A NESTLÉ PURINA PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO DOG ENTHUSIASTS VOLUME 16 | SPRING 2018

PPCP EARNINGSHELP PARENT CLUBS

Program Boosts Funding for Canine Health Research

DOG Update

SPRING 2018

Few cancers are more aggressive or deadly than canine hemangio-sarcoma.

The devastating effect of this cancer on dogs and those who love them has inspired the Hemangio- sarcoma Research Initiative. This year, the American Kennel Club is matching donations up to $250,000 to the AKC Canine Health Foun-dation (CHF) to support canine hemangiosarcoma research. Dogs will benefit as the quest continues to better understand these tumors and how they rapidly metastasize.

To kick off the initiative, the Golden Retriever Foundation has made a $100,000 donation. Golden

Retrievers are considered to have one of the highest prevalence rates for hemangiosarcoma.

As parent clubs consider con-tributing to the cause, some will use their 2017 Purina Parent Club Partnership (PPCP) program earn-ings. The program was founded to help clubs fund canine health research, breed education and rescue efforts. Since PPCP began in 2002 with 62 clubs participating and earnings of $84,529 that year, more than $7 million has been raised through the program.

When Purina disburses the 2017 PPCP earnings of $455,085 this spring — half going directly to

MORE THAN $7 MILLION RAISED FOR CANINE HEALTH RESEARCH

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SINCE PURINA BEGAN PPCP PROGRAM IN 2002

MAKE A CHOICE, DOUBLE YOUR DONATION

In an effort to encourage clubs to put their CHF PPCP earnings to work for canine health research, the AKC Canine Health Foundation is introducing a matching-gift initiative called CHOICE, which stands for Canine Health Opportu-nity to Impact CarE, and through this program, the AKC will match canine health research at CHF up to $250,000 in 2018.

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DOG Update

the 193 participating parent clubs and half to the clubs’ fund at the CHF — many clubs already will know which research they want to invest in to better their breed and dogs everywhere. The CHF has a rich research portfolio with grants awarded in diverse areas including blood diseases, cardiolo-gy, dermatology, epilepsy, hepatic and kidney diseases, immunology, neurological diseases, lung and respiratory diseases, musculoskel-etal diseases, oncology, reproduc-tive conditions, tick-borne diseases, and many more.

While many clubs actively take advantage of using their PPCP dollars to support CHF research, some clubs may be less aware of the opportunities. In an effort to encourage clubs to put their CHF PPCP funds to work for canine health research, the CHF is intro-ducing a matching-gift initiative called CHOICE, which stands for Canine Health Opportunity to Impact CarE. When clubs put CHF PPCP funds to work for a CHF research program of their choice, the AKC will match research at CHF up to $250,000 in 2018.

“The idea is to give clubs the opportunity and choice to support an area of health research of spe-cific interest to their club,” says Dr. Diane Brown, CEO of the AKC Canine Health Foundation. “We hope the CHOICE initiative moti-vates clubs to take advantage of the opportunity to put their CHF PPCP dollars directly to work to support canine health research.”

“Our PPCP program has built a powerful legacy of helping parent clubs fund important research,” says Purina Director of Conformation Ann Viklund, a member of the CHF board of directors. “When you look at the wealth of research that has led to many discoveries, this work often impacts not only the health of an individual breed but all dogs.

Purina is proud to offer the PPCP program and to partner with the AKC Canine Health Foundation.”

WORKING TOGETHER TO SUPPORT RESEARCH

Sadly, most dogs have an advanced form of hemangiosarcoma when it is discovered and may die before treatment can begin. Dogs live on average one to two weeks without treatment, and the expected survival is four to six months with treatment.

Boxers are among the breeds that have a high prevalence of hemangiosarcoma. The American Boxer Charitable Foun-dation along with the Golden Retriever Foundation and the Portuguese Water Dog Foundation helped to fund the Shine-On Project to help advance understanding about the cancer.

