Epilepsy - a subject that should be mentioned Health

On the dog breed threads there is mention of possible health problems, one of which is epilepsy, but nothing is really discussed about it.

I have introduced a few people to Breedia - some also joined Dogsey - but their dogs - pure-bred pedigree - are epileptic.

But for some reason canine epilepsy is a subject that should be mentioned but is not. And I think that especially on a website like Breedia, where it is accepted and recognised that epilepsy is a known problem in certain breeds, the subject should be mentioned and discused.

My dog is epileptic but she is a mutt of no known breed, therefore I have no knowledge of where her epilepsy came.

I do, however, think that this is a subject that should be mentioned and discussed here on Breedia.

Not swept under the carpet.

Well some of us have no experience of epilepy so how do we discuss it?

You do not have to discuss it, but it is still a hidden subject even amongst breeders and needs to be openly admitted.

http://www.breedia.com/dogs/belgian-shepherd-dog-tervuren

Nico is epi..

I got his owner to join Breedia but he has not wanted to say Nico is epi.

Steven's Chip http://www.forum.breedia.com/members/steven-pemberton.38283/ is epi, but he felt too uncomfortable to discuss it.

More? I forget but Azz knows that I have introduced other people to Breedia, they join, they post photos, but then they read more and do not want to discuss epilepsy.

But look at the breeds. Look at the health problems. And ask yourself why people do not want to discuss it.

Because epilepsy is a bad word and who wants their dog to be considered as bad, even if they have top pedigree qualifications.

You do not need to have had experience of a breed disease to discuss it. If you know that your/any specific breed had a certain disease in their breed, would you not want to let others know about it?

Unfortunately epilepsy is considered a bad word which should not be discussed,even though it is mentioned as a health problem in many breeds on Breedia.

Just have a quick look through and see how many breeds have epilepsy as a breed health problem.

Well breeders may have their own reasons for not discussing it, as in they don't want to admit they breed from dogs with epilepy but I don't see why all breeders would be unwilling to talk about it if they don't have dogs with it.
I know Pug breeders who don't have hv in their dogs and only breed from hv free dogs are very vocal about it where as those who don't test either don't talk about it or claim their lines are free of it.
I don't see what you can do if an owner doesn't want to talk about his dogs condition as surely that's his choice. Perhaps he prefers to accentuate the positives about his dog rather than the negatives.
Cancer is a bad word too but we talk about that on Dogsey and here, I dunno maybe you need to have a dog with epilepsy to understand.

Maybe you do.

But look through all the breeds in Breedia and see which have epilepsy as known health problems.

And then I know of the people I have introduced to Breedia, who Azz knows are epi, and yet dare not mention that their dogs are epi..

If Breedia is going to be an honest breed site, being honest about certain health faults in certain breeds, then why make people with epileptic dogs feel that their dogs are somehow unclean therefore it must not be mentioned.

Because that is what has happened with the people I have brought to Breedia.

They are ashamed to admit their pedigree dogs are epileptic.

I'm sorry I don't understand why they dare not mention it or who is making them feel their dogs are unclean. I obviously haven't read the posts you're referring to so it's all a bit cryptic to me.

I followed your link to Stevens chip but I'm still bewildered because he did mention his dogs epilepy but did not from what I could see say he felt uncomfortable discussing it.
If he does feel uncomfortable then surely that's up to him or any other individual to decide for themselves, you can't make people talk about things if they don't want to.

l don't understand why people with Pedigree Epileptic dogs feel ashamed or that their dog is 'unclean' the same could be said for any disease and people talk about them.

The thing is that even though the parents are clear it can still crop up and Confirmation of epilepsy should not be based primarily off of a pedigree. Breeding is all a game of chance, and what may look good on paper,may never turn out as expected... The GSD has a worldwide Breed Betterment Registry which is quite useful.
and research is being done.
http://www.canine-epilepsy.net/
http://www.akcchf.org/canine-health/your-dogs-health/epilepsy/

Surely the problem lies with the owners not wanting to talk about their epileptic dogs then the condition itself? This forum is a really friendly, and pretty quiet, and therefore there would be no backlash from breeders or anything or reasons to want to keep quiet.

The problem is that too many breeders do not want to admit that there is epilepsy in their lines, and they do not like people who have purchased dogs from them to mention that their dogs are epi.

So people do not talk about it.

It is kept like the elderly aunt in the attic, because it is considered shameful. And it is breeders who want it kept that way. Hidden from sight in case stops other people from buying puppies from their lines.

Yes it is discussed, on places like the Epilepsy List, but even so many people will not mention where their dogs came from because the breeders are doing everything they can to cover it up, whereas people like me are trying to bring it out into the open.

I have no axe to grind with a breeder as Pereg is a mutt of no known origin. But you do not have further to look than the two Lokis - both from the same line, and both epileptic.

Does nobody else think like I do that more should be outcoming about this horrid disease?

