CANINE EYE REGISTRATION FOUNDATION Feb, 2003

INSIDE

• Director's Comments
• FAQ's
• FYI/Staff Notes
• DX Spotlight --Inherited Cataracts in Dogs
• CERF Category

DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS

Hello from the CERF office! We hope everyone is healthy and doing well (both owners and their canine companions). For those, like us, who live in the northern climates, we hope you are surviving the snow and cold and remember that Spring is just around the corner.

The only new item to discuss about CERF is the new certificate form that we will begin using on April 1st, 2003. At the request of the genetic subcommittee of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO), the new forms will have actual diagnoses of eye problems on the front of the form instead of disease categories. The front of the form will have an icon to identify the disease. The back of the form will contain the icon key defining what disease each icon represents. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns or problems with this new form.

We will also begin sending out forms to get your feedback on how CERF functions and your satisfaction with our services. We would like to know how to improve our service to you but we would also like to identify the services that you are happy with so we can possibly expand these areas.

Sincerely

Daniel F. Hogan, DVM, DACVIM-Cardiology, Director- CERF/VMDB

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q:Do you still offer the Kennel Rate fee?

A: Yes we do. If you send in 10 or more forms, whether they are initial registrations or re-certifications, the charge is $7.50 for each one.

Q: How do I find a Veterinary Opthalmologist in my area?

A: You can go to our website at vmdb.org. Go to the CERF link and then into the ACVO Clinic List. There you can search by state for a Doctor near you.

Q: How long will it take for me to get my certificate once I have mailed my form in?

A: It usually takes 10-14 days for us to process and get back in the mail to you.

FYI/STAFF NOTES

Due to the cost to CERF to cash checks and money orders drawn on Canadian Financial Institutions, we must charge an additional $8.00 fee for such methods of payment. To avoid this cost, use checks or money orders drawn on United States Financial Institutions or US currency. When currency is used a receipt will be provided by mail. This charge is also for US Funds Accounts that are drawn on a Canadian Bank. We are sorry for the inconvenience. Any registrations that are sent in with Canadian Funds payment will be sent back with a letter requesting the extra $8.00 fee.

CERF Address Change

Irish Setter DNA Database

The Irish Setter Club has contacted us and asked us to put their DNA information online so potential owners and breeders can check to make sure the dog they are interested in has passed its DNA test. Currently, the Irish Setter owners that have the Optigen DNA test done pay an extra charge to have their information put into our DNA Database When we have the DNA website up, you will be able to check on line and see what dogs have passed. It will be a search like CERF's that shows the dogs information. We are very excited about adding this search to our online services and hope to have it up and running within the next couple of months.

Certificate Changes and Improvements

Beginning in April, based upon ACVO genetic committee¡¯s request, we will be printing the actual diagnosis on the CERF certificate instead of a category. This will let you know exactly what the diagnosis is instead of a category that could be a number of problems. It will be noted as a letter and number (example A1), which will correspond to a diagnosis on the back of the CERF certificate. We are doing this to help you in your breeding decisions. The same information will be posted on CERF¡¯s website. For the dogs that were registered before April 1, 2003, the category will still be available on line.

There will be some other changes to the layout of the CERF certificate. Instead of just one owners name and the multiple owner notation, all of the owners names will be printed on the certificate. CERF¡¯s email address and mailing address will also appear on the certificate.

"There is only one smartest dog in the world, and every boy has it."-- unknown

New Information from CERF

Also, we are in the process of creating a Customer Service Survey for CERF and VMDB. It will be a survey that will be sent out with the certificates so you can tell us how we are doing. It will also be available on line for you to fill out and email directly to us. We are here to serve you, so let us know how we are doing!

Congratulations!

We would like to congratulate the nine new Diplomates on passing their American College of Veterinary Ophthalmology examinations. There are now approximately 250 practicing ACVO Diplomates available to perform CERF examinations. Congratulations to the following new Diplomates:

Elizabeth Giuliano
Amy Rankin
K. Michael Chang
Brian Skorobohach
Tim Cutler
Jennifer Urbanz
Kathryn Good
Laurence Galle
Ray Morreale

You can find an ACVO Clinic in your area by going to our website at www.vmdb.org and into the CERF link.

"A dog is one of the remaining reasons why some people can be persuaded to go for a walk." - Unknown

"Dogs feel very strongly that they should always go with you in the car, in case the need should arise for them to bark at nothing right in your ear." -Unknown