Research Updates

AKC Canine Health Foundation Announced Funding for Epilepsy Study for the Australian Shepherd and the English Springer Spaniel

The AKC Canine Health Foundation announced "the United States Australian Shepherd Association, United States Australian Shepherd Foundation, Australian Shepherd Health and Genetics Institute, Toby’s Foundation and the English Springer Spaniel Field Trial Association Foundation all Partner to Contribute over $50,000 in Support." Click here to read the full press release.

We have added the Instructions information, the Dog Questionnaire and the Consent form for Dr. Patterson at the University of Minnesota . Dr. Patterson would like more samples from “affected dogs, and their unaffected relatives (2 generations any direction), and also some older (6 years or older) unaffected and unrelated dogs.” If you have already sent samples to Missouri , Dr. Patterson does have access to these samples. If you want to send a second sample to Dr. Patterson in Minnesota you can do so.

Among the things we learned at the Tufts conference focusing on canine epilepsy and bears repeating here are the more researchers looking at the problem the better and that ideally samples should be sent to all those who are working on canine epilepsy for the same breed. Please see our October 2007 research updates below in which we quote Dr. Patterson on this. If this is not possible you should at least send to one active study and CHIC. We have been recommending CHIC for all of 2007 (it was only set up in 2006). While CHIC is not per se a research study it is a very important repository to store samples for present and future use by researchers. By submitting samples to CHIC you insure that samples are there when needed for the future health of your dogs and your breed. Any researcher can apply to CHIC to use the samples and the samples can be used for any disease.

It is because we all did what was necessary to collect samples and raise funds that we were poised and ready and could in fact attract other researchers to take on the Australian Shepherd. Researchers need samples and funds for their work and the Aussie community was ready!

HARD WORK, PERSISTENCE and DEDICATION is PAYING OFF…WHAT A GIFT TO ALL OF US AT THIS CHRISTMAS and HOLIDAY SEASON

TOBY’S FOUNDATION, INC. is contributing ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) to help fund a very important and equally promising Australian Shepherd Research Project to develop a screening genetic marker test for canine epilepsy in the Australian Shepherd breed. The grant is co-sponsored by ASHGI, USASA, USASF and the Canine Health Foundation (CHF) who will match each dollar that our organizations contribute to the CHF grant for Dr. Ned Patterson at the University of Minnesota. The grant is for SNP Association Mapping for Canine Epilepsy. “Dr. Ned Patterson (Principal Investigator) is an expert in the area of canine genetics and statistical analysis of pedigrees for heritable traits, and a clinician at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center. He will be responsible for the critical clinical diagnosis.”

Dr. Pamela C. Douglas, President of Toby’s Foundation said, “This is something we have been vigorously working on since first making the contact with Dr. Patterson at the Tufts conference in September 2007. We learned there that the more researchers working on the problem the better. Dr. Patterson told me that he had just been approved for a SNP Association mapping grant for the English Springer spaniel and perhaps could add Aussies to it if the Canine Health Foundation (CHF) agreed and the wonderful news now is they have agreed! Fortunately, we were poised and ready because we had all done our work in collecting samples and raising funds. This is truly a united effort by the entire Australian Shepherd community. I am so pleased and grateful for the support that we have received from everyone. I want to mention here the Aussie breeders and owners in Finland who with only about 1500 Aussies in their country were able to collect approximately 300 samples for Dr. Lohi even before he received the 64 samples from UMO. This is truly a dedicated breed that we are proud to be a part of.”

Dr. Patterson is an outstanding researcher who, as part of the consortium with UMO, has access to our Aussie samples. With SNPs now available to be used as genetic markers for mapping and two outstanding researchers, Dr. Patterson in Minnesota and Dr. Hannes Lohi in Finland working on the Australian Shepherd the time has never been better for this research. This is a two year grant. At this time we believe that more samples from affected dogs will be needed. We will let you know about this at a later time especially where and how to send them in.

“Of course it is always sobering," Pamela Douglas said, "to remember why we do this… to think about all the dogs that have been hurt and have succumbed to this disease and still will for some years to come even after a screening test is developed but at least the day will come when no more dogs and the people who love them will have to go through this.”

Dr Ned Patterson of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine said at the Tufts Canine and Feline Breeding and Genetics conference “To help these studies progress we encourage individuals to submit DNA of purebred dogs affected with epilepsy and their relatives to the various studies. In the case where more than one group is studying the same breed I recommend individuals submit samples to all groups performing the studies”. Dr. Patterson said in notes from the Tufts Conference, "there are a number of ongoing projects trying to determine the gene or genes that cause IE (Idiopathic Epilepsy) in various dog breeds at the University of Minnesota, the University of Missouri - Columbia, the University of California - Davis, the University of Toronto, the Animal Health Trust in England, A University in Finland, and at a few other institutions." Click here to see Toby’s Foundation's recommendations for submitting your samples. The more researchers looking at the problem the better. Researchers can’t look at a breed without samples. They would have to rely on the one study that has the samples to share them with others. Toby’s Foundation will be putting out a list of research institutions that want samples for epilepsy research. We urge you to send samples from your dogs directly to 2 or 3 studies not just one.

