The fact is, there are some bloodlines and stud dogs that do produce Epilepsy, as well as other dreaded genetic diseases. I mention stud dogs because they influence a greater majority of the breed. That is not to say that Epilepsy cannot be contracted from another source. However, important dogs in our breed have been known carriers. That being said, because we are so emotionally envolved with our dogs and loyal to our friends, it becomes almost impossible to have "full communication" as to these carriers. We don't want to "out" anyones beloved pets or our buddys and in some cases, we may even fear law suits. When the day comes that we are able to identify genetic carriers of many of our serious problems by blood tests, that is the day when we can breed our dogs with certainty. Until that time, it's guess work and a prayer and any information you can find. I believe that genetics is the future......AND THE SOONER THE BETTER! That is our salvation !!! Helen Franklin ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2012. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Each Author is responsible for the content of his/her post. This group and its administrators are not responsible for the comments or opinions expressed in any post. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org SUBSCRIPTION:http://showgsd.org/mail.html NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/ ============================================================================