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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 |
In 2005,
the OES ranked 69th in AKC Litter Registrations with 1460 litter
registrations; in 2004, the rank was 73rd with 1494 litter registrations.
