedness (48% anasarca, 24% palatoschisis) was found. In the Hungarian Bulldog population the ratio of animals with genetic disorders is high. Among the offsprings of the studied males 42 puppies were subjected to pathological examination. Out of 42 puppies 35 died of anasarca including 27 females and 8 males. The body weight of the puppies varied between 250–710 g. The combined weight of lungs and heart was 4.4–14.2 g, while kidneys weighted 1.9–4.4 g (Table 3). Autopsy and histopathological examination showed multiple factors in developing anasarca. In the hearts muscle hypoplasia and inborn defects, ventricular stenosis, aorta stenosis, truncus pulmonalis stenosis, Fallot tetralogy, valve defects were found. In the lungs and the kidneys hypoplasia was diagnosed (Figure 3). In some cases of anasarca hypofunction of thyroid gland was also diagnosed (Figure 4). Apart from the above mentioned developmental abnormalities in 14 cases other developmental disorders were seen in the puppies (8 palatoschisis, 4 laryngal hypoplasia, 2 hypoplasia of the epiglottis). The similar phenotypic (as general edema) expression of different organ (heart and kidneys) defects and organ systems support the heterogenetic nature of anasarca. The general edema might be a result of more recessive gene mutations or structural chromosomal abberations. The reults support the inborn nature of anasarca, but further studies (karyotype and DNA analysis) are needed to find the mode of inheritance.
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