EPI - Page 2

I don't think there are any specific lines drectly responsible for passing on the EPI Gene.  I think it was introduced fairly early on in the GSD development as it appeares in wirking lines, american and german show lines.  Therefore, the genes must have been present before those lines seperated.  Therefore, I don't think we can say any line is "safe".

There was one article that I read that traced several american showlines to one common stud imported in the '50s.  No names were mentioned in the articel to ID this stud dog.

This is a resessive trait and is not always controllable by outcrossing,  my EPI male has no common ancestors for 6 generations and is therefore considered an outcross. 

The disease is peretuated because of the recessive pattern of inheritence.  It appears both parents must carry the gene or genes involoved.  There is also some concern that the disease is an auto-immune response and this can explain the reasons why some dogs are more difficult to treat than others  depending upon the level of auto immune damage.

it seems to me (speculation based on one experience) if the auto immune senerio is in play, there must be some weekness that causes the immune system to attack the pancrease, perhaps a recessive gene present in those cells of particular dogs that is passed recessively that attractes the immune response to kill those cells off.

I noticed when my male was developing, he would get boughts of the slops after every shot that would last a few weeks.  This was most apparent after his shots at one year and then again at two years, treated with pepto, rice diet for a few days then able to re-introduce food).  By the time he had the three year shots, he went into full blown EPI.   It seemed each time his system was challenged, he lost more pancreatic function until it was totally gone.