Results from a study on Degenerative Myelopathy in Irish Wolfhounds are now available on our website.
Anecdotally, when an IW goes "down in the rear," DM is suspected, although it can only be conclusively diagnosed postmortem. The study was investigating whether the SOD1 gene variant, which is associated with DM in other breeds, was relevant to IWs, as that would provide a blood test which could be used for diagnosis while the dog was still alive. It concluded that DM associated with the SOD1 variant is unlikely in the Irish Wolfhound.