DEVELOPING A DNA TEST FOR VON WILLEBRAND'S DISEASE:

VetGen has agreed to take samples from Great Danes with von Willebrand's disease (vWD) in the hopes of developing a "gene test" for this bleeding disorder. VetGen has already developed DNA tests for this disease in several dog breeds. With this sort of test, individuals can know for sure, through a simple and non-invasive DNA test, if their dog is "clear" (no genes for the disease), a "carrier," (one gene for the disease they can pass on) or "affected" (two genes for the disease and in danger of being affected by von Willebrand's Disease--a hereditary bleeding disorder). 

There is no cost to the GDCA or to the individual owners for this research; VetGen will be paying for the work in anticipation of being able to develop a commercially available DNA test.

Individual Danes defined as "vWD affected" only are needed (i.e. entire family units are not necessary at this point in the research). Suitable dogs for this research would have had the vWD blood test (ELISA) with low results (~20% or below), and have had serious bleeding problems/clinical symptoms which have defined them as having vWD. 

Cheek cell samples using a simple brush to collect DNA samples are all that are necesssary, and VetGen will supply the kits. Confidentiality is assured & VetGen will work directly with the owners. If you have a Dane you think can help us find a gene test for this disorder, or to find out more information or request swab kits, contact "John" at VetGen:

VetGen: 1-800-483-8436
E-mail: johnduff@vetgen.com
Website: www.vetgen.com

Currently vWD is not a widespread disease in the Great Dane, but it is a devastating disease for those individual dogs who inherit it. And it's expression can be completely controlled when there is a DNA test, as carriers can be identified. To date, it has proven to behave as a simple autosomal recessive in the breeds for which a test is available. Some of the breeds have a point mutation; Dobermans have a splicing defect: each breed to date has had a different mutation, so we need samples from Danes to find out what mutation results in the disease in our breed. I hope those in our breed who have come across this disease can now take advantage of this opportunity to participate in this research. Hopefully, we will get the needed samples soon, and, if we are lucky, perhaps the Great Dane will match up with one of the existing tests for vWD that VetGen has already developed, so as to have a DNA test rapidly available. If that is not the case, then, as long as we have appropriate samples submitted to VetGen, they will then see about developing a new test based on the Great Dane data. More about VetGen's canine research here:
http://www.vetgen.com/research.html

Best Regards, JP Yousha
Chair, H&W, GDCA
danehealth@gdca.org
432-684-8940



Permission to reprint as submitted for educational purposes is given. 
Submitted by JP Yousha, Chair, H&W Committee, GDCA 2004.

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