Exokrin pancreasinsufficiens hos schäfer

Abstract: Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency is a hereditary disease that in Sweden is especially common in German shepherds. The Swedish German shepherd club has currently no plan of action for decreasing disease prevalence in the breed. The purpose of this study was to review existing literature about the disease and also to perform an inventory of the disease in the Swedish dog population. Special focus was laid on the German shepherd breed. The inventory was later compared to an unpublished inventory of the disease with data from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences from 1997. During the period 2002-06-01 to 2007-09-26 (ca 64 months) 2961 blood samples were analyzed for cTLI. 274 samples were positive (cTLI <2.5μmol/l). 32 breeds including dogs of mixed breed were represented among the positive dogs. German shepherd, border collie, borzoi, cairn terrier, eurasian dogs, rough-coated collie and mixed breeds were statistically over represented (p <0.05) in the sampled population. The average age among the positive German shepherds at the time of blood sampling was 52.8 months ±30.6 months; the median age was 48 months (4-140 months). Bitches were statistically over represented (p <0.05). A comparison of the previous inventory with the current revealed that the number of blood samples tested for cTLI has increased greatly. The number of German shepherds tested compared to the whole population has decreased, as has the number of positive German shepherds compared to the whole positive population. The ratio of positive German shepherds and tested German shepherd has remained about the same. An identification of the genetic basis of the disease and a genetic test to identify disease carriers would be valuable for the German shepherd breed in Sweden, as the current breeding does not seem to decrease the prevalence in the dog population.