At first glance, the beagles running round the enclosure of the Royal Veterinary College look typical of the breed. Inquisitive and affectionate, the dogs rush from visitor to visitor, anxious to play and make contact. Endearing behaviour like this has made the beagle one of Britain’s most popular breeds. But closer scrutiny shows something unusual: some beagles look a little clumsy and weak on their paws. Occasionally one will stagger or stop in its tracks. The cause of this behaviour is straightforward. The dogs have the inherited the wasting condition muscular dystrophy. Crucially, the animals – kept at the college’s site near Potter’s Bar, Hertfordshire – suffer from a version very...
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