Health Condition Information – Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla Association (2024)

Allergies

Unfortunately allergies, like in humans are a complicated condition to tackle with there being no definitive cure or treatment. The extent to which the condition is inherited is not known. It is something we are keen to investigate further. Although this condition didn’t feature dramatically in the health survey, it is something we are hearing about regularly “on the grapevine”. Problematically this health issue can occur for a number of different reasons, with genetics only being one of them. The mode of inheritance in these cases is unknown.

Epilepsy

There are several steps which we advise if your dog is diagnosed with epilepsy:

It is critically important for the owners of dogs affected by this condition report back to their dogs breeders to allow them to take proactive steps to reduce it from their breeding program.
We are also keen to hear about dogs affected by this. Please report it using the health reporting survey button below via email.
You can get help and support from people experienced in dealing with this condition.
- Many have found theCanine Epilepsy Support Grouphave helped them immensely
- The websitecanineepilepsy.co.ukhas useful information and the information on it provided by leading UK neurologists.

report a health problem

Hip Scoring

There have been a number of cases of hip dysplasia in the breed. It is generally accepted that hip scoring breeding “stock” gives a useful insight into the status of their hips. This can obviously form part of a picture when breeding from that dog.

The breed median score for Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla as published by the BVA in June 2015 is 11. The recommendation from the BVA is that dogs to be bred from have hip scores around or ideally below the breed median score and that the scores of other closely related dogs are also considered.Information on Hip Scoring

Interpretation and use of BVA/KC hip scores in dogs by Ruth Dennis

The British Veterinary Association is the only hip scoring system in the UK but there are several, equally respected, systems around the world. With imaging being able to be sent electronically anywhere in the world it has opened these schemes to breeders and owners. The system most comparable, in that it gives a numerical score, to the BVA scheme is the Australian National Kennel Club scheme.

The current system used for scoring radiographs for hip dysplasia in Australia is based the system devised and used by the BVA/KC. There are nine criteria to be evaluated. Scores between 0 and 6 are allocated for all criteria, except the caudal acetabular edge, for which the maximum score is 5. Higher scores indicate greater degrees of radiographic abnormality. The scores for the right and left joints are added to give a total hip score but the status of the worst individual hip is used for grading purposes where grading systems [as in Europe] are used.

As long as breeders/owners and puppy researchers compare the score they have to the breed average and mean in the country the system is rooted in it will give an indication of whether the score is acceptable or otherwise. Comparison of the AKNC score to the BVA score/system will not give an accurate comparison. Breeders/owners are now beginning to use the AKNC system for convenience and efficient turn arounds. The Kennel Club will not record any other scheme other then the BVA scheme, on their database, this also applies for many other health tests carried out in countries other than the UK.

The British Veterinary Association Elbow Dysplasia Scheme

The Scheme uses X-rays to screen for abnormalities caused by elbow dysplasia in the elbow joints. The X-rays are graded by an expert panel of veterinary surgeons otherwise known as Scrutineers. The grades can then be used by breeders to make informed breeding decisions.

What is canine elbow dysplasia?

Elbow dysplasia is a common inherited orthopaedic problem in dogs where the elbow doesn’t develop properly.

Elbow dysplasia includes a number of specific abnormalities or problems that affect different areas of the elbow joint. These cause problems by affecting the growth of the cartilage which forms the surface of the joint or the structures around it. Even a small change in the shape of one part of the joint can have major consequences for the joint function, leading to lameness (unable to walk correctly), osteoarthritis (a common form of arthritis), pain and serious effects on the health, behaviour and welfare of the

Causes of elbow dysplasia

ED is a multifactorial disease, which means that a number of factors can influence the occurrence of the condition.The most important factor, however, is the genetic makeup of the dog.Other factors such as growth rate, diet and level of exercise may influence the severity of the disease in an individual dog, but they cannot prevent the disease or reduce the potential of the dog to pass on the disease to offspring.However, studies show that ED has a high heritability confirming that a high proportion of the disease is genetic.

The Scheme is open to all dogs and breeds including cross-breeds, unrecognised breeds, and dogs not registered with the Kennel Club.

Requirements

Before having your dog screened for elbow dysplasia, please make sure you can meet the following requirements:
The dog must be at least 1 year old.
The dog must be permanently and uniquely identified by way of a microchip.
If applicable, the dog’s Kennel Club registration certificate and any related transfer certificates must be available so that the appropriate details can be printed on the X-rays.

Interpreting and using the results

Once your dog has been graded, a completed certificate detailing the elbow grades will be sent back to your vet and then passed on to yourself.

A grade is given for each elbow and the overall elbow grade is determined by the higher of the two individual grades. The grades are:

0 = Radiographically normal
1 = Mild osteoarthritis
2 = Moderate osteoarthritis or a primary lesion with no osteoarthritis
3 = Severe osteoarthritis or primary lesion with osteoarthritis

CHS recommends only breeding from dogs that have an elbow grade of 0.

