ive been reading the messages relating to staffys.why do they need eye tests?
is this just before breeding or in general.my staffy is 15 months old and had a medical check up before i bought her,
nothing was mentioned about further eye tests.
i am lucky because i live in the irish republic and vet fees are very reasonable .
so if need be i would take her regularly.
thanks

I don't know about Irish KC health checks, whether they are any different to the UK BVA/KC/ISDS tests but Staffies are on our eye testing list for testing here for Hereditary Cataract and Persistent Hyperplastic Primary Vitreous.

The test certificate lasts for one year only then has to be renewed. Hereditary Cataract can occur at any time up to around 8 to 10 years old so a retest is the only way of knowing that you are still clear.

The scheme was primarily set up as a screening for breeders but it is of value to every one. After all, if my dog is having sight difficulties I would want to know.

Regards, John

thankyou. i know what a cataract is but havent a clue what the other is?
my staffy is a family pet and we love her to bits so if we can protect her from
illnesses ect we will.
so i will take her for a test soon.

thanks again

Persistent Hyperplastic Primary Vitreous:-

As the eye is formed it is fed by the Hyaloid Artery. This should shut down at around 2 to 4 weeks after birth. In some cases it does not shut down properly. This can happen in Dobermann and Staffie’s The mode of inheritance is complicated but is believed to be autosomal dominant gene.

Regards, John

thanks john
i will take her for eye test soon , better to be safe than sorry at a later date,is there
anything else that staffys are prone to so i can avoid or try and prevent happening
thanks again

Staffies are not my speciality so I can only tell you about eyes and with them there is only those two conditions which they are normally prone to.

They have a Breed Mean Score for hips of 13 which for a dog which does not earn it's living by running, like the retriever breeds do, is a very good score. I must qualify that by saying that only 22 dogs were scored in the 2000/2001 period, the period listed on the BVA web site.

Thats about all I can tell you.

Best wishes, John