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Seizures In Mastiffs

Our committee is dedicated to helping owners of Mastiffs with Seizures as well as with the ongoing research of Epilepsy in Mastiffs. We recently changed the name of our committee to "Seizure Disorders," as we are finding that there are often times causes of seizures other than Epilepsy in Mastiffs. We are committed to educating owners as to common conditions that should be ruled out before a diagnosis of Epilepsy can be made. We are also here to give advice to owners on how to accommodate the seizing Mastiff. If you have a Mastiff that is having seizures, please feel free to contact any one of us with questions. We'll do our best to provide you with information and resources.

Epilepsy is a difficult disease to diagnose. It can easily be mistaken for a variety of other problems and vice versa. The different hereditary forms of epilepsy are characterized by the type of seizures and age of onset.

Seizures - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

(7/9/02) Update

Received a letter from UC Davis and the Canine Health Foundation on the progress of our study. Last count was 118 participating Mastiffs, 13 of which had Epilepsy. The letter emphasized more than once how pleased they are with the participation from the Mastiff community. With the numbers that are in, Mastiffs have the second highest percentage of Epilepsy in their multi-breed study thus far. They are now beginning to study pedigrees (before they were only studying the actual DNA), and are asking for pedigrees of deceased Mastiffs with Epilepsy. We believe we are getting closer to finding the gene!!!!!!!!!

They have been getting a lot of responses from owners of deceased dogs wanting to know how they can help and they are now sending out forms for owners of deceased Epi-Mastiffs. Here's the new form.... or they will snail mail you a form:

http://cgap.ucdavis.edu/deceased%20request.htm

For Mastiffs currently living with Epilepsy (or relatives or healthy Mastiffs), the form to order a cheek swab kit is:

http://cgap.ucdavis.edu/EMPS%20kit%20form.htm

(9/19/01) Calling All Mastiffs!

The MCOA's Seizure Disorders Committee is pleased to announce that we are participating in a new, high tech study with the AKCand#65533;s Canine Health Foundation in hopes of finding the gene responsible for Epilepsy in Mastiffs. We are most excited about this study because it involves the use of cheek swabs and there is absolutely no cost to the owners of the Mastiffs that participate (not to mention no needles)!

Dr. Anita Oberbauer at UC Davis is responsible for this research and we thank her so much for including our breed in this important study. Dr. Oberbauer herself is also a breeder of Belgian Tervurens. Being a breeder herself, Dr. Oberbauer understands the concerns that Mastiff breeders have regarding the limiting of our gene pool. At this point the only breeding recommendations that can be made regarding Epilepsy is to not breed affected Mastiffs. Dr. Oberbauer hopes to be able to locate the gene so that Mastiff breeders can make more educated breeding decisions in the future. She said that the feeling is, at this point, that the gene may be recessive. If this is true, then it would be perfectly safe to breed relatives of affected dogs, including parents of affected dogs, using this new technology to ensure that a carrier is bred only to a non-carrier. This would certainly be beneficial to our gene pool. All of this is speculation at this point, but we do hope to have success in this study much like the PRA study.

The Seizure Disorders Committee will be hosting Cheek Swab Clinics at various dog shows all over the country. Samples are needed from ALL Mastiffs. This includes Epileptic Mastiffs, relatives of Epileptic Mastiffs, non-Epileptic Mastiffs, and relatives of non-Epileptic Mastiffs. Donating DNA from families of affected and non-affected Mastiffs is especially important. We are very grateful to several Mastiff breeders that have already come forward and donated DNA from entire families that relate to several Epileptic Mastiffs. These breeders care very deeply for the breed and recognize the importance of having this tool, so that the Epilepsy gene is not doubled up on in future breedings. We hope that more of you will follow in their footsteps.

This study is a blind study, which means that it is totally confidential. Pedigrees are not studied by Dr. Oberbauer, just DNA. With special technology, any DNA that is not representative of the correct dog is easily recognized by Dr. Oberbauer and will be excluded from the study. Cheek swab kits are available to all owners and breeders of Mastiffs free of charge, and the shipping of the kits back to UC Davis is already prepaid. There is a form that accompanies the kits and owners will need to fill out a form for each Mastiff that is swabbed.

Swab kits can be obtained several ways:

1. Cheek Swab Clinics at dog shows (see the PRA DNA Clinics).
2. Go to the website http://cgap.ucdavis.edu and click on "Mastiff" at the bottom.
3. Contact Doreen Dysert (503) 348-9347 ddysert@hughes.net.

Any questions about this study should be directed to any one of the Seizure Disorders Committee members listed below. Thank you to the owners and breeders who participate in this study.

Stories of Mastiffs with Seizures

• 3/03 For the love of Mastiffs Jennifer White
• 5/01 Boz's Story Karen Reagan Bigpaws777@aol.com
• 4/01 Things That Go Bump In The Night......
  George and Claudia Salinger callme2@prodigy.net
• 4/01 Talon Joyce Dickerson JoyceD4170@aol.com

DNA Research - University of Missouri

• (4/3/01): Research Report from University of Missouri
• Canine Epilepsy Network
• DNA Research for all breeds including Mastiffs
• Epilepsy DNA Collection Information
• Canine Epilepsy Network - Downloadable Submission Forms
• Epilepsy DNA Research - Some History

Additional pages about Seizures and Epilepsy

• Seizures in Mastiff Puppies
• Mastiffs with Seizures
• Guardian Angels Epilepsy Page
• Genetic Research Strategies: The Example of Canine Epilepsy
• Epilepsy Resource Center
• Genetics of Canine Epilepsy