Clinical and histopathological features of renal maldevelopment in boxer dogs: A retrospective case series (1999–2018)

Renal maldevelopment (RM) has been proposed to replace the old and sometimes misused term “renal dysplasia” in dogs. Although renal dysplasia has been described in Boxers, hereditary transmission has only been hypothesized. This study reports clinical and renal histological findings in Boxer dogs with RM, proposing a possible mode of inheritance. Medical records of 9 female Boxer dogs, older than 5 months and with a clinical diagnosis of chronic kidney disease prior to one year of age, were retrospectively reviewed. Polyuria and polydipsia (PU/PD), decreased appetite, weight loss, lethargy and weakness were described in all affected dogs. Common laboratory findings were proteinuria, diluted urine, non-regenerative anemia, azotemia, hyperphosphatemia, hypoalbuminemia and hypercholesterolemia. Histopathology of the kidneys revealed the presence of immature glomeruli in all dogs, which is consistent with RM. In 7 related dogs, the pedigree analysis showed that a simple autosomal recessive trait may be a possible mode of inheritance. Renal maldevelopment should be suspected in young Boxer dogs with a history of PU/PD, decreased appetite, weight loss, lethargy, weakness and proteinuria. Due to its possible inheritance, an early diagnosis of RM may allow clinicians to promptly identify other potentially affected dogs among the relatives of the diagnosed case.