DM - breeders question - Page 1

I didn't want to hijack a previous thread, so I'll start the discussion here.  I lost a great dog to DM.  As soon as the test came out, I had my younger dog tested.  Thank God, he was N/N.  I've been looking for a puppy for well over a year.  I could not find one breeder that tested for DM.  Why?  I had one breeder tell me that it was inaccurate.  It's a little early in the ball game to make that determination.  Is it because it is an old dog disease?  Or that their otherwise healthy, titled dogs could be found out to be carriers, or worst positive?  I lost my guy at 12, but he was otherwise very healthy.  He had several happy, productive  years left in him.  He went to an accupuncturist weekly and had TENS treatments 2x/day.  Did it help, probably not, but it made me feel better that I was doing SOMETHING for him.  I know 12 is a full life, but having him leave me one day too soon with a preventable genetic disease was hard to take.  So, why aren't more of the kennels testing for it?

waht is dm

Degenerative myelopathy.  It's kind of sad that no one has responded. 

Perhaps most people don't know about a test being available yet?  I know I was ecstatic when Ash tested N/N!

I also lost my last one to DM, he made it to 13 1/2.
(a very sad way to go)

The test was only made available recently. (I don't know the date)

I have also been looking for breeders that do the test.

Von Jagenstadt in Florida had a litter recently, prior to the litter,  the parents tested clear.

Bill Kulla has a dog (Kway) that was tested negative.
I will be finding out more from Bill.

Until breeders refuse to breed without a test or buyers refuse to buy without a test - it's a roll of the dice.

I guess people that had a dog with DM could post the parents and breeder of their dog -
that might start a commotion and get noticed.

It would seem that dog buyers should be posting these types of issues in the comments section of the dogs parents pedigree. (hips, elbows, DM, etc..)
But I almost never see it happen.

I also read somewhere that the test can prevent inheriting the disease,
But it hasn't been proven that a dog won't get it some other way.

I would still prefer to have the test even if I paid for it before going through that again.

Until a breeder has to live with his best friend that is mentally sound but slowly becoming paralized, loss of bowels and bladder, etc... that looks to you for help and you try everything but can do nothing - then maybe they will test.

It would also help if the SV, AKC, etc.... would implement getting the test done.


Just my opinion,

Lee

i PUT UP A THREAD ALREADY ABOUT THIS SO NO NEED FOR ME TO REPLY ...THANK YOU VERY MUCH  BEFORE YOU START   BASHING NO ONE REPLYING..... 

IT IS A DISEASE JUST LIKE HD  THAT HARASSES THE DOG  BREEDERS AND THEIR IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO GET IT OUT OF BREEDING...IT HAS BEEN IN THIS BREED FROM THE BEGINNING AND IF YOU THINK EUROPEANS ARE GONNA TELL YOU THEY  HAD IT IN A PEDIGREE.....JUST HANG ON TO REALITY......

CHECK OUT MY THREAD FROM 3 MONTHS AGO.




jUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE DOGS TESTED AND THEY DO NOT HAVE IT...OR TEST N/N....DOE NOT MEAN AFTER YOU BREED 2, 3 , 4 , 5 LITTERS    IT WILL NOT POP UP IN ONE OF THE PUPS WHEN THEY ARE 5 PLUS YEARS OLD...

THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT TESTING PROVES YOU WILL NOT HAVE IT IN A LITTER YOU PRODUCE OUT OF YOUR PUP......SO THAT IS WHY WHAT EVER BREEDER TOLD YOU   IT IS NOT   CONCLUSIVE   AND IT IS NOT...

JUST LIKE    HIP TESTING PROVES  NOTHING PERMANENT..... ALL THE OFA GOOD AND EXCELLENT RATINGS DOES NOT PROVE THAT A  LITTER  WILL NOT HAVE AN HD PUP IN IT....ANYONE SAYS   SO  IS NOT VERY BRIGHT...AND HAS NOT UNDERSTOOD BREEDING....

Both of my titled studs have DNA tested homozygous N/N (normal) for DM.

RELAX !!!!  No one is bashing anyone.  It is just a question.  I did look over the other thread ( sorry, I didn't have time to go back several months), and it was nice to see that others have tested their dogs.  Is the test completely accurate?  That will take a decade or so to determine.  Might there be other genes involved, possibly.  All things being equal, if I had to choose between a puppy from N/N parents, and one from parents that were not tested, I would go with the puppy from the N/N parents.  That being said, I bought a puppy from untested parents, because I could not find a breeder that did test for it.  I'll have my new puppy tested, and time will tell.  This is my 9th GSD and only one has had DM.  I'm quite sure that all the others we not N/N.  What caused the disease to express itself it this particular dog, I don't know.  But to just say a test is not accurate, and say it's something we have to live with doesn't make sense.  And I don't think you can equate DM with HD.  Apples and oranges.  We're not looking at genotypes when grading hips, we're looking at phenotypes.  Now if they could come up with a genetic test for HD, then maybe hips could be better predicted.