May, 2021
NewfCare:
RESEARCH & RESCUE
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I hope you are enjoying the NewfCare: Research & Rescue newsletter. This issue highlights some research the NCA Charitable Trust is supporting in partnership with both the AKC Canine Health foundation and the Morris Animal Foundation. The Donor Inspired Study at Michigan State University to research Newfoundland Forelimb Anomaly (CRHL) has begun, many thanks to all of you who donated to the "Stand By Me!" campaign to support this important research.
The NCA Charitable Trust will be hosting the Welcome Reception at the 2022 NCA National Specialty in Frankenmuth, MI in celebration of 25th Anniversary of the formation of the Trust. Additionally on Friday of specialty week the Charitable Trust Management Board will host a Donor Reception to honor YOU, our donors, who make the work of the Trust possible. For those donors that are not in attendance we will be uploading a video of the reception for you to view following the reception or at a later date. We are very excited about both events and look forward to seeing many of you in 2022.
Thank to each and every one of you for your donations that further our work to ensure a safe and healthy future for our Newfoundland companions.
Clyde Dunphy DVM, NCA CT Chairman
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Critical Need for Rescue Help
Newfoundland Rescue is always looking for help. Right now there is a critical need for people who live in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, in the territory of two NCA Regional Clubs, Penn Ohio (PONC) and Great Lakes (GLNC).
Penn Ohio (counties in Pennsylvania – Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Crawford, Erie, Fayette, Greene, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, Westmoreland, and Washington. Counties in Ohio – Ashtabula, Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Harrison, Jefferson, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas and Wayne. Counties in West Virginia – Brooke, Hancock, Marshall and Ohio). Great Lakes (all of Michigan).
For years, the rescue services in all these areas has been provided by South Central Newfoundland Rescue. Recently, South Central has informed NCA Rescue that due to the strains on their resources Rescue services can no longer be provided for Newfoundlands outside of their own region.
The NCA Rescue Fund has funded veterinary services and foster care for Newfoundlands surrendered in both PONC’s and GLNC’s regions and managed by SCN-R for several years. Nonetheless, the purpose of the NCA Rescue Fund is to provide services and funding for Newfoundlands in areas where no regional Newfoundland club exists.
NCA Rescue is looking for help to recruit Rescue workers who will coordinate services for Newfoundlands in these regions. NCA Rescue assists with all of the regional clubs that have active rescue organizations and is eager to assist anyone who can help on a local level. This help can include advice, making contacts with regional clubs, other Newfoundland rescue organizations and with local shelters.
The NCA Rescue provides grants to regional clubs’ Rescue Services to subsidize veterinary costs. The Newfoundland Club of America provides a one-time grant, up to $1000, to regional clubs, on an as-needed basis, for legal fees, registration and incorporation fees, etc. for state and federal incorporation of regional clubs and their affiliated charities.
South Central Newfoundland Rescue and NCA Rescue chairs are available to provide advice, based on many years of Rescue experience, to help manage the critically needed Rescue service for our beloved breed.
If you live in another area and are interested in helping out with Newf Rescue in any way, please let us know.
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Charitable Trust Research Update |
The NCA Charitable Trust is continuing our commitment to heath research to benefit Newfoundland dogs. The CTMB funded a study through the AKC Canine Health Foundation, this is an interim report:
Grant 02682-A – The Effect of a Modified Approach on Early Weight Bearing in Dogs Following a Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy for Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture.
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Trust Funded Study Webinar |
Date: Tuesday, May 25, 2021
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Speaker: Joanne Tuohy, DVM, PhD, DACVS
Topic: A Novel Non-Surgical Option to Preserve Limbs in Canine Osteosarcoma
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On-Demand Webinars
View these two on-demand webinars that are from Trust funded Canine Health Foundation studies.
Get a bloat sticker designed by the NCA Health & Longevity Committee
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The Charitable Trust Management Board has published our 2020 Annual Report. If you haven't already looked through it, please download a copy now. Clyde Dunphy, Trust chairman, gave a presentation on Trust activities at the NCA Annual Meeting in March. If you missed the meeting, you can watch the video recording.
