Hereditary nephritis affects the kidneys and will cause severe kidney malfunction and disease. This is a non-inflammatory disease that damages the glomeruli within the kidneys. When the glomeruli are damaged, protein and red blood cells are passed into the urine. When the protein and red blood cells are lost through the urine then edema, or the accumulation of fluid within the body, occurs.
There is a genetic test that can be performed to determine if your dog is affected by hereditary nephritis. Responsible breeders will perform genetic testing on their breeding dogs prior to ever producing puppies to ensure that they are producing healthy puppies that are not affected by the condition.
Hereditary nephritis is X-linked and it is transmitted by mothers to sons through the X chromosome. Mothers can pass this condition to daughters but since females have two X chromosomes to males one X chromosome, the disease is less serious in females. Males that are affected generally will die by 15 months of age.