Liz says more blood samples have been received and the sibling pair count is now 16.

In light of the recent discussion on the Wiscoy forum, I asked Liz what the researchers have learned about epilepsy inheritance. So this is “from the horse's mouth”. The researchers have found NO evidence that the mode of inheritance is dominant. They have found patterns that indicate inheritance is either recessive or possibly polygenetic.

Liz also said there is more than one form of epilepsy. The genes would be different, plus the seizures themselves would appear differently.

Liz also asked me to tell you that blood from family members can be extremely helpful. While the sibling pair is most desirable, a mother/pup pair would help a lot. That is good news, since it can be very difficult to get blood from a non-seizing pair member in a pet home. It may be a whole lot easier to get blood from family members.

I know there are cases in which a bitch starts seizing after she has a litter. If a puppy was kept from her litter(s), you could get blood from the dam and the pup. That would be a very helpful pairing. This typically happens when the first seizures appear late, around 4 years of age. Of course, blood from a non-seizing dam and her seizing pup would work too.

I know everyone is busy right now. If you have either a pair, or some family members whose blood would help, mark your calendar for a less hectic time in January. We can do this!

Check this link for instructions or email me with your questions.
http://www.tulgeywoodlabs.com/pages/EpilepsyResearch.html