[MaryAndDobes]

The Doberman Pinscher Club of Canada, Inc. presents our annual VetGen von Willebrand's disease (vWD) DNA clinic

Cost is $99. US

Regular price is $140. US. You save $41 US.

To order test kits, send payment in US funds – cheque/money order (payable to VetGen), VISA or Mastercard information (number,
name on card, expiry date) to:

Mary Korevaar
E-mail for mailing address, if necessary
[email protected]

All VetGen tests that are normally $140. US are covered in this clinic. These kits can be used for:

von Willebrand's disease (vWD)
Doberman pinscher
Bernese mountain dog
Drentsche patrijshond
German pinscher
Kerry blue terrier
Manchester terrier
Papillon
Pembroke Welsh corgi
Poodle
Scottish terrier
Shetland sheepdog

Renal Dysplasia
Lhasa apso
Shih tzu
Soft-coated wheaten terrier

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
Irish setter

Pyruvic Kinase Deficiency (PK)
Basenji

**Clinic runs March 1 – 31, 2006. Kits will be mailed to you in April, if not sooner.**

Be sure to provide your full mailing address, telephone number, e-mail address, breed and number of kits required.

VetGen info at http://www.vetgen.com

Feel free to cross-post

 

[TakirasDad]

Thanks Mary great imformation there.

I made this thread a sticky until Mar 31st

Thanks
TD

 

[Fitzmar Dobermans]

sent my swabs out today

I got my test in the mail yesterday, did the swabs on Louise last night and dropped it in the mailbox today to vetgen. Thanks Mary!
Now I just have to wait and see what she is: I know either carrier or clear.

One health test down, many more to go over the next couple of years.

 

[TracyJo]

Could somebody explain why this test would be beneficial for owners of altered pets - if it is beneficial that is ?

 

[Fitzmar Dobermans]

Could somebody explain why this test would be beneficial for owners of altered pets - if it is beneficial that is ?

It's good to know what your Dobes Vwd status is so that you can let your vet know before any surigical procedure. If they are clear or carrier, then their clotting factor should be fine - no risk of bleeding out. If they are affected, it is good to know that too. If they are having surgery, then the vet knows to be more prepared in case your Dobe starts bleeding heavily. Keep in mind that most affected Dobermans are not clinically affected, and that there are other factors beyond vwd that may cause excessive bleeding. A puppy I fostered a few years ago was a clinically affected bleeder. They were able to spay her successfully but the vet had plasma on hand in case it was needed. Cost more, but it was better to be prepared for a problem than to go into it not knowing. There are vets out there who will just arbitrarily charge more to spay/neuter a Doberman because of vwd - if you have proof that your Doberman is not affected, then they would not have a right to charge more. I don't think they should anyways.... but that is my opinion.

For those of us who do plan on breeding, it is a must. It can be used to avoid producing any vwd affected puppies, but since vwd is truly one of the lesser of the issues that can affect Dobermans (Cardio, cancer, cvi being bigger issues).... if you know that you might produce affected puppies, then you can test them all so that the owners will know. In Louise's case, her mother is a clear and her father is a carrier - she has a 50% chance of being one or the other. If I was not planning on breeding her, I would not test. Velma came from a carrier to carrier breeding - she is also a carrier: I had her tested.

Mary knows a lot more about vwd than I do - she's been at if a few more years than I!

 

[Lexus]

Excellant information, thanks Mary. Thank you Velmadobe for the info also! I just got Lexus's test sent in from my vets, I should hear back in a week or so they said. The charge was only $100 also.

 

[wilmitch]

Eventhough i live in england i did my test with vet gen except the latest one the results were quicker by vet gen than the finzyme one ,
wilmitch

 

[MandysBlackRoses]

Do you have to wait till a certain age, or can they be tested at anytime? Both parents of the pups were clear, but I would like to have the test done just for my records. I can't remember if this is something that can show up on the AKC registration if you have it done?

~Mandy

 

[BackInBlack]

You can test at any age. If both parents are clear, your dog is genetically clear.

Edited to add: As far as I know, no health tests show up on AKC records. They are a registry, thats it.

 

[MaryAndDobes]

OFA hip results show up on AKC pedigrees. No, VetGen results do not.

 

[Murreydobe]

OFA hip results show up on AKC pedigrees.

So do CERF numbers

 

[MaryAndDobes]

I was thinking CERF info did too but wasn't 100% positive.

 

[MandysBlackRoses]

I heard there was some registry through DPCA for the "Z" list, they tested the dogs and then put the dogs with the Z factor on this list... I was not sure if they did the same with vWD. I think all health clearences should be noted on the dogs pedigree. IMO.

~Mandy

 

[MaryAndDobes]

There is no test for the Z factor. All of the descendants of the original albino born in 1976 and her parents are listed on the Z list. In fact, some of those dogs won't carry the gene for albinism but since there is no test to tell, they appear on the list (these days they have a Z in their registration number).

 

[Murreydobe]

I heard there was some registry through DPCA for the "Z" list, they tested the dogs and then put the dogs with the Z factor on this list... I was not sure if they did the same with vWD. I think all health clearences should be noted on the dogs pedigree. IMO.

~Mandy

The z list (and tracking system) is a means of identifying all potential carriers of the albino trait in dobermans. There's no "test" as such to be included on the z list, the dogs listed are all those whose pedigree traces back to the first albino doberman registered with the AKC.

Dogs that are part of the z tracking system may or may not carry the gene that causes albinism...that's the danger, there's no way to tell if a normally colored dog is a carrier of the trait by looking at them. The only way to find out for sure in the absence of a dna test (which hasn't been developed yet) would be to do a test breeding with an albino or a dog that's already produced albino offspring and see what kind of puppies you got. And since albinism is considered a deletrious trait, it makes no sense to do that kind of test breeding. Better that all dogs who *might* carry the gene be identified and in the ideal, removed from the breeding population.

It's not really workable for the AKC to include ALL health testing results on their pedigrees. Many of the diseases that affect this breed, for example, are late onset diseases, where testing has to be done on an ongoing basis for the duration of the dog's life. So it would become a bureaucratic nightmare having to constantly update their database and keep it current.

 

[MandysBlackRoses]

Ohh yes, I did'nt concider the ongoing testing matter. It would be too hard for sure. (Not to mention exspensive. AKC's prices are getting higher and higher.)

~Mandy

 

[Julie W]

I'm so pleased....I was going to do this but I just talked to Cher's breeder and she's already had it done on her and she's clear. :goodnews:

 

[Murreydobe]

I'm so pleased....I was going to do this but I just talked to Cher's breeder and she's already had it done on her and she's clear. :goodnews:

Cool!

I knew Razzle could only be clear or carrier, since her dam was clear. I went ahead and did the test anyway, out of curiousity. She wound up being clear. I did the dna test for dilution out of curiousity as well, and that didn't turn out as well..she's a black #4, can produce all four colors. But of the two, vWD is more important, so I can't complain too much.

There are more and more vWD clear dobermans around all the time, which can only be considered a good thing.

 

[Julie W]

I just think it's so wonderful that they are developing more and more things we can check their DNA for. While it may be a bit of a bummer that Razzle is a black #4, it's not that big of deal to me in the grand scheme of things. It shouldn't be too hard to find a nice dog that you will stay black and red with, or if you prefer, even just black. Congrats to you on her vWD results too!