Belgian Sheepdog Club of America
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Health of the Belgian SheepdogWelcome to the BSDRT health Information page. While many of the on going studies sited here are not directly available to our rescue dogs and their adopters, we have included them. The BSDRT Team wants our adopters and our applicants to be fully informed about of the health issues of the Belgian sheepdog. We are very proud of the partnerships the Belgian community has developed with researchers in an attempt to learn as much as possible about these health issues. We hope this page serves to educate those interested in a Belgian sheepdog rescue as well as provide a very optimist view of the future for our beloved breed. The following information is from the Belgian Sheepdog Club of America (BSCA) website. It is reproduced there with the permission of the BSCA Board of Directors. ANESTHESIA Like many breeds that have a low fat to body weight ratio, Belgians are particularly susceptible to anesthesia. These link direct you to very important information which you will probably want to share with your veterinarian. Please feel free to print both the articles and share with any interested parties. "An Anethestic Primer for the Belgian Owner", Libbye Miller DVM "Veterinary Notes on the Belgian Breeds", Libbye Miller DVM" CANCER INFORMATION: Texas A and M Oncology Site with great links: Michigan State University Stomach Cancer Study: Stomach Cancer Sample Requirements Stomach Cancer Sample Requests Gastric Cancer Study Enrollment Form Belgian Sheepdog Club study update JOINT DISORDERS As well as other certifications -An explanation of the certification process for the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), as well as a searchable data base is at: http://www.offa.org/ The issues of interest to Belgians that OFA currently certifies are hips, elbows, thyroids, patellas, and cardiac disease. Summary Data (by year) of OFA Statistics for Belgian Sheepdogs EYE DISORDERS The Canine Eye Research Foundation (CERF) web site is at http://www.vmdb.org/cerf.html . This site contains much information about varying eye diseases and a searchable data base. One of the eye diseases that can afflict Belgians is PRA, or Progressive Retinal Atrophy. PRA robs dogs of their sight, and is a genetic disease. Should you own or know of a dog affected by PRA, please participate in the study being done to locate the gene responsible for this disease. The PRA study contact is:
From Dr Petersen-Jones - "We can send out blood collection and shipping instructions (including for shipping from outside the USA), information forms for people to complete and return with their samples - these forms can be sent by email." EPILEPSY The University of California at Davis is the site of research being done by Dr. Anita Oberbauer. This research is going to pinpoint the gene responsible for epilepsy. The study has been well supported by owners of Belgian Sheepdogs, and we are very proud of that. To request swabs for the UCDavis Epilepsy Study, go to HTTP://CGAP.UCDAVIS.EDU Here is a wonderful article about epilepsy by a Belgian owner. http://www.faqs.org/faqs/dogs-faq/medical-info/epilepsy/ Here is a wonderful site with links to a lot of information about epilepsy. http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/site_map.htm Here is the web site of the Epil-K9 list. On this site you will find a wealth of information as well as instructions to allow you to subscribe to the list. http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/ If your dog should have a seizure, please make sure that your veterinarian draws blood for a thyroid test to be processed at one of the OFA-acceptable laboratories. (See the OFA web site (thyroid certification section) which is currently at http://www.offa.org/thycert.html, but can be located by going to the Genetic Database section, and then clicking on Autoimmune Thyroiditis.THYROID If you read one thing about thyroid, please make it this particular article. It's found many places so you may have read it before. If so, please read it again. http://www.gdhfa.org/ThyroidLaBrie.htm Poison Control Information: ASPCA Poison Control http://www.aspca.org/apcc Alternative Medicine: Alternative Vet Med Web Site http://www.altvetmed.com/ Genetics: Color genetics "DNA Testing, Lee Jiles and Libbye Miller DVM" |
The www.bscarescue.com website design and its contents are copyrighted to the Belgian Sheepdog Rescue Trust. Permission is granted to link to this site. Links to specific articles or publication of any article, picture or graphic on this site requires permission from the Belgian Sheepdog Rescue Trust or the author.
Last updated on: Sunday, August 9, 2009.
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