DNA test for DM - Page 4

Is it true that when the SV assigns a hip and elbow rating, that dog get an ZW rating too and that is listed in a searchable database on their website?



 

This is the website to search the SV ZW ratings.  Very easy to check.
http://www.schaeferhund.de/site/index.php?id=688  It usually works better if you only enter the call name or part of the kennel name and use * for more results.

You can also go here: http://www.schaeferhunden.eu/winsis_x/winsissearch.php?tp=1 to look up the registration info for a SV registered dog and see the actual a stamp rating.

Don't forget, the ZW scores are updated every quarter, so a dog may not be listed when you look and you have to check back at the next quarter, next update should be September 30th.

So any dog that has been assigned an "a" stamp will have a ZW rating and will be listed on that website (sooner or later)?

Rozoan...thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and photo of Anja. I am very sorry that you both must endure this disease. I applaud you for trying to make your girl's life more comfrtable and I hope she continues to avoid further decline.

Hopefully, your powerful photo and experience will help inspire others to test their dogs......

I think doing DM testing is super. The more information a breeder can get, the better.
I have some serious concerns with many of the kneejerk style reactions though. I have heard people absolutely condemn breeding a "carrier" (as well as "at risk").

Here is a problem that I see.......
Our breed comes from 4 general types. Getting a balanced dog, often results from balancing those 4 types in the pedigree. So let's say that Dog X, was a pillar of Type 1. Dog X is the culprit for starting a disease, like DM. If all of those carriers (and at risk) dogs are removed from the gene pool, one the the balancing types would disappear.


Now, what else might  we lose by taking out Type 1? Perhaps dogs from this bloodline produce beautiful sidegait, or great color, or strong nerves, or social aggression?????
So by taking out any dog associated with DM you would also lose whatever other traits are there.

IMO, breeding decisions should be made thoughtly and with intellect. Not just as a reaction to hype, and certainly not based on the ability to advertise to the general public.

---Mary

Anyone condemning carriers and/or at risks really needs to get some education about genetics and the autosomal/simple recessive mode of inheritance. Starting with an at risk and breeding only to clears will eliminate the gene 100% in 3 generations. Starting with a carrier and breeding only to clears will eliminate it 100%  in 2 generations. There is no need to eliminate any dogs from the gene pool because of their DM DNA status. The need is to identify the at risks and carriers and to breed them accordingly. If a pet quality dog tests at risk, it is a heads-up for the owner to be proactive and watch the dog for any signalments of DM.

In this sense it's "safer" for a buyer to purchase a puppy from an at risk x normal litter than to purchase one that is randomly bred from untested parents. The buyer knows upfront that the pup will be a carrier and will need to be bred to a clear and the resulting pups DNA'd. If a buyer wants a companion dog and has no interest in breeding, then again he or she will be better off buying a pet from an at risk x normal litter.

Once again, the DNA test is not intended to eliminate dogs from a breeding program. The intent is to identify the at risks and carriers and to breed them accordingly. And IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.



 

I agree with Blitzen. If you eliminated all carriers and at risk Pembroke corgis from breeding you'd decimate the breed. Out of over 1300 tested only 10% are clear.

Agreed Blitzen, I happen to have all clears and one carrier, who of course will be bred to my clear male. I feel like I just happened to get lucky because none of them had been tested before I got them, I didn't even know about it before I got them.

"Rozoan...thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and photo of Anja. I am very sorry that you both must endure this disease. I applaud you for trying to make your girl's life more comfrtable and I hope she continues to avoid further decline.

Hopefully, your powerful photo and experience will help inspire others to test their dogs......"

Ditto.  All I can add is that I had a male with DM whom I lost 5 years ago.  Looking back, one small comfort is that while it was tough for me to see such a strong, athletic dog reduced to stumbling around, falling on his butt etc., HE didn't think there was anything wrong with him.  He even tried to pick a fight with my other male not even a week before he died suddenly, and graciously took any decision out of my hands.