Taken from theBVA Canine Health Schemewebsite April 2021

Canine Hyperuricosuria (HUU)

Urate Stone Disorder

URIC ACID EXCRETION/ CANINE HYPERURICOSURIA/ HUU

This is a problem which has recently been discovered in the HWV. Affected dogs excrete uric acid which can lead to the formation of urinary calculi (stones) which sometimes require surgery to remove.

A gene mutation has been found to cause this which has a recessive mode of inheritance. This means that both of the pair of genes the dog has have to be the mutated gene to be affected by the disorder. DNA testing can classify dogs as either clear (not carry the mutated gene at all), a carrier (carry one copy of the mutated gene) or affected (carry two copies of the mutated gene). It should be noted that not all dogs who are genetically “affected” will become affected by the problem. Neither clear or carrier dogs will develop the disorder.

When dogs are mated each parent passes on one copy of the gene to form a pair with the gene passed on from the other parent. Clear dogs cannot pass on the mutated gene so none of their progeny will be affected. Carrier dogs pass on the mutated gene in an average of 50% of cases and affected dogs will pass on the mutated gene 100% of the time.

Key points to note:

The Kennel Club has now (2017) recognised the condition in HWV so any HWV who are tested through a recognised laboratory will have their status logged against them on their KC records, just like hip scoring.
The only genetic status with the potential to have clinical problems is “affected”. Neither “clear” or “carrier” dogs will ever develop this particular condition although any dog could go on to produce stones for other reasons.
Not all HWV who have an “affected” genetic status will become clinically affected by the problem. Any dogs known as genetically “affected” can be monitored more closely for signs of a problem.
HWV of any genetic status can safely be used in breeding programs. As long as one parent is genetically “clear” there is no risk of producing puppies who will be affected. The other parent can safely be “affected”, “carrier” of “clear”.
Whilst there are still a high number of “affected” and “carrier” dogs in the gene pool, for the sake of genetic diversity it would be wise to still use these dogs within breeding programs.
Symptoms of urate stones revolve around difficulty or discomfort urinating, frequent urination or leakage and blood in urine although many dogs have no symptoms at all.
Treatment of stones often involves a change to a low purine diet and an increase in fluid intake, however, stubborn stones may require more aggressive treatment/surgery. Dogs who are prone to forming stones can usually be managed with a special low purine diet. Always be guided by your veterinarian.

We very much hope that everyone involved in breeding the HWV will join us in trying to eradicate the problem and testing so they can employ informed mating decisions.

Vizsla Inflammatory Polymyopathy (VIP)

This article was written using information in an exchange of emails with Di Addicott. I have her permission to reproduce her replies. I would like to extend my thanks to her for her patience in answering my questions as to how, if at all, VIP affects the HWV.

The HWVA are aware, by reporting, of 1 HWV reported to have Inflammatory Polymyopthay (IP).

Diane Parry:

“Would we expect to see IP in a small percentage of all breeds and cross breeds? If yes then is there any way of knowing those Wires have actual VIP? I’m trying to understand is the Wire IP called VIP because my breeds contains the HV or did these Wires actually have VIP. Is it semantics? I’m trying to separate IP from VIP symptoms. How do you do that in the Hungarian Vizsla?”

Di Addicott:

“Many breeds of dog might be affected by “Polymyositis”. In those cases skeletal muscle generally is affected. What sets VIP apart (and makes it breed specific) is that it is the muscles of the tongue, pharynx and oesophagus that are principally affected. This leads to the classic difficulties in prehending food and swallowing problems, drooling and regurgitation. Muscle wasting follows.

VIP used to be known as Vizsla Polymyositis – until it became clear that biopsies (even those guided by EMG or MRI) did not always reveal the inflammatory changes (itis) that might be associated with that disease. And so Vizsla Inflammatory Polymyopathy was coined – to describe our breed specific syndrome.

Underlying everything I do is a need to establish the satisfaction of the phenotype criteria- for the purpose of sample collection. Here they are

https://www.veterinary-neurologist.co.uk/Vizsla_Polymyosits/

… and you will see that we call also for samples from ANY breed of dog with a histopathological diagnosis of Polymyositis.

The HWV falls in to the category of “any other breed” – but of course is that bit more interesting because of its HV heritage. The Wires that I have heard about HAVE had the “classic” eating and drinking difficulties, choking, drooling and regurgitation etc. Otherwise I wouldn’t have pricked up my ears”

“Looking back over the years, and off the top of my head, I have heard only from 8 or so wire owners who reported their dogs as having the clinical signs that we would associate with VIP. In those cases I will have tried to help where possible – but I don’t actually pursue the medical evidence with the same gusto that I do when HV cases are reported. I am not in any way tracking the disease in your breed – so I do not have enough data, or any grasp of wire pedigrees – to try to make sense of numbers or what might be inheritance patterns”.

