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Great Dane Get-together organised by Sheena Booth & Gary Gough

Great Dane Get-together organised by Sheena Booth & Gary Gough
at Ty Mawr Holiday Park, North Wales on Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th March

Having received permission from the majority of our member clubs to accept the invitation to give a short talk on the Great Dane Breed Council at this event I am pleased to be able to report that over 50 Great Dane owners attended. These ranged from very new, under 1 year, to the longer standing, up to 60 years, in our breed.

I started with a short talk about why the Breed Council was set up, how it is made up & more importantly what it does. I briefly pointed out the day to day running of the BC and some of the work that goes on dealing with the KC and other societies, most importantly I pointed out that it was their BC and we could only make recommendations and decisions on items of agenda that had come from them through their Breed Clubs. The Q & A session went on for far longer than the 20minutes I had allocated and I was very pleased with the response, at the time and later, in one to one conversations, I was told that they now realised that the BC was there to act on their behalf and not a group of people trying to impose their own views upon them as they had been led to believe from the untruths spoken of and printed on some media sites. I pointed out that where the BC was given a mandate to request changes of the KC it can take a very long time for the KC to decide on and then implement these changes, so should they change their minds in the meantime they must keep their clubs and therefore the BC informed because it can only act on the last instruction received.

I attended the event with the premise that if I could convince one person that the BC was a useful organisation acting on their behalf I would feel it was worthwhile, so I am very happy that I left many more with that knowledge. I therefore would like to thank the member clubs for their permission to attend, Sheena and Gary for allowing me the opportunity and those who attended for listening and I hope that they will pass on the information they gained to other members of the Great Dane family as they make new friends and progress in their careers in our Majestic Breed.

Tim Lewis

GREAT DANE BREED COUNCIL AGM

THE GREAT DANE BREED COUNCIL

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

WILL BE HELD AT

THE HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS

STAFFORD ST18 9AP (Jct 13 of M6)

MAP

THURSDAY 10th APRIL 2014

2PM TALK BY MR BILL LAMBERT ON THE ASSURED BREEDER SCHEME – Questions and Answers Session

3PM START OF AGM

Paid up Members of the 8 participating Breed Clubs are
invited to attend

Enquiries to Mrs Olivia Bates, Secretary

01606 737444

email:

Vaccination Guidelines Update

The Pet Welfare Alliance have published on their website details of updated Vaccination Guidelines that veterinary groups around the world are adopting. With the kind permission of The Pet Welfare Alliance we are now able to publish their letter here and can be found by following this link

Further interesting reading is available at The Pet Welfare Alliance website by following this link

Mystery illness killing dogs

The BBC has been reporting on a mystery illness that is killing dogs. Signs are to be put up in the New Forest warning dog owners about a mysterious disease that has killed 13 dogs across Britain in recent months. Believed by vets to be similar to “Alabama Rot” and could ultimately lead to kidney failure should your dog develop lesions on its legs, paws or face you are advised to seek immediate veterinary advice. To read the full story follow this link

Change in breeding advice for BVA/KC Elbow Dysplasia scheme

The Kennel Club would like to make you aware of the change to breeding advice for the British Veterinary Association/Kennel Club Elbow Dysplasia scheme. Originally, it was recommended that breeders select dogs with an elbow grade of 0 or 1, as a grade 1 was considered relatively mild at the time. However, graded radiographs have shown that the majority of dogs with grade 1 elbows display obvious signs of unilateral and bilateral arthritis.

Therefore, the revised breeding advice from the BVA is as follows:
‘It is strongly recommended that breeders wishing to reduce the risk of elbow dysplasia should select their breeding stock (both dogs and bitches) only from animals with an overall grade of 0. Dogs with elbow grades of 2 or 3 have marked osteoarthritis likely to be due to ED, with or without a visible primary lesion. Dogs with elbow grades of 1 show mild or early osteoarthritis which is also likely to be due to ED.’

The elbow grades of Kennel Club registered dogs under the BVA/KC Elbow Dysplasia scheme can be seen via the Health Test Results Finder (an online Mate Select service). For additional scheme information, please visit the BVA website.

Newborn Puppy Mortality and Morbidity Survey

This email is to inform you, on behalf of Bloomfield’s Puppy and Kitten Clinic, part of The Goddard Veterinary Group, of a survey investigating neonatal puppy mortality and morbidity across breeds in the UK during 2012 and 2013.

You can complete the questionnaire online here

We would be very grateful if you could help disseminate information about this survey amongst your breed. The survey can be completed by UK breeders that have bred a litter in 2012 or 2013, whether Kennel Club registered or not, and all information given will be treated in complete confidence, with no names of dogs, or owners’ details ever being published.

It is important that questionnaires are collected from healthy litters as well as those with health conditions and complications, so that the number of affected litters and deaths of newborn puppies can be put into context.

The survey will provide meaningful data that can be used, if required, by researchers focusing on neonate puppy health issues. After the survey period has ended, the results will be analysed and published on the Puppy and Kitten Clinic website.

For further information and to complete the survey, please visit puppyandkittenclinic.com or email Samantha Bloomfield MRCVS at .

