Affected dogs may fully lose the ability to walk 6 months to 2 years after the onset of symptoms. Late in the progression of disease, dogs may lose fecal and urinary continence and the forelimbs may be affected. The gait of dogs affected with degenerative myelopathy can be difficult to distinguish from the gait of dogs with hip dysplasia, arthritis of other joints of the hind limbs, or intervertebral disc disease. The condition is not typically painful for the dog, but will progress until the dog is no longer able to walk. Affected dogs usually present in adulthood with gradual muscle Atrophy and loss of coordination typically beginning in the hind limbs due to degeneration of the nerves. The disease affects the White Matter tissue of the spinal cord and is considered the canine equivalent to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease) found in humans. The average age of onset for dogs with degenerative myelopathy is approximately nine years of age. The variable presentation between breeds suggests that there are environmental or other genetic factors responsible for modifying disease expression. This mutation is found in many breeds of dog, though it is not clear for Portuguese Podengos whether all dogs carrying two copies of the mutation will develop the disease. Degenerative Myelopathy is an inherited neurologic disorder caused by a Mutation of the SOD1 gene known to be carried by Portuguese Podengos.
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