rapher has been craving this information from the dog world, and here it is. You can bet I will be following the International Harmonization of Genetic Testing for Dogs (HGTD) as it works to create com- prehensive breed-specific packages that that describe the health picture for all breeds internationally. They are evaluat- ing 300 tests done bymore than 30 provid- ers for more than 400 breeds—I can’t wait to see the results. The day ended with an extraordinary pre- sentation by Dr. Jerold Bell from Tufts University. He spoke about understanding breeds as populations—similar to early isolated human populations. My language again! A canine population specialist speaking to a sociological population spe- cialist—it was like finding the only other person in dogs who had the same scientific background I do. He talked about the im- portance of diversity in a gene pool, and howinappropriateselectioncandoserious damage. He talked about the importance of educating breeders on the proper use and understanding of genetic testing, and how to manage a population to increase health and genetic diversity without sacri- ficing important breed characteristics. He encouraged people to breed without fear, and to encourage and mentor more breed- ers to ensure the health of every breed’s gene pool. He encouraged all breeders to remain aware of breed conservation as they managed their breeding program. I don’t know how I have managed to miss so many of these conferences, but I am certainly grateful for the opportunity to attend this one. While much of the de- tailed science was way beyond my exper- tise, all presentations were interesting because they affect what real breeders do every day The researchers validate wat good breeders do. We know that our world of purebred competitions cannot exist without breeders, and these are the scientists who are helping us to breed bet- ter, healthier dogs. They replace myth and hearsay with science and fact, and the importance of that cannot be underesti- mated. I do have a suggestion for the par- ent clubs, however. Instead of sending the same people to this conference every year, I’d like to recommend selecting a seasoned breeder and a novice breeder to attend to- gether. Offer a scholarship to at least the novice breeder, if not both. Send different people every year but recommend that it is a great event for all breeders, even those who have to pay their own way. Encourage widespread attendance. This conference was one of the best I have ever attended, and it needs to bemade widely available to all breeders.
likelihood that many disorders are poly- genetic in origin, and will not be easily cured, though some research is promis- ing. Dr. Kidd’s workmay result in a shift in how we look at the immune system. She is determining that health, or homeostasis, is a balance of positive and negative bac- teria, and treatments must address both targeting what is harmful and preserving what is healthy. Dr. Jason Stull from Canada gave a truly frightening presentation on the resur- gence of Leptospirosis, especially in the Midwest. The disease can be transmitted to humans, is carried by asymptomatic hosts, is found in urine-contaminated wa- ter, and contaminated areas are virtually impossible to decontaminate. Vaccina- tion reactions are extremely low in the newer formulas, and he encourages wide- spread use of the vaccines, especially with young dogs who are most adversely af- fected by the bacteria. That is a huge shift in conventional wisdom among breeders who think young puppies should not be vaccinated against Lepto. Drs. Breitschwerdt, Dow, Dickerson and Modiano spoke on various causes and treatments for cancers in dogs and hu- mans. From identifying bacteria that may be causing some cancers, to using beta- blockers to treat some cancers, to explor- ing immune therapies to develop cancer vaccines, the research is challenging and rewarding. Clearly there will be new treat- ments for cancer coming to veterinary clinics near you. Dr. Stern spoke on car- diomyopathy and stressed the need for the OFA Advanced Cardiac Data Base. Dr. Clark presented on genetic risk assessment tools for multifactorial diseases and ex- plained how complex inheritance patterns make breeding away fromdisease difficult, if not impossible, without genetic testing. One of the final presenters was Dr. Brenda Bonnet, consulting epidemiologist and CEO of International Partnership For Dogs, which has started the international HarmonizationofGeneticTesting inDogs. This is important because so much DNA and genetic testing is being advised by Par- ent Clubs. She opened her presentation with a statement that nearly caused me to fall offmy chair! There is no quality control in canine DNA testing labs. There are too many labs, and all of them rapidly com- mercialize (sell for a profit) the DNA tests they develop. She says there is an overem- phasis on DNA testing, too early adoption of tests that have not been scientifically validated, widespread misunderstanding of how to apply results, and toomuch “deci- sion-making by Facebook.” Wow! She was talking my language! My inner demog-
Dr. Stephanie McGrath presented infor- mationon theuseofCBD, and the research being done at Colorado State University. The research on this topic is just begin- ning. Early work suggests CBD is well tolerated and has few negative side effects. However, dosing amounts in products on the market are not standardized, and not based upon clinical research. Her next research will focus on the use of CBD for epilepsy treatment. After individual presentations, the speak- ers were asked to stay for an hour for a panel discussion that included questions from the audience. This deliberate addi- tion to the conference was well thought- out and highly effective. Questions could be directed at individual presenters or directed to the entire panel for discus- sion. The questions were intelligent and challenging, and the resulting discussions were to the point and relatively brief. The conference moderator could step in to move things along, but rarely needed to do anything except to say they had run out of time at the end of the panel discus- sion. Thankfully this was not a political debate, so the presenters were not trying to have their own voices heard at the ex- pense of a good discussion among the ex- perts. Sometimes a question was directed to one individual who would quickly defer to a colleague they thought could provide a better answer. As a political junkie who listens to lots of debates, I found this re- freshing—just a group of experts trying to get difficult questions answered in the best possible manner. The second day of the conference was a bit more challenging. Themorning presenters were all experts in their fields, and their presentations were extremely detailed in their science. I found myself often looking formy phone to check emails or visiting the bathroomor on-site Starbucks. Eddie Dzuik opened with a brief descrip- tion of the work being done at the Ortho- pedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). The DNA repository currently has more than 30,000samples thatmaybeused for future health studies. More DNA from affected animals is needed for future research, and they are encouraging all parent clubs to re- mindmembers to donate samples. Drs. Steven Friedenberg, Karen Munana, Anita Oberbauer and Linda Kidd spoke about current research on Addisons dis- ease, Steroid-responsive meningitis, au- to-immune and endocrine disorders, and the link between auto-immune disease and vector-born (think tick bite) infec- tions, respectively. Mostly their presen- tations clearly stressed the complexity of the issues they are addressing, and the
40 • T op N otch T oys , D ecember 2019
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