Cirneco Oculo-Neurological Syndrome (CONS)

Cirneco Oculo-Neurological Syndrome (CONS) is an inherited, autosomal recessive disease found in the Cirneco dell’Etna. It causes progressive vision loss due to retinal degeneration — which can lead to sudden blindness — along with neurological symptoms such as tremors, atypical seizures, and involuntary movements (paroxysmal dyskinesia). Disease progression is typically rapid. The condition was identified in the breed in 2024.1

While CONS may be clinically misdiagnosed as Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), it is a distinct disease. It is caused by a specific single base pair deletion in the AMPD2 gene, which affects an enzyme essential for normal neurological function, resulting in both ocular and neurological impairment.

Genetic Testing

Genetic testing can determine whether a dog is clear, a carrier, or affected with CONS. According to data maintained by the Cirneco Foundation, as of June 14, 2026, 11.7% of genetically tested dogs are carriers of the disease.2

Although a statistically significant sample size has not yet been reached,2 genetic testing is strongly recommended — especially for dogs used in breeding. In the interest of breed welfare, the Cirneco Foundation encourages owners and breeders to submit their results to: [email protected]

Testing is currently available from:

At this time, due to tariff policies, testing is available only to countries outside of the United States from:

1 Source: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10887799/

2 Statistics are based solely on results from 77 Cirnechi tested from different lines by breeders in Finland, Norway, Austria, Estonia, and Germany, with only one result from the United States.