Maybe they don't want to name names unless they have proof the breeder was well aware of their dogs epilepsy before breeding them, or maybe they think there is nothing to be gained from it and they'll perhaps stir up a hornets nest.. Not all dogs develop epilepsy as youngsters so if they develop it in later life after producing a few litters what are the breeders supposed to do except stop breeding from those dogs? I'm sure there are a few who breed regardless but it's up to the buyer to do their homework same as with all the other conditions dogs can be affected by.

ive always found the forum to talk quite openly about many topics and i have read loads on here about epi dogs mainly pereg and loki. If the owners of these dogs dont want to talk about then maybe they are the ones with an issue not the forum. I dont have an epi dog i only know 1 epi dog so its not really a subject i am going to post about. But i will read and contribute to post about it. Maybe owners of epi dogs need to embrace the fact there dogs have this issue and are still happy and enjoying life. Take on an attitude of "epi and proud" and openly discuss your dogs with epi as its not an issue anybody would be judged on its not like they made their dogs epi its a health condition. If people with epi dont talk openly about it im not sure how awarness is to be gained. Talking about it epi forums is great as im sure its a help to the owners talking to each other and supporting each other, its always nice to talk to people in your situation, but thats not going to bring the discussion to the attention of joe bloggs. Start a blog "my epi dog and me" where you can talk about it for other people not already in the know to read about it, give advise about asking breeders about epi when looking at pups, bring awareness of the breeds where this is a problem. I dont know any breeds of dog that epi is a sever problem but that would mainly be due to the fact i havnt looked. If breeders are breeding form epi dogs then that is wrong and i think they should be named and shamed as why would you take the risk producing puppies that will have a high chance of having epi but no matter how many controls are in place it will never get rid of epi as it could come to any puppy. I wasnt even aware it was hereditary. People in the situation need to start the conversation as other wise it wont be heard.

MALKA you will find its the same with some people who have epilepsy, they won't admit they have epilepsy as it as a stigma of being crazy attached to the world epilepsy.

I have always been very open with people when I meet them, I tell them I got epilepsy & K9 is my system alert dog, I had one person telling me to stay away from him has he as a young family & didn't want to catch epilepsy from me, I just got up & went into another room, it something I have gotten use to over the years.

People were locked up for being epileptic in the 50' & 60's & pets were PTS back then, its only the last 15 - 20 years that people have heard of vets prescribing medication for pets with epilepsy, its the same for pets with diabetes.

I accept that most of the owners of epileptic dogs that I know are in the US and I know them from the Epilepsy List. But I also know, from them, that the same breeders turn up time after time in their lines, but refuse to admit it. Epileptic dogs are being used at stud. Epileptic bitches are bred from. Because the breeders earn too much money to stop using their bitches/studs. And they will, and do, sue people who dare accuse them of knowingly using epileptic dogs for breeding.

Both the Lokis were from the same line. Both epileptic. Coincidence? Ask tawneywolf - she has traced the lines.

Epilepsy that is from genetic origin appears usually when the dog is between 6 months to two years old. So a breeding bitch will be known to be epileptic before being used for breeding. Epilepsy that develops later on is usually caused by trauma or a brain tumour, and that cannot be passed on through breeding if there was no epilepsy in the line beforehand.

I remember the first time I saw someone have a full blown Grand Mal epileptic seizure in the street. Was probably in the early 1960s.

Everyone in the area ran away from him as fast as they could. Screaming their heads off.

My one fear is that Pereg will have a seizure when we are out - or even when she is just outside in the yard. It is the most terrifying sight ever and I can guarantee that if anyone saw it they would be convinced that she is rabid.

Well those breeders are not reputable are they so should be avoided anyway. If epilepsy appears between 6 months to 2 years they have no reason to breed from that dog they could simply rehome it breeders who run 2 dogs on do.
Tawneywolf certainly does not keep quiet about the lines with epilepsy and I wasn't aware Utonagans were a pure breed as such, Your OP was about pure breeds.

I posted this on Breedia for the simple reason that looking through all the breeds and the health problems, epilepsy comes up over and over again, and I have a great interest in the subject.

And yet how many people on Breedia, who have pure breed dogs who are epileptic, actually post about it?

It is not discussed. It is shown as a health problem on a number of pure breeds on Breedia, but nobody mentions it. And I think that it should be mentioned and discussed, because if Breedia is referred to by someone thinking of buying a particular breed and they see that that particular breed is prone to epilepsy, they should be able to read more about it than just it being one on a list of health problems.

I have no axe to grind. Pereg is a mutt of no known origin and had her first seizure at age 2 years and 3 months. She has Idiopathic Epilepsy - epilepsy of no known cause. And much as I hate it I love her and accept her epilepsy as part of the Pereg that I love.

And yes I do know that Utonagans are not a pure breed as such, but tawney does know what she is talking about and she does know how to trace back to epilepsy carriers.