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Australian
Terrier
Health
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2008 ATCA Health Survey Now Online! If
you wish to participate by mail and would like a paper version sent to
you, please contact All
Health Survey responses are kept confidential, so please be honest. Remember,
if you are an ATCA member and wish to be listed in the upcoming 2009 Breeder
Referral directory, participation in the Health Survey is required and
you must include your demographic information in order to be counted.
All demographic information submitted through the website is removed from
the survey responses to ensure your confidentiality. Translating a paper form into this format was interesting to say the least, so I am sure there are a multitude of ways it could be better. In about a month, I will send out a link to a summary of the general dog care answers for those who are interested — this information is summarized so that no individual answers can be obtained, and this information will be password-protected for ATCA members. If you have any questions or problems, feel free to e-mail myself or Teresa, and we will be happy to help you. Thank you all for your support! What we have accomplished thus far would not be possible without it. Thanks, Michelle Bell The purpose of ATCA's Australian Terrier Health page is two-fold: To increase public awareness of the issues and available resources relating to the health and well-being of our breed AND to help ATCA monitor the state of health and average life expectancy of the Australian Terrier on a continuing basis. ATCA's 2002 Health Survey gave us a snapshot of the most prevalent health problems at that time, yet it is apparent from the forums held during ATCA Education Days, questions received via the ATCA web site, and through much discussion among owners and breeders, that concern over health and life cycle matters in our "grand little dogs" is on the rise. With this in mind,
it is the intent of the Australian Terrier Club of America Health
Committee to be available via the web to as many Aussie owners as
possible. We wish to emphasize from the outset that these questionnaires
are not limited to ATCA members, but are for anyone from around the
world who owns or has loved an Australian Terrier in
life. Our Health Incident Report (see below) was developed as a feedback tool for every Aussie owner whose dog(s) may have experienced health problems, especially those owners who have lost contact with their breeder, or who may have adopted an Australian Terrier from a pet store or shelter. Each of the downloadable forms that appears below was designed to be filled out on the computer using MS Word and then returned by email to us as an attachment. Alternatively, for those who do not have access to Word, the forms may also be downloaded using the free Adobe Reader plug-in, then printed off and filled-in by hand. If you have lost an Australian Terrier to illness or injury and would like to help others in honor of your Aussie's memory, we ask that you fill out our Longevity Survey (see below). Your much-needed participation in this area will enable us to identify mortality issues affecting our breed and allow us to better focus our resources in such areas when allocating funds for research. We wish to emphasize that any information provided to us will NOT be shared with anyone else. All responses given remain STRICTLY confidential and will be utilized by the ATCA Health committee only for the purpose of identifying important breed health problems and trends. To all of you who truly care about our breed, we wish to thank you in advance for your desire to support the Australian Terrier by helping us to make a difference. NEW! Do you have a health concern or question about your Aussie? Our Health Committee members can help you with the right questions to ask your veterinarian. Email aussiehealthquestion@gmail.com For helpful information about how to cope with specific canine diseases, please visit the links available on the Australian Terrier Health site at http://www.australianterrierhealth.org
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Copyright © 2007 The Australian Terrier Club of America, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED |
