The ERG of the beagle dog: evidence associating a post b-wave negativity with the Tapetum lucidum.

As previously reported in the literature, the electroretinogram (ERG) of the Beagle dog includes a large post b-wave negativity, the origin of which is not yet established. In the course of our investigations on the electroretinogram in dogs, we examined two Beagle dogs (2 years apart) who had one eye devoid of a Tapetum Lucidum (TL). Photopic (cone-mediated) and scotopic (rod-mediated) ERGs were obtained according to the guidelines for clinical electroretinography in dog. In both dogs the short-latency ERG components (i.e. a- and b-waves) were found to be within the normal range in amplitude, peak time and morphology O.U. However, the large negative component that, in Beagle dogs, normally follow the b-wave was absent from the photopic as well as the scotopic signals obtained from the TL-free eye. Our results thus suggest a possible contribution of the TL to the ERG of Beagle dogs.