Vizsla Inflammatory Polymyopathy (VIP)

This article was written using information in an exchange of emails with Di Addicott. I have her permission to reproduce her replies. I would like to extend my thanks to her for her patience in answering my questions as to how, if at all, VIP affects the HWV.

The HWVA are aware, by reporting, of 1 HWV reported to have Inflammatory Polymyopthay (IP).

Diane Parry:

“Would we expect to see IP in a small percentage of all breeds and cross breeds? If yes then is there any way of knowing those Wires have actual VIP? I’m trying to understand is the Wire IP called VIP because my breeds contains the HV or did these Wires actually have VIP. Is it semantics? I’m trying to separate IP from VIP symptoms. How do you do that in the Hungarian Vizsla?”

Di Addicott:

“Many breeds of dog might be affected by “Polymyositis”. In those cases skeletal muscle generally is affected. What sets VIP apart (and makes it breed specific) is that it is the muscles of the tongue, pharynx and oesophagus that are principally affected. This leads to the classic difficulties in prehending food and swallowing problems, drooling and regurgitation. Muscle wasting follows.

VIP used to be known as Vizsla Polymyositis – until it became clear that biopsies (even those guided by EMG or MRI) did not always reveal the inflammatory changes (itis) that might be associated with that disease. And so Vizsla Inflammatory Polymyopathy was coined – to describe our breed specific syndrome.

Underlying everything I do is a need to establish the satisfaction of the phenotype criteria- for the purpose of sample collection. Here they are

https://www.veterinary-neurologist.co.uk/Vizsla_Polymyosits/

… and you will see that we call also for samples from ANY breed of dog with a histopathological diagnosis of Polymyositis.

The HWV falls in to the category of “any other breed” – but of course is that bit more interesting because of its HV heritage. The Wires that I have heard about HAVE had the “classic” eating and drinking difficulties, choking, drooling and regurgitation etc. Otherwise I wouldn’t have pricked up my ears”

“Looking back over the years, and off the top of my head, I have heard only from 8 or so wire owners who reported their dogs as having the clinical signs that we would associate with VIP. In those cases I will have tried to help where possible – but I don’t actually pursue the medical evidence with the same gusto that I do when HV cases are reported. I am not in any way tracking the disease in your breed – so I do not have enough data, or any grasp of wire pedigrees – to try to make sense of numbers or what might be inheritance patterns”.