Genetic basis of idiopathic epilepsy in the golden retriever

: The genetic aspect of idiopathic epilepsy in the Golden Retriever was examined. 336 pedigrees of a population of normal and epileptic dogs from five different generations were statistically evaluated. Most patients showed generalized Grand-mal seizures and the onset was within one to three years in 75% of the dogs. A significant sex predisposition for males was found. The increased manifestation of seizures in some subpopulations and the repeated occurrence in different families of the same sires revealed that there is a genetic basis for the condition of this breed. The results of pedigree analyses and binomial test support the hypothesis of an autosomal multifactorial recessive mode of inheritance. However, only an objective test-mating programme is likely to delineate the exact mode of inheritance.