EFNF

THE NEWS SO FAR ....

The European FN Fund was established in October 2004, in partnership with the English Cocker Spaniel Club of America, to raise awareness of Familial Nephropathy in the Cocker Spaniel, and to raise funds for research into the eradication of the disease.

“Work for the future, because that’s where you will spend the rest of your life”

What started out as a small UK based fundraising effort to aid the valuable work being undertaken in the US has blossomed (thanks to all the generous people/organisations who have donated money or items to sell to raise money). Here is a short history of events showing how the EFNF has come into being and all the latest news concerning the fund raising efforts.

9/3/07

Today the last funds ,amounting to £342,were removed from the EFNF bank account and forwarded to the ECSCA, as previously stated. Carol Hanson, the co-ordinator outside the UK, transferred the remaining fund in her charge of 600 Euros (approximately £400) in January. Her portion has been responsible for paying Marianne Heimann for processing the kidney tissue from suspect cases. The bank account will now be closed. The EFNF site will remain as a point of reference.

Wonderful News

THE HARD WORK AND THE LONG WAIT IS OVER !!! ANTAGENE OF FRANCE HAVE DECLARED THE AVAILABILITY OF THE FN TEST IN EUROPE.....CLICK HERE TO READ THEIR ANNOUNCEMENT.!!!!!!

THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN TO ALL THOSE PEOPLE IN THE USA AND EUROPE WHO PLAYED A LARGE PART IN MAKING THIS TEST POSSIBLE. AS BREEDERS WE ARE EXCEPTIONALLY FORTUNATE, AND WE MUST NOT FORGET THAT .............

FN TESTING BECOMING A REALITY !!

On the 11/12/06 I received the following news from the USA about the FN test. At present I don't know if OptiGen is licensed to test samples from dogs outside the USA and Canada, or whether another lab will be available in Europe, but as soon as I know I will update this news :

The FN (Familial Nephropathy) test that we have been waiting for will be available through OptiGen very soon. They have signed the licensing agreement and they are now licensed to do the test in the US & Canada. They are working on the details and will get the information up on their website www.optigen.com just as soon as possible, maybe even as soon as a week. The testing may start as early as January. This test will be a blood test, not a cheek swab. The actual price of the test has not been released yet.

So in about a week from now, watch for more details on their website, www.optigen.com

THIS IS A QUOTE FROM JEANETTE FELIX OF OPTIGEN, USA, RECEIVED BY EMAIL TODAY, RE THE FN TEST WHICH IS AVAILABLE IN THE USA. IT HERALDS WONDERFUL NEWS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY USED THE prcd PRA TEST. PLEASE NOTE HER FINAL SENTENCE HOWEVER, AND BE PATIENT IN WAITING FOR THE FINAL DETAILS. THOSE WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE OPTIGEN WEBSITE (www.optigen.com), here, and on the EFNF site.

"We'll be putting full information on our website within a week, but I can tell you briefly that OptiGen does have the right to FN test any samples from Europe THAT WE ALREADY tested for prcd-PRA. But we can't take in any new samples for the FN test from Europe, per the license agreement. We have frozen sample stored from all ECS PRA tests done previously, and we've decided to make that available for FN testing, even if the owner did not pay the fee for long-term storage. We hope that will help many obtain the new FN test more easily. Please ask folks to wait just a bit longer for full details."

Please follow this link if you have used Optigen for PRA testing and therefore they have your dogs DNA stored, as they are offering very reasonable rates ( thanks to the VERY favourable exchange rate at the moment !) for testing that DNA for FN. I must stress that this test is only available to those who have already tested their dogs using the prcd PRA test. Anyone else from Europe who wants to test other dogs, or who hasn't Optigen tested, still needs to wait for the test to be made available in Europe, which will hopefully be very soon.

http://www.optigen.com/opt9_ecsfn1215ann.html

17/12/06

http://www.optigen.com/opt9_ecsfn1215ann.html

12/12/06

So in about a week from now, watch for more details on their website, www.optigen.com

We'll be putting full information on our website within a week, but I can tell you briefly that OptiGen does have the right to FN test any samples from Europe THAT WE ALREADY tested for prcd-PRA. But we can't take in any new samples for the FN test from Europe, per the license agreement. We have frozen sample stored from all ECS PRA tests done previously, and we've decided to make that available for FN testing, even if the owner did not pay the fee for long-term storage. We hope that will help many obtain the new FN test more easily. Please ask folks to wait just a bit longer for full details.