Spike’s Disease or Canine Epileptoid Cramping Syndrome (CECS)

The HWVA are aware, by reporting, of 1 case of CECS in the HWV.

First recognized in 1997 by German veterinarian Diana Plange after a number of dogs bred by a single breeder were affected. Recognized in 1999 in the US.

Definition: the term Canine Epileptoid Cramping Syndrome (CECS) is actually a misnomer as the condition has no association with epilepsy. It is a form of Paroxysmal Dyskinesia (PD).

The term ‘dyskinesia’ is a Greek word literally meaning ‘bad movement’ with ‘paroxysmal’ depicting the intermittent nature of the problem.

The term Paroxysmal Gluten Sensitive Dyskinesia is now preferred (PGSD).

Cause: PGSD is thought to be due to a gluten sensitivity.

Signs: episodic involuntary movements including:

Ballismus – abrupt contraction of limb muscles causing a flailing movement of the limb, this is often unilateral, as in hemiballismus.

Dystonia – sustained involuntary contraction of a group of muscles producing abnormal postures.

Chorea – abrupt, non-sustained contraction of different groups of muscles in the same patient.

Athetosis – prolonged contraction of trunk muscles causing a bending or writhing motion, this often accompanies chorea, thus described as choreathetosis.

These signs can be seen in any breed of any dog but PGSD is unique in that it may be associated with additional signs suggestive of gastrointestinal disease such as intermittent vomiting, diarrhoea, borborygmi (ie loud gut noises) and abdominal cramping.

Some affected dogs will also show frequent signs suggestive of atopy such as scratching, chewing and licking at the skin.

Diagnosis: is by inspection (ie observing a typical episode recorded by the owner) with clinical history, potential gastrointestinal and skin involvement and episode phenomenology being fundamental to this diagnosis. Serological testing for anti-gliadin and transglumainase-2 antibodies can confirm a diagnosis.

Treatment: a gluten free diet has been shown to be successful with dogs going into complete remission for both the neurological signs and the signs suggestive of gastrointestinal and dermatological problems.

Prognosis: prognosis is usually excellent with dogs responding very well to the diet.

Episodes are not life-threatening and do not appear to progress.

Article reproduced from Vetstream.com

Urate Stone Disorder

URIC ACID EXCRETION/ CANINE HYPERURICOSURIA/ HUU

This is a problem which has recently been discovered in the HWV. Affected dogs excrete uric acid which can lead to the formation of urinary calculi (stones) which sometimes require surgery to remove.

Therefore on average the matings below will produce puppies in the proportion:

Key points to note:

The Kennel Club has now (2017) recognised the condition in HWV so any HWV who are tested through a recognised laboratory will have their status logged against them on their KC records, just like hip scoring.
The only genetic status with the potential to have clinical problems is “affected”. Neither “clear” or “carrier” dogs will ever develop this particular condition although any dog could go on to produce stones for other reasons.
Not all HWV who have an “affected” genetic status will become clinically affected by the problem. Any dogs known as genetically “affected” can be monitored more closely for signs of a problem.
HWV of any genetic status can safely be used in breeding programs. As long as one parent is genetically “clear” there is no risk of producing puppies who will be affected. The other parent can safely be “affected”, “carrier” of “clear”.
Whilst there are still a high number of “affected” and “carrier” dogs in the gene pool, for the sake of genetic diversity it would be wise to still use these dogs within breeding programs.
Symptoms of urate stones revolve around difficulty or discomfort urinating, frequent urination or leakage and blood in urine although many dogs have no symptoms at all.
Treatment of stones often involves a change to a low purine diet and an increase in fluid intake, however, stubborn stones may require more aggressive treatment/surgery. Dogs who are prone to forming stones can usually be managed with a special low purine diet. Always be guided by your veterinarian.

We very much hope that everyone involved in breeding the HWV will join us in trying to eradicate the problem and testing so they can employ informed mating decisions.

HWVA Recommended DNA Testing Laboratory

If you are going to use DNA testing for HUU, parentage or some other for reason PLEASE consider theKC Canine Genetics Centreas your laboratory of choice. The KC Canine Genetics Centre has taken over the work of the Animal Health Trust, which closed. Although there are plenty of laboratories offering canine health testing, we think that the KCGC is the only option offering the opportunity of subsequent research from DNA samples which are stored as a consequence of DNA tests. This is unique to the KCGC, as it once was, when its home was the now, defunct AHHT. The testing side of the KCGC, called Canine Genetic Testing (CAGT) is administratively separate from the KCGC, and profits from tests are ploughed back into their canine genetics research, as well of course as indefinitely retaining DNA samples. The breed already has an extensive stock of DNA samples from previous testing and a collection drive some years ago. By using the KC Canine Genetics Centre, you will be adding to the existing stock of HWV DNA, it’s a win win for you, and the breed. No other laboratory retains DNA for subsequent research.