Catahoula Leopard Dog
The tested variant with the highest allele frequency is Degenerative Myelopathy, at 6.8% among the 154 Catahoula Leopard Dogs tested (Donner 2023; gene copies, not dogs), then Cone-Rod Dystrophy (4.2%) and Cystinuria Type I-A (2.3%).
Which disease variants turn up in Catahoula Leopard Dogs?
From a panel of 250 Mendelian-disease variants screened in 1,054,293 dogs (Donner et al. 2023), 11 turn up in Catahoula Leopard Dogs at observable frequency. The figure beside each is its allele frequency. Of the gene copies tested in this breed, the share that carry the variant. Every dog carries two copies, so this is not the share of dogs. It is not clinical risk. Most recessive variants require two copies for disease expression; many dominant variants show incomplete penetrance. Read this as a population fingerprint of what's in the gene pool, not a per-dog prediction.
FGF4what this gene does
FGF4 influences leg length by affecting bone growth, leading to shorter legs in certain breeds.
For your dog: If your dog is from a breed known to carry this gene, it's worth discussing spinal health with your vet, but being a carrier doesn’t guarantee problems.
SLC7A9what this gene does
SLC7A9 is a gene that helps transport certain amino acids in the kidneys. It plays a role in how the body handles cystine, an amino acid that can form crystals.
For your dog: If your dog is a carrier, it’s worth discussing with your vet to monitor urinary health and catch any issues early.
SOD1what this gene does
SOD1 is a gene that helps protect cells from damage caused by harmful molecules called free radicals.
For your dog: If your dog is a carrier of SOD1 variants, it's worth discussing with your vet, but remember carrier status doesn't mean your dog will get the disease.
RPGRIP1what this gene does
RPGRIP1 is a gene involved in the function of photoreceptor cells in the eye, which help dogs see in different light conditions.
For your dog: If your dog belongs to a breed known to carry RPGRIP1 mutations, it’s worth discussing with your vet to understand the risks and monitor eye health.
SLC3A1what this gene does
SLC3A1 is a gene that helps transport certain amino acids in the kidneys. It plays a key role in preventing the buildup of cystine, which can form stones.
For your dog: If your dog is from a breed known to carry SLC3A1 variants, it’s worth discussing cystinuria risks with your vet, especially if urinary issues arise.
PDK4what this gene does
PDK4 helps regulate how cells use energy, especially in the heart muscle.
For your dog: If your dog is one of the breeds known to carry this gene, it’s worth discussing heart health with your vet, but being a carrier doesn’t mean your dog will develop disease.
SLC2A9what this gene does
SLC2A9 is a gene that helps regulate uric acid levels in a dog's body. It plays a role in how the kidneys handle this substance.
For your dog: If your dog is one of the breeds known to carry this gene variant, it’s worth discussing with your vet to understand any potential urinary health concerns.
F7what this gene does
The F7 gene helps produce a protein important for blood clotting, which stops bleeding when dogs get injured.
For your dog: If your dog is from a breed known to carry F7 variants, it's worth mentioning to your vet before any surgery or if you notice unusual bleeding.
BEST1what this gene does
BEST1 is a gene that helps maintain the health of the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. It plays a role in keeping the cells in the retina functioning properly.
For your dog: If your dog is from a breed known to carry BEST1 variants, it’s worth discussing retinal health with your vet, especially if you notice any vision changes.
ADAMTS17what this gene does
ADAMTS17 is a gene that influences body size and also plays a role in certain eye conditions. It affects the structure of tissues in the eye and elsewhere in the body.
For your dog: If your dog belongs to a breed known to carry ADAMTS17 variants, it’s worth discussing genetic testing and eye exams with your vet to stay ahead of potential issues.
Full ADAMTS17 gene page →What these results mean for a Catahoula Leopard Dog
About 2 in every 100 copies of this gene in the 154 Catahoula Leopard Dogs tested carry this change (Donner 2023).
- Extra copies of a growth gene called FGF4 shape a dog's legs and back. The copy on chromosome 12 is the one linked to disc disease. The copy on chromosome 18 makes legs shorter.
OMIA 000157-9615
“Two FGF4 retrogenes (FGF4L1 on chromosome 18 and FGF4L2 on chromosome 12) have been identified to cause dwarfism across many dog breeds.” OMIA 000157-9615
“Brown et al. (2017) reported that an FGF4 retrogene insertion in chromosome CFA12” OMIA 000157-9615
- Carrying it raises the risk, but it can't tell you which dog will have a disc problem. In Dachshunds, researchers found the test on its own isn't a reliable guide.
OMIA 000157-9615
“the FGF4 retrogene insertion on CFA12 is not a valid risk indicator on its own” OMIA 000157-9615
What to do
Ask your vet what the result means for your dog. The sources here don't say what lowers the risk for a dog that carries it.
Not tested, or a mix
Without a test, no one can tell. Short legs don't tell you either: the disc copy and the short-leg copy are different.