09/11/06

Today we transferred another £2000 from the EFNF bank account to the ECSCA. This money is again the result of work by very few people, and thanks to the kindness of a small number of very generous cocker spaniel enthusiasts, and will be paid into the ECSCA Health account to help replace the thousands of dollars they have paid to Texas A & M to pay for the work done during their years of research into Familial Nephropathy.

It is hoped that very soon we will hear from Dr. Keith Murphy that the FN test is available at a lab/some labs, so that testing can begin. It is our intention to wrap the Fund up once testing is up and running. Presently we have hardly any items to sell, save some decorative plates and a small number of books. These will be displayed on this site soon......

07/07/06

To clarify one point which seems to be causing some people much concern, and in case you are asked the same question I have been asked so many times lately (" WHY ARE YOU STILL FUND-RAISING WHEN THE RESEARCHERS HAVE BEEN PAID ?") the facts are as follows :

The English Cocker Spaniel Club of America ( ECSCA) have practically cleared out their health and welfare funds to pay the Texas A & M University what small percentage of total funds spent that they have claimed. The Doctors could not have been expected to wait while we raised this money, the final $55,000 that was outstanding, by fund-raising, and they could not have been expected to receive it in 'dribs and drabs' .They have done their job, and want to move on to other genetic work into hereditary diseases and conditions which affect our dogs. So we are merely helping in a small way to help the ECSCA pay the dues, by raising money to replace what they ,after-all, have given up on our behalf. 'OUR' being the cocker enthusiasts from around the world.

27/05/06

Thanks to the kind hospitality of Fiona and Peter Culatto and with the help of Elizabeth Gonzales and Dick McCoy, International FCI judge, a fantastic sum of £537 has been raised in aid of the EFNF at the trimming /judging day in Spain this weekend. The money raised will be given to the ECSCA for their research dues in the States (give or take a few Euros - depends what exchange rate is like at the Post Office). We hope that all the keen groomers/trimmers/exhibitors who attended, plus the prospective judges, all enjoyed themselves and their lunch, and that they all left for home with a little more knowledge. Thanks again to all those who made the day so successful.

HERE IS A PHOTO OF SOME OF THE GROUP MEMBERS WHO TOOK PART IN THE TRIMMING SEMINAR, INCLUDING ONE KEEN EXHIBITOR/BREEDER WHO CAME ALL THE WAY FROM ITALY !!

18/05/06

The NEWS is sinking in now, and how elated I feel that Dr. Lees, Dr. Murphy and Ashley Davidson have come up with the 'goods'......a test for Familial Nephropathy within a few months and an end in sight for this awful disease, or at least within the community of breeders who are aware of the problem and how to deal with it. You cannot imagine how thrilling it was to sit there at the National and hear Ashley announce that she had found the gene mutation - the highlight of the week for many of us I know. During his presentation Dr. Lees stressed how " with WISE use of the test, using carriers on clears is OK " (quote) He emphasised how the test will enable us to rid our lines of the possibility of producing affected animals in just one generation, and how it is important not to lose quality within the gene pool whilst eradicating the disease. As in any hereditary disease ,an animal who is a carrier is physically normal, and will not be at risk of producing the condition in the future if breeding is controlled (by only mating to a clear animal )or prevented. Use of the test gives us the opportunity to prevent death from FN.

