Succinic Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase Deficiency

Affected dogs may have a history of seizures and behavioral changes, such as vocalization episodes and difficulty being roused from sleep. Puppies may appear uncoordinated or have a delayed ability to properly position their paws.

Clinical signs may be observed between 6 and 10 weeks of age.

Genetic testing, clinical signs, history, and ruling out other causes of similar symptoms can be used in conjunction to diagnose this disease. Your veterinarian may recommend magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis.

Frank discussions about quality of life are warranted. Although clinical signs may not progress, many owners request that puppies be euthanized between 3 and 9 months of age for quality of life concerns (e.g. recurrent episodes of vocalization).

Talk to your vet about your dog’s SSADH deficiency result so you can discuss what signs to watch for and how best to manage them.

This condition can cause neurological signs such as seizures or changes in coordination or behavior. If a seizure occurs, make sure your dog is in a safe space away from stairs or sharp objects, and avoid handling them until the episode has passed.

Keep your dog’s environment calm and predictable to help minimize stress, which may reduce the risk of triggering episodes.

This variant was first identified in Salukis.

Penetrance: Succinic Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase Deficiency is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner, meaning that affected dogs must have two copies of the variant to show clinical signs from it.

Gene

ALDH5A1 Exon 7

Inheritance type

recessive

Clinical category

Metabolic

Citations

1. Vernau et al 2020

• Saluki