STUDY OF THE GENETIC BASIS OF BLOAT IN THE GREAT DANE


The Board of the Great Dane Club of America has recommended that money in the CHF donor advised fund and the Great Dane Charitable Trust Co-fund the following exciting research. Please use the following information to place on the GDCA website notice of the research and most important, a call for
samples Laura Schultz can be contacted at canine@scripps.edu
Neil O’Sullivan
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Hi, my name is Laura Schultz and I work at the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Florida. I am writing because we are conducting a study of the genetic basis of bloat in Great Danes and we are in need of participants to donate DNA samples to make our research possible. Below you can find more information about the study's goals and the requirements for participation (basically any purebred Great Dane can participate and we are requesting blood samples). If you would be interested in joining our study you can find more details at our website listed below and please feel free to email me with any questions.

Thanks for your time,
Laura Schultz

Participants Needed for Canine Genetics Study

Under the direction of Dr. Mat Pletcher at the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Florida, we are conducting a study of the genetics of gastric bloat/torsion, which is a significant threat to the health of canine breeds of large body size. Because the cause of bloat/torsion, environmental or genetic, is still largely unknown, there are no effective measures to prevent its onset.

The goal of this project is to officially establish the contribution of family history, or genetic predisposition, to bloat/torsion in Great Danes and potentially identify genetic variants within the breed that put the animals at risk.

In order to conduct our study we need DNA samples from Great Danes and detailed pedigree information provided by breeders and owners. We are currently collecting DNA samples from ALL Great Danes, including those who have suffered from bloat and those who have not, as well as dogs with a family history of the disease.

If you would like to contribute to our research, please see our website www.pletcherlab.org/canine.html  where you will find instructions for collection and shipment of blood samples, as well as the data collection sheet that we ask all participants to complete and send back to us along with the blood sample. We also request that owners provide pedigrees and note the bloat/torsion status
affected/ not affected/ unknown) for all individuals on that pedigree.

Thank you, and please feel free to contact Laura Schultz at canine@scripps.edu with any questions or concerns.

**Please note that all information provided for this study is kept strictly confidential

Laura Schultz
The Scripps Research Institute - Florida
5353 Parkside Drive
Jupiter, FL 33458
(561)-799-8830
Laura@scripps.edu

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