L 2 HGA

Hi

I have a 10 week old pup, and its my 1st staffy. I have been advised on here to get my pup tested for L2 HGA as i did not get my dog from a known breeder. I looked it up as i know nothing about this.

I called my vet who pretty much said L2 HGA is very rare, would cost a fortune for test, and basically not to worry about it. However, i then called the Animal Trust, and they explained its not rare, and even though i don`t plan on breeding i should get the test done which will cost 48 pound.

I agree i think i should get the test done, as i have very small children and would not like to take any chances with the dog having fits etc.

My concern is that if the test comes back as affected, then what to do?
I can`t be taking any risks at all.
I feel that if the dog is affected then i would want to get rid of the dog. I know i made a mistake by not buying from a known breeder, but whats done is done.
Is there people here that have had experiences with this disease? i understand no one can pin point exactly what will happen if the dog has a fit etc, but is there precautions to take if affected? as i really don`t want to get rid of my dog. How do people with affected dogs deal with it? What should i do?

I know i should just get the test done before worrying, but id like to know others peoples thoughts on this please.

Many thanks

Firstly, the chances of your dog being affected are not high. The results of the test could be one of three things;
1. Clear - the best possible outcome
2. Carrier - not a problem if you don't plan to breed from your dog as your dog won't actually get the L2 HGA symptoms
3. Affected - this is the one that will mean your dog is very likely to develop the symptoms.

If you're going to get the test done, then you have a greater than evens chance of the result being one of the first two. You'll only need to worry if it's the last one.

Also, please remember that not all affected dogs will have severe symptoms. Some may just stare at a wall for a few minutes every so often, so even if your dog's test comes back as affected, don't panic!

Also, there are thousands of people who buy pups from non tested parents who live fantastic lives without ever having a test themselves. No, it isn't a rare condition, but neither is it a very common one.

do you have papers for pup if so verry unlikely you would be effected
and if no papers maybe more at risk but as caryll stated most dogs that are effected are carriers with only a problem if you were to breed from them

I'd like to think that were true, Wazza, but there are plenty of registered breeders who still don't test their breeding stock.

Caryll wrote:I'd like to think that were true, Wazza, but there are plenty of registered breeders who still don't test their breeding stock.

really you would need to have your head checked to buy from a breeder that had no kind off testing regeme
then again they problly sell there pups on the back of see a cute little pup and your judgement goes out the window

Hi, i don`t have any papers at all, the breeder didn`t have any papers for the parents. I am going to get the test done 100%. Just unsure if i should keep the dog if the the results say affected, this is due to the fact that its going to be hard enough to train the dog and my small children as it is, but this i knew when i got the dog and am very prepared for the hard work, however i don`t need the added worry that the dog could have a fit or something at any time, although i will never leave the dog alone with the children, it will still be in my mind. My friend had a german shepard which are also known to have fits, and his one did, he had to pin the dog to the floor etc which i do not want to have to be doing. After his dog done that, he had it put to sleep the next day.

please understand, as i said, if the dog is affected, its going to be a constant worry and yes i know i should have done the research before getting the dog.

I pray that the result will be clear or carrier.

Hi dodge
Firstly, I hope all will be well with the test

Secondly, we got our youngest from a guy who purchased a pup from what he considered a reputable breeder with papers and after around 6 months of age the dog had a few "funny turns/fits" and that's when they found out it was affected with L2HGA.

The breeder at that time was not aware about the test and obviously neither was the owner of the stud dog as you need both of them to be a carrier. Both parents were neutered/speyed and the breeder mated one of her other dogs with another sire and Izzy was given to this guy as a replacement dog.

By the time this happened his original staff was around 12-14 months and they had been managing this situation for over 6 months.
It seemed that when the dog was stressed or overheated the higher the chance of an "episode".
This guy had 2 young boys, a wife and a spaniel. The wife would not give up her dog, the kids would not let their very much loved staffy go, which meant he didn't need Izzy and we were lucky enough to come along at the right time for her.

They felt their staffy was special and just needed a little more care and support which they had decided they were able to give, (having already dealt with it for a few months). She was gorgeous, I would have loved to take her home as well.

I have other friends in Adelaide who got their pup from a reputable breeder with no health issues from either parents (tested for L2HGA) and around 15 months of age the dog developed epilepsy and they now have to manage that.

I know it may not be easy if your dog was affected, but it is possible to manage and for any dog having fits for whatever reason, they need their loving owners more than ever. ><

dodge wrote:Hi, i don`t have any papers at all, the breeder didn`t have any papers for the parents. I am going to get the test done 100%. Just unsure if i should keep the dog if the the results say affected, this is due to the fact that its going to be hard enough to train the dog and my small children as it is, but this i knew when i got the dog and am very prepared for the hard work, however i don`t need the added worry that the dog could have a fit or something at any time, although i will never leave the dog alone with the children, it will still be in my mind. My friend had a german shepard which are also known to have fits, and his one did, he had to pin the dog to the floor etc which i do not want to have to be doing. After his dog done that, he had it put to sleep the next day.

please understand, as i said, if the dog is affected, its going to be a constant worry and yes i know i should have done the research before getting the dog.

I pray that the result will be clear or carrier.

dogs are much like human if they fit makesure you move things from around them to safegaurd from injury ie hitting themselves off.
after a seizer they will be super tired and grouchy so a good idea to have a den or crate they can take themselves off to
(carefull not to move a dog while having a fit as you will get bite)
but by almeans it would not need to be pts due to it having fits(sorry but that is total bang out of order in my books)

At the moment, what you need to remember is this...

If you hadn't heard of the L2 HGA tests, you would've just carried on with your pup with all the love & training you could provide. Just keep doing just that, at least until you have the results & you'll have a wonderful companion!

Thanks for the help and advice.

There`s no way i could get rid of him even if affected, we all love him to much.

Im happy i found out about the test and im getting it done as at least now if affected i will kinda know what to expect and i can be prepared, unlike my friend German shepard, as he tried to hold it down and got very badly bitten so he had it pts. Least i will know what it is and know abit about whats going to happen and what to do.

I took the swabs and sent them off today.

The chances of your pup being clear or carrier are very high, so please don't worry about it!

I'm sure it will be fine, fingers crossed =}>-

Dear Sir/Madam,

The result for your DNA test is:

Ralph - normal

The dog has 2 copies of the normal gene and will neither develop L-2-HGA, nor pass an L-2-HGA gene to its offspring.

Your certificate is attached to this e-mail as a PDF

I am happy about this

That's a relief for you.

That's good! I bet you breathed a sigh of relief!

wow you must be over the moon. Thank you for letting us know,

great news

hi there and i am so pleased for you

That's great news.

Well worth the £48 it cost me

good news, know it was expensive but at least now you have peace of mind

My thoughts exactly