What Health problems shall we avoid

Cerebellar ATAXIA

The most common health problem we have in our breed is the the Cerebellar Ataxia. Cerebellar Ataxia is an autosomal recessive neurological disease. The first signs of the disease usually appear between 3 and 5 years of age in affected dogs. They are: loss of balance, difficulty cornering, and falling when shaking their head. As the signs progress, most dogs seem to have difficulty initiating movements. When they became unable to walk without falling repeatedly, owners usually make the difficult choice to euthanize.

Possible results using the Ataxia test in the Amstaff:
Ataxia Clear: Dog is Clear of Ataxia, will NOT show any symptoms of the disease and can be breeded with any dog.
Ataxia Carrier: Dog is Carrier of the Ataxia, will NOT show any symptoms of the disease BUT must be breeded only with Ataxia Clear Dog.
Ataxia Affected: Dog is Affected with Ataxia, will show the symptoms of the disease and must NOT be breeded.

Possible Breeding results
Clear x Clear = 100% Clear Puppies
Clear x Carrier = 50% Clear Puppies + 50% Carrier Puppies
Carrier x Carrier = 25% Clear Puppies + 50% Carrier Puppies + 25% Affected Puppies

Hip Dysplasia in Dogs 

The hip joint is composed of the ball and the socket. The development of hip dysplasia is determined by an interaction of genetic and environmental factors, though there is a complicated pattern of inheritance for this disorder, with multiple genes involved. Hip dysplasia is the failure of the hip joints to develop normally (known as malformation), gradually deteriorating and leading to loss of function of the hip joints.

Hip dysplasia is one of the most common skeletal diseases seen in dogs. Gender does not seem to be a factor, but some breeds are more likely to have the genetic predisposition for hip dysplasia than other breeds. Large and giant breeds are most commonly affected, including the Great Dane, Saint Bernard, Labrador Retriever, and German Shepherd. Rarely, small breed dogs can also be affected, but are less likely to show clinical signs.

Hip dysplasia often begins while a dog is still young and physically immature. Early onset usually develops after four months of age. There are also cases of later onset, where hip dysplasia develops later due to osteoarthritis, a form of joint inflammation (arthritis) that is characterized by chronic deterioration, or degeneration of the joint cartilage.

Symptoms and Types

Symptoms depend on the degree of joint looseness or laxity, the degree of joint inflammation, and the duration of the disease.

Early disease: signs are related to joint looseness or laxity
Later disease: signs are related to joint degeneration and osteoarthritis
Decreased activity
Difficulty rising
Reluctance to run, jump, or climb stairs
Intermittent or persistent hind-limb lameness, often worse after exercise
“Bunny-hopping,” or swaying gait
Narrow stance in the hind limbs (back legs unnaturally close together)
Pain in hip joints
Joint looseness or laxity – characteristic of early disease; may not be seen in long-term hip dysplasia due to arthritic changes in the hip joint
Grating detected with joint movement
Decreased range of motion in the hip joints
Loss of muscle mass in thigh muscles
Enlargement of shoulder muscles due to more weight being exerted on front legs as dog tries to avoid weight on its hips, leading to extra work for the shoulder muscles and subsequent enlargement of these muscles


Causes
Influences on the development and progression of hip dysplasia are concurrent with both genetic and environmental factors:
Genetic susceptibility for hip looseness or laxity
Rapid weight gain and obesity
Nutritional factors
Pelvic-muscle mass


Diagnosis
Your veterinarian will perform a complete physical exam on your dog, including a blood chemical profile, a complete blood count, an electrolyte panel and a urinalysis. Inflammation due to joint disease may be noted in the complete blood count. As part of surveying the physical symptoms and fluid work-ups, your veterinarian will also need a thorough history of your dog's health, onset of symptoms, and any possible incidents or injuries that may have contributed to your dog's symptoms. Any information you have on your dog's parentage will be helpful as well, as there may be a genetic link.

X-rays are crucial for visualizing the signs of hip dysplasia. Some of the possible findings may be degenerative disease of the spinal cord, lumbar vertebral instability, bilateral stifle disease and other bone diseases.


Dog Skin Conditions

Itching is one of the most obvious symptoms if your dog has a skin condition, but it’s difficult for pet owners to determine exactly what’s irritating your dog without a full veterinary examination.

While it is quite normal for a dog to occasionally itch, just like a person may occasionally scratch their skin, frequent or prolonged itching is a tell-tale sign of something more serious going on.

Dogs may try to relieve the itch by rubbing their head against an object or scratching the irritated area with their paws. You may also see your dog licking their paws or other areas of the body to soothe the irritated skin.

Other signs suggesting an issue with the skin condition includes the following symptoms:

Skin Sores
Skin sores or skin lesions
Dry skin/flaky skin/scaly skin
Rashes
Lumps
Redness
Dandruff
Bumps
Intense itching
Excessive licking
Excessive scratching
Hair loss/bald patches
Hot spots of inflamed skin (also known as acute moist dermatitis)