The Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of Great Britain
                                ​  founded  1978

BGV HEALTH  NEWS     

Here you will find updates on any health concerns that are being investigated by the BGV Club, any that may come to light, where the committee has decided that the numbers drawn to their attention warrant further investigation.

Thankfully the Breed Health Survey undertaken in 2016 shows that, apart from the known penetration of POAG in PBGVs, there is currently no development of other major health problems in our breeds.
RESEARCHING THE THEORY

For over a year, PBGV owners helped the Animal Health Trust by allowing their PBGVs' height to be measured.  This was to pursue the theory that there might be a link between the Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG) mutation and height in the PBGV.  The POAG mutation is in a gene called ADAMTS17.  Humans that have mutations in this gene are invariably of short stature, as the gene also affects bone development.

The information collected enabled the AHT to pull data together showing whether PBGV height is correlated with genotype. In other words, were the affected and/or carriers slightly shorter than the clear/normal dogs.

Prior to submission to a scientific journal for publication, an early abstract of the findings was presented at the May 2018 European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ECVO) Conference in Florence.  Further details on this were in the Winter 2018 Voice.




PRODROME RECOGNITION IN EPILEPTIC DOGS
The Royal Veterinary College is conducting a study into long term changes in dogs that happen before a seizure in the hope that they may be able to predict seizure activity.  In this way owners will know when to give their dogs anti-epileptic drugs to intervene and thus prevent the seizure from happening. 

If your BGV has regular seizures and you would like to be involved in this study, the flyer here gives more information on the project.
PREDICT STUDY
Remember - If you are worried about your BGV's health and suspect it may be related to one of the known health issues in the breed, the BGV Club Health Sub-Committee is here to support you.
Health Sub-Committee