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eye health
Eye health
Common eye screening for SBT
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Advanced eye screening provides a broader picture on the dog's health and vision, allowing it to detect both hereditary and acquired abnormalities. To complete such screening, a fairly highly specialized ophthalmologist and special equipment are required: indirect ophthalmoscopy and slit lamp biomicroscopy. To correctly assess the lens and retina of the eye, the pupils are artificially dilated with special drops, but usually, the examination does not take much time, and the dog's clarity of vision returns quite fast. This diagnostics allows to detect such pathologies as glaucoma, eyelid/eyelash abnormalities, cataracts, diseases of the cornea and iris, PHPV (persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous) PHA and retinal dysplasia, as well as several other possible inheritable eye disorders. The breed community recommends doing the screening after the dog hits 12 months of age and ideally could be to repeat it every year after, especially before breeding. A good practice could be to do the very first screening at the age of 10-12 weeks to exclude congenital pathologies and PHPV.
Finnish Kennel Club statistics on eye screening results fof dogs born 2014-2024. Source: Finnish Kennel Club
- Finnish Kennel Club statistics
- Heritability estimates of distichiasis in Staffordshire bull terriers using pedigrees and genome-wide SNP data. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 64, Article number: 30 (2022)
- Genomic analysis and prediction of genomic values for distichiasis in Staffordshire bull terriers. Canine Med Genet . 2023 Jul 24;10(1):9. doi: 10.1186/s40575-023-00132-1.
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier eye diseases. Melbourne EyeVet 2019
- Staffordshire Bull Terriers in the UK: their disorder predispositions and protections. DOI:10.1186/s40575-020-00092-w
References
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More about Staffordshire bull terrier
Is SBT the right match for you?
Despite all our love for SBT, we have to admit all breeds have their cons - it’s not avoidable. It remains to make sure that none of these cons are a red flag for your family and that you and your dog will become the right match.
Character of SBT
Each dog is an individual with its character and features, but breed representatives share many traits in common.
Nowadays there are many ways to get in touch with a reputable breeder. One way would be through your local Kennel Club and Breed Club, or by your own research and social media. However, the most promoted litter might not always be the most tested or wellbred. Remember to carefully research such topics as health testing in SBT, learn the chosen line features and parents temperament.
Average prices may vary depending on your location and chosen breeder, but usually they are somewhere between 1500 eur. and 2000 eur.
Reputable breeders always have pedigrees for their puppies and do not charge for them more. For the breeder, ordering the pedigree costs about 20-30 eur. per puppy. If the pedigree is absent, there must be a reason for it like lack of dog’s Kennel Club registration, individual restrictions from Kennel Club, not done tests or other requirements.
Reputable breeders always have pedigrees for their puppies and do not charge for them more. For the breeder, ordering the pedigree costs about 20-30 eur. per puppy. If the pedigree is absent, there must be a reason for it like lack of dog’s Kennel Club registration, individual restrictions from Kennel Club, not done tests or other requirements.
It is hard to be sure what character your future puppy will have when he matures. This can be influenced by many factors: genetics, lifestyle, socialization and training, individual experience with the world, and even health. But overall SBT can be described as high drive all-round dogs, bold, fearless, and passionate lovers, who know for sure how to enjoy this life and to get the most out of life, but may be selective or even aggressive when it comes to other animals and dogs. We looked deeper into it in ABOUT BREED.