This test, when available, will be useful in cases where a cocker is in renal failure, but where symptoms are not necessarily indicative of FN. The test will help rule out Familial Nephropathy as a cause of the problem, or else confirm that the affected cocker IS actually in failure due to FN, which will be useful in some countries where discrepancies have occurred.

My one hope is that we breeders can embrace this new era of scientific progress and move forward in the manner that Dr. Lees and his team would wish us to......so that his years of dedication to the cause have not been wasted. Please don't bury your heads in the sand ,stand up and be counted, and lets work together for the healthy future of our breed. It is more commendable to recognise a problem and deal with it than it is to ignore it or refuse to admit there IS a problem and hope it goes away. It won't......

Sandy Platt.

14/05/06

Further to the initial announcement, the following has been released from Texas A & M.

Good news! Researchers at Texas A&M University have identified the gene mutation that causes 'Familial Nephropathy' or 'FN' in English Cocker Spaniels. The research team announced this discovery to the English Cocker Spaniel Club of America at the National Specialty in Sacramento, CA, on May 11, 2006.

A genetic test for carriers has been developed, and the test is expected to become available to owners and breeders of English Cocker Spaniels world-wide within the next 4 months.

Further details about the test (i.e., who to contact, sample submission procedures, and cost) will be announced as soon the test is licensed to a commercial provider.

11/05/06

Wonderful News

The European FN Fund is thrilled to announce that Dr. Keith Murphy, Dr. George Lees & Miss Ashley Davidson of A & M University, have today revealed that they have found the Gene Mutation responsible for FAMILIAL NEPHROPATHY.

This signals the start of a new era in the fight against this killer disease, and gives us, the dedicated Cocker Spaniel breeders of the world, an opportunity to clear affected lines.

Our heartfelt thanks must go out to the dedicated people who have worked so hard for so long on our behalf.

MORE DETAILS SOON………Sandy Platt.

Thanks to the Belgian English Cocker Club who sold some EFNF stickers at their annual CAC show, and also for the free advert in the show catalogue. We are pleased to say that the sale of stickers & donations received on the day, 65,50 euros (£45.00) was raised. Thanks again!!

14/04/06

Addi Pittman, Health Co-Ordinator of the ECSCA ,(who has served on the ECSCA Health Education Committee since 1979 and served in the capacity of Chairman since 1984) has written a short piece to explain the funding situation with regard to the research into FN and the development of the FN test. Please click here to read it. (The AKC CHF is the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation...visit www.akcchf.org for more info on what the Foundation achieves.)

Today I received this email from Kathy Moore, the current ECSCA President, on behalf of all those who have helped us raise funds so far......

Hi Sandy,

I just wanted to thank you for your continuous efforts to raise funds. I recently heard from Addi and Karen that you are doing an awesome job. This is such an exciting time for all English Cocker breeders and fanciers with the test so close.

Thank you so much for all of your efforts. I look forward to seeing you in a few weeks at the National.

Keep up the good work!

Kathy Moore.

ECSCA, President

11/04/06

More wonderful news on the fund-raising front.....today Carol Hanson transferred £1963 ($3436 or 2843 Euros ) from her 'continental' EFNF account to the ECSCA. This now brings us to a grand total of £13,337 , $23,231 or 19315 Euros (at today's conversion rate ....) donated so far. Feel justly proud if YOU have helped....

10/04/06

So pleased to announce that I have just transferred £2200 ( $3828 or 3166 Euros ) from the UK EFNF account to the ECSCA Health fund on behalf of the supporters of the fund. These include breeders from Sweden and France who have donated large sums this year, many thanks to you all. This now brings the total donated to the ECSCA to £11374,or $19,795 .

IF YOU HAVE HELPED US RAISE THIS MONEY BY DONATING MONEY, OR ITEMS TO SELL, OR HAVE BOUGHT OFF THE AUCTION, OR HAVE FERRIED ITEMS FOR US SOMEWHERE ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THEN FEEL JUSTLY PROUD . JUST LOOK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR OUR BREED WHEN WE TRY......

