Epilepsy


IDIOPATHIC EPILEPSY IN THE MUDI

There is currently no test of any kind that can confirm seizures in a Mudi are resulting from idiopathic/primary epilepsy. Idiopathic epilepsy (IE) is genetically inherited according to the veterinarian community and scientific research available thus far. All other causes of seizures any Mudi is having must first be ruled out, before the idiopathic diagnosis can be given, and for this a veterinarian’s assistance is mandatory.

Seizures of the IE genetic type do not go away and there is no cure. Seizures will occur periodically and they can become worse over time, often to the point of requiring medication. However medication has its risks and it does not always work satisfactorily. Seizures can kill a dog. The mode of inheritance is still not known, but it is not directly dominant, meaning, one parent does not have to be epileptic to produce epileptic offspring. How many genes are involved is also not known at this time, but multiple gene involvement is highly suspected. It is possible that one breed can have more than one type of epilepsy.

Seizures can be minimally visible (the dog stares blankly into space, hangs its head, licks its lips, snaps at imaginary flies or any number of other seemingly harmless, odd repeated behaviors), these are called focal seizures (previously they were called petite mal or partial seizures).  Seizures can also involve one or more limbs and cause paralysis and or involuntary movements while the dog is fully conscious (see Paroxysmal Dyskinesia page on this blog for more information). The most recognizable seizures (tonic-clonic or grand mal) are the generalized full body seizures. Usually generalized seizures cause the dog to become unconscious, but not always. Generalized seizures can also present in many forms, but they are usually quite obvious.

More Idiopathic Epilepsy information (information links are also given in all of the epilepsy related posts on this blog):




Mudi Directions Posts regarding 
Epilepsy in the Mudi:


The Epilepsy Holiday Express Train (January 2024)
More Faces of Epilepsy, 2023 Edition
The Faces of Epilepsy, September 2020   
For Whom the Bell Tolls, Epilepsy in the Mudi, April 2018   https://mudidirections.blogspot.com/2018/04/for-whom-bell-tolls-epilepsy-in-mudi.html
Pedigree Analysis, Epilepsy and the Mudi, January 2012   https://mudidirections.blogspot.com/2012/01/pedigree-analysis-epilepsy-and-mudi.html
Epilepsy: The Insidious Disease, by C.A.Sharp, July 2011   https://mudidirections.blogspot.com/2011/07/epilepsy-insidious-disease-by-casharp.html

Breeding Recommendations:

- Do not breed epileptics
- Do not breed any dog until it is at least 3-4 years old and has not had any seizures or "spells" of any kind that cannot be fully explained
- Do not breed close relatives of epileptics (father, mother, siblings, offspring)
- Very carefully, if at all, breed half relatives of known carriers; if the breed was more populous, they should not be bred either, but we do not have the population size that would allow for removal of dogs that far into the gene pool at this time; the use of 'extreme caution', 'scrupulous mate selection' and 'only 1 or 2 litters' MUST accompany this recommendation
- Report confirmed epileptics to Mudi breed individuals that keep private databases which are able to record, trace, track and give recommendations for lower epilepsy risk breeding choices upon request, that do not also give the names of affected Mudis without permission of the owner
- Report confirmed epileptics publicly on Face Book Mudi Health Group:   https://www.facebook.com/groups/295882233792474
- Participate in gene research projects that are collecting samples from epileptic Mudis and their relatives
- Inbreeding (close relatives to each other and linebreeding) should be avoided; however, to avoid high risk litters, we may have to accept slightly higher COI levels in some litters to avoid producing high epilepsy risk litters
- There are better and worse mate choices you can make for your planned litter, make sure you know them and choose accordingly, there are Mudi breed advisers that can help with this task
- Add a paragraph to your puppy placement contract that requires the new owner to inform you of all health problems that arise during the lifetime of the puppy
Owner Recommendations:

