{"id":3791,"date":"2014-01-10T10:44:26","date_gmt":"2014-01-10T00:14:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/?p=3791"},"modified":"2021-08-02T17:46:42","modified_gmt":"2021-08-02T07:16:42","slug":"cecs-in-border-terriers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/dog-breeding\/cecs-in-border-terriers\/","title":{"rendered":"CECS in Border Terriers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Regulars of this blog will know that <a href=\"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/border\">I breed border terriers<\/a>, and I am excited to share with you some new and ground breaking research within the breed.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/jsap.12170\/full\">In December, the Journal of Small Animal Practice published an article on canine epileptoid cramping syndrome<\/a> (or CECS) in border terriers. This is exciting because it is the first academic article to consider this condition in border terriers, and it therefore documents and legitimises the condition.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3821\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3821\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3821\" src=\"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/P1050246-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"This is Chip (Au &amp; NZ Ch Dalshoj Chippendale ME TD). He does not have CECS but he is a border terrier.\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/P1050246-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/P1050246-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3821\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This is Chip (Au &amp; NZ Ch Dalshoj Chippendale ME TD). He does not have CECS but he is a border terrier.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>Research Design<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A small study of 29 border terriers.<\/li>\n<li>There were 33 respondents in all, but 4 dogs were excluded for not meeting the criteria.<\/li>\n<li>Recruitment took place through veterinarians, using dogs that had diagnosed and treated for CECS.<\/li>\n<li>In 14 of the cases, owners were questioned about their dog&#8217;s episodes. In 15 cases, videographic evidence was used.<\/li>\n<li>In order to be included in the study, dogs had to:\n<ul>\n<li>Have a one year history of episodes (i.e. abnormal involuntary hyperkinetic movement)<\/li>\n<li>These episodes did not include epilepsy-like symptoms (like loss of bladder or bowel control, hyper salivation, or loss of consciousness)<\/li>\n<li>Have other medical conditions ruled out (if possible)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>What happens before a CECS episode?<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>18 out of the 29 owners felt they could predict the onset of an episode.<\/li>\n<li>11 out of the 29 dogs became &#8216;quieter&#8217; before an episode.<\/li>\n<li>6 out of the 29 dogs sought comfort in their owners before an episode.<\/li>\n<li>4 out of the 29 dogs would vomit bile or eat grass before an episode.<\/li>\n<li>While most episodes were unpredictable, some owners felt that excitement, waking from sleep, and stress were all triggers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>So what does a CECS episode look like?<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Generally, an episode lasts from 2-30 minutes.<\/li>\n<li>All owners felt their dog was uncomfortable during the episode.<\/li>\n<li>Most dogs had difficulty walking (27 of the 29 participants).<\/li>\n<li>Most of the time all four limbs are affected (25 of the 29 participants).<\/li>\n<li>Most dogs had at least some time that they were unable to stand (22 of the 29 participants).<\/li>\n<li>Most had a mild tremor (21 of the 29 participants).<\/li>\n<li>Most had the head or neck affected (21 of 29 participants).<\/li>\n<li>Most had dystonia (muscle tremors) (22 of the 29 participants).<\/li>\n<li>Many had the back and abdomon affected (16 of the 29 participants).<\/li>\n<li>Some licked the air (14 of 29 participants).<\/li>\n<li>Some excessively stretched (14 of 29 participants).<\/li>\n<li>Some had all four limbs go rigid (14 of 29 pariticpants).<\/li>\n<li>Some had the tail affected (11 of 29 participants).<\/li>\n<li>Some dogs got a rumbly tummy (11 of the 29 participants).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>What happens after an episode?<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Most owners (18 of the 29) described their dogs as acting similar after an episode as before.<\/li>\n<li>11 of 29 respondents were quieter after an episode.<\/li>\n<li>4 of the 29 participants sought human company after an episode.<\/li>\n<li>2 of the 29 participants were hungry after an episode.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>What helps reduce symptoms?<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Most owners found the condition could be managed by diet. 19 of the respodents changed their dog&#8217;s diet as a result of their condition, and over 50% thought that this helped.<\/li>\n<li>Drugs did not help the condition (including phenobarbital, potassium bromide, and buscopan).<\/li>\n<li>Once an episode had started, none of the owners in this study thought they could change the course of the episode.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>What is CECS correlated with?<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In short: Not much!