title: Muscular dystrophies and other inherited myopathies.
abstract: It is certain that more inherited neuromuscular disorders of dogs and cats will be identified as the ability of practicing veterinarians to recognize disorders of muscle, nerve, and neuromuscular junction improves and newer diagnostic tests become available. Two specific points are critical. Before DNA-based genetic tests and specific therapies can be developed, an accurate description of the problem, clinically and histopathologically, must be performed. This is particularly important for the accuracy of a pedigree analysis, because inclusion of dogs with unrelated problems would alter the interpretation. Second, animals with inherited breed-associated disease should not be bred for generation of companion animals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0612, USA. gshelton@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: G Diane
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Shelton
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Engvall
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002415:Cats; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004285:Dogs; D005820:Genetic Testing; D009137:Muscular Dystrophy, Animal / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000662:veterinary*