Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME) in Rhodesian Ridgebacks
JME is an inherited disease in the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed. Affected dogs start showing symptoms between the age of 6 weeks and 18 months. Symptoms include frequest myoclonic jerks or twiches especially when the dogs are sleeping or resting. Photo sensitivity has also been noticed in affected dogs. Most affected dogs will also develop more severe generalized and tonic clonic seizures.
Due to the recessive mode of inheritance, affected dogs must inherit two copies of the mutation, one from each parents.
The test will tell you if your dog has 0, 1 or 2 copies of the mutation. Clear (N/N) and carriers (N/ JME) are healthy dogs and will not develop the specific symptoms associated with the JME mutation, however carriers should only be bred to clear dogs to avoid having affected puppies.
Please note that there are other forms of epilepsy that cannot be eliminated by this test.