There are some unsung helpers out there who give of their time unstintingly for this cause, I want to say a huge ' THANK YOU' to you all especially.

06/04/06

A BIG ' thank you' to Vivienne Moulton-Wynne for her donation to the EFNF in memory of her beloved Arche ,Broomleaf Black Gift to Stromboli, her dog -in-a-million, who passed away recently after a grand long life .We hope that the void he leaves behind will be filled with those wonderful memories of a sweet, kind, gentleman who loved you as much as you loved him Vivienne....

05/04/06

A wonderful donation of 5000 Kr ( £373 / $653 ) has been received by the EFNF from some caring breeders and individuals in Sweden !! Many thanks for your generosity everyone. Lets hope we can announce the news everyone is waiting for soon........

29/3/06

Following a VERY successful 'BUMPER AUCTION' in February I am pleased to inform everyone that we raised £903 !! Sales and donations at Crufts raised that sum to £1000, so we are very grateful to all those who supported the cause. We hope to make a donation from the UK and one from the European part of the fund in the next week. The Cocker Club have also donated a second sum of £1000 to the ECSCA in the USA to boost the coffers, so I think we can safely say we are pulling our weight a bit now !

We are planning to have another auction in May or June, so again I am appealing to anyone out there who has items that they would like to donate for inclusion to contact me to arrange collection.( phone : 01244 301833/ 0791 9911779 , sandycharbonnel@aol.com ) The EFNF is dependent on you, the breeders and custodians of our breed, to support our cause and help us to raise the money needed to cover the cost of the FN test Research. By raising this money independently of any grant , we will ensure that the eventual test will remain at a lower cost, as the percentage the grant-providers would have added to the cost of the test will not have to be paid.

Many thanks to all those who have supported us so far, a very large proportion being North of the Border ,or in Europe ,and now a growing number in Australia too .Your kindness and kind words encourage us to continue to work for your breed.

25/01/06

A wonderful start to the year when Brigitte Bolze of France mailed to say that a small club in France to which she belongs, ' LES BROUSSAILLEURS' , has decided to donate 300 Euros (£205) to the European FN Fund, so that we can help the ECSCA in their bid to raise the money to pay the research team in the USA. Thank you very much to the committee of this club for this wonderful gesture, especially as they only have a small membership.

The same day, we received more good news from Jaana Ranta in Finland - she has been busy selling FN car and decorative stickers and is now going to use the surplus as small prizes at their Cocker Show in June. This means that the fund will profit by another 700 Euros ( £480 ) thanks to Jaana's hard work.........A BIG THANK YOU to both France and Finland for your support, it means the world to us to know that your breeders really DO care about what we are doing....

09/01/06

Welcome news from the USA this weekend......the Board of the ECSCA has voted to fund Dr Lees' and Dr. Murphy's research at a cost of $55,000 ( £31,120 or 45,500 Euros) to complete the project. Two payments will be made to Texas A&M University with the final payment of $20,000.00 due in June, '06. Our fundraising efforts are now even more important as this will be a mammoth task to find this sum in the next few months. Dr. Murphy is also VERY optimistic that he will shortly have a DNA test.

If you have been instrumental in helping the EFNF raise money for this cause then you must take some credit for having a hand in helping our counterparts in the USA to rid the breed of this hereditary fatal disease.

PLEASE do all you can to make the next few months of fund-raising our best ever - we have some superb items coming up in the auction, especially in February, so lets give it our best shot folks. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS.

27/12/05

THANK YOU! We are thrilled to say that the Christmas Wishes page, which was so generously supported both here and in Europe, has raised a grand total of £606.00!!! Thank you everyone for your help.

11/11/05

Thanks to the generosity of cocker breeders and enthusiasts, and a peppering of generous people in other breeds, the EFNF has been able to make another transfer to the USA today -this time £2800 or, at today's rate of exchange, $4879 or 4168 Euros.

