Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Inherited brain white matter disease causing seizures in Shetland
By Wood, S L & Patterson, J S·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2001·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Shetland Sheepdog leukodystrophy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Shetland Sheepdog puppies experienced uncontrollable seizures and worsening neurological issues. Upon examination, it was found that several of these pups had severe brain and spinal cord damage, resembling a condition known as leukodystrophy, which affects the white matter of the nervous system. Despite thorough testing, including scans and postmortem examinations, no specific cause was identified, suggesting this may be an inherited condition affecting this breed. Unfortunately, there is currently no known treatment or cure for this condition.
People also search for: Shetland Sheepdog seizures · puppy neurological problems · leukodystrophy in dogs · inherited diseases in Shetland Sheepdogs
Abstract
Three litters of Shetland Sheepdog pups born to the same bitch and 2 different sires were studied because of uncontrollable seizures or progressive neurologic dysfunction. Four pups from the 1st litter, 1 from the 2nd litter, and 4 from the 3rd litter had severe diffuse spongy degeneration of the white matter of the brain and spinal cord. An inherited basis for this syndrome was suspected. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pups with currently available screening tests for the metabolic, biochemical, infectious, and toxicologic causes of leukodystrophy seen in humans and animals. Computed tomography scans revealed diffuse hypomyelination in the affected pup. Complete postmortem examination, including histopathology and electron microscopy, delineated a leukodystrophy resembling human Canavan's disease, but amino acid and organic acid metabolism abnormalities were not detected. No etiology for Shetland Sheepdog leukodystrophy has been found, but this condition represents another familial disease in the purebred dog population.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11596738/