Originating from the endothelial cells of blood vessels, tumor cells have access to the blood supply, which allows them to metastasize most commonly to the heart, skin or liver. About 50 percent of tumors start in the spleen. Other organs affected may include the lungs, kidneys, mouth, muscle, bone, brain, and bladder.

The standard of care is surgery to remove the primary tumor, depending on the location, and/or chemotherapy. Surgery is not always possible, and though chemo-therapy may delay metastasis, it is not curative.

Hemangiosarcoma can occur in most any dog, including mixed-breed dogs. Other breeds with high

prevalence rates include Boxers and Portuguese Water Dogs. Thus, when Razzle Golden Retriever breeder Cathy Meddaugh of Arlington, Texas, donated $100,000 to the Golden Retriever Foundation a few years ago in memory of her retired show dog “Shine,” who died from the cancer, the gift sparked a matching challenge for the Golden Retriever community.

A three-way funding team, com-prised of the Golden Retriever Foundation, the Portuguese Water Dog Foundation and the American Boxer Charitable Foundation, initi-ated a grassroots effort to support hemangiosarcoma research. This led to the Shine On Challenge, raising $432,000 through donations from

SPRING 2018

HOW THE PPCP PROGRAM WORKS

• Members of Purina Pro Club must declare participation in the Purina Parent Club Part-nership (PPCP) program and designate their national parent club. The parent club also must be enrolled in the PPCP program.

• Pro Club members earn Purina Points by purchasing qualifying Purina pet foods and submitting proof of purchase.

• Purina donates 10 percent of qualifying points earned by Pro Club members who participate in the PPCP pro-gram. An annual distribution is made by Purina, with half of the distribution going to the designated breed club and the other half to the club’s fund at the AKC Canine Health Foundation to support canine health research.

• To begin earning Purina Points for your breed club, log on to your account at purinaproclub. com and make sure your pro-file shows you are participat-ing in PPCP. If you are not yet a member, you also can join Pro Club at that website. For information about supporting research through the AKC Canine Health Foundation, call 888-682-9696 or contact chfgrants@akcchf.org.

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The German Shorthaired Pointer Club of America maximizes its participation in the PPCP program by helping to fund CHF canine health research.

DOG Update

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many individuals who lost dogs to the cancer.

The three-year Shine On Project began in March 2016 at the University of Minnesota. The CHF administers and manages the grant that aims to advance a blood test to detect the cancer in dogs and to evaluate a promising chemopreventive toxin that attacks hemangiosarcoma stem cells and kills them before they have a chance to form a tumor.

“This collaboration among these three breed club foundations and their dedication to canine health has driven this project forward, and is helping to make a significant differ-ence for all dogs,” Dr. Brown says.

Golden Retriever Club of America research facilitator Rhonda Hovan, of Akron, Ohio, says, “No matter what breed or mixed breed, this research touches people who love their dogs and have lost them to aggressive cancers like heman-giosarcoma, and they want to do all they can to support the cause. There is a tremendous personal impact when the research findings actually help dogs live longer, even on a case-by-case basis.”

MAXIMIZING PPCP FUNDS As clubs become aware of the

gains that come from canine health research, they often become vested partners. The Labrador Retriever Club, National Beagle Club and German Shorthaired Pointer Club of America are clubs that maximize their partnership in PPCP through CHF research funding. This fund-ing, with support from several clubs, has particularly impacted research of epilepsy and cruciate ligament disease.

Since 2014, more than $500,000 has been awarded in CHF research grants to support epilepsy research, of which $100,000 has come from clubs’ PPCP funds at CHF. Similarly, since 2011, $300,000 has been awarded for research of cruciate

ligament disease, of which nearly $89,000 has come from clubs’ PPCP funds supporting seven CHF grants.