A bladder-stone (cystinuria) test that doesn't hold up
Not a reliable testAbout 7 in every 100 copies of this gene in the 154 Catahoula Leopard Dogs tested carry this change (Donner 2023).
- Some DNA tests check this gene change for bladder stones. The researchers who studied it found it doesn't cause them, and they advise against using it as a test.
OMIA 001880-9615
“there appears to be no support for the variant to be causal” OMIA 001880-9615
“strongly recommend not to use "the variant in SLC7A9 as a test to predict the risk of developing cystinuria in male English bulldogs.” OMIA 001880-9615
What to do
A result for this change, either way, tells you nothing about bladder stones. If your dog strains to pee or there's blood in the urine, see a vet, whatever a DNA test said.
Not tested, or a mix
Nothing to do. There's no reason to test for this one.
About 7 in every 100 copies of this gene in the 154 Catahoula Leopard Dogs tested carry this change (Donner 2023).
- DM slowly damages the spinal cord in adult dogs, until the back legs stop working. Nothing yet can stop it.
OMIA 000263-9615
“This is an adult onset degeneration of the spinal cord that progresses to paraplegia and tetraparesis. There is no successful treatment. A genetic test is available.” OMIA 000263-9615
- Two copies of the SOD1 gene change mean a dog is at risk, not that it will get sick. Some dogs with two copies never do.
OMIA 000263-9615
“some homozygous mutant dogs had no signs of degenerative myelopathy, which suggests incomplete penetrance or other causative loci” OMIA 000263-9615
- One copy makes a dog a carrier. In the study that found this change, every dog with DM that was tested had two copies.
OMIA 000263-9615
“All affected dogs tested were homozygous mutant.” OMIA 000263-9615
What to do
A DNA result isn't a diagnosis. If the way your dog walks changes, take that and the result to your vet.
Not tested, or a mix
Without a test, no one can tell how many copies your dog has. How common it is in a breed says nothing about one dog.
About 2 in every 100 copies of this gene in the 154 Catahoula Leopard Dogs tested carry this change (Donner 2023).
- The kidneys can't hold on to cystine, one of the building blocks of protein. It can form crystals and stones that block the flow of urine.
OMIA 000256-9615
“Cystinuria, type 1 - A is an inherited defect that causes failure of reabsorption of cystine in the proximal renal tubule, leading to cystine precipitation in the urine. Formation of crystals and calculi lead to urolithiasis and urinary tract obstruction.” OMIA 000256-9615
What to do
If your dog is straining to pee, or passing little or none, see a vet the same day.
Not tested, or a mix
Without a test, no one can tell how many copies your dog has.
A heart (DCM) test that doesn't hold up
Not a reliable testAbout 2 in every 100 copies of this gene in the 154 Catahoula Leopard Dogs tested carry this change (Donner 2023).
- This gene change was linked to a heart disease called DCM in Dobermans, but it hasn't been shown to cause it. The curated record says a test for it isn't a good guide to heart risk, even in Dobermans.
OMIA 000162-9615
“it is evident that any DNA test based on this marker will not be a good indicator of liability to this disorder in Dobermans” OMIA 000162-9615
What to do
A result for this one isn't, by itself, a reason for heart tests. Whether to check your dog's heart is a conversation to have with your vet.
Not tested, or a mix
Outside the Doberman, no one has shown what this change means.
For researchers Population genetics, disease models and every recorded condition Open the research detail for the Catahoula Leopard Dog
Where every number on this page came from.
This page draws on one primary data source. Allele frequencies and sample sizes come from Donner et al. 2023 (CC-BY-4.0), a direct-to-consumer screening cohort, graded Limited as a study design because the dogs were tested at their owners' choice. No genotyped research dogs of this breed are in the three open releases the atlas reads, so the population-genetic sections other breed pages carry are absent here for that reason, not hidden. Conditions recorded for the breed come from OMIA.
What this page does not yet have. Inheritance modes and per-disease penetrance evidence from Donner 2023 are in the structured data for every variant the panel covers. Mondo, OMIM, Ensembl, and HGNC cross-references live on the gene and disease pages this page links to, rather than being repeated here. What is still absent from this breed page is anything not in the cited panel, and each such gap carries its cause where it appears.
How to cite this page. Cite Donner et al. 2023 (doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1010651) for every frequency on this page, and OMIA for each condition, with the sample size shown beside the figure.
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- Donner J, Freyer J, Davison S, Anderson H, Blades M, Honkanen L, et al. (2023). Genetic prevalence and clinical relevance of canine Mendelian disease variants in over one million dogs. PLOS Genetics 19(2):e1010651. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1010651
- Brundage DM (2026). CanVAS: A Harmonized and Imputed Canine Variant Atlas. bioRxiv. doi:10.64898/2026.04.13.718238
- Nicholas, F.W., Tammen, I., & Sydney Informatics Hub. (2026). Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA) [dataset]. The University of Sydney. https://omia.org. doi:10.25910/2AMR-PV70 (retrieved April 2026).