Welcome to the Bracco Italiano Kidney Page. The goal of this blog and website is to provide a centralized location for educational information regarding kidney disease in the Bracco Italiano.
Bracchi Italiani have evidence of familial (hereditary) kidney disease, and the most common diagnosis is renal amyloidosis. Occasionally, other forms of kidney disease can be seen in the same family lines. It’s unclear if those dogs have a variation on the same disease process, or if their kidney disease may be unrelated.
The Top Three Points About Amyloidosis in the Bracco Italiano:
- Kidney disease causing life-threatening protein loss in the urine can exist with normal kidney parameters (Blood Urea Nitrogen, Creatinine, SDMA) on bloodwork.
- Many Bracchi have glomerular amyloidosis causing protein loss in the urine (proteinuria – which is best measured with a Urine Protein/Creatinine Ratio).
- The published survival times for non-Shar Pei dogs with renal amyloidosis is grim (only 5 days in one study), but there is likely opportunity to manage this disease if diagnosed early. Routine screening of healthy dogs is an important part of this!
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions! I will try to update this blog with new information as it becomes available.
Dr. Amanda #braccovet #savetheBracco