DM Carriers ??? - Page 2

--- > According to someone on a list that I read, she had more than one dog test clear and they ended up with DM. So she posted anyway.

could you please direct her to  https://www.facebook.com/OFADMDNATESTGSD and have her fill out the questionnaire! :::::::begging:::::::::

Marj, OFA has said that there have been a few dogs that didn't test at risk yet developed DM as diagnosed on a post mortem. No one knows why only a small percentage of those that test at risk ever develop the disease, so that's a non issue (and a very good thing). The DM DNA test is like any other DNA test in the dog or human world, not 100%. OFA has never misrepresented that.

One of the members here lost her dog to DM. I believe that dog tested at risk; I don't know if she had her posted or not. If she wants to contribute to this discussion, that's her decision. The other 2 dogs I am personally familar with, diagnosed with DM on a post, also tested at risks. Their owners submitted their DNA at the recommendation of their vets after they felt the dogs were DM positive. As you know better than any of us, it is a difficult disease to diagnose in a living dog. An owner of one of those dogs was a good friend and the sire of that dog produced other at risks and dogs with DM diagnosed at post mortem, never a clear. He was a lovely German V rated dog imported to the US and used extensively here.

Maybe it's time to let each GSD owner here make their own decision on whether or not to test their dog/s. I think GSD breeders for the most part are intelligent enough to make that decision. As has been said here many, many times, the test is not intended to eliminate any GSDs from a breeding program; the intent is to try to not produce anymore at risks. At risks can and should be used for breeding if they are quality dogs.How can that be bad for the breed? If you really study the OFA database it's very informative. Some of the breed's most popular stud dogs have never produced a clear. I'm not going to name them here, anyone can figure it out in a matter of a few hours.

I'm truly sorry that  you have lost your 2 beloved dogs to this horrible disease. I met you not too long after you lost your precious Josh.  Your dedication to the breed has been well documented over many years. The DM site you have linked here has had no response in many months. Maybe there's a reason for that.

Cheers........S

Sue, I get private messages from the site, but no one posts. That is disturbing. I certainly would never divulge a confidence, but it does get very frustrating :(

Deleted for double post. I see some things are still the same <VBG>

Yes, that is frustrating, Marj. I just talked with a friend who lost her 8  year old GSD a few years ago to what was assumed to be DM. He was treated for months at the Uinversity of Wisc vet school. I believe they followed Clemmons' treatment protocol then, I'd have to ask her to be sure of that. He tested at risk with the OFA scheme and the Flash test as well, but there was no postmortem done. Her father had 2 GSD's that were diagnosed clinically with DM, they were not posted either. I guess by the time the dog has to be euthanized the owners are just too worn out to consider an autopsy.

This dog's sire was out of the well known German import I referred to in a earlier post. To the best of my knowledge he was never DNA tested, but some who used him had dogs that were assumed to have had DM and the few tested dogs sired by him listed on the OFA database tested as either a carrier or an at risk.

This morning I got a PM on my ofa database, about a Boxer that tested clear, 2 times. The dog had every test in the world, and the test came out clear both times. The dog has classic DM signs... Frustrating.... I dont know much about DM in other breeds, though.....

Because the test is inconclusive....unfortunately.