Dr. Murphy is more than happy with our commitment to his research, and he has assured me that he is working hard on developing the FN test. We all know that science can never be 100 %,but to have a test for a fatal condition like FN will surely be a massive help in our aim of striving to breed healthy cockers.

To bring you up-to-date, the EFNF has now sent £9190 ($ 16,000 or 13,679 Euros at today's rate) to the US fund. The Cocker Club of Scotland has kindly sent £2000 and the Cocker Club £1000. Added to this is the total from the sale of the Cocker Spaniel Exhibitors diaries, kindly donated by Mrs. Palmer, of £500 and the amount raised by the auction of the painting from Lochranza, which realised more than £3000 .....

Considering the number of cocker people in Europe, this sum has been amassed through the kindness of a VERY small number of enthusiasts.....there are some countries whose cocker folk have not shown any interest at all in helping the cause, I won't name them, that wouldn't be fair, but these are countries that have had their share of FN cases over the years....

I cannot be judgmental, it would not help matters, and I KNOW that many are sceptical of the efficiency of genetic tests, but this is YOUR breed and YOUR future, no matter who says that money and tests won't help rid us of FN, your positive attitude and your help can and will help. No, we cannot make ANYONE test their dogs, everyone has their own conscience to deal with, and there are those out there whose wallet and it's contents are more important than their own dogs health...no-one can make those people care about hereditary disease, but YOU can show that YOU care. It doesn't have to be with money....I still have the print-outs about FN to be handed to vets if anyone wants any, I have stickers to be sold, and if you have time you could always email details of the on-line auction to your friends in other breeds, we have a HP printer with not one bid on it at the moment !!.

We are lucky enough to have, in Dr.'s Lees and Murphy, two of the most highly-regarded Professors in their field working on the FN test and they are both very grateful for our involvement in the fund-raising. Once the test is available it will be up to us ,the breeders, to do them proud by using the test and improving our stock. As far as the EFNF is concerned there will be not be a list drawn up of tested dogs on this site, it will be up to individuals to speak out about their results, or not, as they so wish. Maybe the Cocker Spaniel Club will include voluntary results in their welfare booklet, as they will with Optigen results, who knows? The only hope is that all who use the test, breed on accordingly, testing youngsters and only breeding from genetically suited parents, testing pups too. Thanks to these dedicated people the world will be our oyster, how lucky we are to live in such an age.....

03/11/05

BIG thank you to Coventry Cocker Spaniel Club for their 2nd donation to the EFNF, following their Summer Quiz which they ran in aid of the EFNF. A wonderful idea and a superb contribution of £122 was raised. In the next week or so we are hoping to send another $4000 to the States for Drs Lees and Murphy to continue on with their research ....it surely won't be long now before we have a test ????

13/10/05

Huge thanks to the Cocker Club of Lancashire for their donation of £200 to the EFNF, received today. If only all breed clubs could donate so readily, we would really see some improvement in the balance of funds going to the US for this worthy cause.....

17/09/05

We had a VERY successful day at the Lancashire Cocker Club's Championship show, where Hannah and Sandy manned a small stall of items which raised nearly £200 for the EFNF 's cause. We made the sum up to £200 to round it off ! A BIG ' thank you' to all those who supported the Fund by buying Year Books, ornaments and books,and those who also gave more money purely as a donation.Without you there would be no Fund !!

12/08/05

The EFNF wishes to thank all those kind people in Europe who have contributed to the fund over the last 6 or 7 months by buying stickers, year books and auction items, or by giving a donation. This kindness has meant that Carol Hanson has been able to send 1560 euros (1945 US dollars or £1074 ) to the ECSCA bank account today, to help Dr. Lees and his team.....thank you everyone !!!

05/08/05

Don't forget that if you have donated money or items to the EFNF that you are perfectly entitled to put the EFNF banner on your web-site if you have one....the more prominent a position the better!

