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Since July of 1997 Dogs registered with the American Kennel Club are required to have some form of permanent identification. Of the methods that are currently in common use, that means a tattoo, or a microchip. Both of these methods have problems. If you are able to get a tattoo to take, it may fade, or with all the loose skin dogs have it could be surgically removed. The microchip has problems too. Not so much with the chip itself as with the companies that make and market them. Currently there are several law suits between the competitors concerning the methods of implantation of the chip and which company owns the rights to what technology. That leaves the animal owner and the veterinarian with the quandary of: to chip or not to chip. If to chip; which chip to use. If you do decide to chip there is no single national database where you can register the chip number. That means if your dog is lost there is currently no single easy way to trace your dog with a microchip to you. That may not be too important for the purebred dog that is not likely to be lost. But, busy animal shelter personnel, to be willing to dedicate the time to look for chips in dogs that come to them as strays; must be convinced that they can quickly and easily link the dog with it's owner through just one phone call. Otherwise, why should they bother to scan all strays if the information gathered will not help find the dogs owner. Also to have mass appeal to the general dog owning public, it must be very easy to trace a microchipped doggy to it's owner. A single national database would help to satisfy this need and simplify the process. At this time there are at least three databases and no orderly process to register a chip number once a dog is chipped. Many dogs have chips that are totally untraceable at this time. The chip is a physical object and theoretically at least could be surgically removed from a dog (dead or alive), later to be implanted into another dog. If we start to see purebred stud dogs that are breeding successfully at age 25 and 30 we should perhaps become suspicious.
Perhaps we should make a completely new start. A major bank is beginning to use iris scans to identify people who use their ATMs. This same technology might work in the dog. If the dog iris is a truly unique as the human iris appears to be, this may be a better path to take. Cost of course is a serious factor when dealing with animals. A nose print if consistently readable and unique might be another method.
As the director of CERF I would like to have us use a standard method for absolute positive identification. Two years ago I would have opted for microchips and that still may be the best compromise. But, with the monumental lack of cooperation among the chip companies, most veterinarians are staying on the sideline. I predict that until veterinarians are convinced that the microchips are of a standard configuration and there is easy access to a national database, microchips in companion animals will never be widely used.
This is not a new problem. For the past five years I have been considering requiring that every dog also have a permanent and positive means of identification. The lack of a totally acceptable method has kept me from reaching a decision. AKC has now taken a stand that some form of permanent positive identification must happen without specifying the method. The AKC action is forcing me to come to a conclusion on this subject. The CERF Executive Board will be discussing this topic at our meetings this spring and this summer. Therefore, you can expect to see the phase in of some form of permanent positive identification to be required in all dogs CERF'd, in the near future. So when someone asks: "What animal is that?" there will be NO doubt!
With 1997 behind us, we have seen CERF continue to grow. Although many factors contribute to this growth, we would like to take this opportunity to commend the biggest reason, the increasing number of breeders and owners who are utilizing this service to help insure a healthy future for their breed.
1991:
Dogs Examined.........................................................49,169
Total Registrations..................................................... 9,695
1992:
Dogs Examined.........................................................52,750
Total Registrations.....................................................11,701
1993:
Dogs Examined.........................................................56,889
Total Registrations....................................................14,269
1994:
Dogs Examined.........................................................52,942
Total Registrations.....................................................17,318
1995:
Dogs Examined.........................................................50,284
Total Registrations....................................................20,169
1996:
Dogs Examined.........................................................37,910
Total Registrations....................................................20,580
1997:
Dogs Examined.........................................................46,882
Total Registrations....................................................22,725
CERF has changed their database to provide you with more report options. We are now able to run a report for each individual year for all years or a report for all years combined. Please keep in mind that the totals for these reports will not match. In the report which has all years combined, each re-cerf does not count as a new animal. Whereas, in the individual year reports, the re-cerfs will count as a new animal and therefore will provide more accurate statistics.
CERF makes available to individuals and clubs a brochure titled "Eliminating Heritable Eye Disease in Purebred Dogs." The brochure contains much information and answers to many questions concerning CERF, the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO), and canine eye testing in general.
The attractive blue brochure is absolutely free, and it is available in both small and large quantities. Call today at (765) 494-8179 to order a quantity of brochures for your next club meeting, clinic, dog show, or kennel customers.
The following are some commonly asked questions that we've received:
Q: How do we get an eye clinic in our area?
A: Contact your local ACVO diplomate or CERF for a list of all diplomates with their address and phone numbers and set it up through them. CERF also has a web site which gives you access to the ACVO diplomate list. The address is http://www.vet.purdue.edu/~yshen/doctor.html
Q: What diseases are commonly found in my breed?
A: Ask your diplomate, consult the new book "Ocular Disorders Proven or Suspected to be Inherited in Purebred dogs", or call and request an updated statistics report from CERF or the VMDB.
Q: What is an ACVO diplomate?
A: An ACVO diplomate is a board certified veterinarian with advanced
education in veterinary ophthalmology. Some prerequisites are:
CERF is in the process of making several changes in the upcoming year. One change involves the addition of a new registry within our family. CERF and VMDB are in the process of establishing a Equine Eye Registry (EERF) which will be similar to CERF. The purpose of this organization is to eliminate heritable eye diseases in horses through registration, research, and education.
EERF will operate on a similar basis as CERF, and will maintain a registry of horses that have been examined by diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists and have been found to be unaffected by major heritable eye disease. Horse owners may register these horses with EERF and receive a registration number and certificate. EERF will also maintain a closed research database which will consist of information that is a compilation of all examinations of horses (both normal and abnormal) done by ACVO diplomates. Reports generated from this database will help breeders and ophthalmologists identify trends in eye disease by breed and region. We also hope to educate the public on matters involving equine eye disease by providing various reports, newsletters, and other eye disease materials on heritable eye disease, healthy breeding stock, and breed/region-specific eye problems.
Julie Gionfriddo, DVM
Diplomate ACVO
ACVO Genetics Committee/CERF Liaison
