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THE HEALTH SUPPORT
COMMITTEE
WHAT IS OUR
MISSION?
The mission of this
committee
is to support the NABSSAR and educate its membership in an
effort
to identify and
control sheep diseases in the Babydoll Southdown breed.
WHAT IS THE
PURPOSE OF
THIS COMMITTEE?
The purpose of this
committee is to
provide the NABSSAR membership with resources and educational links to
better understand various sheep diseases, and provide our membership
with a percentage reimbursement for testing their flocks with
accredited laboratories.
THE COMMITTEE GOAL
The goal is to
educate our
members. We hope to prevent the spread of
diseases affecting our Babydoll
Southdowns. Diseases are often preventable, but are still found in many
flocks across the United States. By educating and providing support, we
are making members more aware of sheep health issues in the industry as
a whole.
By testing your
Babydoll
Southdowns, you are educating yourself on the health of your
flock, and in so doing, helping members make better breeding choices,
while
increasing the value of your flock through longevity. The intent of
this committee is not to
pay for 100% of testing but to offset a portion of the
costs in an
effort to improve the overall health of the breed, thereby, improving
the
breed’s
future.
HOW WILL
PERCENTAGE
REIMBURSEMENT WORK?
In order for
members to
receive percentage reimbursement, they must test their sheep for BOTH
Johne's and
OPP.
Q-Fever, CL, and Brucellosis are optional.
Johne's
caused by M. avium
subsp. paratuberculosis |
OPP
caused by
an
ovine lentivirus |
Q-Fever
caused by Coxiella
burnetii |
Cadeous
Lymphadenitis
(CL)
caused by Corynebacterium
pseudotuberculosis |
Brucellosis
caused by
the
bacteria Brucella |
Requirements to
qualify for
any
percentage reimbursement:
- Members must have been an active member (paid
membership
dues & not owe any fees) for the previous year and the year
they are requesting percentage reimbursement.
- Sheep must be registered with the NABSSAR and the
member
submitting for percentage reimbursement must own the sheep per the
registrar's approval on the animal's CoR and in the NABSSAR's official
records.
- Only accredited
testing laboratories may be used.
- Percentage reimbursement will be made for the
actual cost
of the
tests, based on the labs used fee schedule. A member
will not be receive any reimbursement for vet
fees,
supplies, shipping of samples, taxes, surcharges, or other fees charged
by
veterinarians and/or labs.
- To be considered for initial percentage
reimbursement for a
sheep's
testing, the sheep must have been tested for BOTH OPP &
Johne's. Additional tests qualifying for percentage
reimbursement are CL, Q-Fever,
& Brucellosis. [1] At this time no
other testing will be reimbursed. If the sheep has been tested for OPP
& Johne's and those results have been submitted, results for
the remaining three tests may be submitted in conjunction or at a later
date. Sheep need to be over 12 months old for OPP testing [2]
and over 18 months old for Johne's testing. [3]
- For the year 2023 (January 1 - December 31),
$5000.00 will
be set aside, by the association, for the percentage
reimbursement program. The amount of percentage reimbursement will be
20%,
up to $200.00, per membership #, per year, with a maximum of $600.00,
per membership # during the duration of the program. All
percentage reimbursements are on a first come (with all requirements
met), first
served basis. The percentage reimbursement program will be evaluated,
by the Board
of Directors, in November/December of each year for
continuation/cancellation or any changes to be instituted for the
upcoming year's program.
- Testing completed in 2022 may be submitted for percentage
reimbursement as long as the following applies: member was
an active member in 2021 (year prior to testing year), 2022 (year
testing completed), & 2023 (year submitting for reimbursement).
- Once testing is complete, to qualify to be
evaluated for
percentage reimbursement, in addition to the requirements outlined
previously, a
paid invoice/receipt AND the animal
testing results must be submitted with all information intact
to: NABSSAR-HSC, c/o
Michelle
Schubert, NABSSAR secretary, 2587 Josephine Rd, Stamping Ground, KY
40379. No electronic
submissions accepted. A copy of the invoice/receipt will be
forwarded to the
NABSSAR's treasurer for payment after it is determined the member
qualifies for percentage reimbursement. The member's personal
information, as well
as the animals' identification, will be redacted on copies made of the
testing results before being sent to the Health Support Committee chair
to be used for statistical purposes only. ALL of the non-redacted
originals will be kept with the NABSSAR's permanent records. By
submitting for percentage reimbursement, a member is agreeing to the
requirements of the
program and understands qualification for percentage reimbursement is
decided by
the NABSSAR.
- Members participating in the program will be
indicated on
our website's membership list by a color code or a symbol. A notation
will be at
the at top of the membership list. [4]
The NABSSAR assumes no
responsibility, nor liability, for the disease testing results of an
animal. Members are encouraged to consult with their veterinarians
and/or labs regarding the results and any questions they may have about
them. Animal movement from one person to another is negotiated between
the parties involved. The individual parties involved in the
negotiations assume the responsibility of disclosing/inquiring about
the testing status/results.
Statistics
regarding the
number of members testing, the number of animals testing, the tests
completed, and the number of positives and negatives of those
tests will be
published in The Paddock, our newsletter, each
year and on our website. It
is
understood, these statistics in no way represent the entire Babydoll
Southdown breed population, nor the entire NABSSAR breed population nor
reflect the amount of disease present in the entire Babydoll
Southdown breed population, nor the entire NABSSAR breed population.
[1] Please consult
the links provided on the HSC pages of our website and your
veterinarian for information about CL, Q-Fever, & Brucellosis
prior to testing.
[2] http://www.oppsociety.org/download/opp-final-guidelines-2020.pdf
Information on a voluntary program administered by the Minnesota Board
of Animal Health (BAH) in cooperation with the United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA) Veterinary Services referred to as Healthy Sheep
and Goats. "Test sheep/goats in the flock 12 months of age or older."
[3] https://johnes.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/JohnesSheepBooklet.pdf
Johne's Disease Q & A for Sheep Owners "Due to the biology of
MAP infection, older, infected sheep are much more likely to shed MAP
or produce antibody. Therefore, diagnostic tests are less reliable for
most sheep less than 18 months old."
[4] Participating in the
NABSSAR's Health Support Committee disease testing program.
Questions? - Contact Cheryl Campbell, Committee Chair at E-mail
Updated as of 03/2023