<\/li>\n<li>Dogs appeared normal despite: blood tests, magnetic resonance imaging, cerbospinal fluid collection and analysis, and neurological examinations.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;No significant underlying metabolic, cardiovascular, respiratory, orthopaedic or other neurological conditions were identified in any respondent.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>15 of the 29 borders also had skin disease.<\/li>\n<li>There is &#8220;an apparent association&#8221; between CECS and digestive or food intolerance issues.<\/li>\n<li>CECS\u00a0<em>is not<\/em> epilepsy. Dogs who have CECS differs from epilepsy as affected dogs remain conscious during an episode, have longer episodes, and do not respond to medication.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Implications for Breeders<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Most dogs had their first episode before 3 years. This may mean that only breeding borders 3 years and older, who are asymptomatic, is a way forward. (But some dogs started cramping at 0.2 years, and some at 7 years, so there&#8217;s no guarantees.)<\/li>\n<li>10 of the 29 owners (34%) felt that CECS had a negative impact on the dog&#8217;s quality of life. While this is a significant number, it is reassuring to think that most owners (66%) therefore\u00a0<em>did not<\/em>\u00a0think that CECS negatively impacted on their dogs life. This is not a way to justify breeding CECS affected dogs, but it is reassuring to know that the condition does not seem to be incredibly debilitating in many situations.<\/li>\n<li>Skin disease is correlated with CECS. Any dogs affected by skin disease should not be considered for a breeding program.<\/li>\n<li>For those trying to determine the inheritance of CECS, it is important to note that CECS\u00a0<em>is not<\/em> epilepsy. A condition that can be controlled by medication is almost certainly not CECS, and it would be hazardous to lump the two conditions together.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Congratulations and thank-you to those border terrier people who have been campaigning and working behind the scenes for research like this for many years.<\/p>\n<p>I hope this is the first of much research to come.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3823\" style=\"width: 594px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3823\" class=\" wp-image-3823 \" src=\"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/ddddedit-07-13-59.jpg\" alt=\"This is Clover (Ch Burrowa Blue Flame ME TD DWDF.S) and Chip (Au &amp; NZ Ch Dalshoj Chippendale ME TD). Neither of them are CECS affected, but they're pretty cute.\" width=\"584\" height=\"490\" srcset=\"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/ddddedit-07-13-59.jpg 649w, http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/ddddedit-07-13-59-300x251.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3823\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This is Clover (Ch Burrowa Blue Flame ME TD DWDF.S) and Chip (Au &amp; NZ Ch Dalshoj Chippendale ME TD). Neither of them are CECS affected, but they&#8217;re pretty cute.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Reference:<\/i><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"Z3988\" title=\"ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&amp;rft.jtitle=The+Journal+of+small+animal+practice&amp;rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F24372194&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&amp;rft.atitle=Phenotypic+characterisation+of+canine+epileptoid+cramping+syndrome+in+the+Border+terrier.&amp;rft.issn=0022-4510&amp;rft.date=2013&amp;rft.volume=&amp;rft.issue=&amp;rft.spage=&amp;rft.epage=&amp;rft.artnum=&amp;rft.au=Black+V&amp;rft.au=Garosi+L&amp;rft.au=Lowrie+M&amp;rft.au=Harvey+RJ&amp;rft.au=Gale+J&amp;rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Biology\">Black V, Garosi L, Lowrie M, Harvey RJ, &amp; Gale J (2013). Phenotypic characterisation of canine epileptoid cramping syndrome in the Border terrier. <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">The Journal of small animal practice<\/span> PMID: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/24372194\" rev=\"review\">24372194<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Exciting, ground-breaking research that legitimises CECS, a condition found in border terriers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[231,340],"tags":[862,274,872,275,863,869,865,866,864,867,868,870,873,874,166,875,154,152,871,276,103],"class_list":["post-3791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dog-breeding","category-dog-health","tag-border","tag-border-terrier","tag-border-terrier-health","tag-border-terriers","tag-borders","tag-canine-epileptoid-cramping-syndrome","tag-cecs","tag-cramping","tag-epilepsy","tag-epileptic","tag-epileptoid","tag-epileptoid-syndrome","tag-genetic-condition","tag-genetic-conditions","tag-health","tag-health-problems-border-terriers","tag-research","tag-science","tag-syndrome","tag-terrier","tag-terriers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3791"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3791"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3791\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4740,"href":"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3791\/revisions\/4740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}