Degenerative myelopathy is found in at least 124 dog breeds

Degenerative myelopathy unfortunately affects more and more dogs around the world. According to the latest scientific research, it affects at least 124 – and in fact even more – dog breeds, and in several cases it has also been detected in mixed-breed dogs.

In the most frequently cited large-sample study to date, researchers at the University of Missouri examined 33,747 individuals and, within these, 222 breeds. The SOD1 gene mutation associated with degenerative myelopathy was detected in 124 different dog breeds. According to the researchers, this is probably an underestimate, because for many breeds only a few individuals were available.

The breeds with the highest mutation frequency

Based on the data published by Dr. Renying Zeng and colleagues, the most affected breeds include:

  • Wire Fox Terrier
  • Pembroke Welsh Corgi
  • Boxer
  • Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
  • American Water Spaniel
  • American Pit Bull Terrier
  • Australian Shepherd
  • Collie
  • Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier
  • Bernese Mountain Dog
  • Hovawart
  • Chesapeake Bay Retriever
  • German Shepherd Dog
  • Tibetan Terrier
  • Kerry Blue Terrier
  • Cardigan Welsh Corgi
  • Jack Russell Terrier
  • Pug
  • Bloodhound
  • Canaan Dog
  • Rhodesian Ridgeback
  • Kuvasz
  • Welsh Terrier

A fuller list of affected breeds

Based on veterinary genetic laboratories and the scientific literature, the mutation has been identified, among others, in the following breeds:

  • Airedale Terrier
  • Alaskan Malamute
  • American Bulldog
  • American Cocker Spaniel
  • American Eskimo Dog
  • American Foxhound
  • American Hairless Terrier
  • American Staffordshire Terrier
  • Anatolian Shepherd Dog
  • Australian Cattle Dog
  • Australian Kelpie
  • Australian Shepherd
  • Australian Terrier
  • Beagle
  • Belgian Malinois
  • Belgian Tervuren
  • Belgian Groenendael
  • Bernese Mountain Dog
  • Bichon Frisé
  • Bloodhound
  • Border Collie
  • Borzoi
  • Boston Terrier
  • Boxer
  • Bullmastiff
  • Canaan Dog
  • Cardigan Welsh Corgi
  • Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
  • Chesapeake Bay Retriever
  • Chinese Crested Dog
  • Chow Chow
  • Clumber Spaniel
  • Collie
  • Coton de Tuléar
  • Dalmatian
  • Doberman Pinscher
  • Dogo Argentino
  • English Bulldog
  • English Cocker Spaniel
  • English Springer Spaniel
  • Eurasier
  • Flat-Coated Retriever
  • French Bulldog
  • German Shepherd Dog
  • German Shorthaired Pointer
  • German Wirehaired Pointer
  • Golden Retriever
  • Gordon Setter
  • Great Pyrenees
  • Greyhound
  • Hovawart
  • Irish Setter
  • Irish Terrier
  • Irish Wolfhound
  • Jack Russell Terrier
  • Keeshond
  • Kerry Blue Terrier
  • Komondor
  • Kuvasz
  • Labrador Retriever
  • Mastiff
  • Newfoundland
  • Norfolk Terrier
  • Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
  • Old English Sheepdog
  • Pembroke Welsh Corgi
  • Pharaoh Hound
  • Plott Hound
  • Pomeranian
  • Standard Poodle
  • Miniature Poodle
  • Pug
  • Puli
  • Pumi
  • Rhodesian Ridgeback
  • Rottweiler
  • Saint Bernard
  • Samoyed
  • Schnauzer (Giant, Standard and Miniature varieties)
  • Shetland Sheepdog
  • Shiba Inu
  • Shih Tzu
  • Siberian Husky
  • Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier
  • Staffordshire Bull Terrier
  • Tibetan Spaniel
  • Tibetan Terrier
  • Vizsla
  • Weimaraner
  • Welsh Terrier
  • West Highland White Terrier
  • Whippet
  • White Swiss Shepherd
  • Yorkshire Terrier

Breakdown by risk, by breed

High-risk breeds

In these breeds the SOD1 mutation is relatively common, and clinical cases of degenerative myelopathy have also been documented:

  • German Shepherd Dog
  • Pembroke Welsh Corgi
  • Boxer
  • Chesapeake Bay Retriever
  • Bernese Mountain Dog
  • Rhodesian Ridgeback
  • Cardigan Welsh Corgi
  • Wire Fox Terrier
  • Hovawart

Breeds with medium or significant occurrence

  • Australian Shepherd
  • Collie
  • Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier
  • Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
  • American Pit Bull Terrier
  • Bloodhound
  • Kuvasz
  • Canaan Dog
  • Tibetan Terrier
  • Kerry Blue Terrier
  • Jack Russell Terrier
  • Pug

Further breeds in which the mutation has been detected

The list, without any claim to completeness:

  • Golden Retriever
  • Labrador Retriever
  • Rottweiler
  • Doberman Pinscher
  • Weimaraner
  • Vizsla
  • Puli
  • Pumi
  • Komondor
  • Belgian Malinois
  • Belgian Tervuren
  • Shetland Sheepdog
  • Old English Sheepdog
  • Shiba Inu
  • Samoyed
  • Saint Bernard
  • Newfoundland
  • Bullmastiff
  • Great Pyrenees

The most important professional conclusion

According to the current scientific position, degenerative myelopathy is not the disease of one or another breed, but rather a genetic neurodegenerative condition whose main risk mutation has already been detected in at least 124 dog breeds.

