[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: health issues and honesty
- From: dick jones <dick_jones@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "cnnpmm2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <cnnpmm2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:51:02 -0800 (PST)
Dr. Clemmons of the Univ of Florida who has received GSDCA Grant Funding in
his research in DM has stated to me that he believes that 75 % of GSD
diagnosed as DM are in reality something else.......... Dick Jones
________________________________
From: "cnnpmm2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <cnnpmm2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2012 6:36 PM
Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: health issues and honesty
Sheree writes: "I talked at some length to the director of OFA (who used to
have GSDs and now breeds Labs), and she told me that DM is a disease of old
age, and that many of the dogs who are diagnosed w/DM actually have one of
several other problems that have the same symptoms...."
A year ago, I had an in-depth discussion with one of the top Neurologists in
the country. I was told the same thing that Sheree was told... That DM is
often misdiagnosed. There are so many things that present with the same
symptoms as DM; Wobblers, Lumbrosacral Disease, disc problems, etc.
Given this propensity for misdiagnosis, I question just how prevalent this
disease really is in our breed? Before the availability of the DM genetic
test, I wonder how many owners confirmed a diagnosis of DM by following up with
myelography or a MRI? Seeing how expensive those tests are, my guess would be
not many.
PaulETTE McGuirt, GSDCA Member
Wellborn-Allemande German Shepherds
Qui Me Amat, Amat et Canem Meam
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sheree Moses" <shereemosesgsd@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2012 11:12 AM
Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] health issues and honesty
This is going to be a little scattered, sorry, just came in to warm up from
doing dogs. Was reading some of the posts regarding health issues with some
interest and have a few comments to make.
We used to tack some of our dogs, we are on the road alot and it seemed like
better safe than sorry. We don't anymore. While there are many issues that can
precipitate bloat that are not necessarily genetic there are too many litters
out there where more than 50% are dead at relatively young ages from bloat or
mesenteric torsion (which seems to me to be a totally separate issue). When
you start seeing pedigrees where you can't go a single generation w/o a first
degree relative who is dead from a gastric issue I think we need to ask
ourselves how it could NOT be genetic. There are other breeds out there where
tacking is the norm, but now bloat is endemic in the breed. I don't think we
want that for our breed, nor is it a fair practice for pet buyers, which is
where most of our puppies go. More than 50% is not normal, or coincidence.
Anyone who says it is not genetic either has their head in the sand or
something to hide, IMHO. The same goes
for hip/elbow issues, seizure
disorder, EPI, and dentition, to name a few.
Another issue that's gotten alot of recent play is DM. In over 32 years of
breeding shepherds I have never had a dog that I knew had DM. I did have a
co-bred/co-owned bitch about 15 years ago, whose father I thought for sure had
a "fixed" tail....when she was about 3 I realized that her tail was starting to
look "fixed" too, so maybe there was something else going on. We quit showing
her and placed her, she died at about 10 (still w/a dead tail, dragging her
toes a little) from something else. Last year a German dog I adore was
diagnosed at 7 w/DM by two reputable veterinarians. We started calling people
who had his progeny and suggested testing. A few daughters got spayed and
placed as pets. The dog has such a heart and personality we were devastated,
and we have tried a number of therapies. The most recent involved stem cell
therapy, but the treating DVM wanted a positive genetic test before they
started treatment. Surprise....he is
CLEAR. I talked at some length to
the director of OFA (who used to have GSDs and now breeds Labs), and she told
me that DM is a disease of old age, and that many of the dogs who are diagnosed
w/DM actually have one of several other problems that have the same
symptoms....so that's not much help....The Labrador people are at the forefront
of genetic testing, and have managed to virtually eliminate a variety of
problems w/genetic testing and careful breeding, allowing them to preserve the
good while eliminating the bad......People, we have so much information (both
testing and easy communication via the Internet) available to us today that it
is shame on us if we don't work to better the health of our breed. I just
rec'd about $1000 worth of DM test kits from OFA and am testing every dog I
plan to breed on my property (plus a couple of well-known geriatrics just so we
know) and I will make the results public. On that note, perhaps we should
re-visit the definition of "honesty" as a
couple of the posts I rea
d from people who don't think these issues are genetic and haven't had these
problems don't seem to understand the word.... I have dispensed alot of Gas-X
over the years, hauled out the bloat tube quite a few times, and have driven
more than one dog to the vet in the middle of the night...funny thing,
honesty. I am always happy to talk about dogs we've bred or own, am hard to
get on the phone as I am usually out w/the dogs but email is easy. Being truly
honest w/each other is the only way we will fix the problems we have, it
doesn't mean you have to throw the baby out with the bath water, but it would
keep us from doubling (or tripling) up on the issues. Sheree
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POST is Copyrighted 2011. All material remains the property of the original
author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind
are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the
Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Each Author is responsible for the content of his/her post. This group and its
administrators are not responsible for the comments or opinions expressed in
any post.
ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY
MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS
PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY
FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE
PROSECUTED.
For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxx
VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org
SUBSCRIPTION:http://showgsd.org/mail.html
NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/
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