Giant Schnauzer Health

Seizure Study Reports

In April 2017 an epilepsy/seizure study commenced aimed at obtaining information from UK Giant Schnauzer owners. The purpose of the study was to initially identify individual dogs that met with the specific criteria for the Animal Health Trust’s (AHT) ‘Give a Dog a Genome’ project (GDG). The AHT selected epilepsy in the Giant Schnauzer as a breed condition for which they would undertake a whole genome sequence. For the research project the AHT required a number of samples from which they would anonymously choose one affected Giant with idiopathic epilepsy. It was also hoped that additional dogs may potentially help with any other future research into the inherited form of epilepsy. The seizure study also served a dual purpose with an aim to try and determine the prevalence of seizures, and potentially highlight any causes and/or triggers for seizures, any familial links, what treatment is available, and generally provide a better understanding of the nature of seizures/epilepsy within the breed.

The full report for the seizure/epilepsy study can be accessed on the link below: