Polyneuropathy is a disease that occurs in humans and in many breeds of dogs and often leads to the diagnosis of laryngeal paralysis. Laryngeal paralysis can be the first clinical sign of polyneuropathy and sometimes occurs without gait abnormalities. Various forms of polyneuropathy can also have genetic causes. In dogs, genetic forms of polyneuropathy probably play a very important role. Together with colleagues from the University of Minnesota, we were able to identify a causal variant for a form of polyneuropathy and offer a genetic test. This form is known as LPPN3 (LP: laryngeal paralysis; PN: polyneuropathy) and occurs in similarly affected Leonbergers, Saint Bernards, and Labrador retrievers, as well as in many other breeds. We would like to investigate the genetic causes of other hereditary forms of polyneuropathy in various breeds of dogs. The aim of our research is to develop diagnostic tests that will allow us to reduce the number of cases of polyneuropathy in the future. For our research, we need blood samples from dogs suffering from polyneuropathy and their relatives.
