Back story: So, as I've said before I'm not 100% convinced of the utility of the DCM gene test yet, with all the unknowns ... but as I'm sure you guys understand, the Dobes are so dear to me that I'm not going to pass on the chance to test them for anything. It took forever due to some sample issues, but got results back last week - Audrey was heterozygous for DCM gene
, Alfred was negative for the gene
.
In my logical mind I knew that if one of them had to have the gene, it is better for it to be Audrey, as she is spayed and was not breeding quality really anyway, but all I could think was something more along the lines of BUT I LOVE HER SO MUCH. I'm sure I would have had this reaction regardless of which Dobe had the gene - I just wanted NEITHER to have it.
Fast forward, I booked her with Dr. Wood at Cardiology NW where she had a baseline echo done around her 2nd birthday. And the recheck (she is 5 now) was today. By Monday night I was convinced she was exhibiting signs of DCM: fatigue, wheezing, fast heart. Well, come today, I was wrong - praise the Lord - all measurements were normal. Dr. Wood said holtering is still a good idea but that there is zero sign she's clinical for DCM yet.
And THAT is all a very long way of getting to the following ...
One of his comments, when I was relaying to him that I was super neurotic about Audrey because her sire is the Juris Reign Storm dog that died of DCM at age 6, was that he was "probably homozygous" for the DCM gene and that is why he died so young.
Had anyone else heard that? I mean, it definitely makes sense to me, but I had never actually heard that before ... that being said, I don't follow this stuff all *that* closely.
In my logical mind I knew that if one of them had to have the gene, it is better for it to be Audrey, as she is spayed and was not breeding quality really anyway, but all I could think was something more along the lines of BUT I LOVE HER SO MUCH. I'm sure I would have had this reaction regardless of which Dobe had the gene - I just wanted NEITHER to have it.
Fast forward, I booked her with Dr. Wood at Cardiology NW where she had a baseline echo done around her 2nd birthday. And the recheck (she is 5 now) was today. By Monday night I was convinced she was exhibiting signs of DCM: fatigue, wheezing, fast heart. Well, come today, I was wrong - praise the Lord - all measurements were normal. Dr. Wood said holtering is still a good idea but that there is zero sign she's clinical for DCM yet.
And THAT is all a very long way of getting to the following ...
One of his comments, when I was relaying to him that I was super neurotic about Audrey because her sire is the Juris Reign Storm dog that died of DCM at age 6, was that he was "probably homozygous" for the DCM gene and that is why he died so young.
Had anyone else heard that? I mean, it definitely makes sense to me, but I had never actually heard that before ... that being said, I don't follow this stuff all *that* closely.