We are still raising money for the FN research in the USA, so if you have any cocker/doggy items which you would like to donate, please email Sandy on sandycharbonnel@aol.com

We will soon be making another cash transfer to help Dr. Lees and Dr. Murphy in their work, if you can show your commitment to the breed by donating something to us for the fund, then that would be wonderful. There are only 4 people actively involved in running the fund, and not one person takes a penny ( /cent) out for expenses or costs.. it is all purely voluntary. If you think you can raise money somehow, either as an individual or a club/group then please contact one of us.....see our contacts page on the site. Coventry Cocker Spaniel Club have kindly pledged to donate their proceeds form their annual Word Puzzle to the FN research in the USA, which is GREAT news...

07/07/05

So pleased to be able to report that today £3000 of EFNF money was transferred to the ECSCA bank account, for Dr.Lees and Dr.Murphy to be able to continue their research into FN and developing a test for carriers and affected animals. This is thanks to YOU, the cocker enthusiasts who have helped the fund by buying items, Year Books and stickers, or by donating money or items to be sold. Without you and your support we could not have done this, so THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

While the support for what the Fund is doing continues, we will endeavour to have an on-line auction every month. DO take a look at the items available and have a bid if you see something you fancy....the web-site build is a superb offer, if you have animals to be proud of you MUST consider having a web-site.

04/06/05

Sandy has had another fundraising idea for the EFNF! A new page called "OptiGen List" has been added to Sandy's Charbonnel web site. The page lists dogs/bitches who have been tested A/A1 by OptiGen.

There will be a one off fee of £5.00 (proceeds to EFNF) to list a male dog, bitches will be added free of charge. For full information please refer to Sandy's web.

31/05/05

Dr. Lees summary about FN has now been added to the site, click here to see his report.

A breeder from Spain has pledged £500 towards the EFNF !! What a wonderful gesture... many thanks !!

30/05/05

George Lees now has the result on the renal tissue which was submitted to him from Spain, following Marianne Heimann's work, so we have him to thank for his promptness and professionalism.

The owners and breeders involved will be informed. Once these people have been informed it is up to them if they wish to disclose the information.

14/5/05 - 20/5/05

Handing over the money raised so far - Dr.George Lees, with Addi Pittman and Sandy Platt

I had a wonderful stay at the National Specialty in the USA, meeting old friends (well, not-so-old, more 'mature' !!) and making quite a few new ones. Thank you so much for your welcome and for the accommodating way in which you accepted us and our comments about your show scene !! This was the second time I had visited the USA, the first time was to judge in California, I think in 1998, and then I was not allowed near any dogs before I judged, so I had not realised just how much time the exhibitors spend on presentation.

Certainly showing in the US is VERY different to our show scene in the UK, much more serious in it's outlook, dogs with not ONE HAIR out of place, and everyone so smartly dressed. The dogs spend a lot more time on the table at shows, being put down to the absolute minute, with bandaged ears and clippered fronts, and being bathed each morning, and I have to say they were immaculate........They also showed their heads off; I can count on one hand the number of dogs who looked bored or didn't wag their tails, most were exceptionally happy and obviously well-loved.

One of the main reasons for my visit was to meet Dr. Lees and hand over some money for the FN research being carried out in the US. I am happy to say that on behalf of the contributors to the EFNF, from all over Europe, I handed over $4225, which is £2316 or 3358 Euros. The Cocker Club of Scotland, The Cocker Club, and Mrs. Palmer were also acknowledged for their wonderful contributions to the cause. It has been a HUGE concerted effort from the UK and Europe and it felt good to tell the audience at the meeting that we are committed to carry on, with £2000 + in the bank account to pay for any work done in Belgium too.

A HUGE THANK YOU to all those people who have donated items to sell on the auction or at shows, who have bought on the on-line auction, who have bought stickers or Year Books, of course to all those who have donated money, to Mary Rayne for running the auction, to Carol and Sabine Hanson in Belgium for all their hard work and to Chris Pritchard for keeping the site running smoothly and free of charge. It was a wonderful moment to see Dr. Lees smile and to know that ALL this money is going to help find the gene mutation which will enable us to test our dogs for the possibility of being affected by, or being a carrier of, FN.

