Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Electroretinography shows cone dysfunction in day-blind dogs
By Drążek-Kubiak, Magdalena et al.·Published in Acta veterinaria Hungarica·2018·1 Department of Surgery and Radiology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Electroretinographic findings in day-blind dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with day blindness, including breeds like Alaskan Malamute, Labrador Retriever, and German Shepherd, were examined for vision problems. These dogs showed normal vision in low light but had significant issues seeing in bright light. Tests revealed that their cone function was severely impaired, while their ability to see in dim light remained normal. The findings confirmed the diagnosis of cone degeneration, a genetic condition affecting their eyesight. Unfortunately, there is no cure, but understanding the condition can help owners manage their pets' environment better.
People also search for: dog day blindness symptoms · cone degeneration in dogs · treatment for dog vision problems
Abstract
Cone degeneration (cd; day blindness) is one of the inherited retinal diseases of dogs. Its diagnosis is based on vision testing, fundoscopy, electroretinography (ERG) and, for some breeds, on genetic tests. Typical signs of the disease are day blindness and cone dysfunction during ERG while fundoscopy does not show any abnormalities. The aim of this study was to compare behavioural findings, fundoscopic lesions and electroretinographic alterations in 12 cd-affected dogs (Alaskan Malamute, Labrador Retriever, German Shepherd, Dachshund, Yorkshire Terrier, Shih Tzu, Siberian Husky and crossbreeds) examined at our clinic. None of the examined dogs had any fundoscopic lesions, and all of them had normal scotopic vision with strongly impaired or absent photopic vision. Light-adapted transient, cone-mediated and steady-state, 31-Hz cone flicker ERGs were much below the 5th percentile limits of normality or even unrecordable, while the rod-driven ERGs were within normal values. Vision test and ERG results corresponded to each other and, combined with the results of fundoscopy, were typical of cd. To date, our research is one of the few studies in the world presenting ERG alterations compared with vision test findings and fundoscopic results in the course of cd.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29958531/