Greetings from Toby's Foundation,

Toby’s Foundation Awards its First direct Grant to Dr Karen Munana at North Carolina State University and Dedicates it in Memory of Sheila Dolan Pam Douglas, President of Toby’s Foundation says “we can now sponsor grants under $10,000 for canine epilepsy research. This is an important step for us in the fight against canine epilepsy. Our mission is to stop canine epilepsy by supporting research to find the gene(s) responsible and develop a screening test and to support research for more effective treatments for dogs affected by this disease. Dr. Munana’s grant is for one year and will investigate “The Pharmacokinetics of Levetiracetam in Epileptic Dogs When Used Concurrently With other Antiepileptics”. The award is for $5,276.00. For larger grants we can continue to co-sponsor studies such as the one we currently have with the Canine Health Foundation (CHF) for Dr. Ned Patterson’s Aussie epilepsy study at UMN, Grant #748 ”SNP Association Mapping for Canine Epilepsy”.

Dr. Munana presented two studies at the American College of Veterinarians in Internal Medicine (ACVIM) in June 2010 in Anaheim, CA . Please click on the link below to go to our Research page and read summaries from Dr. Munana on these two studies regarding more effective treatments for dogs affected by canine epilepsy. It is estimated that as many as 25% of the dogs affected with the disease have refractory seizures meaning they do not respond well to traditional treatments and their seizures are not well controlled. Pam Douglas met with Dr. Karen Munana at the ACVIM meeting in Anaheim , CA to discuss with her about our newly awarded grant for her research and her two preceding studies. Pam Douglas also met with Dr. Ned Patterson of UMN at the ACVIM meeting to discuss Aussie canine epilepsy research and a new grant in 2011 to keep Aussie epilepsy research moving forward. View the Research Updates Now

We are pleased to announce that Toby’s Foundation’s Board of Directors has voted to dedicate our first direct grant In Memory of Sheila Dolan, 1943 – 2010, for her unwavering support and help in the fight against canine epilepsy. View our newsletter in memory of Sheila.

Upcoming Howl-O-Ween-Howl on October 24th K-9 Playtime Inc. is sponsoring their 5th annual Halloween event which will benefit three charities including Toby's Foundation. If you' are in the Chicago area, it's a great event to enjoy! Go to www.k-9playtimeinc.com and click on "K-9 PlayTime Calendar of FUN" for more information. Click here for more information

Charitable Giving Your gifts help us to support the research to find the genes responsible for canine epilepsy and develop a screening test. Please make Toby's Foundation part of your charitable giving. Toby's Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Our Federal Tax Identification number is 74-3135217. Your gift is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law and helps us in our efforts to stop canine epilepsy. Please check with your employer about a Matching Gifts program. If you would like to make a memorial or honorary gift to support canine epilepsy research, an acknowledgement card can be sent to whomever you specify. We accept donations online (see link below) or you may mail your check to: Toby's Foundation P.O. Box 7321 Laguna Niguel , CA 92607 Please Donate

AussiE-Update Volume IV, No. 33
October 15, 2010