Progressive leucoencephalomyelopathy is a rare hereditary white matter disease in Rottweilers and related breeds causing insidious neurological deterioration with significant welfare implications.
Leucoencephalomyelopathy causes progressive welfare harm through escalating neurological dysfunction that impairs coordination, movement, and eventually basic activities including eating and elimination. The slow progression means affected dogs face a prolonged welfare-challenging course before reaching the point where euthanasia is indicated. Quality of life assessment must be ongoing as the condition advances. Genetic testing in predisposed breeds prevents future cases by enabling breeding selection away from causative mutations. This is an area where breed health testing offers a clear welfare benefit by reducing the number of future dogs born to this disease trajectory.