AMS in cockers.

[Mart56]

Hi
New to the forum but I've been following this thread for some time. My pup (Hatchetts little gem) has been tested clear.

[Hepe]

Whoop whoop for all of you testing. Huge relief for me as a puppy buyer. Well done you, we will kick this shit out of the window and over and done with it, yep!

And remember, no point in throwing the baby out with the bathwater, don't be afraid to use carriers to clears to keep our brilliant lines going.

Helene

[Teddy]

Hi
New to the forum but I've been following this thread for some time. My pup (Hatchetts little gem) has been tested clear.

Great news, bet your very relieved!

[RedWC]

Excuse me for being thick, but where did you guys read that there's only been 8 confirmed cases? Something very wrong with that figure - i.e. Vets are clearly not reporting this as they should be! When I went to my vet for the swabs, she told me they've seen 3 cases in the last 3 years there! Now statistically, that's a rural vet with a small catchment, and the three pups were not closely related...so what are the chances of 3 out of this '8' all being my neighbours?? Since then there's a new poster up at the vet, telling of a pup who has recently been pts, diagnosed with AMS...a 4th for this vet? Next time I go in I will be asking if the KC is aware of the apparent hot spot up here...

Lucy - it could be that the poster is the one that has been sent to vets all over the UK to print and put up in their surgeries to help raise awareness of the condition and it may not be your area at all, worth checking it though

[LucyLab]

That's brilliant that there's a poster doing the rounds to get awareness! I haven't seen the one at our vet's, a friend told me that it was there, so can't comment on whether it's this same one. I need to pop in over the next week, so will be asking for more details of the cases they were talking about. The practice is Kirkton Vet in Stonehaven. I know they were disappointed that one of the dogs didn't get a proper post mortem, so that diagnosis is certainly questionable if there's this other similar condition...?

[beechessam]

Lucy,

i would take your vets word with a pinch of salt.

the 8 confirmed "affected" dogs- is information direct from Anatage - the only company with a test for positively diagnosing Affected/carrier/clear status.

that means any other "confirmed" cases you talk off are not official, as such - and diagnoses possibly by symptoms (which is difficult to differentiate from ganglioradiculits. they can do nerve biopsies after being PTS-but i would imagine the glasgow vet school would have been involved in this, as they were involved in the initial research into this.

Antagene only released this DNA test 18 months ago - so the 3 years your vet mentions, i wouldnt not be relying on that too much.

the poster which is up in your vet, was a case diagnosed in Guenrsey (as far away from Aberdeen as you could get nearly) again - not 4 confirmed cases of dogs PTS in a rural area.

the poster was put together by a few ladies who have being researching and working on AMS for the past few year- it seems it is serving its purpose at least and raising awareness. if you search this forum for "bailey" or "Dennis high Jumper" you will find the owner of that dog featured in that poster, and see him also trying to raise awareness with regards to AMS.

A great and balanced reply.

[Bwana]

Excuse me for being thick, but where did you guys read that there's only been 8 confirmed cases? Something very wrong with that figure - i.e. Vets are clearly not reporting this as they should be! When I went to my vet for the swabs, she told me they've seen 3 cases in the last 3 years there! Now statistically, that's a rural vet with a small catchment, and the three pups were not closely related...so what are the chances of 3 out of this '8' all being my neighbours?? Since then there's a new poster up at the vet, telling of a pup who has recently been pts, diagnosed with AMS...a 4th for this vet? Next time I go in I will be asking if the KC is aware of the apparent hot spot up here...

Lucy, there may have been 'something lost in translation'. Like you and many, I was shocked that there was this apparent hot spot. I called your vet (Kirkton Veterinary Centre). They had one case 3 or 4 years ago and another about 15 years ago (at the time, they did not know what it was, but now reasonably assume that it was AMS). As scot-ish says, the poster is of a dog from Guernsey (as far from Aberdeen as you can get nearly).

So that makes just 1 case confirmed (and a likely 1 case from 15 years ago).

[LucyLab]

Lucy, there may have been 'something lost in translation'. Like you and many, I was shocked that there was this apparent hot spot. I called your vet (Kirkton Veterinary Centre). They had one case 3 or 4 years ago and another about 15 years ago (at the time, they did not know what it was, but now reasonably assume that it was AMS). As scot-ish says, the poster is of a dog from Guernsey (as far from Aberdeen as you can get nearly).

So that makes just 1 case confirmed (and a likely 1 case from 15 years ago).

Clearly a miscommunication somehow!!! What a relief!! Very odd though, as the vet who told me was very clear and is a partner at the practice, so I assumed she would know what she was talking about?! Perhaps she was exaggerating for effect(??)...but she was adamant that one of the cases was very recent and it definitely was not the one from 3yrs ago. How strange

[jeffiner]

Figures received by me from Antagene today are
262 tested (working and show strain), 36 carriers (13%) and 9 affected (3%)
However from the Cocker Spaniel Database we only know of
130 tested, 12 carriers (7 of which only because of the known affected offspring) and 6 affected (3 of which are untested).
This doesn't mean that they have not been registered with the Kennel Club but it is considered unlikely and until the KC get an agreement with Antagene to be notified of results by them we will never get a true picture.
Yes this is a small number of working cockers from the thousands in the country but until dogs are tested and results are made available we have no idea how widespread it is. From the pedigrees involved so far it seems capable of appearing anywhere.

[beechessam]

And it's fair to assume that the percentages are distorted due to the low number of tests carried out and some of those that have tested have done so due to being linked to known carriers and affected dogs.