Dancing Doberman Disease

What is it? What do we know about it? After an extensive epidemiological study, funded in part by The Doberman Pinscher Foundation of America, this is a summary of what we know to date about a puzzling disease. Dr. Alan Parker of the University of Illinois first described dancing Doberman Disease (DDD) in veterinary literature in 1983. Writing on the “Differential Diagnosis of Peripheral Nerve Diseases” in Modern Veterinary Practice, Dr. Parker coined the term “Dancing Doberman Disease” because of its clinical appearance. He suggested the syndrome was either behavioral in origin or a sensory disease of nerves. In 1990, the University of Florida’s Dr. C. L. Chrisman elaborated on 10 cases with similar behaviors in Progress in Veterinary Neurology in her report, “Dancing Doberman Disease: Clinical Findings and Prognosis.”

A simple description of DDD is one of a progressive disease, usually first involving the holding up of one rear leg while the dog is standing. Over several months the condition advances with a wasting of the rear leg muscles and a more constant shifting of weight on the rear legs that resembles a dog “dancing”. Frequently these dogs will knuckle over with their rear paws and ultimately prefer to sit or lie down rather than stand. They exhibit no overt sign of pain and are perfectly capable of running in the yard, chasing a ball or squirrel, etc. Generally, they live out their lives comfortably as family members although the condition is progressive, incurable, and at present, untreatable. More detailed information is available in the Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 5^th Edition.

Because the disorder is not known to exist in any other animal, let alone another breed of dog, there is the presumption that genetics must play a role in DDD. Funding to research this condition was obtained through grants from the Scott-Ritchey Research Center at Auburn University and The Doberman Pinscher Foundation of America. The lead investigator for this study was Janet E. Steiss, DVM, PhD, PT.Dr. Steiss presented the results of her research at the August 2001 Central Veterinary Conference in Kansas City. 

The investigation employed epidemiological studies involving surveys of DPCA members, all the veterinary colleges in the U. S. and Canada, as well as all veterinary neurologists. Studies on dogs exhibiting DDD included clinical and laboratory procedures. Blood counts and blood chemistries as well as biopsies of nerve and muscle x-rays, ultrasound, nerve conduction velocity measurements, electromyograms and thermographic imaging were employed. Particularly helpful was the Veterinary Medical Data Base (VMDB) at Purdue University. Additional support came from many researchers at Auburn University as well as Cornell University and the Service de Neurologic, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Limoges, France.AKC provided extended pedigrees for analysis. 

At the present time, this is what we know. DDD is a relatively unrecognized disease. The true incidence is unknown. Between 1990-1995 only 8 cases were reported in veterinary colleges. Only 1/3 of DPCA respondents had heard of it. Most veterinary neurologists recalled having seen only one or two cases although several said they had seen five to ten cases. A personal communication with Dr. Parker revealed that the earliest documented case probably occurred in California in the late 1960s. We learned there is no sex predilection and that the age of onset can range from 4 months to 10 years. The gastrocnemius (calf) muscles running from the stifle to the hock gradually waste away and biopsies reveal unexplained microscopic changes in nerves. 

The pedigrees of 19 dogs were traced back to a sire active in the U. S. in the 1940s. This sire is present in the pedigrees of both the sire and the dam of all affected dogs. Additionally, the pedigree of a confirmed case in Australia was traced back on both sides to the same sire that is present in the pedigrees of the U. S. affected dogs. Based on the pedigree analysis, it is very probable that DDD is an inherited disease, likely autosomal recessive, i.e. both parents must carry one copy of the gene. 

Hereditary sensory nerve diseases are recognized in humans although they are rare. In certain types of these maladies, human patients are afflicted with abnormal sensation of burning soles or other forms of discomfort associated with pressure on the feet. Could this account for the constant lifting of feet with DDD? We don’t know the answer to that question, although trial therapy with drugs known to give relief to people might provide additional clues.

