The Sorrow of DM and other inheritable diseases - Page 1

This is the guy I mentioned on another thread, and it was what Blitzen said, something like "...how it is hard to imagine worse to lose a dog to DM, much less a very young one." If you have a dog you loved and lost and want to honor their memory here, I think that would be great. This dog was PTS before he was 15 months old, when he was struck with the paralysis of DM or a DM like disease. 

There has been debate about the awareness and use of new tests for genetically inherited diseases, that have not been around for very long.  I'm hoping to put a dog face, a visual reminder why it matters so very much to many dog lovers everywhere to finally know what can be avoided or even to just better the odds.





                   

Wonderful idea, Beetree!! I have been lucky to not have a dog with DM, but 2 friends have. I don't know if they have any photos I could post, but I'll ask.

Your dog looks so happy on the photos. I'm sure he had a great life albeit way too short.

I lost my girl to DM she was just over 12 years old.  It was devastating watching her pull herself along like her legs were not part off her.  15 months is NO age.  I have only found a hand full of breeders on the Internet in the UK doing this test.  I also wish more would do the Anal furunculosis test as I know of only one breeder in the UK testing for this horrific and again inherited condition.  The prices for both test seem reasonable.  Again 15 months how can this be happening?

So sorry about everyone's losses. 

My very first dog Bonnie was affected by DM. She was not a German Shepherd.... just a heinz 57 from the local animal shelter but she was
the best dog ever. Of course she had her flaws, but for a 15 year old girl (when I got her) she was perfect in every way. The disease presented
itself after a surgery to remove a cyst when she was around 9 and I watched her very slow deteoriation. She had other problems as well that
I honestly attribute to over vaccination..... autoimmune issues mostly... she was the poster dog for vaccinosis. But she was MY dog...
(The one picture she looks very plump.... it was due to a very enlarged liver) She was 16 when we set her free.

RIP Bonnie
11/16/2011



Melissa

Ok,I looked over the OFA site and can find no referance of DM, Im not new to gsd's or hip/elbow ofa's but what is DM for the people out here that dont know.
                             Thanks,
                                          Rbud

PS I had a fellow contact me last night wanting to have his female bred by my male, he said his female is a DM carrier. Then I find these comments on the database this morning. A little help here please.

http://www.offa.org/dnatesting/dm.html 

You might want to have your dog tested before breeding him to a carrier.

Wow Bee, he was a beautiful dog.  Much too young.

Thanks, Red and others. Way too young, I know, it is very hard to believe. When I say sorrow, you can see it in his face too, from these other photos of when he could no longer walk without our help, and using the sling. We used that brown towel in the pictures. You can see the evergreen in one picture, that was our Christmas tree, (live). Our poor dog never made it that far. 

We had already spent three thousand dollars on every test and treatment possible. If they had a DNA test back then, it would have made it so much easier on us, and especially the dog. Perhaps I wouldn't have put him through some of his ordeal, but as everyone noticed, he was just so young. I couldn't give up on him. Sometimes though, we don't get to call the shots.