PROTEINURIA ASSOCIATED WITH GLOMERULOSCLEROSIS AND GLOMERULAR COLLAGEN FORMATION IN 3 NEWFOUNDLAND DOG LITTERMATES

Three dogs out of a litter of eight Newfoundland dogs developed a prog ressive fatal glomerulopathy. The affected dogs were a 2-month-old mal e, a 2.5-month-old female, and a 1-year-old male. The disease in all t hree animals was characterized by growth retardation, anorexia, protei nuria (14-16 g/liter), hypoalbuminemia (15-21 g/liter, elevated plasma urea (13-28 mmol/liter), and creatinine (83-296 mu mol/liter) concent rations. Because of a bad prognosis the dogs were euthanatized. On pos tmortem examination, the animals had enlarged, slightly pale kidneys, which revealed glomerulosclerosis and glomerulofibrosis on histologic and electron microscopic examination. The lesions consisted of subendo thelial and mesangial collagen fibrils and an increase of mesangial ma trix. The fibrosis may result from endothelial or mesangial collagen f ormation as the manifestation of a metabolic disease.