GOLDEN RETRIEVER FOUNDATION PAYS FOR SENIOR CERFS

GOLDEN RETRIEVER FOUNDATION PAYS FOR SENIOR CERFS!
March 2011 GRF Updates
The Golden Retriever Foundation (GRF) is very excited to announce that plans
have been finalized to pay for CERF registrations for Golden Retrievers 8 years
and older!
CERF, as most of you know, stands for Canine Eye Registration Foundation. We are
very fortunate to have an online database via CERF and the Orthopedic Foundation
for Animals (OFA) to research health issues in our dogs as well as their
ancestors. The GRF will pay for CERF registrations for any Golden 8 years and
older to be added to these online registries.
With the designation of Pigmentary Uveitis (PU) as a very serious hereditary
disorder in Golden Retrievers about a decade ago and the realization that most
dogs with this serious condition will not present with the disease until after
many are no longer being bred, the newest recommendation is now to check dogs
annually for life. Because the average age of onset for PU is 8 years old, the
new recommendation, from GRCA’s Health & Genetics Committee, is that all Golden
Retrievers that have been used in a breeding progam have their eyes checked and
registered for their lifetime with CERF. It used to be common practice to only
clear dogs’ eyes that were being used for breeding so most were no longer being
checked when the disease normally expresses. Additionally, many people never
sent the form into CERF for the online database at all.

To assist Golden breeders in making informed breeding decisions, the
recommendation is to permanently register these results in a public forum such
as CERF. Then breeders can research pedigrees to make more informed breeding
decisions in a factual manner even if the owners are no longer able to be
contacted. CERF shares results with OFA so the information is recorded there as
well. We also want people to know that any eye (or heart) failure can be sent in
to OFA and listed for free.
Realizing this recommendation is now asking owners to register dogs that were
often not even being checked, much less registered, the GRF decided to pursue
helping out with the dogs who have traditionally been least likely to be checked
but are most at risk of having PU due to age. Additionally, since Pigmentary
Uveitis is such a serious disease leading to pain and often glaucoma and/or
removal of the eyes if not caught early and treated, we also want to encourage
everyone with older dogs to get them checked even if they have never been used
in a breeding program. Paying for the registration is our way to encourage and
support this effort.
The program involves printing out a simple voucher to be included with the CERF
form you send in for registration in the database. It is understood that all
dogs will be included in the public database so the owner must agree to results
being published. We encourage everyone to share the information about the
voucher with all Golden owners. If your club is holding a health clinic, please
print some of these vouchers to have on hand as well. The voucher will soon be
available on both the GRCA and GRF websites but you can get a copy now by
clicking on the following link:
http://www.goldenretrieverfoundation.org/
Let’s all work together to help reduce the occurrence of this painful eye
disease.

Thanks again to everyone who has signed up for the new read-only GRF Updates
list. We would like to see everyone join and we will send out updates
approximately once a month. Please share this update with anyone you feel may be
interested! To join, simply send a blank email to:

grfupdates-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

For more information about the GRF, please visit our website at
http://www.goldenretrieverfoundation.org/.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Krawsczyn, GRF Secretary
On behalf of the GRF
Board:

Dave Kinghorn,
President

Nancy Talbott, Vice-President
Linda Johnson, Treasurer