Intestinal Lipid Malabsorption (Discovered in the Australian Kelpie)

Intestinal Lipid Malabsorption is a disorder where the intestines do not normally absorb long chain fatty acids. This can cause poor absorption and metabolism of dietary nutrients, leading to polyphagia (increased appetite), stunted growth, an oddly textured hair coat, and large quantities of steatorrhea (fatty stool). And, in contrast to other similar disorders of energy metabolism, affected dogs do not tend to show lethargy. Intestinal Lipid Malabsorption can present early in life, often before 6 weeks of age. Dietary and supplementary treatment can be helpful in normalizing the consistency of an affected puppy’s feces. Most affected dogs outgrow their presenting clinical signs by the age of 6 months. However, they are likely to continue to be thinner and smaller, have a low tolerance for fatty foods, and produce a higher quantity of feces than non-affected individuals.

Management of affected puppies includes transitioning to a solid diet and digestive enzyme supplementation. The majority of clinical signs appear to improve by about 6 months of age. Although, affected dogs tend to retain a lower tolerance for fatty foods and continue to produce higher volumes of feces.

There are many responsibilities to consider when breeding dogs. Regardless of test results it is important that your dog is in good general health and that you are in a position to care for the puppies if new responsible owners are not found. For first time or novice breeders, advice can be found at most kennel club websites.

This disorder is autosomal recessive, meaning two copies of the variant are needed for a dog to be at an elevated risk for being diagnosed with the condition. A carrier dog with one copy of the Intestinal Lipid Malabsorption (Discovered in the Australian Kelpie) variant can be safely bred with a clear dog with no copies of the Intestinal Lipid Malabsorption (Discovered in the Australian Kelpie) variant. About half of the puppies will have one copy (carriers) and half will have no copies of the variant. Furthermore, a dog with two copies of the Intestinal Lipid Malabsorption variant can be safely bred with a clear dog. The resulting puppies will all be carriers. Puppies in a litter which is expected to contain carriers should be tested prior to breeding. Carrier to carrier matings are not advised as the resulting litter may contain affected puppies. However, in order to further reduce the prevalence of this variant in the breed population, use of dogs with one or two copies of the variant should be critically considered prior to matings. Please note: It is possible that disorder signs similar to the ones associated with this ILM variant could develop due to a different genetic or clinical cause.