Building the PWD Reference Genome

Building a Portuguese Water Dog Reference Genome to Unlock Breed-Specific Health Insights

Posted on by Crystal Smith in News

July 27, 2025 07:00 ET — The Portuguese Water Dog Foundation is very excited to join with Drs. Jaime Modiano VMD, PhD and Steven Freidenberg DVM, PhD, DACVECC in a project to improve the lives and well-being of PWDs. The team of Drs. Modiano and Freidenberg will lead a project creating a reference genome specific to PWDs, which will improve our ability to identify genetic drivers of common inherited disorders in the PWD. This project is fully funded by your donations to the PWD Foundation. Once completed, this high-quality reference genome will be made available to the public, allowing researchers from around the world to access this cutting-edge resource that will enhance the breed’s welfare.

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Lifetime Follow-Up of Canine Hemangiosarcoma

Lifetime Follow-Up of Canine Hemangiosarcoma

Posted on by PWDF Admin in News

July 13, 2020 09:00 ET — The Portuguese Water Dog Foundation is pleased to support the continuation phase of the Shine On project with the Golden Retriever Foundation, the American Boxer Charitable Foundation and the AKC Canine Health Foundation.

In this continuation phase of the Shine On project, the group of dogs that were originally enrolled in the study and received the  Shine On Suspicion (SOS) Test will be followed for their lifetimes to identify any diagnosis of cancer or another chronic disease, the cause of death, and date of death.

Continue reading “Lifetime Follow-Up of Canine Hemangiosarcoma” →

Microphthalmia and Delayed Growth Syndrome

Posted on by PWDF Admin in News

February 1, 2017 – The Portuguese Water Dog Foundation is pleased to announce we have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) along with the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America to collaborate with AKC CHF to jointly fund research at the University of Pennsylvania (UPENN) – Section of Medical Genetics, Pediatrics and Reproduction to better characterize the clinical disorder of syndromic microphthalmia and delayed growth seen in the PWD, commonly known in our breed as Puppy Eye Syndrome (PES). Continue reading “Microphthalmia and Delayed Growth Syndrome” →

AKC Canine Health Foundation Announces $432,000 Grant to Fight Cancer in Dogs

Posted on by PWDF Admin in News

RALEIGH, N.C. – The AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing, treating, and curing diseases in all dogs, is pleased to announce the funding of an exciting grant which aims to better understand and prevent hemangiosarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer in dogs. Three groups whose dogs have been affected by this cruel disease — the American Boxer Charitable Foundation, the Golden Retriever Foundation, and the Portuguese Water Dog Foundation — are taking a unique, collaborative stand against cancer by pledging $432,000 to support this research effort.
Continue reading “AKC Canine Health Foundation Announces $432,000 Grant to Fight Cancer in Dogs” →

A Novel Approach for the Prevention of Canine Hemangiosarcoma

Posted on by PWDF Admin in News

October 1, 2015 15:00 ET — In an unprecedented collaboration, the Portuguese Water Dog Foundation is pleased and excited to announce that we have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Golden Retriever Foundation, the American Boxer Charitable Foundation and the AKC Canine Health Foundation for a joint research project to develop two technologies that will allow researchers to diagnose hemangiosarcoma in the early stages and to treat the disease before it reaches the crisis point.

Continue reading “A Novel Approach for the Prevention of Canine Hemangiosarcoma” →