Seizures can be very scary, for you and your dog. The reason a dog is having seizures can sometimes be determined, but more often it cannot. Veterinary assistance is mandatory to determine the cause of the seizures. Reoccurring seizures can result from serious injury, a side effect of another disease, exposure to a toxic substance or from genetic inheritance. 
If the seizures are due to a cause other than genetic epilepsy, treatment usually stops seizures from reoccurring. A complete medical exam will usually determine the cause, if the seizures are from something other than genetic epilepsy. With almost all the other causes of seizures, there will also be other symptoms of illness in addition to the seizures. A brain tumor is possibly the only exception, but brain tumors can be seen on MRI or CAT scan, so even this cause can be ruled out.
- Proper diagnosis and treatment is essential, you need to have the Mudi seen by a veterinarian, even if you have past canine epilepsy experience, as each dog is different, do not take this disease for granted.
- Sharing the confirmed diagnosis with the breeder and with a Mudi breed private database keeper is essential, if you are not able to share the confirmed IE diagnosis publicly on Face Book Mudi Health or one of the other FB Mudi groups.
- If you have used the dog for breeding, you need to inform the puppy owners as well as the owner of the other Mudi parent used to create the litter/s.


Vital Requirements:

It is not always easy to do the right thing, but it is essential to the future of the breed to inform certain people connected to your confirmed epileptic dog. You do not have to do this via public forums, a telephone call or email will suffice. But you must let the breeder of your dog know that your Mudi has been confirmed by a veterinarian to be epileptic and the cause of the seizures has been investigated. You need to be able to provide written documentation to the breeder from the diagnosing veterinarian. It is not unusual for a breeder to request a written diagnosis, as it usually comes as quite a shock to hear this very sad news.

Because genetic epilepsy is not able to be identified by any type of testing, it makes it very difficult to know where and when it will appear. It should not be an immediate negative criticism of a breeder or owner to have or have produced an epileptic dog. This disease is so difficult in every aspect, that being open and honest about it, is also a difficult task for both owner and breeder. We all need to show restraint from judgement and courage to do what is needed to be done if we are to overcome the difficulties surrounding not only epilepsy, but whatever lies in the path ahead of the Mudi breed.

The Magyar Mudi Klub (former Hungarian Mudi Breed Parent Club) breeding recommendations for reduction of epilepsy occurrence in the Mudi, document link: 




EPILEPSY BREED STATISTICS & INFORMATION

TERMS:
Affected (A) = confirmed epileptic
Suspect Affected (SA) = seizures present, diagnosis not confirmed
Carrier (C) = parent, offspring or full sibling of confirmed epileptic
Suspect Carrier (SC) = grandparent of confirmed epileptic


IE/PD AFFECTED MUDI INFORMATION (as of January 2024)

Affecteds known (confirmed): 54
Male     =  28
Female =  26


SUSPECT IE AFFECTED MUDI INFORMATION (as of January 2024)

Suspect Affecteds known (unconfirmed): 30
Male     = 12
Female = 18

GENERAL INFORMATION
- Date of Birth of first known epileptic: 1977 year of birth, male, born in Hungary
- IE confirmed affected Mudis have been diagnosed in Hungary, Finland, Sweden, Norway, USA, Austria, France and Italy.

Additional statistics will be provided in a future Mudi Directions post.

Connections between IE affected Mudis close relatives are seen in my database, which clearly indicates a genetic component is involved in the IE seizures seen in the Mudi breed. 

The image below is an example of what I see when I look at the incidence of epilepsy behind any Mudi via my database (all the other diseases and traits I follow also have a separate pedigree view like this as well).  It is very important to understand how Mudi epilepsy risk scoring is currently done.

Because I am largely dependent on voluntary submission of health information and locating available public health information, it is not possible to have complete health or trait information on every Mudi. Therefore, the health risk scores I provide may be underestimated.

Health risk scores are determined via a modified percentage of ancestry calculation (through a computer program). The health risk scores I provide are not a probability prediction, but are an indication of the level of background information for a trait found within a Mudi's five generation pedigree. Lacking trait-specific DNA screening test results, I cannot know with certainty whether any dog does or does not carry genes for a specific trait. The scores provided are only an indication that a dog might have such genes.

The scores I provide for any disease or trait are compiled from a dog’s five generation pedigree and in almost all cases, the scores will arise from the contribution of multiple ancestors in those five generations.

Please read this Mudi Directions post for more risk scoring information:  https://mudidirections.blogspot.com/2020/09/mudi-epilepsy-update-september-1-2020.html


This pedigree example below is not from an existing Mudi, it is made from a randomly selected male and female Mudi which were "bred" together to make this pedigree.



(Last Update: January 2024)
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