During the week there was also an auction of a beautiful painting of 2 Lochranza dogs which was donated by John and Jean Gillespie. This realised over $3000, again for FN research, so a MASSIVE thank you to you both. The Boutique was also stocked up with donated items, including 2 sets of glass coasters donated by Colin Smith, so this generated more funds, and the stickers sold well and Karen Spurlin, Treasurer of the ECSCA has some more to sell if anyone is interested.

The FANTASTIC NEWS is that Dr. Murphy believes that ,if the mutation is where he thinks it is, and he has narrowed the search down considerably, we could be looking at only another 12 months before he can say he has found it, and then only a couple of weeks before the DNA test is developed. The test will be a simple buccal swab test from cheek cells, and I am hoping that these will be easy to get into the USA, through customs, with the right paperwork. Otherwise maybe we can set something up in Europe using any funds we have.

The photos show Dr. George Lees, me -Sandy Platt and Addi Pittman, the wonderful health co-ordinator for the ECSCA who has helped me SO much. As you can see Dr. Lees was very happy to accept the money and thanked you, the European enthusiasts, VERY much for your enthusiasm and continued support of his research into this disease. WE WILL SEE A TEST FOR THIS DISEASE, AND IN TIME, IF EVERYONE SCREENS THEIR DOGS (EITHER IF THERE IS ANY SUSPICION OF ITS PRESENCE IN THEIR LINES, or JUST TO KNOW THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS LURKING) WE CAN ERADICATE IT FROM A LARGE PROPORTION OF THE BREED. There will always be a nucleus of puppy farmer-bred dogs and pets who will never be tested, but who knows, with education and advice from interested breeders and enthusiasts, maybe we can work on those too?

PLEASE keep up your support for the EFNF as you have already, and tell as many people as you can about the on-line auction and year books etc. We have some lovely items coming up in June, not all cocker orientated, so please tell anyone who may be interested....

ALSO, please visit the Domaine d'Haisha site:

http://domainehaisha.com/cocker/textes/anglais/health/efnf.html

On this page you can also find the magazines kindly donated by Mrs Haja Van Wessem.

For French speaking list members, this page is also in French http://domainehaisha.com/cocker/textes/francais/sante/efnf_fr.html

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN TESTING FOR & ERADICATING FAMILIAL NEPHROPATHY.

10/05/05

" Wonderful news - John McAffery has completed a fun run and collected £200 sponsorship money, which he intends to split equally between the EFNF and Cocker Club Rescue . Many thanks John for that wonderful gesture !! Just in time to get the money to the USA for the National ............"

26/04/05

The American company OPTIGEN have awarded 2 half-price genotype tests for PRA to the EFNF, and the Hanson family have kindly offered to use the tests and make up the difference and give the money to the fund !! That's very generous of them, and much appreciated. Thanks again for all your support and the work you do for the fund, girls !! Carol and Sabine were instrumental in having the stickers made and in finding Marianne Heimann, and Carol is full of good ideas to raise money. If only there were people like Carol and Sabine in every country .......!!

26/04/05

Ever fancied a short break away ,taking in a European dog show ? Well, here's your chance....Fiona Culatto in Gibraltar has VERY kindly donated a 3 days/3 nights hotel stay in Gibraltar for the weekend of the Gibraltar Kennel Club International show, with flights paid from London, departing the 30th September and returning the 3rd of October. This is a trip not to be missed !! Visit the GKC website for more details : www.gkc.gi

Any queries, please email Sandycharbonnel@aol.com for help.

Get bidding, this holiday will only be on the auction during MAY ...

(Please note that travel insurance is NOT included in this offer, and will be the responsibility of the purchaser. Also the EFNF and it's fund-raisers cannot be held responsible for any damages, losses, thefts, injuries or accidents to any party when taking advantage of this offer)

19/04/05

Since October 2004 the FN fund-raising efforts have really snowballed, and I'm pleased to be able to report that a number of new initiatives mean that we are already able to boast that funds have reached in excess of £3500.

