Jove
Visualize
Contact Us

Related Experiment Videos

Epilepsy in Irish Wolfhounds.

Margret L Casal1, Richard M Munuve, M Anne Janis

  • 1Section of Medical Genetics, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6010, USA. casalml@vet.upenn.edu

Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine
|February 25, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Idiopathic epilepsy is increasingly diagnosed in Irish Wolfhounds. This study suggests a complex autosomal recessive inheritance pattern with incomplete penetrance, affecting males more frequently.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Genotype and Allele Frequencies of Canine Degenerative Myelopathy-Associated SOD1 Gene Variant in Irish Wolfhound Dogs.

Animal genetics·2026
Same author

Urinary Cystine/Creatinine Concentrations Before and After Castration in Dogs With Suspected Androgen-Dependent Cystine Urolithiasis.

Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2025
Same author

What Is Your Diagnosis? Blood Smear From a Kitten.

Veterinary clinical pathology·2025
Same author

Thyroid function tests in healthy kittens aged between 2 and 16 weeks.

Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2024
Same author

Canine RNF170 Single Base Deletion in a Naturally Occurring Model for Human Neuroaxonal Dystrophy.

Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society·2024
Same author

A naturally occurring canine model of syndromic congenital microphthalmia.

G3 (Bethesda, Md.)·2024
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Area of Science:

  • Veterinary Neurology
  • Canine Genetics
  • Epilepsy Research

Background:

  • Breeders report a rising incidence of seizure disorders in Irish Wolfhounds over 15 years.
  • Idiopathic epilepsy is a significant concern in this specific dog breed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence and inheritance patterns of idiopathic epilepsy in Irish Wolfhounds.
  • To analyze clinical data and pedigrees to understand the genetic basis of seizures in the breed.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of clinical data and pedigrees from 796 Irish Wolfhounds across 115 litters.
  • Diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy by excluding other potential causes of seizures.
  • Calculation of heritability index and assessment of inheritance patterns.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Idiopathic epilepsy was diagnosed in 18.3% of the studied Irish Wolfhounds.
  • Seizures typically began before 3 years of age (73% of cases).
  • Males were more affected (61.6%) than females (38.4%), with later onset in males. Affected dogs had a 2-year reduced life expectancy. Heritability was estimated at 0.87.

Conclusions:

  • The inheritance pattern is complex, best described as autosomal recessive with incomplete penetrance.
  • Male Irish Wolfhounds have an increased risk of developing idiopathic epilepsy.
  • Further research is needed to fully elucidate the genetic mechanisms underlying epilepsy in this breed.