Too Many of Our Dogs Have Cancer:
WHAT CAN WE DO? 

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in Old English Sheepdogs. Sadly, this fact does not surprise us since cancer is also a leading cause of death in people and many species of animals. The challenge of cancer looms large. Canine cancer is a painful and tragic disease for the dogs and for the families that cherish them.

As members of the Old English Sheepdog Club of America (OESCA) Health and Research Committee, we are determined to aggressively pursue this disease by supporting cancer research for our breed. To achieve our goals, we have collected and earmarked dollars for cancer research, and at the same time continued to gather information from OES owners and breeders to determine the frequency of cancer and the types of cancer that affect our breed. In September 2008, OESCA launched a comprehensive Health Survey to remain current on the breed's health information. Cancer is being reported as a part of that survey. We are closely monitoring the data as the surveys are being submitted and tabulated.

While advances in cancer research are rapidly expanding, a need still remains for specific, breed-related information on cancer. This is where OES owners and breeders can be of greatest help. The better informed our research decisions, the sooner we can improve the quality of life for dogs and their owners.

What can we do to help our dogs?

If you currently have a dog who has been diagnosed with cancer or if you have lost a dog who was diagnosed with cancer, we ask for your assistance. We encourage you to share your dog's health data by completing the following 3 steps:

Step One:  2008 OESCA Health Survey
Complete the 2008 OESCA Health Survey and submit your dog's health information. Go to www.oeshealth.org, click "Health Survey" and follow the easy instructions. This survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete. It is easy to follow, comprehensive and user friendly. By submitting this information, you will have provided information that will be used to make decisions for our breed's cancer research priorities and treatments.

Step Two:  VetCancer Registry
Ask your veterinarian to add your dog's data to the VetCancer Registry at www.vetcancerregistry.com. Data must be submitted by your veterinarian as diagnosed by histopathology. Even if your dog had cancer years ago, if the diagnosis was by histopathology, it is critical information we need.  As a global, cancer registry for dogs and cats, the VetCancer Registry reveals trends in animal cancer, and serves as a rich data resource for future cancer research and treatment options. With the information you and other OES owners submit, data will inform owners, breeders, breed clubs and scientists. Click here for a sample letter to bring to your vet.

Step Three: Canine Health Foundation DNA Repository
Send a sample of your dog's blood to the Canine Health Foundation's DNA Repository. The DNA Repository collects and stores DNA samples along with the dog's pedigree and a health history to facilitate future research and testing aimed at reducing the incidences of inherited diseases in dogs. The procedure for collecting and submitting your dog's blood follows: 1) Ask your veterinarian to collect a blood sample from your dog, 2) Include a copy of your dog's pedigree and a completed health survey form and 3) Package the blood sample with cold packs, and ship with the pedigree and health history form via overnight express to the DNA Repository. You will find that many veterinarians prefer to package and ship the sample for you.  Click here for shipping instructions.

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By completing the 2008 Health Survey, asking your veterinarian to register your dog with VetCancer Registry and donating blood to the DNA Repository, you will help collect and maintain health information essential to research in cancer and other canine diseases. Most important, you will provide health information capable of preserving and protecting the health of our breed.

Thank you in advance for your support.

OESCA Health and Research Committee
October 2008

 2008 Health Survey for Old English Sheepdogs

Comprehensive, confidential, online, available thru May 15, 2009
Provides a window into the health of the OES today
Will be used to direct funding for research on OES health issues that are identified in the survey
Open to all OES owners worldwide who currently own or have owned an OES between the years of 1998-2008
Click here for more details, hints, correspondence

OESCA & OESCA HRC Blood Drive for DNA

Dear Owners and Breeders of Old English Sheepdogs:

OESCA and the Health and Research Committee are launching a breed blood drive to capture the DNA of our current OES. The vast majority of our current generations of dogs have not been collected and stored. Should we fail to capture this vital DNA, our breed’s research potential will be severely disadvantaged. You need to act now to store as many samples as possible. It is also critical that samples are collected and stored from our most prolific breeding animals.

