G.S.D. breeder states NO test for the D.M.! - Page 4

Bringing up the "why" the University of Florida stopped researching is quite another can of worms driving the division of the issue for testing. There is more to that situation and I personally would not agree with Markobytes that "the test killed that research". Readers might do well to keep that in mind if they feel compelled to continue researching this issue on their own.

All is still not clear, that is the only thing that is for certain. Do your own research, become educated on the issue and use your own judgment when deciding which breeders you will buy from if DM testing is important to you, the buyer.

University of Giesen in Germany believes the OFA DM marker is invalid. It's about time somebody dimed the OFA for their faulty test.

'University of Giesen in Germany believes the OFA DM marker is invalid. It's about time somebody dimed the OFA for their faulty test.'


Of course it's faulty....look at the Wire hair Fox Terrier as an example: 98% test positive for the double sod1 allele, yet there has never been a case of DM in the breed.

The test for DM is a scam. The sod1 is coincidental for any dog stricken with DM. Zero proof that the sod1 CAUSES DM. If there is proof, show us.

If people want to have a disease to freak out about, freak out about the prevalence of hemangiosarcoma....***painful**deadly**** strikes dogs of any breed or combination thereof, no DNA test to predict, no cure by the time it's diagnosed, because it must be far advanced in order to diagnose and symptoms mimic so many other health issues, dogs suffer for weeks or months before succoming by bleeding out, kills dogs in their prime.

DM usually strikes in old age after a healthy life, is pain free, is relatively uncommon.

Hemangiosarcoma saps the life from relatively young dogs with excruciating pain, is very common.

Please site your source, tanksr, otherwise your post is pure hearsay.

Apples and Oranges @ Joanro. I have had different dogs with each one with one of these diseases. I wouldn’t use one to negate the serious symptoms and inevitable deaths for the other. Makes no sense to do so.

No, not apples and ornges...both are diseases suffered by Canis familiaris. One can't be diagnosed till after death, and causes no pain for the animal afflicted and is relatively uncommon, occurs in old age typically.

The other is cancer that afflicts across the board and causes horrible pain no cure.

I've nowhere said one negates the other. However, there is almost zero awareness of the frequency of dog deaths by hemangiosarcoma, striking down dogs in their prime. It is far more devastating to have a four or five year old dog in it's prime succome to cancer than to have a dog live a long healthy life, then get DM or maybe not DM when the dog is very old....diagnosis can only be determine by necropsy and how many people choose to have that done after their dog passes?

How much research is being promoted to get a handle on hemangiosarcoma?
I've had dogs of three different breeds die from that horrible cancer, one was a cross breed. In 65 years of having dogs, being involved with making my living with them, training and traveling the country to perform with them .....I've never even so much as seen a dog with DM.

But I have owned and also know many other owners of dogs that succumbed to a painful, agonizing death from hemangiosarcoma.
DM DNA test is a scam...DM can never be eliminated by the admission of the ones providing the test because they claim it is a mutation, that can occur at any time in a dog's reproductive life.

While I believe your expertise in dogs throughout your own lifetime has its merits, I would not use it for the benchmark of determining the existence nor the severity of DM. It does exist. it is devastating.

While I can appreciate the incompleteness in the Science used for the current DM tests being offered, their purpose and option for using them has been dissected and explained over and over again in such a manner as not to deceive its users as to the probability and the genes involved in all possible outcomes. Certainly that does not describe a scam.

I can relate to this since my husband and I recently purchased a gsd puppy. We had a difficult time finding local breeders who tested for HD and DM. Thankfully, we finally found a breeder who does testing through the OFA for hips, elbows, and DM. Many of the breeders I contacted while we were searching did no testing. I got into an email debate with one breeder who does no testing---she also trains service dogs, yet does not think testing is necessary.

Tests will never be 100% accurate, but they can at least provide you with some information about the health of the dogs you are breeding. It is better than nothing.

Article stating test for ALS can more accurately detect DM:

https://lessonsfromaparalyzeddog.com/degenerative-myelopathy-dogs-got-good-news-from-university-of-missouri/

IMO - if SOD 1 is one of the factors, than dogs should be tested and those that are double positive shouldn't be used for breeding.
Yes, they breeding stock SHOULD be checked. No, not all breeders feel the test is worthwhile.
A knowledgeable customer has the right to just walk away if the testing they deem necessary is not completed.
Plenty of breeders to pick and choose from, no need to have hurt feelings.