BLOOD SAMPLE SUBMISSION FOR NORWICH TERRIER HEALTH RESEARCH

Dr. Jeff Sampson, B.Sc.,D.Phil., The Kennel Club Genetics Co-Ordinator, received an enthusiastic response to his talk on Norwich Terrier health issues which was given to an audience of Norwich Terrier Club breeders and owners in November 2003.

He informed the group that The Kennel Club scheme researching canine genetic diseases had been operating for about 10 years, and the question was posed as to what breed clubs should be doing about health problems:

He stated that it was down to breeders to find out about the relative frequency of health problems within a breed. They should be prepared :

•  to accept there are health problems in the breed

•  to persuade all breeders to be honest about the dogs they are producing

•  to select one health condition at a time as multiple conditions cannot be dealt with together, and then deal with the most important problem

•  not to lose sight of the fact that breed type and characteristics are important too, and that the scheme needs to remain balanced.

Resolving health issues will be a long progression making only slow improvements, but it needs everyone to work at it together if it is to succeed. Dr. Sampson was emphatic in that it can, and does work.

The next step:

The Kennel Club Breed Health Survey was undertaken early in 2004, when questionnaires were distributed to owners by the Breed Clubs. It is hoped that all those who have owned or bred Norwich Terriers returned their completed questionnaires to the Kennel Club. The data contained in those documents will be scanned and collated, the results will be sent to the Club as soon as they are available.

One problem which can arise in an exercise like this is that of imperfect human memory! Some people are dedicated collectors of accurate written data on their dogs, others are not so.

Compiling longer-term information:

Norwich Terrier breeders can, together, play an important part in this by persuading the owners of new Norwich puppies to keep a diary throughout the lifetime of those puppies, noting significant health details with dates. This information could provide extremely useful data in future years.

What follows this?

A start has already been made by several breeders in taking blood samples from their Norwich Terriers, and sending them to the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, where they will remain in the Norwich Terrier Research Programme Database until such time as sufficient data has been collected and funding is available to begin the genetic research programme.

In the meantime, if owners have not yet had their Norwich Terrier's blood sample included, please have it taken as soon as possible. We all owe this to our lovely breed. All Norwich, healthy or otherwise, are vital to the success of this programme.

Blood sample submission for Norwich Terrier health research:

The Animal Health Trust is willing to accept blood samples from Norwich Terriers now for research into canine disease. The samples will be stored in the freezer until a point in the future when there will be enough samples to make it possible to study genetic diseases in the breed.

WHAT YOUR VET. NEEDS TO DO:

Your Vet. needs to take a 5ml sample of the dog's blood, if possible, (but less will do) into an EDTA tube ( very important that it is not heparain).

The sample should then be sent with:

•  a copy of the dog's 5-generation pedigree ( if anyone has difficulty tracking down 5 generations in their pedigrees Eileen Needham has extensive pedigree records which may be of help )

•  copies of any relevant Vet's certificates/diagnoses for any major illness

•  a signed copy of the completed Animal Health Trust Form for Blood Sample Submission for Norwich Terrier Research

If your dog is basically healthy, and has never suffered from fits, cramps, epilepsy, or any other major illness you can include instead a letter signed by yourself stating that.

SENDING THE SAMPLE TO THE ANIMAL HEALTH TRUST:

The blood sample can be sent, together with all the documentation, at room temperature in the ordinary post, in a well-padded bag.

It should be addressed to:

Dr. Cathryn Mellersh,
CPM,
Animal Health Trust,
Lanwades Park,
NEWMARKET,
Suffolk.
CB8 7UU

It would be helpful to the Club Health Sub-Committee to know which dogs have been included in the Research Database. Please send details of the dog's KC registered name and KC Reg. Number to the Club Secretary, Mrs. Beverley Watkins. No other information is required, and all the forms which have already been submitted to the Animal Health Trust remain with them as confidential information. The Club does not have access to that information.

BLOOD SAMPLE SUBMISSION FOR NORWICH TERRIER RESEARCH

KC Registered Name and Number of dog ………………………… .............................

............................................................................................................................

Sex ......................................................

Date of Birth …………………………………................................................................

Owner's Name (Block Letters) ……………………………………..................................

Address: ……………………………………………………………........................................

………………………………………………………………………..........................................

IMPORTANT

Please preserve 5ml blood sample in an EDTA tube

Please enclose a 5-generation pedigree, and copies of all health certificates available. This information is necessary for the sample to be of use in future research projects. It is also important the AHT is kept updated of any significant health changes that occur after the sample has been submitted.

Pedigree and health certificates can be sent to:

Dr. Cathryn Mellersh, Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 7UU

if they are not available at the time of sampling.

I hereby declare that the sample submitted for testing is from the dog described above. I accept that the blood samples become the property of the Animal Health Trust and may be used in future research programmes.

Signature ……………………………………………….

Health Sub-Committee Update, March 2006:

The grant application for funding a pilot project to investigate a particular marker gene known to cause epilepsy in humans, and of which Norwich Terriers formed a part, was successful and work on that project is now underway. Research is being carried out at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, Suffolk, under the direction of Dr. Cathryn Mellersh ( who is a geneticist, not a vet. ) in collaboration with Kate Chandler, a vet., who is a clinical expert in Canine Epilepsy at the Royal Veterinary College.

The Norwich Terrier database now contains 140 samples of DNA, with 11 of those from Norwich suffering from canine epilepsy, ‘cramps' ‘turns' or what appear to be similar conditions. Ages of those dogs range from young puppies through to adults.

The importance of keeping information updated:

When the Secretary of the Health Sub-Committee met with Dr. Mellersh recently the importance of keeping information updated was stressed, particularly if there are any changes in health conditions in any way. One problem in studying epilepsy is the late onset of the disease. A young dog may be bloodtested and be clear at the time of testing, but should that animal later develop any signs of disease it is very important that details are updated with the AHT as they will be on the lookout for dogs with the problem as this is where they may find ancestor links in their study of the pedigrees of affected dogs.

So far, they have received only one update. They are most anxious to get as many samples from affected Norwich as possible in order to make progress in this research.

Please remember all the health information submitted goes straight to the Animal Health Trust and remains strictly confidential to the researchers there. No-one connected with the Club has access to the confidential information.

Much research into many canine health problems goes on at the AHT and it is not feasible for them to send out thousands of annual reminders, therefore the Club has agreed to request updates on their behalf. This is simply to remind you. We understand that a dog subsequently developing a disease drives all thoughts of everything else out of mind, but it is vitally important that the AHT knows about it. The more information they have the more accurate will be the diagnoses which will help our breed.

The database needs more Norwich suffering from epilepsy and allied conditions, and to that end the AHT is willing to accept blood samples from overseas Norwich, particularly so if the dogs are epilepsy sufferers themselves, or close relatives of such dogs.

Any overseas owners who would like to participate in this research please contact the Club for details of the necessary paperwork, the Import Licence number which must appear clearly marked on the outside of the package, and the Statement ( for non-EU countries) which must also appear on the outside of the package.