The greatest reward for participation will be the knowledge that you have contributed to a resource that will directly impact the quality of life for our dogs and the breed’s future dogs. The HRC has tried to make it as easy and cost effective as possible for you and your dogs to donate blood samples. The Canine Health Foundation has agreed to a 50% reduction in cost for OES donations to the CHIC DNA Repository from June 1 – September 20, 2008. The reduced fee for OES will be $10.00 per dog.

As members of the Old English Sheepdog Club of America we are known for stepping forward when researchers have asked for blood donations. OESCA takes pride in the fact that we contributed over 350 samples with pedigree information to Drs. Johnson and O’Brien at Missouri State for cerebellar ataxia research and over 100 donations to the Ostrander lab for hip dysplasia research. The 350 samples banked at Missouri State remain available for today’s OESCA research projects; the Ostrander Lab samples collected at the Centennial Show were specifically collected for hip dysplasia research are not available for other research. This means DNA on most of the living OES today needs to be collected and stored before we have lost the opportunity to do so. (For additional information on the DNA Repository, refer to the June OE Times, page 34 and 35.)

Steps to participate include:

(1) All dogs attending the 2008 National Specialty will have the opportunity to contribute at the DNA clinic being held during the specialty week. Three veterinarian teams will be collecting blood on Wednesday, Sept. 17, Thursday, Sept. 18 and Friday Sept. 19 from 7:00 am-9:00am in the Grooming Building. Please plan ahead by filling out the form and survey prior to the National. (.doc formats)
      DNA Form & Survey      Blood Draw Instructions

(2) For dogs not attending the National Specialty, you can draw their blood samples and send them in with the appropriate paper work. We have found that veterinarians often will perform this service free because it is for research. In fact, some vets will come to your kennel and draw blood on all of your dogs.

(3) Additionally, some of the OESCA Regional Clubs, like the Greater Pittsburgh OESC, are organizing collection clinics after a show with the club paying for the fees involved and handling the shipping.

(4) With each dog’s sample, you will need to complete the attached forms, including a 3-5 generation pedigree and a brief health survey. Your reduced fee is $10.00 per dog. Send the paper work, payment and blood sample(s) overnight, using cool packs, to OFA . Your vet may do this for you. (Further instructions are on the attached forms.)

SPECIAL APPEAL TO OWNERS AND BREEDERS
OF PROLIFIC DOGS

Prolific dogs have the greatest impact on any breed. It is critical that we have stored DNA from the breed’s most used studs and bitches. We will appreciate your full cooperation and urge you to collect and store DNA from these animals as soon as possible.

On behalf of the Breed, OESCA and the OESCA Health and Research Committee, thank you for participating in the CHIC DNA Repository. If you have any questions, please contact:

Linda Ruelle 703-902-5549 Ruelle_linda@bah.com 
Chris Gaburri 412-761-0493 cgaburri@verizon.net 
Ann Lapp 715-878-4861 pettiboneoes@aol.com

Collecting and banking DNA is likely the single most important act you can contribute to advance our breed’s health. As stated on the CHIC website, “Blood is the gold standard for genetic material; your dog’s DNA is sufficient for all research methods, including technology in the future. Moreover, the stability and purity of DNA is of the highest caliber, which offers the most benefits.” 
Your dog’s DNA can help reduce incidence of inherited disease in Old English Sheepdogs. This is very exciting. In fact, we feel strongly that with your help we can bank 300 DNA samples from Old English Sheepdogs by September 20, 2008.

We have every confidence that this breed cares deeply about our dogs’ health. Let’s show it. Do whatever you can do to help. Feel free to duplicate this letter and encourage all OES owners and breeders to participate. Help others understand the importance of blood donations; help them get their dogs to the vet, provide copies of the forms, answer their questions. We are doing this for our dogs.

Thank you for any and all the support you can provide.

Barbara Lamb, OESCA President

Ann Lapp, OESCA Health and Research Committee Chair