Exercise-Induced Collapse, EIC

This muscle disorder can cause episodes of muscle weakness and sometimes collapse. After recovering, most dogs are perfectly normal and eager to get back to work. While most dogs appear dazed or confused after an episode, most return to normal quickly.

Signs develop in juvenile dogs, typically before 3 years of age.

Genetic testing, clinical signs, and muscle biopsy can be used to diagnose this disorder.

Dogs with this condition are otherwise normal and healthy, though some severely affected dogs have died during an episode. The factors determining the severity of an episode on a given day or in a given dog is unknown.

Talk to your vet about your dog’s EIC result so you can plan safe activity levels and monitoring.

Avoid intense or prolonged exercise, especially in hot or humid weather, and stop activity immediately if your dog shows signs of weakness or wobbling.

Keep your dog cool and hydrated, and focus on short, moderate exercise sessions that don’t lead to overexertion.

With careful management and awareness of your dog’s limits, most dogs with EIC can live active, happy lives.

This mutation was first characterized in field-trial lines of Labrador Retriever dogs.

Penetrance: This disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner, meaning that affected dogs must have two copies of the mutation to show clinical signs. However, this mutation is incompletely penetrant, meaning that not all dogs with two copies of the mutation will show signs of this disease.

Gene

DNM1

Inheritance type

recessive

Clinical category

Neurologic

Citations

1. Patterson et al 2008

• Bouvier des Flandres
• Boykin Spaniel
• Cardigan Welsh Corgi
• Chesapeake Bay Retriever
• Clumber Spaniel
• Cocker Spaniel
• Curly-Coated Retriever
• English Cocker Spaniel
• Field Spaniel
• German Wirehaired Pointer
• Labrador Retriever
• Old English Sheepdog
• Pembroke Welsh Corgi
• Rhodesian Ridgeback
• Sheepadoodle
• Vizsla
• Wirehaired Vizsla