Degenerative Myelopathy question?

[makokak]

sire is DM free but the dam has a gene carrier of DM.
so its 50-50 chances.

for the novice like me. Is this really a red flag?

[Wild Wolf]

It is for me personally. DM is so horrible that the chances of me just skipping a litter containing the DM gene are very, very, very high.

[Anitsisqua]

IF you do not plan to breed your puppy, it doesn't matter. Without both parents carrying the gene, your puppy could only be a carrier, it could not be affected.

[qbchottu]

Your puppy has 50% chance of carrying two normal alleles or 50% chance of being a carrier of DM. If you are very concerned, have the breeder do a DM test before you take the puppy home - it is a genetic test so it can be done anytime with a cheek swab. It is not an immediate red flag - ask the breeder why they used a carrier in their program, and listen to their reasons for the mating. Ask about guarantees and support later on.

[Wild Wolf]

I suppose I am coming from the fact that the tests aren't 100% accurate, so my concern is the risk is present if the test was able to detect the gene. Make sense?

[qbchottu]

Yes, if it is of concern to you, buy from DM clear matings - but I wouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. No reason to completely eradicate carriers from the gene pool - matings should be decided on carefully (a given) and there should be calculated reasons as to why carriers are produced. Of course, if you are going to talk about test accuracy, then you will have to discuss the fact that many feel the test itself isn't a reliable predictor of the disease so some don't even put any faith IN testing. To me, DM is a factor, but not the end all be all. A holistic approach should be taken.

To OP: if this litter is special in terms of what they hope to produce and the breeding pair is something special to you - talk to the breeder before immediately deciding against the litter. If DM is the ultimate factor for you, move on. Your choice. You can also foot the bill for DM testing of your potential pup and know for sure before you purchase - if your breeder allows.

[robk]

Originally Posted by qbchottu

Yes, if it is of concern to you, buy from DM clear matings - but I wouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. No reason to completely eradicate carriers from the gene pool - matings should be decided on carefully (a given) and there should be calculated reasons as to why carriers are produced. Of course, if you are going to talk about test accuracy, then you will have to discuss the fact that many feel the test itself isn't a reliable predictor of the disease so some don't even put any faith IN testing. To me, DM is a factor, but not the end all be all. A holistic approach should be taken.

To OP: if this litter is special in terms of what they hope to produce and the breeding pair is something special to you - talk to the breeder before immediately deciding against the litter. If DM is the ultimate factor for you, move on. Your choice. You can also foot the bill for DM testing of your potential pup and know for sure before you purchase - if your breeder allows.

This is a very good point. You can do a DM test as young as 4 weeks. If this is a concern, I would do the test as early as possible on the pup rather than worring about percentages and probabilities. However, you also have to keep in mind that the reliability of the tests is still up for debate.

[makokak]

I'm really sorry guys!
i don't know if there is different between free and clear of DM.
But the sire is 100% clear DM instead of free.

Does it make a big difference?

[weberhaus]

to the OP.
The term for Free and Clear have been closely mistaken and used by people who are ether not willing to tell the truth or lie by omission.
I have seen many ads posted a DM free litter by a breed who has a clear parent and carrier parent and in this case none of the puppies will have DM.
The DM chart is easy to under stand and sadly i can not find it to post for you. However I think it is important for each to understand that a carrier should not be dismissed from a breeding program based only on that fast. If the dog has things to offer and a breeder has a chosen Clear mate then in this case it can be bred out of the lines.
I for one have bred 2 females who are carriers to clear males. Even a dog that is DM at risk Could be bred to a Clear mate and produce all carriers thus improvement of the Next generation. As stated no test in 100% accurate but in the case were on parent is clear and on a carrier i would say it the breeding will give you what you want and then go for it. At worst case the puppy you get is a carrier and if you choose to breed latter look for a clear mate. DM tests are another tool for breeders to be proactive and work at bettering the health of the breed.
But in short if the sire is clear he can only give you a N/N and **** being a N/A so each gives one gene. will the **** give the A or the N only a test call tell you that. Talk with the breeder of the puppy you wish to buy about your plans for the puppy long term and see what they have to say about it.
I wish you all the best.

[BlackthornGSD]

Just to explain at the most basic level:

2 copies of the gene = "at risk" dog -- only about 10% of dogs who test at risk end up being affected; however, there is something like a 97% correlation between dogs who have DM and the finding of 2 copies of the gene. [DM can only be conclusively diagnosed after death through examination of the spinal cord, so some cases that appear to be DM might actually be another problem, such as another disease or an injury related problem.]

1 copy of the gene = "carrier" -- in general, a carrier is extremely unlikely to get DM. However, there have been 2 (according to one of the main research sites) cases of a carrier dog being affected, as confirmed by necropsy. Obviously, this suggests the need for further research.

0 copies of the gene = "clear/clear" -- this dog, according to current science should not get DM.


Breeding combinations: each parent contributes 1 gene to the puppy for this factor. A clear/clear parent will never produce an "at risk" puppy.

Clear/Clear to Clear/Clear = all pups clear/clear
Clear/Clear to Clear/Carrier = 50% of the pups should be clear/clear and 50% should be clear/carrier (so, no pups will be At Risk)
At Risk -- should only be bred to clear/clear - all pups will be carriers.