Epilepsy is a disease that occurs in humans and in many dog breeds. Epilepsy can develop after brain damage (e.g. as a result of an accident), but it can also have genetic causes. In dogs, the genetically determined forms of epilepsy probably play a very important role. In collaboration with the geneticist Prof. Hannes Lohi from the University of Helsinki, we would like to investigate the genetic causes of hereditary forms of epilepsy in various breeds of dogs. The aim of the research is to develop diagnostic tests which will allow a reduction of epilepsy cases through targeted breeding strategies. We currently do not perform any specific research experiments. However we continue to collect blood samples from dogs suffering from epilepsy and their relatives (unaffected parents and siblings) for potential future research projects. If you would like to donate a blood sample from your dog, please follow the instructions in our leaflet. If you are sending in a sample of a dog with epilepsy, please also complete the questionnaire and send it in together with the blood sample and a copy of the pedigree.
