An inherited episodic head tremor syndrome in Doberman pinscher dogs

Abstract

Episodic head tremor anecdotally occurs in the Doberman pinscher dog breed, but it is not described in sufficient detail in the literature. We evaluated 87 Doberman pinschers affected with episodic head tremor and appropriate controls. The data analyzed were collected through detailed questionnaires, elaborate telephone interviews, and video recordings. Affected dogs underwent clinical, neurological, and laboratory examination, and a detailed diagnostic workup was conducted in 5 affected dogs. Pedigrees of affected dogs were collected and reviewed. The affected dogs expressed individual phenotypes of either horizontal or vertical head movements, but rarely did a dog exhibit head movements in both directions. There was considerable variation in duration (10 seconds to 3 hours; median: 3 minutes), frequency of occurrence (1-20 episodes/day; median: 2/day) of head tremor and length of the period without head tremor (1-1,800 days; median: 60 days). Subtle dystonic posturing of the head and neck during head tremor was evident on video recordings of 5 dogs. Certain exceptional conditions such as illness, surgery, some medications, heat, pseudopregnancy, or pregnancy triggered episodes. Two main important forms of episodic head tremor were identified: a familial early-onset form (age < 1 year) that affected littermates and a sporadic form. Affected dogs were traced back to 1 common sire, also including sporadic cases. Episodic head tremor is an inherited, paroxysmal movement disorder that affects the Doberman pinscher breed. Identification of the causative genes in the future will allow us to obtain a more detailed description of the syndrome.

Paroxysmal Dyskinesia in Norwich Terrier Dogs

“…PxDs have been described in other canine breeds . In the majority of breeds with PxD affecting the limbs and trunk, the first episode of PxD is observed in the first year after birth .…”

“…2 Primary PxDs have been recognized with increasing frequency in various canine breeds and are generally characterized by episodic hyperkinesis that impairs posture and locomotion without loss of consciousness. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] Age at onset, episode phenomenology, duration and frequency, clinical course, and response to treatment vary between canine breeds. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] The majority of canine PxDs seem to be comparable to paroxysmal nonkinesigenic dyskinesia in humans.…”

Canine Paroxysmal Movement Disorders

“…At least 66% of dogs can be distracted out of the episodes using treats or other interactions and signs are typically not responsive to antiepileptic drugs. 11,12 Approximately 50% of dogs seem to grow out of the condition with time. This disease has been tentatively classified as a paroxysmal dyskinesia, but such isolated head tremors have not been described in people with PD.…”

“…10 Episodic head tremors are recognized as hereditary or breed-associated disorders in the Doberman pinscher 11 and the English bulldog 12 and may represent a form of paroxysmal dyskinesia. Sporadic cases have been reported in a variety of breeds, the details of which are summarized in Table 2.…”

A homozygous PIGN missense mutation in Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers with a canine paroxysmal dyskinesia

“…Published reports have provided clinical descriptions of primary canine PxD (cPxD) or cPxD-like diseases in several breeds including the Bichon Frise [24], Border Terrier [25], Cavalier King Charles Spaniel [26], Chinook [27], Doberman Pinscher [28], English Bulldog [29], Scottish Terrier [30], and Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier (SCWT) [31]. Unlike the human primary PxD that are almost always dominant traits, the cPxD usually have a recessive mode of inheritance.…”