The most recent event is the opening of a bank account in the name of THE EUROPEAN FN FUND, ( EFNF) using £1800 of donation, on-line auction ,sticker and sales money. This is a wonderful achievement in itself, wholly due to the generosity of cocker enthusiasts all over the world. I will also be taking at least £1600( $3000 + )with me to the National Show in Boston in May, to hand over to the ECSCA on the behalf of all European cocker breeders .

This money will go directly into the research fund which Dr. Lees uses for his work into FN.

The money in the EFNF account will be used to pay for any kidney tissue processing carried out by Marianne Heimann in Belgium, for Dr. Lees in the USA. This is something which has only recently been set up, ( please phone me if you want to know more – 0791 9911779,anytime )and already two lots of tissue have been processed and sent to the USA for Dr. Lees to work on. If the diagnosis is conclusive, and the kidney is from cockers that have died of FN, then the tissue will be useful in furthering research and hopefully help in the development of a test for carriers………

Hopefully by now most readers will know that we have an online auction, which is gathering funds from all over the world. Mary Rayne is in charge of monitoring bids and updating the web-page, and she does a great job. Visit www.btinternet.com/~quilmhair/fnfund to see items on auction.

The car and decorative stickers are doing very well here and in Europe. Thank you for digging deep into your pockets to help.

I would also like to ask again, sorry to be repetitive, if anybody has any old YEAR BOOKS, or other items which cocker folk might find interesting, that they no longer want, would they please, please get in touch .We will arrange collection or pay postage if necessary, and will be very grateful…..We have sold many year books so far, as far afield as Japan, and they are much sought after. I would also like to be able to take small items with me to sell in Boston, if anyone has smaller trinkets/ light magazines/photos…….

Mary has also suggested that we keep used printer cartridges for recycling. We are both willing to pick these up at shows if anyone has any. Best to put them in the box in which the new replacement comes.

I would like to thank everyone for their continued support, this is YOUR fund, for YOUR breed, and without YOU and YOUR help it would not exist. Thank you for your help and your generosity…

06/04/05

As the idea of raising £1000.00 to support the US fundraising efforts has grown and the funds surpassing the target goal, it has been decided to set up a European fund called the European FN Fund, a bank account bearing this name will also be opened.

08/03/05

New fundraising ideas developed including, car stickers, year books, breed record supplements and other publications.

03/03/05

I am delighted to announce that individual donations together with the proceeds from the February auction takes the total funds raised since October to £2046!! The total amount raised altogether including sizeable donations from the Cocker Club and the Cocker Club of Scotland makes a grand total (so far!) of £5,000!! Well done everybody. I had planned to raise £2,000 from individuals and smaller breed clubs, this is to be sent in May to the National in Boston. Lets set our aims higher and try for £3,000 - WE CAN DO IT!!

17/02/05

Fundraising auction launched.

21/01/05

Today we had a fantastic donation of £2000.00 from the Cocker Spaniel Club of Scotland. This generous donation takes our fundraising efforts to new heights! Thank you so much.

19/12/04

Thanks to all the kind people who have donated to the fund we have now raised almost £1000.00.

10/12/04

£805.00 has now been raised. We are well on target!

04/12/04

The appeal fund is growing, £600.00 of the hoped for £1000.00 has now been raised.

22/10/04

Appeal launched today for the collection in aid of the FN Fund in the USA, run by the English Cocker Spaniel Club of America.

22/09/04

Progress report from Dr. Lees in the USA who is conducting the research into FN.

25/06/04

Following a personal experience of F.N. (Familial Nephropathy) Sandy decided not to hide from the problem but to use the information to help raise awareness of the disease in the breed and to raise funds to help support the work currently being undertaken in America into the diagnosis of affected cases and fund research into testing for the disease.