Health update campaign - Frequently Asked Questions
Here you can find answers to Frequently Asked Questions about our health update campaign. The list will be updated based on the enquiries we receive.
Which dogs should be updated?
Should I fill in the questionnaire although my dog is healthy?
Should I fill in the questionnaire although my dog is dead?
Should I fill in the questionnaire although I'm no longer the dog's owner?
Should I fill in the questionnaire although I have recently updated the dog's information?
How and when can the health information be updated?
How do I update the information?
I did not get an email confirmation - did you receive my update?
Update request emails
Why did I not get an update request?
Why did I not get an update request for all of my dogs?
Why did I get an update request for a dog I've already updated?
Other questions
My dog is completely healthy. Should I still fill the questionnaire?
It is very important for us to know which of our sampled dogs are still healthy. Especially old, healthy dogs are useful control samples in gene mapping studies.
The new version of our health update form makes it easier to report that the dog is healthy, because we do not ask detailed questions on diseases that the dog is not reported to have.
My dog has already died. Do I need to fill in the questionnaire?
Our health information questionnaire has been revised; the new version is more systematic and comprehensive than the old one. Therefore, we wish to get this extended information about all dogs, also those that are no longer alive.
Genetic research can benefit also from sampled dogs that are no longer alive, as long as we have reasonably accurate information on the dog's lifetime health and cause of death. Especially dogs that lived healthy to an old age are very valuable controls for many studies.
Another reason for reporting a sampled dog's death to us is that we can then skip sending requests for example for additional samples.
I am no longer the owner of the sampled dog. Should I still answer the questionnaire?
We wish you can give us the contact information of the new owner at www.koirangeenit.fi/questionnaires/contactupdate. We also hope you could update the dog's health information at www.koirangeenit.fi/questionnaires/health for the part / period that you know of.
Additionally, if you so wish, you can forward the health update request email to the current owner of the dog.
I have given an update of my dog's health information just recently. Do I need to answer again?
We have revised our health questionnaire and it's now more comprehensive than before. We therefore hope to get this new, extended information of all our sampled dogs. As our sample collection is large, we wish to store the information in a consistent format for all dogs, and the new electronic form helps to achieve this.
How urgent is it to update the health information?
Our health update system operates constantly, so there is no exact deadline for the updates. We will remind those that have not answered within a few weeks.
There will be a prize draw of ten gift vouchers (á 50 EUR) to Peten Koiratarvike online shop among those who have updated their dog's information by the end of May 2016.
How do I update my dog's information?
The information is updated using an electronic form at www.koirangeenit.fi/questionnaires/health.
The form asks about basic information of the respondent on the first page and of the dog on the second. On the third page, we ask about the dog's diseases on a general level. More detailed questions will then follow on those disease groups that you report the dog to have. At the end of the questionnaire there is a free-text question for additional information.
The information is sent by clicking the Submit button. If you answer for multiple dogs, please click Submit after each dog and then reopen the questionnaire for the next dog. If you give your email address, you will get a confirmation email that we have received your answer.
I filled in and sent the health update questionnaire, but I did not receive an email confirmation. What should I do?
First check that the confirmation email has not ended up in your email program's spam folder. If it's not there and does not arrive within a few hours, the most probable reason is that the email address you gave in the questionnaire has been somehow erroneous or nonfunctional. However, the health update information has probably reached us all right, so it's not necessary to fill in the questionnaire again. Please contact us by email at lgl-kyselyt@helsinki.fi and report the situation, so we can correct your email address in our database.
I have given you a sample of my dog, but I have not received an update request. What should I do?
We will send the update requests over the course of several weeks, so the request could still be on its way (see Phase of the update campaign). Another possible reason is that your contact email address in our database is outdated, erroneous or missing.
You can update the health information for a dog of which you know you have sent us a sample, even if you have not received an update request for it. Go to www.koirangeenit.fi/questionnaires/health, fill in and send the questionnaire. This way we will also get your updated contact information. Please note that you may receive the automatic update request afterwards, even though you have already answered. You do not have to inform us about it.
I have given a sample of several dogs, but I only received an update request for one of them. May/should I update the information for the others, too?
We will send the update requests over the course of several weeks, so some of the requests may still be on the way (see Phase of the update campaign). Another possible reason is that for one/some of your dogs, your contact email address in our database is outdated, erroneous or missing.
You can update the health information for a dog of which you know you have sent us a sample, even if you have not received an update request for it. Go to www.koirangeenit.fi/questionnaires/health, fill in and send the questionnaire. This way we will also get your updated contact information. Remember to click Submit after each dog.
(Please note that you may receive the automatic update request afterwards, even though you have already answered. You do not have to answer anew or inform us about it.)
I have already filled in the health update questionnaire of my dog, yet I received an update request email. Did you not receive my answer? Do I need to fill in the questionnaire anew?
We send the update requests automatically to all sample dog owners who have given us their email address. We do not separately filter out those who have already answered.
Therefore, if you get an update request for a dog that you've already updated using our new questionnaire, you can just ignore the request; you do not have to answer again or inform us. If we would for some reason not have received your original answer, we will send a separate email reminder later.
I think I've sent you a sample of my dog many years ago, but I'm not quite sure. How can I find out whether you have a sample of the dog?
During our health update campaign we will send an email to all owners of sampled dogs, as long as we have their email address. If you don't get an update request by email during the campaign, we either do not have a sample of your dog, your contact information in our database does not include an email address, or the address we have has not worked for one reason or another.
If you are fairly sure that you have sent us a sample of your dog, you can go and update its health information even if you have not received an email request. Please note that you may receive the automatic update request afterwards, even though you have already answered.
If you are unsure whether you've sent a sample or of which of your dogs you have sent a sample, you can fill in an automated query form at www.koirangeenit.fi/questionnaires/dnabank.
Why is it important to update the health and contact information?
It is important that a sampled dog's contact information is up to date so that we can contact the owner, for example if we need an additional sample or more detailed health information.
The health information is used in the planning of new research projects and in choosing samples for ongoing projects. When the health information is up to date, we know how many sampled dogs in each breed have a given disease; when there are enough cases, we can start a new research project. It is also easier to choose the control samples needed for the studies when we have an updated information about which dogs are healthy.