Although not all research leads to breakthroughs, findings that are published in peer-reviewed journal articles help to advance understand-ing. Of the 37 CHF grants the Golden Retriever Foundation has supported through March 1, 2018, these have resulted in 89 unique, peer-reviewed publications in sci-entific and veterinary journals.

“The impact of a club’s investment in research is demonstrated through peer-reviewed scientific publications,” says Dr. Brown. “This is the gold standard measure of scientific prog-ress, and gets the results out to the veterinarians, breeders, the public and other researchers. When clubs put their Purina PPCP dollars to work, they help to advance canine health.” n

TOP 10 PARENT CLUBS IN 2017 PPCP EARNINGS

Parent Club 2017 Total Cumulative PPCP Earnings* PPCP Earnings**

Labrador Retriever Club $65,205 $874,559

National Beagle Club $24,534 $376,543 (joined in 2004)

Treeing Walker Breeders & Fanciers $21,035 $258,965 (joined in 2003)

German Shepherd Dog Club of America $20,071 $358,211

Golden Retriever Club of America $17,910 $239,324

German Shorthaired Pointer Club of America $14,220 $185,311

American Field Pointer Association $9,617 $81,442 (joined in 2006)

Great Dane Club of America $9,302 $156,445

Dachshund Club of America $8,164 $135,762

American Boxer Club $7,522 $146,459

*Includes distributions to the parent club and to the club’s fund at the AKC Canine Health Foundation ** Represents cumulative distributions since PPCP began in 2002, unless a different membership start date is indicated. Includes distributions to the parent club and to the club’s fund at the AKC Canine Health Foundation

SPRING 2018

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PURINA PRO CLUB INTRODUCES RECEIPT SUBMISSION

Purina Pro Club is on a fast track to help members get their Purina Points into their accounts sooner. A new receipt submission program allows you to take a picture of your receipt from purchases of eligible Purina dog foods on your smartphone or scan the receipt into your computer and submit it online. Your Purina Points will show up in your account by the end of the day in most cases if uploaded correctly. Note that July 31, 2018, is the last date to mail in weight circles. Once you start submitting receipts, you will not be able to submit any more weight circles. To get started, click on the link below that will take you to helpful tools — instructions and a video — and then log on to your Pro Club account, register and begin submitting receipts.

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PPCP PROGRAM RAISES MORE THAN $7 MILLION SINCE 2002

A healthy payday is coming to the 193 parent clubs that participated in the 2017 Purina Parent Club Partnership (PPCP) program. Purina is disbursing the 2017 PPCP earnings of $455,085 this spring, with half going directly to the participating parent clubs and half to the clubs’ fund at the AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF). Since it began in 2002, the PPCP program has raised more than $7 million for canine health research.

This year, when clubs use their PPCP funds at CHF to support a CHF research program of their choice, the AKC will match up to $250,000 to CHF research programs through the CHOICE (Canine Health Oppor-tunity to Impact CarE) matching-gift initiative. Ann Viklund of Purina, right, presents the 2017 PPCP

earnings to Dr. Charles Garvin, chair, and Dr. Diane Brown, CEO, of the AKC Canine Health Foundation. An equal amount is being distributed directly to the participating parent clubs.

PURINA PRO PLAN INTRODUCES FOCUS SMALL BREED SENSITIVE SKIN & STOMACH SALMON & RICE FORMULA

Purina Pro Plan recently launched FOCUS Small Breed Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon & Rice Formula, made especially for small-breed adult dogs weighing 20 pounds or less. Formulated with natural prebiotic fiber to promote digestive health, this complete and balanced food also is high in protein, with salmon as the No. 1 ingredient, to meet the needs of highly active small dogs. This food includes antioxidants to help support immune system health, omega-6 fatty acids and zinc to nourish the skin and promote healthy coat, and omega-3 fatty acids to support healthy joints and mobility. It is made without corn, wheat or soy, has no artificial colors or flavors, and no poultry byproduct meal.

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