DNA test for DM - Page 8

I have an 8 year old male now that has DM. It is very hard to see him go through this. He nuckles under alot on his left rear leg. At least he is happy right now and that is all I could ask for. I have learned alot about DM because of Aiko. I too am following Dr. Clemmens protocol. As for now it is working very well with Aiko, so I am happy about that.

My female Xena ( the one in my avitar) I also did the DM test through OFA and she came back as  CARRIER. So I will only breed her to a clear. I am also going to do her CERF, Heart and Thyroid tests.

Oh gosh, this 4th page of threads has been so sad to read, I can't believe some of you have had to endure this heartbreaking disease in multiple dogs. I  applaud those of you that are also testing your breeding dogs, spread the word, put a special page on your site if you have one that describes the disease, feel free to copy the text I've put on my site to educate puppy buyers, especially to be aware of the breeders that are saying the German lines are free of DM and I know for a fact they haven't tested one single dog on their property. So please spread the word and test, test, test like it's been said before this disease can be eradicated in just a few generations with informed breeding. Let's continue to protect our future clients from this heartache. I have a friend right now with a dog that she highly suspects has DM, she is nine years old, I swabbed her the other day and will share the results when I get them here. It is very sad to watch as she is such a vibrant dog and you can see her frustration on her face. So sad. Let's continue to do our part to prevent the heartache and to spread the word. Here's the direct link to my DM info page, feel free to copy the text www.westcoastgermanshepherds.com/dminfo.htm

Barbie

Fortunately, both of my males are OFA N/N for DM. They are not carriers.

Why are some saying they don't need to test because their lines are DM free?  Unless there are DNA results that prove that claim, it's just not true. Don't buy into it if you're looking for a new dog or puppy. Insist that parents or the individual dog are DNA tested - don't drink the KoolAid.

BTW if you are convinced that German lines (working and show) are not invovled, I invite you to peruse the OFA DM data base, spend a little time to research the pedigrees of the at risks and carriers many of which are right here on this database. It's not rocket science to see that some of the most frequently used German dogs are/were either carriers or at risk themselves. Once again that doesn't mean they should not be or should not have been bred. It simply means that in the future any litters from these dogs should be bred with the goal of producing litters that test 100 % normal in the future. The whole idea is to avoid producing at risks.   

Barbie, I think it is an excellent idea for breeders to put information on their websites about DM. Also, it would good to highlight that their dogs have been DM tested, along with revealing the results. IMO all health testing should be highlighted. Health testing is one of the keys to the future of the breed. The DM test is one test that is a sure thing. Hips and elbows...not so much, unless you can research back three or four generations of full litters, which is unlikely because many people don't have their dogs screened. Even those folks that have screenings don't necessarily send the x-rays to OFA, PennHip or the SV. DM testing is inexpensive, easy and reliable. GSDs have a really bad reputation as being a breed inundated with many health issues, and rightfully so. Only the breeders can change that.    

Hi to all:  I was looking at a puppy (female) out of a fairly well known sire and asked the owner who had brought this dog from Germany back to the US and paid a lot of money for him;  I asked do you know if he was tested for DM; do you know if his spine is clear??  His comment was "I would imagine that he was tested, when you pay this much for a dog, usually that is done".  I must have had my mouth wide open; and of course turned down the puppy as I realized at that moment that it is a male that I want and of course, I would not have been interested in this guys breedings, and what a shame as this is a beautiful working dog and one that this guy was using at stud every chance he got.  JHC  Nan

in reply to starcharr

AS soon as i thought they would injure themselves by falling down the steps.  I also tried to pay attention  to the quality of life they were used to.  Now, if only we could have a test for hermangio.

Nan, I think if all buyers were educated as you are then the breeders would have to test.

I've never owned a GSD that had DM over the years but did have a Great Dane with DM. It was heart breaking.
Very sorry for all those that had one or more dogs suffer through DM. I recently just tested all 8 of my dogs.
I did 2 early than the others prior to breeding both were clear. Can't wait to get the other 6 test results back.
Mine were tested through Animal Genetics, should I send the results to OFA for listing?

Hudson, I don't think OFA will report results of tests done by other labs. At one time they did and included the results of the Flash test as well,  but their policy has changed. 

I truly wish there was a central database for reporting results from all labs since they are using the same test. To date only OFA has such a database now limited to dogs tested at the University of MO.