Juvenile Laryngeal Paralysis and Polyneuropathy, Polyneuropathy with Ocular Abnormalities and Neuronal Vacuolation, POANV

Due to weakening or paralysis of the laryngeal muscles, puppies often have difficulty breathing during heavy exercise or high stress; this is often accompanied by changes in their bark tone and sound. Affected puppies are also at greater risk of developing aspiration pneumonia. As the disease progresses, hind leg incoordination or weakness often occurs, and can spread to the front legs.

Puppies affected with JLPP tend to show signs as early as 3 months of age.

Genetic testing, clinical signs, and sedation to visualize the larynx are all used to diagnose this disorder.

There are surgical corrections that can help dogs affected with laryngeal paralysis. Aspiration pneumonia, however, remains a risk and must be treated aggressively when it does occur.

Talk to your vet about your dog’s polyneuropathy result so you can plan ongoing care and monitoring.

Watch for signs such as voice changes, noisy breathing, weakness, or difficulty swallowing, and contact your vet if you notice any of these.

Maintain your dog at a healthy weight and keep them in a calm environment. Avoid strenuous exercise or overheating, as these can worsen breathing problems.

As this condition can progress over time, supportive care and a safe, predictable routine can help keep your dog comfortable and engaged with their family.

Note: Although Embark has identified the RAB3GAP1 mutation in multiple breeds, the syndrome of JLPP has only been characterized in Rottweilers and Black Russian Terriers. This supports potential breed-related effects or other genetic factors that could impact clinical disease.

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.

Gene

RAB3GAP1

Inheritance type

recessive

Clinical category

Neurologic

Citations

1. Mhlanga-Mutangadura et al 2016
2. Mhlanga-Mutangadura et al 2016

• Black Russian Terrier
• Rottweiler