N.C.L.

The description of a newly described inherited neurodegenerative disease of American Bulldogs will appear in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine early in 2005 . The technical term for the disease is “neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis” or NCL. Affected American Bulldogs appear to be normal for the first year or two of their lives, but sometime between 1-1/2 and 3 years of age they begin to have symptoms which include gradual loss of coordination and gradually increasing weakness. Eventually they are unable to stand and their quality of life diminishes to the point that they need to be euthanized. At the University of Missouri we have studied DNA from a few affected American Bulldogs. We believe that we have identified the mutation responsible for the disease.

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