We have been asked about CHIC. It is a repository not a study. CHIC has only been available for storage since 2006. It is a valuable resource that can ensure that samples are there for the future of your breed for research into many diseases including canine epilepsy. It certainly merits sending samples there.

We are in an exciting time now where several research institutions and studies either are or will be looking soon at canine epilepsy. We should support all the research that we can that is looking at the problem of canine epilepsy. This is a complex problem. The researchers were asked for their best estimate of how close we are to any breed getting the breakthrough. They said about 3-5 years unless we get lucky. Luck can happen and it recently did happen for the Aussie. Just ask Dr. Cathryn Mellersh who said at the Tufts conference that they got lucky…Mutation in HSF4 is associated with hereditary cataract in the Australian Shepherd.

Pamela:

I have attached some information that you may include on your website or in newsletters, but in short, we are recruiting for the following:

1. Collies, Shelties and Australian Shepherds for the MDR-1 study (click here for specifics). As long as pet owners are able to provide a copy of a recent anticonvulsant level that is in therapeutic range, we will send them brushes for MDR testing that will be performed at no cost to the owner. Results of the testing will be provided to each owner.

2. Dogs with Refractory Epilepsy (At least 4 seizures/month) are being recruited for an extension of the Keppra Drug study. Dogs for this study will have to travel to NCSU-CVM or the University of Tennessee approximately 7-8 times over a 44-week period.

For information regarding the above 2 studies, contact julie_osborne@ncsu.edu .

3. Blood samples from epileptic dogs are still being requested for a genetic study on canine epilepsy. For more information on this study contact carolinacanineepilepsy@gmail.com

Thanks for all you do to help out pets and their owners!

Warm Regards,
Julie Nettifee Osborne, RVT, BS
NCSU-CVM

November, 2006 - Toby's Foundation Completes Pledge for Research
Toby’s Foundation is pleased to announce completion of its $5,000.00 pledge. Thank you to everyone who helped us reach this goal. We will, of course, not stop here. We will continue to raise funds for the research to help stop canine epilepsy. The funds have been placed in a Donor Advised Fund for Aussie Epilepsy Research at the Canine Health Foundation and can be matched by them.

April, 2006 - For Immediate Release from Pam Douglas, President Toby's Foundation
As we approach the second anniversary of Toby’s Foundation, I have some very exciting news to share with you about the latest developments in the Aussie epilepsy research. We have gone from less than 100 blood samples just three years ago to over 1000 Aussie samples in the database as of April 2006 as reported at the USASA Nationals in MO! We have more samples in than any other breed! We are a committed group of Aussie breeders, fanciers and pet owners and the researchers have taken notice! The researchers have identified two Aussie family groups they can begin to work with. If we support the research now by filling in the missing links in family groups, raising the necessary funds for the Aussie research, submitting blood samples and if it turns out to be a simple recessive gene (which is how it now appears than the researchers), we may have a screening test in as little as 12-24 months. Otherwise, it will take longer. We have never been so close! As C.A. Sharp who attended the USASA Nationals said "We can see the light at the end of the tunnel!" We are very optimistic.

In addition, Toby’s Foundation has joined forces with the United States Australian Shepherd Foundation (USASF) and the Australian Shepherd Health and Genetics Institute (ASHGI) to raise $70,00.00 for Aussie epilepsy research. Toby’s Foundation pledged $5,000.00 to this joint effort. The funds will go to the Canine Health Foundation (CHF) and be placed in a donor advised fund (DAF) designated for Aussie epilepsy research. UMO is applying to CHF for grants and Erika Werne, Director of Canine Research and Education at CHF has told us that she will need the support of the Aussie community to raise some of the necessary funds to qualify for matching funds. Our $5,000.00 pledge will then become $10,000.00 as they match it dollar for dollar. Our joint ad with ASHGI and USASF will be out in the May/June 2006 issue of Aussie Times and the AS Journal.

October, 2005 - Pamela Douglas attended the ASCA Nationals.
We attended a seminar by Liz Hansen during nationals that gave an epilepsy research update. The good news—there are over 700 Aussies sampled as of October 2005! The bad news—there are a lot of “holes” in families.

92 of the samples are from affected dogs. Toby is one of the 92 affected dogs, but because of confidentiality, we don’t know the identity of the others.

We are asking the owners of the 92 affected dogs to join us in making sure that all of the dogs (both affected and unaffected siblings, parents, grandparents, and offspring) related to your dog submit a blood sample to the University of Missouri. It is very important that we have complete family information from all affected dogs and their relatives. Please do everything you can to get the samples submitted from all of your dog’s relatives.