HMMM- Different Gene for DM???? - Page 1

As Gomer would say: Surprise, surprise, surprise !!!!!!

The way I see it, people who choose to test now are using the best option available to them in efforts to extinguish the disease in this breed (or at least in the lines they produce).   The money spent researching this diesase has to be funded somehow and by testing our dogs, we are contributing to better medical research and more difinitive answers.  It is generally understood that the science and technology we currently have available is evolving and that there are no true guarantees yet.  I test my breeding dogs and when another test becomes available, I will invest in that one too.  Testing is not about eliminating dogs altogether but about responsible breeding.

If you compare the evolution of the Aids virus as it was identified / detected in humans, you will see that science was not difinitive in the early years.  People spent Millions trying to find a test and still do spend millions seeking a cure. Would yuo tell someone in the 80's not to get tested?, not to observe safe practices?  Throw caution to the wind???     While Aids is contagous and DM is inhereted (from what we know)    Any effort a breeder makes towards prevention in future progeny is certainly a step in the right direction.

I always wonder what people who are adamantly against testing would do if someone wanted to give them a seemingly ideal puppy out of superior lines that exhibited excellent drives and seemed to be the perfect prospect for their next sport adventure BUT, that puppy was tested to be AT RISK.  Would they take the puppy or pass?

I would take it, if it was as good as you describe, without hesitation. And not exclude it from consideration for breeding.

It isn't any secret that there is more than one form of the condition and that the current test only tests for a specific type.  How is it a bad thing when the science evolves and we start to recognize the genetic markers for the other type(s)?

I would take the puppy, as the science behind the test is faulty. I wouldnt hesitate to take that pup for even a nano second. The problem as I see it, is in the understanding of DM. DM is not ALS- the two diseases are nothing alike, and by using the theory that DM is ALS, present funded research has no option but to fail.We need a researcher who has an understanding of DM. If one doesnt understand the disease then opne cannot possibly find the truth.. :(

I agree with Sentinalhearts and Keith G-  why NOT try to do what we can to decrease chances of passing such a horrible condition if we can with a simple test? Completely reliable or not at this stage, it's all we have for now, so use what we have.

I agree to testing as I test my dogs also. However, it still bugs me that even my n/n dogs can have DM and pass it on to their offspring.

I didn't see anyone on here so far, to say they wouldn't test.

I wouldnt test- the present OFA  test is a waste of time. It predicts things that cannot reasonably be predicted, and that has already been shown to be true. IMHO, the danger of testing is the incorrect labeling that comes from it-The false  hope it gives, allowing people to be blindsided, the false impression it gives puppy buyers,and the fact that many believe it is an answer, stopping the real answer from being found while one dog falls to the disease after another. Garbage in, garbage out. When one begins research with a false premise, that does NO ONE or the breed any good. Its just throwing good money after bad :( There are 2 kinds of DM??? Not in OUR breed! I seriously diasagree- - strenuously disagree, unless the two kinds are1) DM or 2) improper diagnosis! The *2* kinds of DM came about based upon a false presumption that all breeds get the same form of DM, when that was NEVER the case!  The DM of the GSD NEVER matched the DM of corgis and Boxers. All science pointed in the opposite direction and I screamed that from the rooftops for years! We didnt even get one generation down the line before the bottom fell out of that playpen.Our breed ws ignored, science was ignored, and that just seriously anger me, as it should anger everyone who professes to love this breed..

Sorry if I sound angry- I am, having lost 2 dogs to DM and knowing, all along that research was headed in the wrong direction.