I just talked to Liz Hanson at UM, she states that anyone with blood on file should not be using it (unless the dog is dead) for Fanconi testing. They aren't using it anymore except to extract the DNA and store it for future use. It is STRONGLY suggested we all use the swab kit. I can't say I'm happy about this because I had blood drawn for a reason. To pay $65 for the kit, when I have blood on file, seems assinine! I asked what they are using the DNA for and she stated for various researches. I asked specifically about IPSID, and she didn't know what it was. She said they only do research on those things that they are asked to research.

Very strange IMO.

This is not new, once the cheek swabs were developed they changed to only accepting them instead of using the blood DNA.

And not sure what your point is about the money? Cheek swab is 65.00 for the swab and the DNA test. The test using the blood was 60.00, so you are only paying 5.00 more? You still would have had to pay the 60.00?

My point is, Pat, I am Canadian, it takes longer and is more of a pain in my butt to apply and send for the kit back and forth. Do you take everything so personal all the time??? It took me two weeks to get the kit in the first place when they already had the blood on file. Not to mention sending the blood originally takes money as well, so no, it's not 'just $5 more' plus I have to pay more as well changing Cd to US. Why do I even talk to you miss I know everything?

@nomrbddgs:

My point is, Pat, I am Canadian, it takes longer and is more of a pain in my butt to apply and send for the kit back and forth. Do you take everything so personal all the time??? It took me two weeks to get the kit in the first place when they already had the blood on file. Not to mention sending the blood originally takes money as well, so no, it's not 'just $5 more' plus I have to pay more as well changing Cd to US. Why do I even talk to you miss I know everything?

Sorry… I was just pointing out this is not something new. This is the way it has been for a while... And that the kit is 5.00 more then the original test.... I didn't take anything personal....

I'm sorry too Pat, I'm still just ticked off that I paid extra money for essentially nothing. Apparently, I'm not the only person this has happened to this year. For me, it's more than just the money, it's what's being done with the DNA stuff as well.

I like the kit test and I got it right away and the results. I also like the fact that all of us now do the kit. I do not always like what Pat has to say but I have to say she has been at this a long time. Pat's words of wisdom are ask for lots of times. I have ask Pat things with that having been said I myself can do and have said things other's do not like. As long as my Jaycee is safe happy and healthy have fun on here life is great.

Rita Jean

You all got your sorry's in there before I got done.

Rita Jean

@nomrbddgs:

I'm sorry too Pat, I'm still just ticked off that I paid extra money for essentially nothing. Apparently, I'm not the only person this has happened to this year. For me, it's more than just the money, it's what's being done with the DNA stuff as well.

It is BCOA (Basenji Club of America) that decides what is being reseached, not the lab. They don't just decide (the lab at U of MO) to use the DNA for what they want.

And that is true, you are not the only one this has happened with… I know I have blood there that I could have had pulled for Fanconi, but did the cheek swab instead.

This change was made because the lab that has the blood is not the lab that is currently running the marker testing. They are requiring the FTA cards because that is what the lab that is running the marker test now is optimized for.

As for how the DNA is being used, BCOA is who determines what projects the DNA bank will be used for. They do receive and consider proposals from researchers each year.

Any BCOA member can request to be part of the BCOA health committee by emailing the current chair. There may not be an immediate opening but they will make sure that you are on the list of interested parties. Also, the BCOA health committee has always invited all members to join their annual meeting at the Nationals and welcomes input and concerns from the membership.

I am a member of the BCOA Lisa and when I go to the Nationals, I do join the meeting.

The people at OFA must not be up to date then, because the supervisor sent me over to talk to Liz about using the blood for testing saying that UM run the test for the blood products while they only do the swab. I resent not being able to use the blood that they requested I send in for the test and then have to pay for a test. Drawing blood up here is not cheap-at all. So to draw it and have to send it costs a lot of money. And then to use it when they don't have any other info (healthwise) re the dog is, in my books, not very helpful. What if my dog never develops anything? Then the blood, that I paid to have shipped to them, is useless? Can you explain further Lisa?

No, the blood you sent is not useless. In every study, the researchers need families of dogs that have the disease and families of dogs that do not. In fact, the more samples that the lab has especially of families of dogs the more useful they will be in finding genes for inherited diseases whether or not the family has that particular disorder.

nomrbddgs…, I don't think I'm completely following. Do you mean you had the blood draw, did all the paper work (so to speak), shipped the draw, and now they say you need to send in the swab kit as well for processing? or

In the mean time, they're able to use your blood draw/storage for other purposes not personally approved by you (?) but you can't have it used for other tests at UM?

NOT trying to start a melt down here at the forum. I just sincerely don't understand. (Iggy from start to end)

When the Fanconi test was released, the only way to get it done was by submitting blood for the test. It is the same price to ship 1 sample as it is to ship many samples so some people submitted blood for their whole household but did not request the test at the time of submission because they did not have immediate plans to breed the animal. Since the number of test submissions became so large it was taking up all of the research lab's time, they entered into an agreement with OFA which has a production lab on the U of Mo campus to run the Fanconi tests. This lab is optimized for FTA samples and requires that any tests requested have an FTA sample submitted in order to be run. If the dog is unavailable for an FTA sample to be collected, ie dead, then the research lab can run the test from the extracted DNA from the blood but this takes time away from the current research for the Fanconi gene.

Thank you Ivoss I did not know the reason from blood to kit. I must say that if this is faster and gives them more time to do research all the better.

Rita Jean