Originally Posted by carasmam
The health tests required for Staffies are - all dogs are tested or born genetically clear of L2hga and HC and all eye screened for phpv, ppsc, and litters screened at approx 6 weeks of age.
L2 Hga is a disorder of the nervous system seen in Staffordshire Bull Terriers, it usually occurs between the age of 6 months to a year but can occur later. Symptoms of the condition include; epileptic fits, wobbly gait, stiffness as a result of exercise and altered behaviour.
What causes the disease -L2Hga is caused by a mutated gene, probably arising from a single dog, but has been inherited and passed on genetically like any other gene throughout the breed.
How can we eliminate L2Hga - In order for the disorder to be affected in a dog, they must inherit two copies of the mutated gene, one from each parent. The Animal Health Trust (AHT) have identified this gene and can test your dog by a blood sample to see if it is either;
AFFECTED- inherited L2Hga gene from both parents and will be develop L2Hga and be affected by the illness.
CARRIER- inherited L2Hga gene from 1 parent will not develop L2Hga but will pass carrier gene onto 50% of its offspring.
CLEAR- inherited 2 normal copies of gene and will not become affected by L2Hga or pass L2Hga onto any of its offspring.
To eliminate the disorder all dogs should be tested making sure not to put carrier dogs to other carrier dogs as approx. 50% of litter will be affected and 50% will be carriers. Carrier dogs can be put to clear dogs and approx. 25% of the litter will be carriers, therefore the whole litter should be tested to see which pups are clear and which are carriers.
The test costs around £70 but if testing for both conditions it costs £115 (please note the prices may differ)
The mode of inheritance of PHPV is not so clear, but it is known that it is a congenital condition (present at birth) and that it is not progressive. This means that if a puppy is born with PHPV it can be detected by ophthalmic screening from 6 weeks of age and if it is affected, whatever the condition of the problem at that stage it will not change throughout the dogs life.
Either of the above conditions can be operated on, but it is a serious operation and can be traumatic and very expensive. It is not always covered by insurance due to the hereditary nature.
Even though the genetic test is now available for Hereditary Cataracts it is still important to screen for PHPV.
PPSC – POSTERIOR POLAR SUBCAPSULAR CATARACT.
This type of cataracts is found in other breeds, particularly the Labrador and Golden Retriever.
It usually remains as a small, punctuate cataract and doesn’t usually lead to sight problems in these two breeds. It has been placed on schedule 3 of the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme because a number of Staffords that have been through the Scheme have been found to have this type of cataract. This type of cataract cannot be detected through litter screening. The mode of inheritance is unknown and has a variable age of onset. BREEDING STOCK SHOULD BE TESTED ANNUALLY TO DETERMINE THAT THE DOG IS CERTIFIED CLEAR AT THE TIME OF MATING.
Hope this helps - I copied and pasted it so any capital letters are not shouting by me lol x
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