DM and breeding. - Page 7

I agree with not breeding Dm Carriers period , I got into a argument with A breeder that the only sire she uses with 4 other female
Non carrier DM dogs , The sire is a carrier , Yea it might be safe to breed a Carrier with a non carrier and the pups might come out carriers and some won’t , I know of some that came out clear in her litters but some came out carriers , she thinks it’s ok , I don’t , because If she fails to tell the Buyers and then they breed with another carrier then the pups are at risk, this is not ok , and she has produced about at least 2 litters a year per female and she has 4 , all from 1 sire that’s a carrier , I know first hand what DM is all about I had put my 8 yr Boy down 2 weeks ago from this horrible decease and it’s heart breaking to watch and lose your best friend Dm needs to be shut down starting with the breeders and carrier , this isn’t about money it’s about your best friend

That's the most ridiculous reason ever. If you breed your dog without having done a DM test, that's on you. My breeding bitch was supposedly DM free by parentage, yet I still purchased a DNA panel and had her tested to make sure.

If you want to breed, it's your responsibility to test your dogs health before you breed said dogs and  that includes DM. The excuse "I didn't know because the breeder didn't tell me." doesn't fly.
 

there is absolutely no way I would pass up breeding an above average female (pick
your venue) if I have a test that assures me there is no chance any of the pups will develop DM.

jmo,
Rik

Well what I know now and what I knew 8 yrs I made sure my 7 month old was tested before I purchased him ,After going through this decease with my Boy , I never even heard of the decease of DM , It was always Hips that we heard of in GSD , So we never did tests on him or my 9 yr female til it came up and he started having symptoms , and had both of them tested , she came back clear, he came back at risk, so I seen one of these post show me a dog that tested at risk that ended up with DM , Mine did , Again the only way to Breed out DM Is to test and breed Clear with Clear , If the dogs a carrier quit being greedy and take loss making money because at that point that all your in it for ,

I had a litter that was 5 of 6 with Mega E. this was a 3'rd gen breeding for me and represented approx. 10 years and thousands of dollars invested as well as thousands more miles traveled in those years.

I never bred her again, even though it was not known if that is caused by one or both parents, I would not take that chance.

so I guess what I'm saying is that you have no idea what I'm in it for and I doubt ever will.

best,
Rik

Rik

I’m not saying or blaming anyone but there are lots that don’t care the outcome , To make a few bucks , some this is people’s only income , And there’s some that have regular jobs that do it because they love the breed , I wasn’t pointing the finger at anyone , But again it seems I hit a soft spot there

Good day

yea well, it did seem you accused me of breeding for money. that kind of crossed the line of people posting opinions/experience to personal. maybe you ought to re read what you posted.

I have bred maybe 10-12 litters over 35 years. I never considered the money as I was fortunate enough to never having to rely on dogs for income. I do understand the heartbreak associated with issues like this.

my last one, a very successful one in my venue developed cancer at 11 yo. it was very fast and very sad. she should still be here with me and I miss her dearly.

Rik

and just for the record here is the position of the OFA on this subject.

"The “A” (mutated) allele appears to be very common in some breeds. In these breeds, an overly aggressive breeding program to eliminate dogs testing A/A or A/N might be devastating to the breed as a whole because it would eliminate a large fraction of the high-quality dogs that would otherwise contribute desirable qualities to the breed. Nonetheless, DM should be taken seriously. It is a fatal disease with devastating consequences for the dog and can be a trying experience for the owners that care for them. A realistic approach when considering which dogs to select for breeding would be to treat the test results as one would treat any other undesirable trait or fault. Dogs testing At-Risk (A/A) should be considered to have a more serious fault than those testing as Carriers (A/N). Incorporating this information into their selection criteria, breeders can then proceed as conscientious breeders have always done: make their breeding selections based on all the dog’s strengths and all the dog’s faults. Using this approach and factoring the DM test results into the breeding decisions should reduce the prevalence of Degenerative Myelopathy in the subsequent generations while continuing to maintain and improve upon positive, sought-after traits."

so there are things the responsible breeder, who finds themselves with a special dog can do in these situations. including testing the puppies. not everyone is a crook.

Rik

Its not a money loss we are talking about. Its a genetic loss! You cant toss out carriers just yet!