| Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) is a Dreadful Disease |
| Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) affects many dogs of all breeds. We are very familiar with this disease as it afflicted our first Springer, Boswell. We watched Boswell’s eyesight deteriorate from being a dog that loved to play and retrieve, to all of a sudden not seeing the Frisbee being thrown, trouble finding the ball in the grass, and then eventually near total blindness. Nothing hurt us more to find out that he had this dreaded hereditary disease. To watch Boz as he slowly deteriorated hurt us immensely. Yet through it all, Boswell was amazing as he re-taught himself his surroundings and how to cope. We even figured out ways to get him exercise using balls with squeekies, or other sounds so he could run after the sound. He was a true inspiration to anyone who crossed his path. Make no mistake about it, this a dreadful disease and one inflicted on several breeds: English Springer Spaniels being just one. Here is an excerpt from an email we received from one of our Springer friends: “The more that I think about it, the more I've been saying to myself that IF WE AS BREEDERS, OWNERS, AND COMPANIONS OF SPRINGER SPANIELS DON'T TAKE A PROACTIVE ROLE IN ERRADICATING PRA, WHO WILL????? I know I had planned to send a donation, but it is so very easy to say, "My dog's not affected, so why should I worry!" However, realizing that this disorder in many dogs can be very late in onset and that most pedigrees have dogs who are affected somewhere in their background who may have been used for breeding for many years prior to the development of PRA, I thought about it, and became even more determined I was going to find a way to make ALL breeders, field or show, aware of this and to maybe stir someone to say, "You know, I can spend more than that going out to dinner, why shouldn't I donate." Thus, comes this email. When I broke down the numbers, I figured out that If WE ALL give the equivalent of 2 show entries a year, or 2 field trial event entries, or 2 obedience or agility entries we DEFINITELY COULD and WOULD remove this from our breed; AND if we pass this on to 5 people who love, have, and are possessed by Springer’s, we could definitely go over the top for $100,000. All the information you need is in this email, it only takes YOU to sit down and write a check. Please make your checks payable to ESSFTA FOUNDATION, INC. BE SURE TO EARMARK ALL YOUR CHECKS IN THE MEMO AREA FOR PRA FUND ONLY and INCLUDE A NOTE THAT THIS MONEY IS NOT TO BE USED FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE OTHER THAN PRA RESEARCH AND MUST BE RETURNED IF THE PROJECT DOES NOT REACH ITS GOAL. MAIL TO: ENGLISH SPRINGER SPANIEL FOUNDATION, INC. Janet Hoehnen C/O Lichtsinn And Haensel, S. C. 111 East Wisconsin Avenue Suite 1800 Milwaukee, Ws 53202 Please pass this on to as many concerned, caring "Springer People" as you can, and PLEASE make a donation to the research project; it IS the right thing to do. There's no question in my mind that " IN UNITY THERE IS STRENGTH" BUT IN PUBLICITY THERE IS ACTION. Look at the Irish Setters, they banded together and have eradicated PRA in their breed--WE CERTAINLY CAN DO THE SAME! Thanks for listening to me on my soapbox, and thanks, too, for writing a check to end PRA, but thanks especially for passing this on to other compassionate people who care about the future of our breed”. |
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