Blue stafford?

I love blue color in all dogs. Blue staffords are like from a dream. When you are decide to get a blue stafford to yourself, don't do it in a hurry and read about blue color.

The color requires extra careful breeding because the color becomes from dilution gene that also can cause alopecia.  CDA, also known as a “Blue Dogs Syndrome”, is syndrome that appears in dogs carrying blue gene. Dogs that have Color Dilution Alopecia (CDA) have various coat and possible even skin problems. CDA can appear just as little weaker coat (softness, thin coat..) or it can cause a bald parts to the dogs coat or even total baldness.  It can also cause skin problems like dry skin or even infections. The CDA often appears when dog is 6 months to 2 years old (Iwasaki, Toshiroh (2004). "Non-Inflammatory Alopecia". Proceedings of the 29th World Congress of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association).

There isn’t any statistics available that could really tell us how many staffords have this disease, here is one link that shows one CDA ill stafford. In Blue Hippo’s kennel we are very careful and try to avoid this syndrome as much as we can. We don't breed blue to a blue, we always choose a healthy coated black or red to our blue's. CDA is more common in some breeds (for example Dobermans) and in some breeds quite uncommon. 

In Finland it is not allow to breed blue x blue together in Staffordshire Bull Terriers starting 1.1.2010 (www.staffordshirenbullterrieriyhdistys.fi)

Hannes Lohi is doing gene investigation to find the gene that causes CDA to blue dogs. We are supporting this work and hoping to get the DNA test for this disease also. To read more about the Hannes Lohi and his work, go : http://www.koirangeenit.fi/

To read more about CDA, there is loads of information on internet. Here is just few links

http://www.upei.ca/~cidd/Diseases/dermatology/colour%20dilution%20alopecia.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canine_follicular_dysplasia#Color_dilution_alopecia

Please remember that CDA is only one skin disease, there is many other diseases also that can affect all kind of dogs with all kind of coat color (atopy, allergies, Black Hair Folliculus Dysplasia= BHFD..).

Always choose your puppy from parents that have healthy skin and coat.