In most cases, dogs do not show signs of cobalamin deficiency until at least 3 to 4 months of age when fetal stores of cobalamin wane. If left untreated, dogs with cobalamin deficiency can display a host of clinical signs including anemia, poor weight gain, metabolic derangements, severe neurological disease and death. One example on the CHC is the disease known as intestinal cobalamin malabsorption, in which dogs are born with a decreased ability to absorb the vitamin cobalamin (vitamin B-12). In addition to diseases that are difficult to diagnose or that display a late onset, some diseases require immediate treatment to prevent or reduce the clinical signs associated with disease. Owners that have previously found their dog to be at risk for DM through genetic testing can save considerable amounts of time and money attempting to obtain a diagnosis when clinical signs of DM become apparent. Therefore, the strongest pieces of evidence to diagnose DM prior to death are the classic clinical signs of a DM combined with genetic test results showing that the dog has inherited two copies of the SOD1 gene mutation. In addition, other common diseases in older dogs including intervertebral disc disease or osteoarthritis can mimic signs of DM, sometimes making diagnosis challenging. DM is a progressive disease caused by a genetic mutation in the canine SOD1 gene which can only be definitively diagnosed after death through histologic examination of the spinal cord because antemortem diagnostic methods fail to yield pathognomonic results.
For example, many tests included on the CHC, such as the test for the neurological disease, degenerative myelopathy (DM) are adult-onset conditions which may not be observed in a dog until it has reached late adulthood. Genetic screening tools which test for large numbers of deleterious genetic mutations, such as the Canine HealthCheck (CHC) developed by Paw Print Genetics (PPG), are particularly useful when performed on a young dog to identify specific inherited health concerns especially in cases where the lineage of the dog is unknown.Īmong the tests performed on the CHC are disease tests which may prove invaluable in decreasing client costs associated with diagnosis, increasing speed of diagnosis, or improving medical outcomes. The impact of canine genetic testing on veterinary medicine continues to grow as dog owners become increasingly interested in the genetic factors underlying their dogs’ health and how knowledge of these factors may improve the lives of their furry companions.
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