PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lisa Johnson June 15, 2011
ACC Health Committee
HealthCommittee@AmericanCotonClub.com
ttp://www.AmericanCotonClub.com


AMERICAN COTON CLUB ANNOUNCES HEALTH TESTING FUND

June 15, 2011: The American Coton Club launched a Health Testing Fund for Bandera's Neonatal Ataxia (BNAt) DNA test for the Coton de Tulear rare breed of dog. The American Coton Club will donate up to $2,000. for the testing of ACC breeding Cotons.

The ACC Bandera's Neonatal Ataxia Health Testing Fund is for ACC Code of Ethics Breeders who choose to DNA test their breeding Cotons. The ACC will reimburse $20.00 per Coton de Tulear to ACC Breeders who test for Bandera's Syndrome, up to a maximum of 3 Cotons per breeder.

The ACC Bandera's Neonatal Health Testing Fund will be for Cotons tested from May 1, 2011 through September 30, 2011. To reserve your reimbursement please e-mail the ACC Health Committee before sending in your DNA samples. Proof of the completed test must also be forwarded to the ACC Health Committee before reimbursement can occur. Proof of the test can either be your certificate or a receipt from the lab. All test results will remain confidential.

If you are an ACC Breeder and you have already completed your testing please send proof of testing to the ACC Health Committee and a reimbursement check will be mailed to you.
Remember ACC will reimburse $20 per Coton, with a maximum number of 3 Cotons per breeder.

We hope that the Bandera's Neonatal Ataxia Health Testing Fund will help defray the cost of the DNA test and will encourage breeders to test their breeding Cotons. Testing your breeding Cotons will ensure no carriers are bred to one another. Testing will allow breeders to make informed breeding decisions so that we can eliminate this disease and never have to hear of a tragic Bandera's litter being born again.

In the future, we hope to have a fundraiser which might afford the ACC an opportunity to help more Cotons to be tested, and not just ACC Cotons. For now, this is a place to begin, and one we can all be proud of.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the ACC Health Committee.

For information on DNA testing please visit the ACC web site: http://www.americancotonclub.com/dnatests.htm

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It is official, the DNA test for Neonatal Cerebellar Ataxia for Coton de Tulear is now available.
This is wonderful news since this is a serious fatal disease. Fortunately it is not common in Cotons and now that we have a DNA test, we could conceivably eliminate it from the breed entirely.
Please go the link below for further information please go to:
Ataxia DNA Testing

Good news! They have located the DNA marker in Coton for Banderas Syndrome. More information will be coming soon. Please read below:

It has taken a while, but if you keep walking you get there eventually. We have found the mutation responsible for Bandera’s syndrome in Coton de Tulears. It is quite an interesting gene that explains a lot about why we see the signs we do in the Bandera’s pups. We will be offering a DNA test for the mutation shortly so breeders can identify carriers of the trait and avoid any Bandera’s pups in the future. My colleague, Dr. Gary Johnson, is the one who does the real work on these studies and he will be getting in contact with you to let you know the details about testing.

Dennis O'Brien DVM PhD
Professor of Neurology
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Missouri