Breed-associated increased occurrence of gastric carcinoma in Chow-chows

Introduction Gastric neoplasia is rarely diagnosed in dogs (less than 1 % of all canine neoplasms), and most often gastric carcinoma is found. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether a breed-associated increased occurrence of gastric carcinoma exists in Chow-chows. Material and methods From 1997 to 2005 19 dogs were diagnosed with a gastric carcinoma at the Clinic of Internal Medicine, Veterinary University Vienna. In all dogs a clinical examination, blood-biochemistry and haematology were performed. In most cases survey radiographs and/or an ultrasound of the abdomen pointed towards the presumptive diagnosis of gastric carcinoma versus severe chronic gastritis. All dogs underwent upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy. The diagnosis of gastric carcinoma was confirmed by histological examination of the biopsies obtained during endoscopy (17 dogs) and/or post mortem. Results 16 out of 19 dogs were purebred, the remaining 3 were mongrels. 3 of the pedigreed dogs were Chow-chows, 1 dog was an Eurasian, each of the other dogs belonged to a different breed. In Austria, 60 % of the whole dog population are mongrels. Out of all purebred dogs registered, only 0.9 % are Chow-chows (12 dogs). At our clinic Chow-chows were also represented in a low frequency (0.5 %, 11 dogs). Discussion Although the number of Chow-chows diagnosed with gastric carcinoma at our clinic was small, a significant breed-associated risk was shown (odds-ratio 23.53; p < 0.001). Nevertheless, for confirmation, a larger number of Chow-chows with gastric carcinoma would be desirable.