At the same time, the actual development of the disease differs significantly from breed to breed. In some breeds (for example the German Shepherd and the Corgis) clinical cases are relatively common, while in other breeds, despite the presence of the mutation, clinical disease rarely occurs.

Breeding-genetics experts therefore now take into account not only the presence of the mutation, but also its breed-specific “penetrance” (the actual probability of the disease appearing) when designing breeding programmes.

The results of tests examining more than 50 individuals, by breed and according to the appearance of the affected gene:

Frequency of the DM-associated A allele by breed, in alphabetical order (Zeng, 2013)
Frequency of the A allele indicating DM risk, by breed, in alphabetical order (source: Zeng, 2013).
Frequency of the DM-associated A allele by breed, in order of decreasing frequency (Zeng, 2013)
The same data ordered by decreasing frequency (source: Zeng, 2013).

References

  • PMC – Breed Distribution of SOD1 Alleles Previously Associated with Canine Degenerative Myelopathy - PMC. 13 February 2014.
  • OUP Academic – Breed Distribution of SOD1 Alleles Previously Associated with Canine Degenerative Myelopathy | Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine | Oxford Academic
  • The Institute of Canine Biology – Degenerative Myelopathy - The Institute of Canine Biology
  • Laboratoire de génétique vétérinaire – Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)
  • ScienceDirect – Prevalence of SOD1 allele associated with degenerative myelopathy in canine population in Greece - ScienceDirect
  • nih.gov – Molecular screening for the mutation associated with canine degenerative myelopathy (SOD1:c.118G > A) in German Shepherd dogs in Brazil - PMC. 16 November 2020. — TABLE 2. GENOTYPE AND ALLELE FREQUENCIES FOR THE MUTATION OF THE SOD1 GENE (SOD: C.118G > A) ASSOCIATED WITH CDM IN GERMAN SHEPHERD DOGS. Genotype | Obs^{1} | Exp^{2} --- | --- | --- GG | 0.758 (0…
  • diva-portal.org – Breed Distribution of SOD1 Alleles Previously Associated with Canine Degenerative Myelopathy. 23 April 2014. — Breed Distribution of SOD1 Alleles Previously Associated with Canine Degenerative Myelopathy ZENG, R. COATES, J. R. JOHNSON, G. C. HANSEN, L. [Input] AWANO, T. KOLICHESKI, A. IVANSSON, EMMA…
  • oup.com – Breed Distribution of SOD1 Alleles Previously Associated with Canine Degenerative Myelopathy | Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine | Oxford Academic. 1 March 2014. — Journal Article BREED DISTRIBUTION OF SOD1 ALLELES PREVIOUSLY ASSOCIATED WITH CANINE DEGENERATIVE MYELOPATHY OPEN ACCESS R. Zeng , R. Zeng Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of Misso…
  • kb.se – SwePub - Breed Distribution of SOD1 Al… 13 February 2014. — BREED DISTRIBUTION OF SOD1 ALLELES PREVIOUSLY ASSOCIATED WITH CANINE DEGENERATIVE MYELOPATHY Zeng, R. (author) Coates, J. R. (author) Johnson, G. C. (author) (creator_code:org_t) 2014-02-13 2014 E…
  • fao.org – Breed Distribution of SOD1 Alleles Previously Associated with Canine Degenerative Myelopathy. BREED DISTRIBUTION OF SOD1 ALLELES PREVIOUSLY ASSOCIATED WITH CANINE DEGENERATIVE MYELOPATHY 2014 Zeng, R. | Coates, J.R. | Johnson, G.C. | Hansen, L. | Awano, T. | Kolicheski, A. | Ivansson, E. |…
  • orthovetsupersite.org – Breed Distribution of SOD1 Alleles Previously Associated with Canine Degenerative Myelopathy. | OrthoVetSuperSite. BREED DISTRIBUTION OF SOD1 ALLELES PREVIOUSLY ASSOCIATED WITH CANINE DEGENERATIVE MYELOPATHY. Authors Zeng R1, Coates JR, Johnson GC, Hansen L, Awano T, Kolicheski A, Ivansson E, Perloski M, Lindbl…
  • nih.gov – Degenerative myelopathy in German Shepherd Dog: comparison of two molecular assays for the identification of the SOD1:c.118G>A mutation - PubMed. FULL TEXT LINKS Springer University of Turin Instituional Repository AperTO - Free full text Full text links ACTIONS . 2014 Feb;41(2):665-70. doi: 10.1007/s11033-013-2904-9. Epub 2014 Jan 5. DE…
  • cavalierhealth.org – Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Degenerative Myelopathy in a Bernese Mountain Dog with a Novel SOD1 Missense Mutation. F.A. Wininger, R. Zeng, G.S. Johnson, M.L. Katz, G.C. Johnson, W.W. Bush, J.M.
  • sciencedirect.com – Prevalence of SOD1 allele associated with degenerative myelopathy in canine population in Greece - ScienceDirect. Genotyping of the c.118G > A mutation was possible by Sanger sequencing and PCR-RFLP.