You & Your Leo Can Help
Imagine the day when hearing the word hemangiosarcoma doesn’t mean you will be immediately saying goodbye to your Leonberger companion. Or an osteosarcoma diagnosis doesn’t mean a slow, painful decline to the inevitable. Can you even imagine when future Leonberger owners won’t know about a diagnosis of polyneuropathy?
Not only can the Leonberger Health Foundation International imagine it, we are working with world-renowned scientists to make it a reality and you and your Leo are the key!
Listed below are the current studies in which Leos are active participants, and how you might help.
Not only can the Leonberger Health Foundation International imagine it, we are working with world-renowned scientists to make it a reality and you and your Leo are the key!
Listed below are the current studies in which Leos are active participants, and how you might help.
Make Sure Your Leo is in the Pedigree Database
The Worldwide Independent Leonberger Database is an invaluable tool to researchers and breeders. Make sure your Leonberger is included!
Go to WILD, select the Search tab from the top menu, and use your dog's registered name to find them.
Go to WILD, select the Search tab from the top menu, and use your dog's registered name to find them.
Below are some videos to help you utilize WILD.
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DNA Databank and Genetic Research at UMN & Bern
The blood samples you send to the Universities of Bern and Minnesota for genetic testing become part of a DNA bank for Leonbergers. This genetic material is currently in use for Leonberger specific research in the areas of: osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, glaucoma, cardiac diseases, thyroid disease, Addisons Disease, neurological disorders, longevity & aging, and population diversity.
If your Leo already has blood banked, please update the health details stored with your Leo's DNA by visiting the following link:
If your Leo already has blood banked, please update the health details stored with your Leo's DNA by visiting the following link:
If your Leo does not have blood banked and you would like to submit a blood DNA sample to Bern (Europe) or Minnesota (USA) use the following links:
Ongoing Laryngeal Paralysis-Polyneuropathy Research
The tests for LPN1, LPN2, and LPPN3 do not account for all confirmed or suspected cases of laryngeal paralysis and polyneuropathy. Until additional DNA-based test(s) are developed, the only way to confirm a suspected diagnosis of laryngeal paralysis is via laryngoscopy and/or nerve conduction study; polyneuropathy is diagnosed via a nerve and muscle biopsy.
Dogs showing clinical signs of polyneuropathy may qualify for free LPN1, LPN2, and LPPN3 testing. Special forms and instructions, as well as pre-approval, are required for free testing. Please e-mail cgl@umn.edu to see if your dog may be eligible.
Please use Adobe Acrobat Reader to view, complete, save and print the forms. You can download versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader directly from Adobe.
Dogs showing clinical signs of polyneuropathy may qualify for free LPN1, LPN2, and LPPN3 testing. Special forms and instructions, as well as pre-approval, are required for free testing. Please e-mail cgl@umn.edu to see if your dog may be eligible.
Please use Adobe Acrobat Reader to view, complete, save and print the forms. You can download versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader directly from Adobe.
Glaucoma Research
The Universities of Zürich and Bern with the support of the Swiss Leonberger Club are investigating the prevalence, distribution, and possible genetic cause of pectinate ligament dysplasia and glaucoma in Leonbergers.
Please consider including a gonioscopy with your annual eye exams and participating in this important study.
Information on study participation can be found at:
Please consider including a gonioscopy with your annual eye exams and participating in this important study.
Information on study participation can be found at:
Cardiac Research
Ventricular Arrhythmia & Sudden Death
A recent study in Finland has revealed that inherited malignant ventricular arrhythmia is fairly common among Finnish Leonbergers under three years of age. At its worst, such arrhythmia can result in the dog’s sudden death. This is a concern for owners everywhere because unexplained sudden deaths, particularly in younger Leonbergers, has been noted in populations worldwide.
This past summer, the Leonberger Health Foundation International pledged direct financial support to a grant application made jointly with the Leonberger Club of Great Britain and the UK- based Kennel Club Charitable Trust, which has now successfully secured the necessary funding to take this important research to the next stage.
Professor Hannes Lohi and his team at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki will undertake the next phase of this investigation by looking for possible genetic risk factors of ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death in Leonberger dogs. In addition to direct financial assistance, further arrangements have now been put into place to allow this study to access the vast resource of the international Leonberger DNA bank, jointly held by our partners at the University of Bern in Switzerland and the University of Minnesota in the United States. Thanks to the many thousands of Leonberger owners all over the world who have contributed samples over the years, this fantastic DNA resource will now be put to work for the benefit of our wonderful breed.
If you have a Leonberger with suspected heart rhythm irregularities, or have ever owned one in the past that suffered a sudden unexplained death, (especially if DNA was collected from that dog prior to death), then please consider sharing the details, (if you have not already), with Professor Lohi’s team. All information will be handled with strictest confidentiality and no identities of individual dogs, breeders or owner will ever be published. All you need to do is send an email with the details to Julia Niskanen at: julia.niskanen@helsinki.fi
This past summer, the Leonberger Health Foundation International pledged direct financial support to a grant application made jointly with the Leonberger Club of Great Britain and the UK- based Kennel Club Charitable Trust, which has now successfully secured the necessary funding to take this important research to the next stage.
Professor Hannes Lohi and his team at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki will undertake the next phase of this investigation by looking for possible genetic risk factors of ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death in Leonberger dogs. In addition to direct financial assistance, further arrangements have now been put into place to allow this study to access the vast resource of the international Leonberger DNA bank, jointly held by our partners at the University of Bern in Switzerland and the University of Minnesota in the United States. Thanks to the many thousands of Leonberger owners all over the world who have contributed samples over the years, this fantastic DNA resource will now be put to work for the benefit of our wonderful breed.
If you have a Leonberger with suspected heart rhythm irregularities, or have ever owned one in the past that suffered a sudden unexplained death, (especially if DNA was collected from that dog prior to death), then please consider sharing the details, (if you have not already), with Professor Lohi’s team. All information will be handled with strictest confidentiality and no identities of individual dogs, breeders or owner will ever be published. All you need to do is send an email with the details to Julia Niskanen at: julia.niskanen@helsinki.fi
Dilated Cardiomyopathy
The LHFI is also directly collaborating with the cardiac team at the University of Liverpool’s School of Veterinary Medicine, led by Professor Joanna Dukes-McEwan, in an effort to study the prevalence of dilated cardiomyopathy in the Leonberger. We are asking all owners worldwide, both past and present, who have ever had a Leo diagnosed with DCM to please share your information with the research team by emailing it to lhficardiac@gmail.com .
Registered names will be used solely for pedigree analysis purposes by the research teams themselves. All submissions will be held in strict confidence and no details of individual dogs, their breeders or their owners will be published.
Registered names will be used solely for pedigree analysis purposes by the research teams themselves. All submissions will be held in strict confidence and no details of individual dogs, their breeders or their owners will be published.
