Heritability of Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency in German Shepherd Dogs

Background: Several studies have revealed that exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is an inherited disease in German Shepherd Dogs (GSDs). Pedigree analyses have suggested an autosomal recessive inheritance model. Objective: Test mating of 2 dogs with EPI. Animals: A sire and dam purebred GSD both with EPI and a litter of 6 puppies. Methods: Test mating and long‐term follow‐up of offspring. The pancreas was biopsied via laparotomy on 26 occasions. Serum trypsin‐like immunoreactivity was measured. Study was approved by Animal Ethics Committee. Results: During the 12‐year study period only 2 of the 6 offsprings developed pancreatic acinar atrophy (PAA). In 1 puppy, end‐stage PAA and in the other puppy partial PAA was diagnosed. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: PAA is not a congenital disease in GSDs. This study provided evidence that PAA is not inherited in a simple autosomal recessive fashion.