Addison's Committee Reports
(As submitted to the PWDCA Board)

Addison's Committee Report

March 2007

1. I have compiled the most common questions (and answers) fielded by the Addison's Committee (See attached document) Perhaps this document should be added to the Addison's page at PWDCA.org? *
2. We have tried to establish a "telltale" autoantibody test in the past. (See Marcus Rick research sponsored by CHF in 2002.) The research was never completed, but the rewards of a predictive mechanism long before clinical signs of Addison's still cannot be understated. For example, breeders might be able to blood test young puppies (as we did with GM-1.) I have asked Dr. Gordon Lark to review the Rick research and see if it is possible to re-activate it in another academic institution.
3. There is a Georgie Project/Swiss research group studying serum proteins to see if they can be traced to QTLs. I hope to have more information on this later in the Spring.
4. The Addison's Committee has been trying to set up an online support group for owners of Addisonian Portuguese Water Dogs. The response from the Board was "The Board supports the idea of an Addison's chat list and encourages the Addison's Committee to move forward on this without further Board involvement." I respectfully submit that I'm not quite sure what the Board means. Does PWDCA not wish to offer this as a club service through the Addison's Committee? Is it to be independent of PWDCA? I will certainly go ahead "without further Board involvement" but wonder at the reasoning for this decision by the Board. I would also respectfully suggest that the Recording Secretary be cautious of editorializing. "It (meaning the online support group) would not be available to anyone else to encourage frank discussion." When an owner's dog is diagnosed with Addison's disease the situation is usually fraught with concern and emotion that requires information, answers and for lack of a better phrase "hand holding." In my experience the best people to help this owner are people who have lived through the same situation. Currently Jane and I do this work but neither Jane nor I live with an Addisonian dog, she never has and I have not since Chuchu Miller died in 1985. There are already "chat lists" that have frank discussions about Addison's disease, its genetics and mode of inheritance and discussions about an "open" registry. That's not what this proposal is about at all. This is a source of help for people who are experiencing the difficulties of living with Addison's disease.

* Question followup: This information has indeed been added to the PWDCA web site.  Please see the FAQs page of the Addison's section.