Help us get closer to finding a solution for gastric carcinomas!
A famous and beautiful stud dog with many offspring passed away at an older age due to gastric carcinoma. It was a terrible scenario for everyone involved—for the owner of the stud dog, the breeders who used him, the puppy buyers, but actually for the entire Belgian shepherd population. The Belgian Shepherd is a wonderful breed that is at high risk due to this tumor.
In the Belgian Shepherd, specifically the Tervuren and Groenendael varieties, we see that 2 to 8% of dogs unfortunately develop a stomach tumor (gastric carcinoma). In most cases, the disease is fatal. It is primarily older dogs (but from the age of 5) in which we observe this tumor. Sometimes, dogs can be kept stable for a while with medication, but eventually, the disease progresses and is fatal.
What We Want to Do
The disease is undeniably hereditary, and combating it is crucial. It is not uncommon for a breeding dog to develop the tumor at a higher age, which can be devastating for effective disease control. Through years of hard work, we have made huge progress in identifying the cause of this disease. In collaboration with researchers in the United States, we have now found a genetic risk profile with great predictive value However, this is not the end of the study. The next steps involve testing as many dogs as possible and investigating how widespread the risk genes are in the European population and overseas. And to follow-up the health of dogs with risk profiles. The goal is to effectively eliminate gastric cancer from the population in a sustainable way. To this end, we could also develop Fit2Breed for the Belgian Shepherd, to help breeders and owners.
Additionally, we want to significantly improve the chances of curing gastric cancer in the individual. By screening animals with a genetical high risk of gastric cancer for early stages of the disease, better treatment may be possible, and much suffering can be prevented.
What We Need
To make this project successful, we ideally need €34,000 per year.
We are grateful for every contribution, big or small! This will help us get closer to finding a solution for gastric carcinomas in the Belgian Shepherd!
