CASE REPORT Cerebellar cortical abiotrophy in Lagotto Romagnolo dogs

Abiotrophy is a term used to describe premature tissue degeneration typically because of an intrinsic abnormality in the cell’s structure, altering metabolic processes necessary for cell vitality and function (deLahunta 1990). One of the more common abiotrophies in domestic animals are those affecting the cerebellar cortex (Summers and others 1994). Typically, the predominant histological lesion is loss or degeneration of Purkinje cells, with or without granular cell loss. Cerebellar cortical abiotrophy has been reported in many dog breeds, for example in Kerry blue terriers, Gordon setters, Australian kelpies, Brittany spaniels, Rhodesian ridgebacks, Old English sheepdogs, Coton de Tuléar dogs, beagles, Portuguese podencos, Scottish terriers, border collies, miniature schnauzers, Staffordshire terriers and English bulldogs (deLahunta and Averill 1976, Steinberg and others 1981, Thomas and Robertson 1989, Tatalick and others 1993, Chieffo and others 1994, Kent and others 2000, Steinberg and others 2000, Tipold and others 2000, van Tongeren and others 2000, van der Merwe and Lane 2001, Sandy and others 2002, Berry and Blas-Machado 2003, Speciale and deLahunta 2003, Gandini and others 2005). The age of onset and the progression of signs of cerebellar dysfunction vary markedly according to the breed affected, and the histological picture is similar in affected dogs representing the same breed. This is, to the authors’ knowledge, the first case report of cerebellar cortical abiotrophy in an ancient Italian dog breed the Lagotto Romagnolo. Cerebellar granuloprival degeneration has been reported in an Italian hound, but unfortunately, the breed of the dog was not mentioned (Cantile and others 2002). Both cases presented here were young Lagotto Romagnolo breed dogs. Unusually, there were two different pathological variations: one of the dogs had severe depletion of the granular cell layer only and the second dog had depletion of the Purkinje cell layer with degenerative changes also in the granular cell layer.