Degenerative Encephalopathy (DEN)

Degenerative Encephalopathy with Sleep Disorders and Caudate Necrosis or simply Degenerative Encephalopathy (DEN) is a neurological condition that affects the nervous system and leads to progressive degeneration or complete destruction of neurons in the brain, specifically in the region of the brain that is important in controlling movement and some aspects of behaviour.

This neurodegenerative disease has an autosomal recessive inheritance and is observed in the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (NSDTR, Toller).

Dogs with the disorder show neurologic signs beginning at a young age. These signs become progressively worse with age and most affected dogs have been euthanized due to poor quality of life by 3-5 years of age. Some observed symptoms include: increased anxiety at a young age and difficulty in learning as the dog gets older, loss of coordination (difficulty jumping, abnormal gait, and falling during turns), abnormal tail carriage, difficult to wake up and high degree of movement during dreams. Furthermore the dog can show excessive focus on food and hypervigilance (excessive alertness in various situations) including obsessive barking at moving or unfamiliar objects such as vehicles and aggression towards people and other dogs.

Pubmed ID: 40149422

Omia ID: 2055