Leucoencephalomyelopathy in Australian Rottweiler dogs

Clinical and pathological studies of a neurological disorder of 3 adult Rottweiler dogs are described. Dogs developed proprioceptive losses involving the limbs, leading to progressively worsening ataxia and hypermetria. Blood and CSF fluid analyses were normal and radiographs and myelograms showed no compressive lesions of the spinal cord. At necropsy, severe demyelination of the dorsal and lateral funiculi of the cervical spinal cord was visible grossly. Microscopically there was more extensive, symmetrical involvement of the spinal cord and brain than was apparent grossly, with demyelination of white matter tracts and sparing of axons in affected areas. These changes were considered diagnostic for leucoencephalomyelopathy. This condition has not been previously reported in Australia, and is probably transmitted genetically, presumably as an autosomal recessive trait.