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We are saddened to share that long-time NCA member Ann (Peggy) Sorm passed away recently. Peggy was one of our original monthly donors, using our easy online sign-up. Over the years, Peggy's small monthly donations added up to over $4500. Her lifelong dedication to the Newfoundland dog sets an example to all of us.
If you would like to learn more about how you can have an impact on the future of the Newfoundland breed, please contact us to talk about planned giving, or visit our site to learn more about our easy monthly donor program.
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Forelimb Anomaly/Congenital Radial Head Luxation Update |
Morris Animal Foundation Press Release
Newfoundland forelimb anomaly is a unique, often-debilitating elbow deformity found in the Newfoundland dog breed, and a condition that currently is not well understood.
Now, a newly funded study from Morris Animal Foundation hopes to improve that understanding by investigating changes in the Newfoundland dog genome that may be responsible for development of forelimb anomaly. The study also could help advance scientific understanding of bone and joint development in other breeds with these types of bone structure anomalies.
Dr. Vilma Yuzbasiyan-Gurkan, Professor and former Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, is the recipient of this Donor-Inspired Study grant, funded by the Newfoundland Club of America Charitable Trust (NCA Charitable Trust). For over 20 years, the NCA Charitable Trust has been committed to funding research projects aimed at addressing critical health issues affecting the Newfoundland breed.
“We know this is a genetic disease, but it is unclear exactly how it is inherited and comes about,” said Dr. Yuzbasiyan-Gurkan. “It can be very painful for the dogs that are affected, and euthanasia is often the only option, which is very heartbreaking and something we want to avoid.”
For her study, Yuzbasiyan-Gurkan will first sequence the whole genome from DNA samples of two or three trios of Newfoundlands, consisting each of a normal dam and sire and an affected offspring. She believes she will find variations in the DNA of the affected offspring that differ from their unaffected parents. Once they validate their findings in at least one additional trio, her team will search for those variants in DNA samples from 30 affected Newfoundlands and about 100 unaffected Newfoundlands. Some of those samples will come from the NCA Charitable Trust. Yuzbasiyan-Gurkan expects to find a disproportionally high number of variants in the affected population and the variants will be low or nearly absent in the unaffected population.
If successful, she hopes this information will lead to a genetic test that will help breeders avoid passing along the trait in Newfoundlands and potentially in other breeds. More broadly, the study could produce insights into the development of cartilage and bones.
“This is a frustrating and poorly defined disease that causes a great deal of concern for Newfoundland breeders and owners. What we learn from this work for Newfoundlands may also have implications for our overall understanding of bone and joint development and ultimately similar conditions affecting other breeds,” said Dr. Janet Patterson-Kane, Morris Animal Foundation Chief Scientific Officer. “Healthy bone and joint structure is essential for quality of life and well-being, and we hope this study will lead to methods of predicting and eliminating, or at least reducing the incidence of this particular condition.”
First characterized in 1988, Newfoundland forelimb anomaly is a problem loosely defined as a growth abnormality that leads to deformity of the elbow joints. The condition is painful for affected dogs, making it difficult for them to walk, and there are no reliable treatment options. The condition is found in breeds such as Newfoundlands, Bernese mountain dogs and Tibetan mastiffs. It is not known how many dogs are impacted, but the condition is considered to be a significant issue by breeders and owners.
The Foundation’s Donor-Inspired Study program allows individual donors and foundations to directly support research topics for which they have a passion and there is a pressing need. Applications for this grant were reviewed and rated, based on impact and scientific rigor, by a Foundation scientific advisory board.
Morris Animal Foundation is one of the largest nonprofit organizations worldwide that funds health studies benefiting cats, dogs, horses, llamas, alpacas and wildlife. The Foundation currently is funding 150 studies encompassing a broad spectrum of species and diseases.
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Sub Aortic Stenosis Update |
Campaign Update - Stolen Heartbeats
Over $11,000 has been raised by dedicated Newfoundland owners, breeders and clubs to help fund research into this deadly disorder. Now that a promising study is on the horizon, it is even more vital that we dig deep to reach our fundraising goal to help get answers before more innocent puppies are lost.
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The NCA Charitable Trust has many planned giving opportunities, please contact us to learn more - - Learn More
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