By Karen Steinrock | Special to PennLive
on July 06, 2013 at 11:30 AM, updated July 06, 2013 at 11:45 AM

Chase & Chance are enrolled in a cancer study that will track their health for life. Pictured with Jocelyn, daughter of July Pet Lover of the Month Amy Witter. 

For those unaware, our 7-year-old Newfoundland was euthanized at home June 27 due to complications of heart failure.
Rather than dwell on the sorrow that followed, there’s one aspect that has brought me great comfort.
His bad heart may actually do some good.
Once he peacefully slipped away, our veterinarian rushed him back to the clinic to remove heart valves & tissues for a cardiac study underway at the University of Pennsylvania. I had found the study a week earlier on the AKC Canine Health Foundation web site.
Knowing we’d be losing Barney very soon, I immediately contacted the researcher in charge of the project to see if they’d be interested in his heart tissues. My message was returned promptly. It was a definite “Yes!”.
After conferring with our veterinarian, the wheels were set in motion. Our dear boy’s failed heart will contribute to a study that may help prevent, treat, and possibly eliminate mitral valve disease in dogs.
You too can participate in groundbreaking research that will help extend the lives of future generations of dogs, cats, birds and other cherished companions. And your pet need only provide samples such as cheek swabs, blood, urine, hair etc. as specified by the researcher.
July Pet Lover of the MonthMeet Amy Witter, associate professor of chemistry at Dickinson College and owner of two golden retriever brothers, Chase & Chance.
Witter was nominated by a co-worker who admired her commitment to the health and longevity of golden retrievers—a breed plagued by cancer. Statistics show 1 in 3 goldens will succumb to some form of carcinoma, and those numbers expected to rise.
Thus she enrolled both brothers in a lifetime study at Colorado State University, sponsored by the Morris Animal Foundation’s Canine Lifetime Health initiative.
“As a scientist, it was a no brainer for me” says Witter, who lost her father to thyroid cancer in 2011. “I felt so powerless then. The information gleaned from this study will be invaluable.”
Golden retrievers 6 months of age to two years old are invited to enroll in the lifetime study. “One of the more interesting aspects is the quality of the questions asked in the owner survey”, she continues. “As an environmental chemistry professor I’m very interested in the impact the environment has on this breed. I always remind my students that we live in a chemical world.
The survey asks the types of toys your dog plays with, the bedding they sleep on, where you allow your dog to play (e.g. on pesticide treated lawn), on concrete, grass, driveways, rugs, as well as nutrition and exercise details.
“You have to agree to microchip your dog and have the vet draw blood samples, toenail clippings, and fecal/urine samples at their yearly appointments.” Witter explains. “And you must assure your veterinarian agrees to participate.”
The Morris Animal Foundation reimburses owners $75 towards the annual exam cost to obtain the samples.
Because Witter doesn’t trust commercial dog food, she prepares homemade meals from recipes provided in the book “Feed Your Best Friend Better”. “It sounds like a lot of work, but I can prepare ten or more meals in an hour” she says.
Chase & Chance are also treated to 30-minute walks twice a day, hiking on weekends, and daily obedience practice. “I follow Cesar Milan’s philosophy about letting a dog being a dog, and while I love them dearly, I do NOT treat them like humans” she emphasizes. “It’s exercise, obedience, and love in that order”
The fact that Chase & Chance are brothers will add an interesting element to the research, since their genetic heritage and environment are the same. “I really hope to contribute to better health in the breed”, she concludes.
For more information on how you and your pet can contribute to groundbreaking research contact:
The Morris Animal Foundation – www.morrisanimalfoundation.org
MAF Golden Retriever Study – www.CanineLifetimeHealth.orgAKC Canine Health Foundation – www.akcchf.org
Send questions/comments to ksteinrock@comcast.net or to P.O. Box 306 Grantham, PA 17027