Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) is a progressive disease of the spinal cord in some older dogs.  The Disease has an insidious onset typically between the age 8 and 14 years of age.  It begins with loss of coordination in the hind limbs. The affected dog will wobble when Walking or drag their feet.  This can first occur in one  hind limb and then affect the other.  As the disease progresses, the limbs become weak and the dog begins to buckle and has difficulty standing.  The weakness gets progressively worse until the dog is unable to walk.

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The clinical course can range from 6 months to 1 year before dog becomes paraplegic. If signs progress for a longer  period of time, loss of urinary and fecal incontinence may occur and eventually weakness will develop in the front limbs.

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Another key feature of DM is that it is mercifully not a painful disease.

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DM is typically a late-onset disease, and dogs testing as AT RISK that re clinically normal may still begin to show signs of the disease as they age.  Some dogs testing  AT RISK  did not begin to show clinical signs of DM  until they were 15 years of age, while others never  developed any signs at all.  Research is still ongoing to try to figure out what triggers DM to begin.

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MORE RESOURCES DM

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WHAT  IS vWD?

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Von Willebrand Disease (vWD) is a genetic disorder that prevents normal blood clotting and can cause extended bleeding follow

injury or surgery.  The disorder results from a deficiency or lack of sufficient von Willebrand factor  which functions as a binding protein during blood clotting.  Three types of vWD type 1, 2 and 3. Within these tree types there are five different genetic mutations that are currently known that lead to canine vWD.

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Von Willebrand's Disease type 1 (vWD1) results in reduction in normal levelsof vWF to approximately 5-10% of normal. Since some vWF is produced in dogs homozygous for the vWD1 mutations, this form of the disorder is considered to be less serious than type 2 and 3. The mutation (G>A substitution) has variable penetrance and is recessive requiring two copies of the mutation in affected dogs.  Typical symptoms of the disease encompass exessive or abnormal bleeding following injury or the presence of blood in various secretions (urine, feces, etc.)*

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Careful selection of the sire and dam of a litter can go a long way in preventing these dreadful disesaes from being passed down to the next generation.  

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* MORE RESOURSES ON vWD:.

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   WHAT IS PRA?

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Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) comprises autosomal recessively inherited diseases that lead to degeneration of retinal photoreceptor cells in dogs and other pets. In general, these diseases are characterized by disturbance of dark vision, visual field defects, and abnormalities in the electroretinogram, which can progress to blindness. The age of onset and rate of retinal degeneration varies between the different forms of the conditions. Some forms of PRA are common to multiple dog breeds, while others are recognized in just a single breed. One form of PRA occurs in Cardigan Welsh Corgis, known as PRA-RCD3.

Rod-cone dysplasias are group of recessively inherited diseases with early onset where photoreceptors are disturbed in their normal development and never manage to develop properly. The progression of rod-cone dystrophy is caused by sequential degeneration of rod and cone photoreceptors.

PRA-RCD3 in the Cardigan Welsh corgi has a similar early onset leading to blindness in the young adult dog and, similar to most forms of canine PRA, is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner.

is a group of genetic disease that worsens over time. It is characterized by the bilateral degeneration of the retina, causing progressive vision loss culminating in Blindness.

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 WHAT IS EIC?

 

 Exercise-induced collapse (ECI) Is a genetic syndrome, The syndrome was first positively identified by DNA in Boykin Spaniels in 2010. Before this, EIC episodes may have been misdiagnosed as heat stroke.

Affected dogs show signs of muscle weakness, loss of coordination, severe marked increase in body temperature and life-threatening collapse when participating in strenuous exercise or activity. Affected dogs can tolerate mild to moderate exercise, but just 5 to 20 minutes of strenuous activity, or even extreme excitement such as that seen in field trials or hunt tests, can induce weakness or collapse. Dogs affected with EIC usually cannot continue with intense retriever training, but can live normal lives as house pets. A few affected dogs have died during exercise or while resting immediately after an episode of exercise-induced collapse so an affected dog's exercise should be stopped at the first hint of incoordination or wobbliness.

EIC is being observed with increasing frequency, either from the genetics becoming more widespread or from previously misdiagnosed cases being correctly identified now that there is evidence in the form of a DNA test. Dogs that have EIC are prone to mild to severe collapse that can range from dragging of the hind legs to complete collapse. Most affected dogs have been from field-trial breedings. Signs become apparent in young dogs as they enter heavy training, which is usually between 5 months and 7 years of age as stated in the initial UMN study in 2007.[1] Dogs of either sex can be affected. Dogs with this condition are always normal at rest and are usually described as being extremely fit, prime athletic specimens of their breed.

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    WHAT IS OFA?

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 Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. (OFA) IS the recognized certifying body to evaluate and determine if a dog will have problems hips.  Hip dysplasia is a genetic conditon and can be evaluated by radiographs. 

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