Abstract: Background – Hyperlipidemia in Miniature Schnauzers (MS) is the most common form of primary hyperlipidemia in dogs and has been reported to exist in several countries. In the USA the prevalence has been estimated to be around 30%. No studies have been reported regarding the existence of this condition and its prevalence in European countries. Hypothesis/Objectives –We hypothesized that primary hyperlipidemia has the same prevalence in MS in European countries. Our goal was to assess the prevalence of primary hyperlipidemia in MS in selected European countries. Animals – A total of 100 clinically healthy, adult MS from 6 European countries. Methods – Blood samples were collected from all dogs after a 12-hour fast and serum triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations were measured. All dogs were considered healthy based on history, physical examination, complete blood count (CBC) and biochemical profile.Results – Serum triglyceride concentration was increased (>100 mg/dL) in 26/100 MS (23%), (median 140.5mg/dL). Most dogs had mild increases in serum triglyceride concentrations (101-263mg/dL), while only 3/100 (3%) dogs had moderate to severe hypertriglyceridemia. Serum cholesterol concentration was increased (>320 mg/dL) in 3/100 (3%) dogs (median 357 mg/dL).Conclusions and clinical importance – MS in these 6 European countries had a much lower prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia compared to MS in the United States. Further studies in larger populations are needed and under way to verify these results and identify possible genetic differences in these canine populations.
