Neurological condition in polled Dorset lambs
David, G.P.; Holmes, J.P.; Adams, W.F.
Veterinary Record 141(1): 27
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0042-4900 PMID: 9248025 Document Number: 475652
Four newborn polled Dorset lambs, unable to stand from birth, with signs of muscle tremor, hyperaesthesia and absence of suck reflex, from a flock of 20 pedigree ewes, 2 rams and followers, were examined PM during November 1996. Two of the affected lambs were one of twins, the surviving twin being clinically normal. Microscopic lesions included a marked status spongiosus affecting the white matter throughout the brain and spinal cord. The basic lesion was a myelinic oedema. Lesions were distributed throughout the central nervous system but were particularly intense in the cerebellum and medulla. All 4 cases examined and 3 previously suspected cases had a common grandsire. Breeding records suggest an inherited condition with an autosomal recessive pattern.