Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
A neurologic syndrome in Golden Retrievers presenting as a sensory ataxic neuropathy.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary internal medicine
- Year:
- 2007
- Authors:
- Jäderlund, K Hultin et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Sciences
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A recent study looked at a group of 21 Golden Retrievers that developed a condition called sensory ataxic neuropathy, which affects their ability to sense where their body is in space. The symptoms started slowly between 2 and 8 months of age, and included problems with coordination and balance, as well as abnormal reactions to certain movements. While tests on their motor functions were normal, the sensory nerves showed significant differences compared to healthy dogs. A detailed examination after death showed that the condition was caused by damage to the nerves responsible for sensing body position. This disease seems to be hereditary, but the exact way it is passed down in families is still unclear.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: A sensory ataxic neuropathy has been observed in Swedish Golden Retrievers recently. ANIMALS: Twenty-one affected Golden Retrievers. METHODS: Clinical and neurologic status, electrophysiologic, and pathologic status as well as pedigree analyses were evaluated. RESULTS: Clinical signs had an insidious onset between 2 and 8 months of age and a slowly progressive course. Affected dogs were ataxic and dysmetric. They had abnormal postural reactions and decreased spinal reflexes but no apparent muscle atrophy. Clinical pathology, radiography, and electrophysiology of motor systems were all within reference values. Sensory nerve conduction results of affected dogs were significantly different from those of a group of control dogs. Necropsy revealed a chronic progressive central and peripheral sensorimotor axonopathy; the proprioceptive pathways were most severely affected. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: This disease in these Golden Retrievers is distinct from other canine breed-related neurodegenerative diseases or hereditary neurodegenerative diseases described in humans. Pedigree analyses indicated a hereditary background, but the mode of inheritance could not be established.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18196741/