![]() With this knowledge, they were able to develop a DNA test to test if breeding dogs carry the gene. Scientists do not yet know which gene is responsible, but they have narrowed it down to a section of a chromosome. No treatment is available for this fatal condition”, Leegwater explains. It is caused by erosion of the white tissue in the spinal cord and damage to the nerve fibres. “The condition begins with the paralysis of the hind legs when the pups reach the age of three to 12 months. Kooiker pups occasionally develop heritidary necrotic myelopathy, a chronic progressive disease. The researchers in Utrecht have also uncovered the cause of a neurological defect in Dutch kooikerhondjes. The stimulus should stop after the signal has been transmitted, but due to the defect the signal continues to transmit the stimulus.” The study was financed in part by the Meijer Boekbinder Fund. “The protein is responsible for the reuptake of a neurotransmitter in a nerve cell after stimulus transfer. “We now know which protein it is, and what it does”, says Leegwater. For example, the compulsive behaviour in the Frisian stabij puppies was caused by a DNA defect that resulted in defects in a certain protein. Researchers at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine’s University Clinic for Companion Animal Health have developed a DNA test to track dogs that are carriers of heritable diseases. “Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about it, and eventually we have to put the pups to sleep.” “The most remarkable symptom is that the pups constantly turn in circles”, says researcher Peter Leegwater. ![]() These pups display compulsive behaviour, turning in circles, pushing against walls, constantly sniffing or walking backwards. Over the past few years, several litters of Frisian stabij puppies have had individuals that develop severe neurological symptoms at a young age. Breeders of these Dutch breeds can have their dog tested to see if it is a carrier of a specific gene, in order to prevent the breeding of puppies with the disease. Utrecht University’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine has developed DNA tests to track genetic nerve disorders in the kooikerhondje and the Frisian stabij. ![]()
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