COL6A1-Related Ullrich Muscular Dystrophy in Dogs

Category: Muscle
Breeds documented: 1
Published sources: 3

Overview

A change in COL6A1 has been linked to a severe inherited muscle disease in Landseer puppies. The gene helps make collagen VI, a protein associated with the structure and function of muscle. Affected puppies develop worsening weakness and muscle loss that can greatly limit walking. Some also have stiff joints or difficulty swallowing, and the reported disease has been severe early in life.

Signs to watch for

Reluctance to move and sleeping much more than littermates
Walking only a few steps before lying down
Muscles becoming visibly smaller
An arched back and short, stiff steps
Difficulty swallowing or bringing food back up

In the reported Landseer families, signs began in the first weeks of puppyhood.

Emergency Call a vet now if your puppy develops muscle weakness.

Diagnosis and tests

The reported dogs underwent physical examinations, checks of their nervous system, blood and urine tests, and electrical tests of muscles and nerves. Biopsies, small muscle samples examined under a microscope, showed damage consistent with an inherited muscle-wasting disease. DNA testing for the identified COL6A1 change can help identify affected dogs and carriers in Landseers.

Breeds with documented risk

1 breed

By breed size

1 Giant

Landseer (european Continental Type)Giant · FCI Group 2 (Pinscher and Schnauzer - Molossoid and Swiss Mountain and Cattle Dogs)

Inheritance

Not yet known
None of the sources we use states how this is inherited in dogs yet.

We've gathered what published sources say about this condition, so you can talk it through with your vet. It isn't veterinary advice: you and your vet know your dog best.