Lafora Disease in Corgis

Our 8 1/2 year old male corgi began twitching and flinching about a year ago. These twitches are consistent with myoclonic jerks, a jerking back of the head when exposed to noises or to changes in lighting such as when a hand moves toward his head. My online research shows this to be consistent with an inherited late onset progressive degenerative neurological disorder in dogs called Lafora's Disease. It is found in Pembroke Welsh corgis in the UK, but reportedly is rare here in the U.S. My dog's littermate is also twitching and now his half-sister has begun the same.

Does anyone have a similar problem in their corgis? Please post and share if you have any information that would be helpful to us!

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Permalink Reply by Chris Payerl on April 21, 2017 at 10:49am

Sophie had epilepsy that we were having trouble controlling. Our vet referred us to a neurologist, and that helped a lot, as she offered info re: changes in the meds we were using. If you can afford it, I'd suggest seeing a vet neurologist. If you do go, or even when you go back to your regular vet, take some video of the dog while he's having the seizure (and what it is that sets him off if you know it will result in an episode) so that the vet/neuro can see exactly what it looks like without having to induce it. Some surface exploration into the disease indicated that some dogs can be responsive to meds.

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Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on April 22, 2017 at 9:45pm

"Online research"? So, this hasn't been diagnosed by a vet? I would strongly suggest that you take the dog to a vet to confirm that the dog really has the ailment. Dogs are prone to any number of conditions that can cause twitching and seizures.

Chris Payeri's suggestion of bringing a video to a vet, if you can manage it, is a great idea. After my late, great greyhound injured his back, I took photos of his behavior -- which I could not find the words to describe clearly -- and the vet was very pleased to get them. Once he understood what I was talking about, he was able to save the dog, which recovered fully and lived to a ripe old age.