Increased awareness among breeders and veterinarians, especially veterinary neurologists, may reveal DDD to be more extensive than presently recognized. It is possible that there may be mild cases that remain undetected. We call this disease a puzzling and insidious one because it is one that could be confused with other nerve disorders, spinal conditions, orthopedic diseases like hip dysplasia, lumbosacral maladies, herniated intervertebral disc disease and cauda equina syndrome, inflammation of the spinal cord and its membranes, inflammation and arthritis of vertebra, malignant or benign space-occupying spinal tumors and of particular import in Dobermans, Wobbler Disease (CVI).Therefore it is very likely that DDD is under-diagnosed and underreported!

An accurate diagnosis of any disease is essential to providing a meaningful prognosis and for optimizing treatment regimens. Any serious breeder, who presumably wants to reduce genetic disease in a breeding program, must do everything possible in partnership with his or her veterinarian to obtain an accurate diagnosis for any abnormal condition affecting their dogs. It is easier to control or eliminate hereditary disease while the incidence is low. Once a condition becomes pervasive in a breeding population, the task is exponentially more difficult, if not impossible. Dancing Doberman Disease has not been reported in the literature prior to the 1960s and this study makes a strong case for a genetic role in its occurrence. When otherwise normal genes suddenly produce an abnormal condition, it is called a “mutation”. And a general rule of thumb is that when a mutation occurs, there is usually a gap of 20 years before enough cases are presented in veterinary offices to attract attention .Twenty years can represent five generations in the dog world, plenty of time for widespread dissemination of a disease if a popular stud dog is a carrier of that disease! The first line of defense in the preservation of any breed is the breeder, armed with the knowledge of an accurate diagnosis, and the courage to admit to and correct genetic shortcomings in their own breeding program.

Because animals can’t talk, more must be done to determine if discomfort plays a role in DDD. One way to accomplish this is to administer drugs known to provide relief to people who experience a burning sensation related to pressure as described earlier, and evaluate its effect on the “dancing” phenomenon. A drug that has very few, if any, side effects has recently become available for treating these types of conditions in people. It has been used by veterinary neurologists to treat other canine disorders, but as yet has not been used to treat DDD.

If you have a Doberman definitively diagnosed with Dancing Doberman Disease and would like to participate in a 6-week drug trial, please ask your primary care veterinarian to contact:

Janet Steiss, DVM, PhD, PT
Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences
Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine
Tuskegee, AL 36088
Phone:334-727-8066
FAX:334-727-8177
E-mail:steisje@hotmail.com

Many Doberman people questioned the study of this disease by saying, “I’ve never heard of that! Well, that is precisely why this study has been important to the advancement of an understanding of Doberman health concerns. Because there was a general lack of awareness of this disease on the part of breeders and veterinarians alike, many dogs were being misdiagnosed as having hip displaysia or CVI. Consequently, some of those dogs might have been subjected to unnecessary and useless surgical procedures, or worse, euthanasia! Dancing Doberman Disease is not a life-threatening one. Those who have had dogs affected with it report the dogs live out an otherwise normal life. If this study has prevented even a small number of Dobermans from undergoing unnecessary surgery or being euthanized, then it has been worth its weight in gold. After all, the primary mission of genetic health research is to improve the health and welfare of the dogs!

Submitted by Janet Steiss, DVM, PhD, PTDr. Janet Steiss graduated from Ontario Veterinary College in 1975. After working in a mixed practice, she graduated with a PhD from the Veterinary College, University of Georgia. From 1986 to 1999 she served on the faculty at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, focusing on electrodiagnostic testing and research on neuromuscular diseases of dogs. Dr. Steiss received a Masters Degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2000 and currently is an Associate Professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Tuskegee University, where she continues to investigate muscle disorders of sporting and working dogs. She is President of The American Canine Sports Medicine Association, and is certified by the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society.

Submitted by C. David McLaughlin, DVM Dr. McLaughlin is the retired director of Dundee Animal Hospital, which has 19 veterinarians on staff, providing specialty services and in-house 24-hour emergency and critical care. He currently serves as President of the Doberman Pinscher Foundation of America.

Reprinted with permission from the original article printed in Doberman Digest