ABCA Epilepsy Study

[Denise Wall]

Below is our standard form for those who would like to report their dogs that have had seizures.

 

***************************************

 

Information Form for Reported Cases of Seizures in ABCA Border Collies

 

 

Thank you for helping in our study of seizure disorders in the border collie. In order to better classify the dogs reported with seizures, we ask that you answer the following questions:

 

1. At what age did your dog have its first seizure? Years_________Months_________

 

2. Can you describe a typical seizure for your dog? Important things to include are whether your dog appears conscious or responsive to you, what positions they assume during the seizure such as sitting, standing or falling over, what kind of movements you observe such as paddling, jerking or staring, and whether they drool or lose control of their bowels or bladder.

 

3. Can you identify and describe any environmental causes or health problems that you suspect might have caused your dog?s seizure(s)? Common examples would be a blow to the head, exposure to toxins or poisons, overheating, etc.

 

4. Can you briefly describe the tests performed by your veterinarian to determine the cause of the seizure(s)?

 

5. What was the diagnosis by your veterinarian(s)?

 

6. It is important to know the frequency of seizures before any medication or treatment was started. Approximately how many seizures did your dog have per week, month or year before treatment was started (if treatment was started)?

 

7. Do you know of any relatives of your dog who have also had seizures?

 

7a. If so, what is their relation to your dog and can you briefly describe their seizures (age of first seizure, type of seizure, number of seizures, veterinary diagnosis, etc.)?

 

8. Can you provide us with a copy of your dog?s ABCA registration papers so that we can try to identify other dogs in the pedigree with known seizures? (Please send to cdwall@mindspring.com or mail to Denise Wall, 134 Hilton Rd, Advance, NC, 27006.)

 

8a. If you can?t send a copy of the pedigree, will you provide us with your dog?s name and ABCA registration number with the understanding that we will request a copy of the registration papers from the ABCA office?

 

9. If requested, would you agree to have a sample of blood drawn from your dog for our epilepsy study?

 

10. If requested, would it be possible to videotape your dog during a seizure and send a copy to the address in question #8 above?

 

11. Please describe any specific additional information about your dog that you feel we should know.

 

 

*****************************************************************

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to complete this form. We are collecting information on each and every reported case of seizures. Every reported case adds to our database. From this information, we will gain a better understanding of seizure disorders in the border collie.

 

Over time, we?ve found certain family trees where several members have been diagnosed with what appears to be a heritable form of epilepsy. We are currently arranging an ABCA funded blood collection from selected dogs in such pedigrees for future DNA analysis for this disease. It is important that the dogs we use for the DNA study have a diagnosis consistent with a heritable form of epilepsy and a strong link to others in its pedigree who also have this disease. If we determine your dog fits our criteria for the ABCA funded DNA study, and you agree, we will set up the blood collection. Even if your dog is not used for the study at this time, the information you share with us is a piece in the puzzle and broadens our knowledge of this devastating disease.

 

All information submitted is strictly confidential. Participants will at no time be named publicly.

 

Thank you, we appreciate your response.

 

C. Denise Wall, PhD

ABCA Health and Genetics Committee Member

 

 

Please mail or email your completed form to one of the addresses below.

 

 

Contact information:

 

Denise Wall

134 Hilton Rd,

Advance, NC 27006

 

cdwall@mindspring.com

[Wendy V]

Thanks, Denise. How much blood is needed and in what format?

 

Wendy V

[Denise Wall]

It's 3mls in an EDTA tube.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Denise, I posted this information over on another list and got the question, "Why restricted to ABCA registered dogs only?" Would you mind providing us an "official" response to this concern? With permission to cross post?

[trailrider]

At least they have all their own records of pedigrees, and can service those who registered those dogs.

[Denise Wall]

Becca,

 

While border collies other than ABCA registered may be affected with epilepsy, it's difficult to justify using ABCA grant money to study dogs from other registries. That would be the main reason.

[Denise Wall]

Upon further reflection I've decided I should clarify the above a bit more.

 

If there are different mutations for epilepsy within the breed, it's likely some lines will have propagated a certain mutation more than other lines. Conformation border collies for example are often from NZ lines. Just as the mutation for CL found in NZ conformation lines is not thought to be found in a significant frequency in working border collie lines in this country, specific mutations for epilepsy may be segregated in these distinct populations as well. Therefore, ABCA, a working border collie registry, is more interested in finding the cause(s) of epilepsy that exist in the the working sector than in other sectors.

 

This is not to say any pedigree with an AIBC, etc., registered dog will be tossed from the study. Just that our interest is focused on studying ABCA registered lines.

 

I hope that's more clear.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Thanks Denise! I was sort of thinking along those lines.

[sea4th]

This is not to say any pedigree with an AIBC, etc., registered dog will be tossed from the study. Just that our interest is focused on studying ABCA registered lines.

And I understand what you're saying, but back when AIBC was an actual entity, what's not to say that some of the dogs found in say, Dolly's AIBC pedigree, were also in ABC pedigrees, although by now, those dogs might be further back on a pedigree. Would that information not be valuable as well? Dolly had some nice dogs 3 generations back who I'm sure would be behind a good number of ABC dogs as well.

[juliepoudrier]

Vicki,

I can't answer for Denise, but I would think that if the dogs behind Dolly's pedigree are also in the pedigrees of ABCA dogs, and the dogs behind Dolly might have contributed to heritable epilepsy in Dolly and other dogs, then they would also have contributed those genes to their ABCA-registered offspring and so would be included in the study that way. You said it yourself when you said the dogs in Dolly's ped are probably behind any number of dogs with ABCA peds. If heritable epilespy is being carried through those lines, then at least some dogs with ABCA peds would likely have been diagnosed with epilepsy and so be eligible for the study. If no dogs (now in the ABCA) from those lines are cropping up with epilepsy, then that could be taken as evidence that Dolly's epilepsy was not a heritable form, couldn't it? Does that make sense?

 

J.

[sea4th]

Does that make sense?

It does Julie, and thanks for your reply.

 

Since I lived with this dog & her disease for over 10 years, I guess what I'm looking for are some answers which is why the thought of an AIBC reg. being discarded was a little disheartening, but even if I can glean my own answers from ABC's study, well that would be of some comfort.

 

I do have another question though. When AIBC was in existance, was it an either/or thing when it came to registering a dog, or did people commonly register with both. I'm looking at the possibility of the dogs in Dolly's background who were not ISDS being dual reg. with ABC & AIBC. (Hope I made sense. I'm still half asleep).

 

Thanks.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

First, I suspect that dogs that share common heritage with ABCA dogs that are included in the study, but aren't registered ABCA, will be invited or encouraged to participate once the family ties are unearthed. I'll leave it to Denise to address that point more fully.

 

AIBC predates ABCA by many canine generations, so ABCA records include lots of AIBC lines. And the same is true for NASDS, which predates them all. And of course the ISDS lines stand behind them all.

 

So I'm personally not concerned that my dog that is registered AIBC and has a few distant AIBC relatives that have had seizures, mght somehow lose out. I actually know just from casual study that the common link in his case is a particular imported dog and his lines are well represented in the working gene pool (and the AKC gene pool, too, for that matter).

[Denise Wall]

Vicki,

 

Your dog's situation is fine. We would not exclude dogs in this type of situation, even though it might be more difficult to obtain pedigree information.

 

What we're trying to avoid is including for the DNA study extensive pedigrees where most or all of the dogs are from lines unlikely to have much relation to ABCA registered border collies. For example, pedigrees with mostly NZ imported AKC conformation dogs. These lines are distinct from the working lines in this country.

 

Hope this helps.