Golden Retriever Update - Summer 2022 - 4

SUMMER 2022
several litters. Obviously, it is a detrimental
health issue in affected dogs.
We have really been trying to stamp
this out and support Dr. Townsend in
her effort to find a resolution. "
" We are still trying to understand the
mode of inheritance of this disease, "
Dr. Townsend says. " In the meantime,
it is important for dogs to have annual
eye examinations starting at age 2 in
which the eyes are dilated and examined
by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist
to catch the disease early and
to potentially slow disease progression,
relieve pain and maintain vision. "
TREATMENT & VISION LOSS STUDY
In the first study to compare treatment
types on the progression of GRPU to
glaucoma and vision loss, Dr. Townsend
followed 29 Golden Retrievers diagnosed
with the disorder in at least one eye from
2011 to 2018. Published in November
2020 in Veterinary Ophthalmology,
the Canine Health Foundation-funded
research (CHF Grant No. 02569-MOU
and Grant No. 2061) involved performing
at least two eye examinations on each
dog at a minimum of six months apart.
The hypothesis was that treatment
with a topical corticosteroid would
significantly slow disease progression
compared to treatment with a topical
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug
the eyes of affected dogs that blocks
fluid flow and results in glaucoma and
determining if all affected Golden
Retrievers have this material within
their eyes (CHF Grant No. 02590-A,
from Feb. 1, 2019, to June 30, 2022)
* Conducting a genome-wide association
study to identify a chromosomal
region associated with GRPU
(CHF Grant No. 2061, from Jan. 1,
2014, to June 30, 2018)
John Cotter, president of the Golden
Retriever Foundation, says, " Pigmentary
uveitis is a challenging eye disease
partly because of the age at which it
occurs after a dog may have produced
4
(NSAID) ophthalmic preparation.
" At each visit, we recorded the dogs'
visual status, signs of glaucoma and
treatment protocol. We assigned a GRPU
score from 0 to 6 based on the degree
of pigmentation on the anterior lens,
degree of posterior synechia, in which
the iris adheres to the lens, presence
of fibrinous material in the anterior
chamber, and glaucoma, " says Dr.
Townsend. " At the first eye examination,
all the dogs had vision, but by
the second exam, nine of the 29 dogs
had lost vision. Secondary glaucoma
accounted for vision loss in seven dogs.
" We used ultrasound biomicroscopy
to take images of the anterior segment

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vop.12841 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vop.12841 https://www.akcchf.org/research/research-portfolio/2569-MOU.html https://www.akcchf.org/research/research-portfolio/2061.html https://www.akcchf.org/research/research-portfolio/02590-A.html https://www.akcchf.org/research/research-portfolio/2061.html

Golden Retriever Update - Summer 2022

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