DNA test for DM - Page 5

When my dog, Commander was down, unable to walk from DM, I was adamant that I would never get another puppy without it being DM clear.  I was able to find Melinda at vom Gildaf who bred her DM clear female to Kelly's DM clear dog, Zavien.  The result was/is a wonderful balanced DM clear Devaraja vom Gildaf...BUT...as the pain lessened at seeing the most magnificent, intelligent, courageous 117 pound dog unable to walk, eventually even with a sling or wheelchair, I realized what Blitzen and others said was right.  I had 13 magnificent years with a dog that I loved more than life itself and I would not trade it for anything on earth.  What a sin it would be to lose those characteristics and traits he had (no, I never bred him) because in every other way, including hips and elbows, he was the epitome of the GSD.  I have since gotten two other pups, besides Devaraja, and though they have not been tested yet, when they are titled and have hips and elbows done, they will both be tested before any breeding is considered. Better to test and eliminate DM while preserving the best traits even in lines that have DM.  Thank all of you for this topic and God Bless you and your beautiful pup, RoZoAn.

It keeps getting harder and harder to read posts from those who have GSD's with DM. In the day breeders didn't have the DNA test to identify at risks and carriers so we need to give them a pass. Now that we have that test,  why are so many breeders still not using it and offering lame excuses for that?

bump

 With different labs now testing for DM and only the OFA using an internet database for their own results,  it's hard to get a handle on the percentage of normal vs carriers vs at risk.  We are certianly a lot more fortunate than the Corgi people with less than 10% normals.

Blitzen, It is my opinion that those who refuse to test their breeding dogs care more about their own agenda than the health and future of the German Shepherd breed.  I may be pounced on for that statement, but everything about this test is easy and there is no good excuse. It's inexpensive and getting a saliva sample is super easy, so I have no other way of looking at this.  

I know I am repeating myself, but BREEDERS, PLEASE TEST YOUR DOGS! Potential puppy buyers, don't buy a puppy unless you know the parents have been tested for DM and ask to see the results too. Trust me, you do not want to deal with this disease...

Char

Starrchar, I think it's worth it to have the peace of mind knowing that I didn't produce an at risk. My female is a carrier so she will only be bred to clears and we will DNA the puppies and place them accordingly. Will keep a clear or 2 for the future.

Blitzen, That is because you genuinely care about the future of the breed and the dogs you produce.  

As I mentioned before I have one female (the one in my avitar) that is a DM CARRIER and I have an 8 year old male that has DM. I tested him and he is AT RISK. This is a heartbreaking disease. I have learned alot about DM in the last several months. I wouldnt have learned as much as I have if I didnt have a dog with DM. So although it is very heartbreaking to see my dog go thru this, it has been a great learning experience. I agree with STARRCHAR about DM....  do your homework and ask the breeder IF THERE DOGS HAS BEEN TESTED FOR DM.

I also agree that just because a dog is DM At Risk does not mean they shouldnt be bred. If a breeder only bred DM clear dogs that would greatly shrink the gene pool. But a breeder knowing that they have a DM At Risk dog should be aware of that and breed to a clear. The good thing about DM, as stated above, is that it can be bred out in only a couple generations.

I would like to see the pedigrees on any known carriers or at risk dogs.  Why not mark them as such on here? It would certainly increase awareness. I have never known a GSD w/DM. I'm sure it's a horrible disease to deal with. The less secretive, the better. Those who are affected or carriers need to be known so people can make intelligent breeding decisions.

Jenni, if you want to research pedigrees, you'll need to do your homework by going to the OFA.org website, doing an advanced search, clicking on German Shepherd Dog, and then clicking on the DM options where you can search clears, carriers, and at risks. Some of the dogs have their parents listed on that site, others are here on the PDB, so you can try to do a pedigree on any dog you want. Some breeders have elected to not list their dog's information.

If a dog isn't an at risk, let's say a carrier, you won't know which side of the pedigree is responsible, both could be, and in the case of a clear, one parent could still be a carrier. Not sure why you are looking for that information, but it really is of very little value since each individual dog needs to be tested unless both parents are tested normal. Looking at pedigrees of at risks or carriers will not give one any good information on which dogs really need to be tested and which don't -THEY ALL DO.  The people who have had their GSD's tested are increasing awareness and that is why I generated this thread in the first place and will continue to bump it. 

Depending on the OFA website to generate pedigrees is only going to one give a very small picture of the dogs already tested since there are 2 other labs doing the same test and they do not make their results available in a database.

Once again, it's not about pedigrees, it's about testing each and every GSD that is used for breeding so future breeding decisions can be made in order to not double up on the mutation. No line, working or show is exempt. There are workinglines on the OFA website that are normal, carriers and at risk. The same for showlines and combinations. I have to think that the other labs have had similar results.