Health Issues
PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ ALL THE INFORMATION BELOW - IT IS VITAL IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO BREED FROM YOUR STAFFORD OR LOOKING TO BUY A HEALTHY STAFFORD PUP THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF THESE FACTS!
Although the Stafford is basically a healthy breed there are two known inherited problems for which we are fortunate to have a DNA tests. When planning to breed or when buying a puppy it is IMPERATIVE that you know the DNA status of both sire and dam for the two conditions Hereditary Cataract (HC) and L-2-Hydroxyglutaric acidurea (L-2-HGA).  Breeding from DNA tested clear stock means that all resultant progeny will be clear of the conditions. If one of the parents is a carrier for either condition all puppies in the resultant litter should then be DNA tested by the breeder before they are sold so that their individual status can be determined.
If you are planning to buy a puppy please only ever buy from stock which is tested.  It is the only way you can be certain that your puppy will not suffer from either condition. If a puppy is tested as a carrier it means that although the pup will not develop the condition it will be able to pass on the rogue gene if it should be bred from in future. This needs very careful consideration.
For anyone planning to breed from their Stafford please ensure that you have the DNA status for your breeding stock prior to mating. Do not agree to mate a tested dog to an untested one. In this age of litigation you may well find yourself in court if you should produce an affected puppy from untested stock.
A brief explanation of the conditions is:
Hereditary Cataract (HC):
This is a cataract which develops in young stock, often from around 9 months old.  It will affect both eyes and the dog will end up totally blind. It is operable but the operation is a major one, traumatic and not always 100% successful.  It is also a very expensive operation.
L-2-HGA:
This is a neurological condition, similar in type to epilepsy, whereby the dog has seizure episodes. It can manifest from around 5 months onwards and may range from mild affliction to very severe. It is not curable and although it can be maintained in milder states with medication in its severest form the dog is usually euthanased.
PHPV & PPSC:
As well as the DNA tests available through the Animal Health Trust you should also clincally eye test all breeding stock for two other eye conditions : PHPV (persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous) and PPSC (posterior polar subcapsular cataract). Both of these conditions are types of cataract found in Staffords although as yet no-one is aware of their mode of inheritance.   By clinically testing at least you can be sure that the dog being mated is not affected by the condition, although it may be capable of passing the defective gene on to its offspring.
It is also possible to screen a litter for PHPV from 6 weeks of age. As PHPV is known to be congential (there from birth) if a puppy is screened at 6 weeks and declared unaffected it will not develop the condition later in life. If buying a puppy it is advisable to seek a puppy that has been screened as you can then be sure that your puppy will not be affected by PHPV. Anyone breeding a litter is strongly advised to take the whole litter for screening before sale.
The Animal Health Trust is researching PHPV currently and it will be hoped that at some future stage a DNA test may be developed.
Below the conditions are explained more fully:
L-2-HGA (L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria) in Staffordshire Bull Terriers is a neurometabolic disorder characterised by elevated levels of L-2-hydroxyglutaric acid in urine, plasma and cerebrospinal fluid.
L-2-HGA affects the central nervous system, with clinical signs usually apparent between 6 months and one year (although they can appear later). Symptoms include epileptic seizures, "wobbly" gait, tremors, muscle stiffness as a result of exercise or excitement and altered behaviour.
The mutation, or change to the structure of the gene, probably occurred spontaneously in a single dog but once in the population has been inherited from generation to generation like any other gene. The disorder shows an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance: two copies of the defective gene (one inherited from each parent) have to be present for a dog to be affected by the disease. Individuals with one copy of the defective gene and one copy of the normal gene - called carriers - show no symptoms but can pass the defective gene onto their offspring. When two apparently healthy carriers are crossed, 25% (on average) of the offspring will be affected by the disease, 25% will be clear and the remaining 50% will themselves be carriers
The mutation responsible for the disease has recently been identified at the Animal Health Trust. Using the information from this research, we have developed a DNA test for the disease. This test not only diagnoses dogs affected with this disease but can also detect those dogs which are carriers, displaying no symptoms of the disease but able to produce affected pups. Carriers could not be detected by the tests previously available which involved either a blood or urine test detecting elevated levels of L-2-hydroxyglutarate or magnetic resonance imaging. Under most circumstances, there will be a much greater number of carriers than affected animals in a population. It is important to eliminate such carriers from a breeding population since they represent a hidden reservoir of the disease that can produce affected dogs at any time.
The test is available now and information on submitting samples is given below.
Breeders will be sent results identifying their dog as belonging to one of three categories:
CLEAR: the dog has 2 copies of the normal gene and will neither develop L-2-HGA, nor pass a copy of the L-2-HGA gene to any of its offspring.
CARRIER: the dog has one copy of the normal gene and one copy of the mutant gene that causes L-2-HGA. It will not develop L-2-HGA but will pass on the L-2-HGA gene to 50% (on average) of its offspring.
AFFECTED: the dog has two copies of the L-2-HGA mutation and is affected with L-2-HGA. It will develop L-2-HGA at some stage during its lifetime, assuming it lives to an appropriate age.
Carriers can still be bred to clear dogs. On average, 50% of such a litter will be clear and 50% carriers; there can be no affecteds produced from such a mating. Pups which will be used for breeding can themselves be DNA tested to determine whether they are clear or carrier.
This test requires 2mls EDTA blood (or mouth swabs can be taken). Samples should be sent together with a completed DNA Testing form (along with payment which is approximately £110.00 if you have the 2 tests done together) Genetic Services, Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 7UU.
DNA testing forms can be downloaded from the East Anglian Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club Website, or Contact the Animal Health Trust, and they will forward the mouth swab kits)