The Shetland Sheepdog health survey is available through the generosity of the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), and is the result of a collaborative effort between the OFA and the ASSA Research Advisory Committee. It became active October, 2008 and the data seen in the results section is cumulative since that time. Anyone owning a Sheltie may participate in the survey, and it is hoped that many owners will do so. Owners may input information for as many dogs as he/she wishes including information on normal and abnormal dogs, dogs already deceased and, of course, those still alive. If information changes for a dog already in the system, just re-enter that dog with the new information. Eventually, the numbers of dogs in the system will be so great that additional information on a dog already in the system will not make a significant difference in the overall percentages. This will not be a scientifically accurate survey, but it should give us a general idea of which health problems are more common and will guide us in selecting research projects for future support.
The first time you try to enter a dog into the Health Survey, consider clicking on all of the disease categories for the question: "Has your dog been diagnosed with any of the following health issues?", so you can see all of the options. A problem might be located in a different section than where you thought it might be. For instance, the MDR-1 genetic mutation is listed under "Neurologic disorders" since many of the adverse reactions associated with that trait cause neurological symptoms. If your dog doesn't have any problems in a given section, just leave that section blank. After you become familiar with the options, you can just click on the appropriate disease categories when entering additional dogs. The link to the survey is: https://www.ofa.org/about/educational-resources/health-surveys.