Appeal and News about " Chronic Hepatitis Research Project " 

                 Oktober 2008: Press release  - News "Research into Hepatitis in English Springer Spaniels"
                     of the Veterinary High School at Cambridge - Click here !

                    About our own very sad experiences when we too have unfortunatelly lost the long and very hard fight against
                    "Jill`s" real fateful and much devastating Liver Disease of Chronic Hepatitis we are of course very interested
                    and much thankful for all given informations to us how it`s going on with this real much important Research Project
                    of Chronic Hepatitis in the English Springer Spaniel which is being led by Penny Watson & Nick Bexfield at the
                    Queen`s Veterinary School in Cambridge, UK.

                    Our hearts also going out to all the English Springer Spaniels which still have to becomes ill and even must die from like
                    our sweet darling "Jill" who was been taken out of our life still too young ! This terrible disease has a very high mortality
                    rate and carriers a poor prognosis too like it makes us real so very sad, that cases are being reported to the Scientists at

                    a rate of two or three per month and the medial survival time since diagnosed with is only about 7 month !

                    Just when we are truly concerned of it and much involved into this current big problem it`s indeed also much in our
                    interest to help to remove this real much devastating disease from this wonderful breed English Springer Spaniel
                    and we would like to contribute into the benefit of this wonderful breed.

                    We for ourself really know so very well about the big importance of the Research Project of Chronic Hepatitis in the
                    English Springer Spaniel and for that reason we also support this by GIVEN DONATION OF " 200 GBP " !  
                                                   

                    We hope much you will see the big importance of this too when read also the full Research Project Details and an
                    Abstract of Presentation at the European college of Veterinary Medicine Congress 2007 in Budapest which you
                    will find about the marked links in this following Appeal from Cambridge Veterinary School Research Team below. 

                    Our biggest thanks goes to Penny Watson & Nick Bexfield and their team which are doing real a fantastic job
                    into this real much important the Research Project and WE of course also want to appeal to all of you too  
                  

                                                                        "  Please help to make it Happen !! "

                 At least our HEARTFELT THANKS to everyone, for all your given comfort and kind words to us
                     during this truly very hard time after the much sadden loss of our sweet lovely girl "Jill"
                           which we miss more than words can ever say  - THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH !!

                   More Infos about this extremely much devastating Chronic Liver Disease on " Jill`s site "
                    

                     November 2007                     

                   
                       CHRONIC HEPATITIS RESEARCH PROJECT UPDATE

   AN APPEAL FROM CAMBRIDGE VETERINARY SCHOOL RESEARCH TEAM

    Preliminary research is underway at the Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital, University of Cambridge, using blood
    serum and liver biopsies from dogs affected by chronic hepatitis, with some initially encouraging results.  
 
    Major funding is being sought for a full-scale 3 year project (to read Full Research Project Details Click Here)
    but initial ‘pump primer’ funding has been made available and is enabling preliminary work to continue.

    However, more samples are needed to continue effectively - especially liver biopsies, but also blood from affected dogs.

    We are appealing to all owners of English Springer Spaniels - if any of your dogs have liver disease, we would ask that
    you contact either Penny Watson or Nick Bexfield at the University of Cambridge (contact details at the bottom of this
    page) preferably if possible BEFORE the dog has a liver biopsy. This is because we can not only offer a 'free' biopsy  
    interpretation service but, more importantly for the research, we would have to send your own vets a special sample pot
    with a special solution in it to put some of the liver in to.  We would also like to have a blood sample taken from the dog
    at the same time as the biopsy sample.

    If anyone very sadly loses a dog with chronic hepatitis (and sadly, we know the mortality is very high in English
    Springers) it would be really helpful in our search for a cause (and ultimately a cure) if owners would consider letting
    their vet take a sample of fresh liver post mortem.  Again, this means their vets will need to be prepared beforehand and
    have the sample solution ready.  We really hope owners would find this something worth considering, because at that
    stage it really does not hurt the dog and could be of tremendous help to us. In addition, it would be very easy to do it
    through a small incision - so it is NOT like a full post mortem.

    With the help of owners of affected dogs and of the veterinary profession, together with the support of the English
    Springer Spaniel Breed as a whole, we are confident that our research will discover the cause of this devastating disease
    and, ultimately, a means of eradicating it from future generations.

    To read an abstract of a presentation on the disease presented at the European college of Veterinary Medicine Congress
    in Budapest CLICK HERE

TO HELP US MAKE IT HAPPEN – PLEASE CONTACT:

Penny Watson at Queen’s Veterinary School, Cambridge

Telephone: 01223 337621 / Email: pjw36@cam.ac.uk

or her colleague Nick Bexfield – Email: nb289@cam.ac.uk

   Alternatively, please contact the Health Co-ordinators for the English Springer Spaniel Clubs in the UK:

Lesley Bloomfield

Tel:  01923 823579   Email:  lesley@fernlin.free-online.co.uk

Louise Scott

Tel:  020 842 3396   Email:  louise@goldcliffe1.freeserve.co.uk