Caramor Newfoundland Dogs

 Cystinuria Information:  Mode of Inheritance

Cystinuria is a genetic disease in the kidney tubules.  Normal kidneys filter the amino acid cystine and do not allow it to go into the urine.  In dogs with cystinuria, this filtering action fails, and cystine passes into the urine, where it can form crystals and /or stones.  If stones form, they can block the urethra and obstruct urinary flow, especially in males.

Newfoundlands inherit this disease in an autosomal recessive fashion, meaning that both parents of an affected dog were either affected or carriers themselves.  Each parent passed one mutant gene to their offspring.  A cystinuria carrier is a perfectly healthy dog.  A cystinuria carrier will never be affected by cystinuria, although a carrier bred to a carrier can produce cystinuria affected pups.  A carrier bred to a normal/clear dog, can only produce other carriers, or normal/clear pups.  

It is very important to know whether each dog is normal/clear, carrier or cystinuria affected.  A DNA test is available to Newfoundland and Labradors. 

Responsible breeding decisions can be made based on this information.

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