Test Detail

Idiopathic/genetic epilepsy of the Belgian Shepherd (Malinois, Tervuren, Groenendael and Laekenois), with recurrent seizures without an identifiable structural cause. The predisposition has an appreciable hereditary component, but it is polygenic/complex: no single causal gene is known. Breeding management is based on phenotype and pedigree rather than on a monogenic test. A complementary test, not a substitute for, clinical examination.

Applicable breed: Belgian Shepherd (all varieties). The prevalence of idiopathic epilepsy is high in some lines, but no genetic frequencies per locus have been published for the breed (limited data).

- Do not breed from affected animals or from animals with a clear family history of epilepsy\n- The absence of a monogenic test makes selection based on phenotype and pedigree necessary\n- Cross low-risk lines and record the incidence of seizures in the offspring\n- Consider the balance with the genetic diversity of the breed when applying selection\n- Exclude from breeding animals with recurrent status epilepticus

Differential diagnosis with structural, metabolic or toxic epilepsy by MRI, blood work and EEG. Treatment with phenobarbital, imepitoin, levetiracetam or bromide, with a specific protocol for status epilepticus. Document the frequency, type and age of onset of seizures to guide selection.

1. Seppälä EH et al. 2012, Identification of a novel idiopathic epilepsy locus in Belgian Shepherd dogs. PLoS One 7(3):e33549. PMID: 22457775. 2. Kinsey N et al. 2024, Idiopathic Epilepsy Risk Allele Trends in Belgian Tervuren: A Longitudinal Genetic Analysis. Genes (Basel) 15(1):114. PMID: 38255002. 3. Beckers E et al. 2023, Identification of a Novel Idiopathic Epilepsy Risk Locus and a Variant in the CCDC85A Gene in the Dutch Partridge Dog. Animals (Basel) 13(5):810. PMID: 36899667 (variante CCDC85A: corresponde al Dutch Partridge Dog, no al Pastor belga). OMIA:000344-9615.