Miniature Schnauzers are commonly affected by idiopathic familial hyperlipidemia. This means that many members of the breed have high blood lipid levels (triglycerides and sometimes cholesterol) without a known underlying cause. This is also referred to as primary hyperlipidemia. We are investigating a mutation that may increase the risk for moderate to severe hyperlipidemia in miniature schnauzers. If you would like to find out more about this study or submit a DNA sample from a schnauzer with idiopathic/primary hyperlipidemia, please contact Dr. Furrow.
Dr. Eva Furrow is a Small Animal Internist and Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and Co-Director of the Minnesota Urolith Center. She first became interested in the genetic basis of canine diseases when she was an undergraduate at Harvard University. She was offered a summer position in the Section of Medical Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania. One of her roles that summer included assistance in a study on the genetic muscular disease myotonia congenita in Miniature Schnauzers. Dr. Furrow later attended the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School where a NIH-Merck grant enabled her to continue research on genetic diseases. Dr. Furrow completed her Internal Medicine residency and PhD at the University of Minnesota and is currently a member of the Canine and Equine Genetics Laboratory. Dr. Furrow's ultimate goal is to find better ways to prevent and treat genetic diseases. She also has a personal attachment to one of the high-risk breeds, as her parents-in-law have always had Miniature Schnauzers.
If you have further questions about this study, please contact Dr. Eva Furrow: 612-625-7493 or [email protected].