Promoting Health-DNA Blood Bank & CHIC
Field Spaniels in general enjoy good health, but there is always room for improvement, and it should be the goal of every breeder and fancier to promote the health of their chosen breed and all dogs. With this in mind, I invite you to participate in both the DNA blood bank, for future use and study to promote healthy Field Spaniels, and for the current Canine Epilepsy Research Project.
DNA Blood Bank
About the DNA Blood Bank
The Orthopedic Foundation For Animals (OFA), and
The Canine Health Information Foundation, (CHIC)
work jointly, and often with parent breed clubs, to promote canine health. Banking a blood sample with the OFA blood bank will enable future health issues within the breed to be identified and, with appropriate breeding practice possibly eliminated
The Canine Epilepsy Research Consortium
is a group of scientists who have agreed to:
Share DNA samples, phenotype data, and genotype data share credit for scientific contribution by co-authoring manuscripts agree , that discoveries will be put into
public domain.
The Group currently includes:
The University of Missouri
The University of Minnesota
Ohio State University
Animal Health Trust (United Kingdom)
Information from the Canine Epilepsy Net
What You Can Do-
Make an appointment with your Vet to have blood drawn in a "purple top" tube, your vet will know what this means, for each dog. Include a 5 generation pedigree and mark the tube with your name and the dog's name. Please also include the sample form with health information. Sending this form will ensure that the one blood draw will go to the epilepsy study AND the DNA bank for future use. Have it sent overnight, do NOT send on the weekend or on a Holiday, to:
Dr. Gary Johnson
Attn: Liz Hansen
Animal Molecular Genetics Laboratory
321 Connaway Hall
Columbia, MO 65211
If you have questions or need clarification, please contact
Liz Hansen at 573-884-3712 or
e-mail: HansenL@missouri.edu
DNA Sample Form
Directions on How to Send a Sample
CHIC
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) offers a CHIC rating that is unique to each breed. For the Field Spaniel, in order to receive a CHIC rating a dog needs to be OFA screened for:
Thyroid
Eyes (CERF)
Hips
At Capriole Spaniels we go beyond the CHIC rating and also screen our breeding stock for:
-Heart
-Patellas
-Elbows
Field Spaniels are a rare breed and our gene pool is limited, we often joke we have a "gene puddle" not a gene pool and as such, what is in one pedigree is probably in all pedigrees somewhere. The breed almost became extent twice. Breeders often have to make really tough decisions regarding breeding and it is our feeling that the best way to make those decisions is with as much information as possible regarding health issues behind breeding stock. Some of the common "rules" for throwing out breeding stock in other breeds, may not always apply to Field Spaniels because we are a rare breed and if we eliminate too much of our breeding stock we will very quickly have no breed at all. Each breed and all dogs, mixed breeds included, may have health issues. Fanciers of a given breed know their breeds health issues, love the breed despite these issues and make an effort to eliminate or reduce those risks. We do not want to break someone's heart, including our own, so producing
healthy companion dogs is a primary goal.
