WAS YOUR GSD TESTED WITH DR CLEMMONS DM FLASH TEST? - Page 2

Dr Clemmons is no longer at the University of Florida.

but the collection of data, pertaining to this test is still very much needed! If your dog was tested, please either PM me, place it on this post or place it on  the facebook page http://DR Clemmons DM Flash Test in German Shepherds: Results, or on http://www.gsdbbr.org ( the  German Shepherd Dog Breed Betterment Registry, a searchable International Health Registry for registered German Shepherd Dogs that comply with the breed standard).

Thank You :)

why not, Blitzen?

1)Because it isnt valid for GSDS! THAT is why the OFA added to their site "in certain breeds, DM may be caused by other factor"s!!! They buried it in the At Risk section, but its there!!!

2)Because it brought DM research to a screeching HALT, in our breed!!! It threw our breed under the bus!

I seriously cannot do this anymore. I have given it my all, have given up, and will let time prove me right. God knows, no one wants answers more than I do, having walked that DM road to hell more than once. Think about it- would I diss something that helped??? I am the one who went through PTSD after my loss of Missie T to DM... In fact, all the horros are coming back to me, now, so I need to just walk away, again...In time, statistics will show just how disasterous the OFA DM DNA test is for our breed. No one has ever given any intelligent answers, or ANY answers, as a matter of fact, why the diagnostic test results are 180 degrees apart, between GSDM and the DM of other breeds. However, I cannot revisit this... it took its toll on me in the past, and I am getting that dreaded feeling again.. I just cant go there, anymore..  I wont own a GSD after Casey James. The breeders, IMHO, do NOT have the best interests of the breed, at heart..Ya'll can get pissed at me for saying this, but this is how I feel... Therefore, its a diasaster waiting to happen .I am now too old to handle the consequences...

Why not what, Marj?

Never mind,  understand what you were asking, Marj, The CHIC DNA bank is not about DM, Clemmons, the Flash test, etc.. It's about establishing a DNA database to use for EVERY health issue found in the GSD or a breed with the same disease....hemangiosarcoma. epilepsy, osteosarcoma, lymphatic cancer, etc. Did you look at the form and the questions? Please don't link that CHIC DNA bank to the DM fiasco. That's not fair.
 

What is CHIC?

The Canine Health Information Center, also known as CHIC, is a centralized canine health database sponsored by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). CHIC, working with participating parent clubs, provides a resource for breeders and owners of purebred dogs to research and maintain information on the health issues prevalent in specific breeds by establishing a recommended protocol for breed specific health screening and recognizing dogs tested in accordance with that protocol

CHIC also maintains a DNA Bank that collects and stores canine DNA samples along with corresponding genealogic and phenotypic information to facilitate future research and testing aimed at reducing the incidence of inherited disease in dogs.

If your dog has DNA banked in the CHIC DNA Repository and has had any significant health status changes since filling out the original phenotypic health survey, please remember to email the OFA with updates.  Include the dog’s name/number, as well as any updated diagnosis.  As the number of researchers interested in this resource continues to increase, it is important to keep the health histories up to date, as that is typically the primary selection criteria for supplying samples to a given research proposal. Email updates to: ofa@offa.org. Thank You!

"Buried"? What, where? Not much different than Clemmons' statements above. It's still up to each individual breeder to decide what is right for their breeding programs, but they need all the current evidence to make that decision.
 

Why don't you ask  Dr. Clemmons if he would like to respond to any of this.

At-Risk (A/A)

This dog is homozygous A/A, with two mutated copies of the gene, and is at risk for developing Degenerative Myelopathy (DM). Although almost all dogs in the research study with confirmed DM have had A/A DNA test results, recent evidence suggest that there are other causes of DM in some breeds. In addition, not all dogs testing as A/A have shown clinical signs of DM. DM is typically a late onset disease, and dogs testing as A/A that are clinically normal may still begin to show signs of the disease as they age. Some dogs testing A/A did not begin to show clinical signs of DM until they were 15 years of age. Research is ongoing to estimate what percentage of dogs testing as A/A will develop DM within their lifespan. At this point, the mutation can only be interpreted as being at risk of developing DM within the animal's life. For dogs showing clinical signs with a presumptive diagnosis of DM, affected (A/A) test results can be used as an additional tool to aid in the diagnosis of DM. Dogs testing At-Risk (A/A) can only pass the mutated gene on to their offspring.