Bio-Aquisition Research Collaboration (BARC) – a new research exchange facility

The Kennel Club would like to inform you of an online research exchange facility, the Bio-Acquisition Research Collaboration (BARC), for vets and researchers that is available on the Vets & Researchers section of The Kennel Club website. This facility will be a central platform for researchers to request samples they need to undertake their current research, to ensure that clinicians, breeders and other researchers are aware of research being carried out, and to give them the opportunity to make any contributions, whether it is samples or significant data and information. The Kennel Club hopes that this facility will help bring researchers and clinicians together with regards to research, making it easier to form a collaboration of different ideas and information that may result in faster progression of research into disease prevention, management, and treatment.

All the requirements of samples will be provided by the researchers and displayed on the ‘BARC’ page on The Kennel Club website.

The Kennel Club reserves the right to not support or otherwise encourage research that may involve experimental procedures that inflict pain or suffering to animals.

What’s New – Archive

17 June 2013

Breed Health Day – SUNDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER 2013

List of Speakers

BEN WALTON, “BVSc CertSAS MRCVS”
(Ben will be giving a presentation on HD). Since qualifying in 2002 Ben has spent 2 years in mixed practice and 6 years in small animal practice. In 2009 Ben started a mobile surgical referral service, which continues to operate.
In 2010 he returned to the University to run a large research project on the treatment of (osteo) arthritis in dogs.
Since October 2011 Ben has been a lecturer in orthopedic surgery which involves mostly seeing clinical cases, plus teaching students and residents.
In September Ben is leaving the University to work in a private referral hospital near Chester. Ben has given numerous lectures on joint disease in dogs, as far a field as Italy, USA and Moscow.

RACHEL LOCKHART “BVM&S Cert VOphthal MRCVS”
(Rachel will be presenting on eye’s) Rachel qualified from Edinburgh in 2001. After a short spell in mixed practice Rachel soon focused her efforts on companion animals alone and over the next eight years worked within first opinion practices in Hampshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire.
Rachel had a particular interest in Ophthalmology since University and gained the post-graduate RCVS Certificate in Veterinary Ophthalmology in 2009.
Rachel has worked as a dedicated Veterinary Ophthalmologist within referral practice ever since.
Rachel currently works between Rutland House Referrals in St. Helens and West Midland Referrals in Lichfield.

HANNAH COPELAND (DCM) Hannah will be providing an update on the DCM project.

Tickets are now on sale £15 (must be pre-paid) and includes buffet lunch, info pack and cert of attendance, tickets can be obtained/reserved through Maria McGuinnes Health Coordinator, via email, post, phone or at shows. Fuller details and a downloadable flyer will be available shortly

