This Article was sent to me by Dr. Marcia Dawson, DVM – STCA Health Trust Chair.
Exciting news from the lab of Dr. Matthew Breen at NC State! NEW URINE TEST FOR THE DETECTION OF TCC…
Dr. Matthew Breen of NC State has developed a new urine test for the detection of bladder cancer (TCC) in dogs, and this test will soon be available to Scottie owners everywhere. Dr. Breen’s CADET test works by detecting the presence of a specific mutation in a gene called the BRAF gene. This mutation is present in 85% of the cases of canine TCC, which gives this test a very high sensitivity rating. This mutation is not present in the urine of healthy dogs or dogs that have noncancerous polyps or infection, so there is no confusion about test results. By collecting a free catch urine sample and sending this sample to Dr. Breen’s lab, we will be able to test our dogs and have results back within a couple of weeks. Furthermore, this test will pick up the presence of the mutation many months before there are any signs or symptoms of TCC in our Scotties. This super early diagnosis will allow for much earlier interventional therapies, allowing for a greater chance of making a difference in the course of the disease.
The new CADET test will be available for purchase by a year subscription plan, which will include 3 tests to be returned to Dr. Breen’s lab every 4 months, with overnight shipping included in the cost. The particulars such as how to order and the cost of the subscription will be announced soon.

So stay tuned to www.stca.biz for more info and be sure to share this announcement with your veterinarian!
Marcia Dawson DVM

The miracle of Dr. Breen’s CADET^SM BRAF test is that it can detect the presence of the mutation in remarkably few cells shed in urine, long before there are any symptoms of TCC/UC, before blood is noticed in urine, before the straining to urinate and frequency of urination, and even in some cases, before an abnormality can be seen on ultrasound. In short, this new CADET^SM test offers the gift of time.
The CADET^SM BRAF Mutation Detection Assay is now available at a substantial discount on AKC.org for AKC registrants. The test is available as an annual screener subscription package, allowing owners to proactively test their dogs on a regular basis. The service pack includes three tests, one to be carried out every four months, instructions, urine pots for sample collection, and prepaid FedEx shipping labels to send samples directly to the testing laboratory.
For breeders, Sentinel Biomedical and the AKC offer a bulk pricing so that breeders can screen all their dogs at once for a reduced rate. Once the testing laboratory receives samples, owners and breeders will receive results within two weeks.
THE FULL ARTICLE MAY BE SEEN ON THE   AKC WEBSITE–   SEARCH BLADDER CANCER ARTICLE BY Dr. Marcia Dawson, DVM

This Article was published in Scottieshowdog.com, by Jim and Ginger McAfee.
Several of my Scotties participated in the Research for Atypical Cushing’s in Scotties from the Virginia-Maryland College of Vet Medicine for a couple of years, in fact we had blood drawn at our Rescue Picnic one year. Here is the preliminary findings. I received this from Mindy Quigley, the Clinical Research Coordinator, and have her permission to forward this. I asked her if it made any difference if the dog was spayed or neutered and she said there was no difference. It will be published in a couple of months and she will send me the link when it is up. This is very interesting and you might want to share it with your vet.   Ginger

A member of our Club The San Francisco Bay STC also had her Scottie “Abagayle” Sweeney participate in this study. Sue also has this same report.
From: Quigley, Mindy
Subject: Scottie research study update
Dear Scottie supporters,

Thank you to those veterinarians and owners who participated in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine’s study of Atypical Cushing’s in Scottish terriers. We wanted to provide an update on our research findings for those who may be interested in learning more.
Atypical Cushing’s in Scotties
Cushing’s disease is a chronic debilitating disorder in dogs. Scotties have an unusually high incidence of Cushing’s. It can contribute to the development of diabetes, obesity, immune system problems, inappropriate urination, and other negative health outcomes. In normal dogs, the pituitary gland and adrenal glands produce hormones necessary for the function of many systems in the body. If something goes wrong in these glands and certain hormones are overproduced, then Cushing’s can develop. These abnormalities are often detected by observing clinical signs and when routine blood work shows elevations in a liver protein called ALP.
Our Earlier Findings
Preliminary data indicate that in Scottish Terriers, the cause of atypical Cushing’s appears to be due to excessive amounts of noncortisol steroids, which is an atypical form of the disease. These findings prompted the group at the vet school here to speculate that there might be a unique underlying cause for atypical Cushing’s in this breed. The study you participated in was designed to test those theories.

Our preliminary research, which has been ongoing for several years, had already figured out a few things:

• In the most common form of Cushing’s, excessive amounts of a single hormone from the pituitary gland signals the adrenal gland to overproduce cortisol. However, in Scotties excessive amounts of sex hormones, not cortisol, are observed.
• This increased production of adrenal sex hormones is not due to excessive amounts of a variety of pituitary signaling hormones.
• These elevated concentrations of sex hormones are the cause for the increased ALP values commonly seen in these dogs.
• There is no indication of adrenal cancer as a cause for this increased production of sex hormones.
• The magnitude of ALP elevations increases over time, but pituitary and adrenal regulation do not change.

The Virginia-Maryland college team identified 3 candidate genes in a very small pool of patients which are uniquely expressed in Scotties with atypical disease compared to normal Scotties and other breeds with Cushing’s disease, and undertook the study you participated in to understand how these genes might influence the development of atypical Cushing’s.
The Newest Study
The latest study you participated in found that there was indeed a genomic variation in Scottish terriers that was associated with increased serum ALP activity. The variation was located on the same chromosome as a gene responsible for inactivation of sex steroids. Genes can be active (expressed) or inactive (not expressed). If genes are overexpressed, their effect can increase. If they are under expressed, their effect is reduced. In Scotties, the sex steroid inactivation gene was under expressed in comparison to other breeds with Cushing’s disease (pituitary dependent hyperadrenocorticism). We suggest the gene variation seen in Scotties may be linked with “turning off” this sex steroid inactivation gene, leading to increased concentrations of sex steroids. We believe the higher concentrations of these sex steroids may explain commonly observed liver and ALP changes seen in Scottish terriers.
Questions?
The results will be published in academic journals, shared with the AKC’s Canine Health Foundation, and published on the AVMA’s clinical research website. We hope that better understanding of the mechanisms of this disease in Scotties can lead to better treatments for affected dogs.

If you have any questions about this research, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Mindy Quigley
Clinical Trials Coordinator
Veterinary Clinical Research Office
Virginia Tech
Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine
205 Duck Pond Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Office Phone: 540-231-1363
Web: http://www.vetmed.vt.edu/clinical-trials/