The DNA sample was from the inside of the cheek (sometimes referred to as a buccal sample). Saliva helps with the transfer to the swab, but you really want the cheek cells.
I know there's a disease description somewhere elsewhere in this thread or another, but here's a link from a US test lab with a summary:
I highly doubt it's Gangliosidosis, considering the website said death at 14 months of age. Fate & Hugo are 2.5 years old now. There are also other things in there that don't match Fate's condition, not sure about Hugo.
They are from Kuma x Aiko.
A friend of mine who is a DVM has looked at some videos I took of Fate. [ he is not in state ] he's dead sure it's cerebellar hypoplasia or abiotrophy, particularly, based off a video of Fate eating that he specifically requested.
My personal vet also was guessing one of the above two, in addition to taxoplasmosis, canine wobblers, etc. [ the last few being unlikely ]
Likewise, a third DVM, Wraith & Aggro's breeder, who stayed with us a night about a week ago, also thinks cerebellar hypoplasia / abiotrophy. ~
I believe in the end there wasn't a definitive diagnosis for Fate or his brother, the owners were more concerned about giving their respective pups as happy a life as possible than adding more stress to their remaining days with more tests.
Could Shikokus disease be the same what Lagotto's have. Check this out
When I went and visited Shigeru's kennel a year ago and went to NIPPO's Tokyo area finalist, we saw a shikoku ken with what Shigeru thought was probably the same neurological condition that Fate and the others suffered from. I make no claims to be able to say yes or no, but I feel like visually, it looked very different. That dogs back was arched up virtually the entire time and the whole hind quarters had a different kind of shake and tremble to it; the dog was definitely unsteady on its feet but in a different way than the Lagotto in the video above. The dog I saw did not look as though it could have run anywhere, even as sloppily as the video tapped one above did.
All that said... watching that video just broke my heart.
Comments
The DNA sample was from the inside of the cheek (sometimes referred to as a buccal sample). Saliva helps with the transfer to the swab, but you really want the cheek cells.
I know there's a disease description somewhere elsewhere in this thread or another, but here's a link from a US test lab with a summary:
https://www.pawprintgenetics.com/products/tests/details/5/?breed=119
http://www.nihonken.org/forum/index.php?p=/discussion/comment/158669#Comment_158669
But, in Fate's case, I don't believe he was diagnosed with it?
I believe in the end there wasn't a definitive diagnosis for Fate or his brother, the owners were more concerned about giving their respective pups as happy a life as possible than adding more stress to their remaining days with more tests.
All that said... watching that video just broke my heart.