[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: Was CHIC now OFA
- From: Amy Greenhut <genoaktortoise@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Ginialtman@xxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2010 18:32:21 +0000 (UTC)
I have a question.....my Nichole who is going to be ten in November just got a
CHIC # in the mail last week. When a dog has a CHIC # isn't is supposed to mean
that they are free of certain diseases and are healthy? Nichole is OFAed H & E
and has a TC,CGC,TDI. She was also born with MEGAESPHAGUS and has EPI. I
would hardly call her disease free...she would die without her enzymes. In my
opinion...a dog that receives a CHIC number should be tested for certain
hereditary diseases...not just be OFEed and have a TC. It is kind of a joke in
my opinion.
Amy Greenhut
Justrock German Shepherds
Board Member Last Hope Safe Haven
http://lasthopesafehaven.com
Gen Oak Leopard Tortoises & Â Tortoise Rescue
Behold The Turtle, Â He Makes Progress Only When He Sticks His Neck Out
A Quote By James B. Conant
----- Original Message -----
From: Ginialtman@xxxxxxx
To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, TRocknroll@xxxxxxx, nhansburgh@xxxxxxxxxx,
showgsd@xxxxxxx, terraf@xxxxxxxxxxxx, pcooke212@xxxxxxxxxxx, ginialtman@xxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, September 6, 2010 2:14:58 PM
Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Was CHIC now OFA
This is almost everything you wanted to know about the recent changes in Â
CHIC. Maybe it is more than some want to know--I couldn't find anything to
leave  out:-)
Â
Carmen brought the recommendation to drop those two tests, cardiac and Â
thyroid,  from the CHIC requirements on the OFA database to the July  Board
meeting under the AKC Delegates Report. His rationale was that we did not
 have
as many dogs participating as other breeds did.
As Health and Genetics Chair, I was aware that it took significant  effort
to do the CHIC program and when we started it in 2005 Â CHIC had been matched
to our Health Award of Merit --which still  exists today unchanged. The
Health Committee had just launched a Health  Study (as members likely know)
so,
while I recognized that these two  conditions were not the ones that were
our biggest problems and know that in  addition, because of the nature of the
tests, there is value of the cardiac  and thyroid for GSD as a snapshot in
time, I was not ready to take those  two tests away without adding something
that was significant, especially a  DNA test for GSD --like DM and offered
that. Also I suggested a  substitute for testing by asking for participation
in the CHIC DNA bank  which would be acceptable to the Health Committee.
We currently have 2 DNA tests for DM and they are both "recommended" but Â
not at this time "mandatory" because of the complexities of diagnosing the Â
disease and that each test tests for a different form of the disease; in Â
addition, Dr Leigh Ann Clark is in the middle of a great big study that may--
Â
within a year or so-- yield DNA results. So I tried to move the subject to Â
discussion under the Health and Genetics committee but failed to get support
of  the majority of the Board and Carmen's recommendation prevailed and
those  tests were taken away. I tried to bring it up again under the Health
and
 Genetics Committee, I had, before the board meeting, polled the committee Â
members for their thoughts but I was not successful in getting the
committee  recommendations adopted.
Â
There were about 70 GSD that had a CHIC number before the change, Â and
while Golden Retrievers require hips, elbows, eye and cardiac they have 6250 Â
yes that is six thousand + dogs participating. Their health criteria was about
 equal with what we had before we reduced ours. In talking to folks  about
the huge numbers of Goldens, I was informed that it is a "breed culture" Â
--that it is an expectation for breeders of Goldens to obtain these tests
before  using the animals for breeding and they just do. Goldens are ranked
4th
in 2009 Â so, there are a lot of them but not as many of them as there are
GSD which  were ranked # 2. Â
Â
For comparison, in Dobermans, they require hips, thyroid, von willebrands, Â
cardiac and eye along with a temperament test which they label Working Â
Aptitude. The criteria is much higher than what we had for GSD. They have 90 Â
dogs with a CHIC number. Â Dobermans are ranked 15th in 2009 so there are Â
fewer Dobermans but they do more tests and achieve higher number of CHIC dogs
Â
than GSD before the change.
Â
So since August 2010 GSDs now have close to 500 dogs in the CHIC Â
database--and all but about 70 of them are for hips and elbows and TT. That is
 quite
a few dogs since 2005 that have passed the temperament test.
While temperament is not health, it was Bob Penny's passion and I worked Â
closely with him to understand that it is critical and essential in a GSD. We
 have a test for it. I will make a point of evaluating, with the other
members of  the Health Committee, the other test options that were suggested.
Â
In time we will have other recommendations to add to the CHIC criteria and Â
it will be supported by research and the health survey. Whether the
committees  recommendations will get adopted is another question.
Â
We will be doing more with the GSDCA Health Award of Merit. Watch for some Â
new promotion to come on that using the previous criteria that the original
 CHIC was based on and we will resurrect the Certificate.
Â
Those dogs that have gotten a CHIC number will always have one even if the Â
criteria changes.
Â
I am passionate about this and was disappointed, but will work to "get it Â
right".
Ginny Altman
Â
In a message dated 9/6/2010 10:53:33 A.M. Central Daylight Time, Â
Showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
From: Â <nhansburgh@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Â OFA
Got my eleventh OFA certificate in the mail on Saturday. This one  was for
Harvey.Hips. Our dogs do not die of bone problems. They die of soft  tissue
problems. Removing the Thyroid and Cardiac requirements is going in the Â
wrong direction.Question. who removed the requirements OFA or  GSDCA?
--
norma  hansburg
www.normahansburg.com
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POST is Copyrighted 2010. All material remains the property of the original
author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind
are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the
Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Each Author is responsible for the content of his/her post. This group and its
administrators are not responsible for the comments or opinions expressed in
any post.
ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY
MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS
PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY
FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE
PROSECUTED.
For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxx
VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org
NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/
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