Hereditary cerebellar cortical and extrapyramidal nuclear abiotrophy in Kerry Blue Terriers.

Ten Kerry Blue terriers from a kennel in New York and 3 from a kennel in California developed clinical signs of a progressive cerebellar disorder, with its onset between 9 and 16 weeks of age. In 9 sequential necropsies, progressive cerebellar cortical degeneration, with loss of Purkinje's cells, was demonstrated. As the disease progressed, there was bilateral symmetric degeneration of the olivary nuclei followed by degeneration of the substantia nigra and caudate nucleus, bilaterally. The California and New York dogs were related, and an autosomal recessive inheritance was proposed for the disease.