Staffordshire Terrier Club of America - Health Committee
Chairperson: Faith Beiser
Members: Sharon Gregory, Sandy Underwood, Heidi McClure, Linn Cabral
Contact: health@amstaff.org
The mission of the STCA health committee is to:
- Identify diseases and ailments of the American Staffordshire Terrier
- Provide funding for health research projects beneficial to our breed
- Provide support and information for owners needing help in a health crisis situation
- Educate breeders and owners on diseases of the American Staffordshire Terrier and the importance of utilizing available health tests
- Acknowledge breeders and owners participating in health screenings
New Optigen Ataxia Test Discount
From January 25th to January 29th, 2010, Optigen will be offering a 20% discount on the NCL-A test plus an additional 5% off for registering on line, for a total of 25% off the regular test price.
Go to the Optigen website www.optigen.com and register for the test using code BRR10125. Once you register, you will have 30 days to submit your test sample to Optigen.
Faith Beiser
STCA Sponsored, AKC Canine Health Foundation Grants
The STCA Health Committee is proud to announce the STCA's sponsorship of two very important grants given by teh AKC Canine Health Foundation.
The first grant is Polymicrobial Bacteria-Associated Inflammatory Stifle Arthritis/Degenerative Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture in Dogs. The purpose of this research is determine whether a causal relationship exists between the presence of mixtures of bacteria within the stifle joint and the development of inflammatory arthritis/degenerative cranial cruciate ligament rupture.
The second grant is Identification of Mutations Causing Hereditary Cerebellar Cortical Degeneration in American Staffordshire Terriers and Old English Sheepdogs. The purpose of this research is to identify candidate genes in linked chromosomal regions, perform high-density mapping of linked chromosomal regions, and to sequence candidate genes.
Please download the PDFs available in the links above for more information.
OFA Cerebellar Ataxia Database - January 2009
We are setting up an OFA database to record results of the American Staffordshire Terrier NCL-A Cerebellar Ataxia test. Eddie Dziuk, Chief Operating Officer of OFA has extended a courtesy to the Am Staff community to encourage registration in this new database. He has agreed to waive the recording fee for for a 6 month period for those dogs who have an existing OFA record (hips, cardiac, thyroid, elbows, etc.) This fee will be waived on eligible dogs until June 30th, 2009. If you are registering an affected dog, this does not apply. There is never a fee for registering an affected dog.
To record your dog's test results with OFA, go to the OFA website, click on "OFA Applications", then click on "DNA Based Genetic Disease application". Print out the application and mail to OFA with a copy of your dogs's certificate. OFA will record your test results and issue you an OFA certificate and number.
We are in the process of setting up an arrangement with Optigen where you may choose the option to automatically have the results of your test sent to OFA. The discount fee will be $7.50 if you register this way. If you choose to receive the test results first and register with OFA on your own, the fee is $15.00. You would need to print out the application from the OFA website and send it in with the fee and a copy of your dog's certificate.
At this time, the automatic registration system with Optigen is not in place, so if you want to record your dog's results, you must mail them in to OFA with the application. We do expect that the application system will be adjusted shortly, however, their system will not accomodate the waiver of the fee that OFA is giving us until June 30th. If your dog is eligible for a free OFA recording, you must mail in the application with the dog's certificate. After June 30th, the normal fee schedule will be in effect.
I would like to thank Eddie Dziuk for extending this courtesy to us, and I hope that everyone will take advantage of this database as a good resource for sharing valuable information which is vital for the future of our breed.
Faith Beiser
STCA Health Committee