DATE	DETAILS	LINK
30 October 2013	Breed Clubs had recently been asked by the Kennel Club to suggest which shows should lose CCs for their breed, but it seems that there was so much resistance to the cuts that the 2015 allocation will be used for the following year, with additional CCs allocated to eight breeds but no reductions. The Kennel Club’s General Committee discussed the matter at its recent meeting and agreed that reducing the number ‘could be considered detrimental to the current show scene’.	To read an extract on the meeting by Dog World please click on the attached link	Link to Extract
28 October 2013	Report on the Breed Council Meeting held on Thursday 03 October 2013.	Details
30 September 2013	At a recent meeting of the Breed Council it was agreed “That the Breed Council recommends to breeders that they microchip and DNA profile their puppies before they leave for their new homes. The DNA will then be available to identify problems in the future”.
21 September 2013	The Breed Council Health Day will be held Sunday 22nd September 2013 at The Small Animal Teaching Hospital The University of Liverpool Leahurst Chester High Road Neston Cheshire CH64 7TE Arrival time 10:00 for refreshments and the seminar to start 10:30 prompt. Direction can be downloaded from the University website here. Any problems on the day please contact Maria on 07932 532220
17 June 2013	The Kennel Club has recently written to all of the Breed Clubs with a proposal to reduce the number of CCs on offer to the Breed as from 2016. Copies of the letters from the KC and the response of the Breed Council can be found by following the attached link.	Details
17 June 2013	Hannah’s update April 2013 We have fitted 45 Holter monitors to dogs we have seen through screening, as well as a few dogs where we have not seen them previously. About 50% of the Holters are abnormal, but remember that often these dogs are related so the number of affected is probably high because we think that ventricular arrhythmias are inherited and therefore occur more commonly in affected families. Also of interest is the early Troponin results (the marker of heart muscle damage) – early results suggest this might be a good test to identify dogs with ventricular arrhythmias.
22 April 2013	The Breed Council held a meeting on Thursday 18^th April at the Holiday Inn, Stafford. Apologies were received from The Great Dane Club & the Scottish Great Dane Club. The position of Chairman was up for election and Peter King stated that due to increasing business commitments he wished to withdraw his nomination thus allowing the delegates present to accept myself as the new Chairman. For those who do not know me I am Tim Lewis and along with my wife Sally have owned, bred and exhibited for some 23 years and been very actively involved with The South Western Great Dane Club for over 15 years where I am vice chairman. I am lucky to be of an age when I can reduce my workload and devote more time to the things that are important to me, Great Danes, the SWGDC and the B.C are very high priorities to me. Peter has worked hard for the past 9 years to get the B. C. where it is today and I thank him for all that hard work and leaving me with a very strong team to work with. It was agreed that Peter should chair the meeting, as it was to be his last in charge, which he did in his usual manner. The KCLC report was deferred until the AGM, which was to follow, to save Tony Schaanning-Ling giving the same report twice within a couple of hours. The Health Co-ordinator gave her report with an update on the DCM project, this year’s Health Day, and details of both can also be found on the website or obtained directly from Maria McGuinness who is also in charge of the tickets. Numbers are limited so please contact Maria a.s.a.p. The decision by the K.C to reduce the number of Special Awards classes from 6 to 3 (mixed sex classes) was discussed and it was agreed that the B.C. should write to the K.C. requesting that they reconsider. The A.G.M. followed at 3.00 pm. with Peter again taking the chair, there were an extra 7 club members present the same as last year and it would have been nice if there could be a few more. There were a number of topical discussions and reports given by the Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Health Co-ordinator and KCLC Officer. The ratification of the new constitution, agreed at the September 2012 meeting, was postponed until the 2014 A.G.M; I was pleased with this as it will give the clubs that missed the last couple of meetings a chance to make comments. The B.C. website is improving all the time thanks to the hard work & commitment of Phil Bates so please use it as it belongs to you the owners & members.
12 May 2013	For your information, please find attached a seminar flyer for “Genes and Thermals”, a set of lectures for all breeds, to be held on the 12th May. The event has been organised by the Wheaton Health Initiative and if you wish to book a place, or make further enquiries, please click here.
18 April 2013	The Great Dane Breed Council will hold its AGM at the Holiday Inn Express just off Junc 13 of the M6 at 3:00pm.	MAP
12 March 2013	DCM RESEARCH Volunteers are still needed for our research in the dilated cardiomyopathy in Great Danes. We have seen over 150 Danes for screening at the University of Liverpool – but we need more! We have reduced the age limit for screening to 4-years – so if you have a Dane 4 years or older we need you! We are offering a free examination by a cardiologist free health screening blood samples and a free heart scan if you can bring your dog to the University of Liverpool.We are also now sending out Holter monitors to be fitted to any dog aged 1 year or older. This is an ECG monitor (not the same as a heart scan) which needs to be fitted by your vet, but you don’t need to make the journey to Liverpool. This will provide us with much needed information about arrhythmias (palpitations) in Danes and may become a screening test for DCM that can be used in young dogs in the future. Contact Joan Toohey or Hannah Stephenson for more information on 0151 795 6100 or email Hannah on	Details
07 February 2013	Health Day – 22 September 2013 The Breed Council’s next Health Day will be held at The University of Liverpool Small Animal Teaching Hospital, Leahurst, Neston Cheshire on Sunday 22nd September 2013. Full details on Agenda, Speakers, ticket prices etc. will be published shortly	Details
16 December 2012	The Great Dane Breed Council is very pleased to be able to announce that the University of Liverpool has accepted its submission to extend the DCM project for a further 2 years. The original closing date was 31st December 2012 and they have now agreed to a new finish date of 1st January 2015
16 December 2012	An update on the DCM Research Project has been received from Hannah Stevenson	Details
14 October 2012	The Kennel Club and the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association are pleased to present a Breeders’ Symposium at the Royal Veterinary College, on Saturday 24th November 2012. This symposium is specifically designed for all dog lovers and dog breeders.
08 October 2012	The Great Dane Breed Council would like to thank Maxine Abbott for very kindly allowing us to use one of her photographs for our header
27 September 2012	New Website Published
13 September 2012	The Kennel Club held a Breed Health Co-ordinators Symposium and along with Ian Seath, the Chairman of the Dachshund Breed Council, produced two of the first in an on-going series of toolkits. These documents, the Breed Health Toolkit and the Health Strategy Guide, are designed to be resources which can help you develop and promote the health of your breed. The Breed Health Survey Toolkit is a step by step guide to developing health surveys, while the Health Strategy Guide is a practical approach to developing, assessing and monitoring a health plan specific to your breed. Links to the presentations can be found from the menu under KC Publications.
14 June 2012	Press Release on Hip Scoring
31 May 2012	BC Statement on the Kennel Club’s update to the Hip Scoring requirements for the “Assured Breeder Scheme”.
29 May 2012	Kennel Club update to the Hip Scoring requirements for the “Assured Breeder Scheme”. Our breed has had an adjustment made to its requirement and/or recommendations which is as follows:- Change from a REQUIREMENT to a RECOMMENDATION on HIP SCORING which comes into effect on July 1st 2012
01 May 2012	Details of the Holter Harness for heart monitors & a request from Hannah for more recruits Thanks to Ken & Joan Toohey for these two articles
28 April 2012	Shows & Judges for 2012 complete. Shows & Judges for 2013 started
12 April 2012	The Great Dane Breed Council will hold its AGM at the Holiday Inn Express just off Junc 13 of the M6 at 3:00pm.	MAP
06 April 2012	New Website Published