Digby joined the crew at Imagine in August 2009. I thank his breeder, Donna Hills of Bravo! Miniature Schnauzers in Georgia US for letting us have this wonderful boy!

Digby is a very handsome boy. Unfortunately, he matured over the allowable height limit so he can't be shown in the conformation ring. Plans are to pursue some performance titles with Digby in the near future. Besides his great personality and structurally sound conformation, he is special in another important way... he is CLEAR for JRD!

The vast majority of Miniature Schnauzers today possess mutant genes which can lead to Juvenile renal dysplasia (JRD). JRD is a type of kidney disease in dogs, in which the kidneys fail to develop normally in utero. Once born, these immature structures in the kidneys are there for the rest of the dog’s life. Most dogs with the mutation don't develop clinical disease at all, but for those who do, it's a serious and life-threatening illness. Some dogs develop this disease as puppies, and usually die before one year of age, while others become ill at a later age. Treatment may help these dogs for a time, but they will have shortened life spans because of the disease.

If most of the Miniature Schnauzers have the mutant genes, why hasn't the breed been decimated by JRD?

The mode of inheritance of JRD in Miniature Schnauzers is thought to be recessive with incomplete penetrance. Incomplete penetrance means that not all individuals with the mutation will show clinical signs of the disease. Expressivity of this mutation is very low in this breed. The lack of expressivity of JRD in Miniature Schnauzers may be due to a resistant genetic background. Most breeders do not concern themselves with this disease because there are no high rates of kidney disease to flag the problem. However, in spite of that, there are a handful of dedicated breeders who are looking at this problem and addressing it. DNA testing at DOGenes is available to determine the JRD status of individual dogs. By identifying carriers and normal dogs, and including them in their breeding programs, the number of dogs with the normal genes will increase. Having an understanding about genes, and the fact that they change and mutate all the time, I am concerned that whatever is preventing mass kidney disease in this breed could change one day... potentially leading to collapse of the breed.

Digby's claim to fame, at least in regards to JRD, is that he is one of the few identified in this breed as having two NORMAL genes. I am very grateful to Donna Hills for letting me bring him up to Canada in the hopes that he can be used to help produce more JRD "unaffected" and "carrier" dogs in the breed's gene pool. Without the option of these dogs, in the event of future decimation by JRD, it could necessitate out-crossing to other breeds like the Standard Schnauzer.