Inherited necrotizing myelopathy of Afghan hounds

Eleven examples of a naturally occurring, adolescent-onset spinal cord necrosis in Afghan Hounds were studied. Unusual and characteristic spinal cord lesions were necrosis and small vessel proliferation in the dorsal and ventro-medial spinal cord white matter extending from caudal cervical segments to cranial lumbar segments. Spinal cord gray matter and dorsal and ventral roots were preserved. Four dogs had histologically similar lesions in the superior olivary nucleus. The cause of these lesions was not determined by histopathologic or ultrastructural examination. Chi-square analysis of pooled sibships indicates a simple autosomal recessive mode of inheritance.