Puppies suffering from NEWS are smaller and weaker at birth than their littermates and they often have difficulties nursing. Most of the affected puppies won't make it through the first week of their life. Puppies that survive past the first week suffer from ataxia (uncoordinated movements), whole-body tremor and weakness progressing to severe generalized clonic-tonic seizures by 4 to 6 weeks of age. No affected puppies have survived past 7 weeks of age and they are often euthanized earlier.

Treatment is supportive care, however, affected puppies usually die or are euthanized on welfare grounds within the first few weeks of life because of the severity of the condition.

There are many responsibilities to consider when breeding dogs. Regardless of test results it is important that your dog is in good general health and that you are in a position to care for the puppies if new responsible owners are not found. For first time or novice breeders, advice can be found at most kennel club websites.

This disease is autosomal recessive meaning that two copies of the mutation are needed for disease signs to occur. A carrier dog with one copy of the NEWS mutation can be safely bred with a clear dog with no copies of the NEWS mutation. About half of the puppies will have one copy (carriers) and half will have no copies of the NEWS mutation. Puppies in a litter which is expected to contain carriers should be tested prior to breeding. Carrier to carrier matings are not advised as the resulting litter may contain affected puppies. Please note: It is possible that disease signs similar to the ones caused by the NEWS mutation could develop due to a different genetic or clinical cause.