DCM test

[marjolein]

Have been to the vets this morning to have Daan tested for DCM. Everything is ok thank goodness and she is officially free. I can breed again now!

[greyghost]

Oh my does that mean more puppies next spring I suppose they will need socialising again - oh this is getting to be such a chore ;D ;D ;D

Fingers crossed for a lovely healthy litter Mar.

[gummy]

Why do you have to test for DCM?
There are no compulsary health tests for weims in the UK.
We do have hip scoring in the UK but that is not manadatory for KC Registration of affected breeds.

[weima]

Dilated Cardio Myopathy, a heart condition.

[tasha]

its a pity that we don't test as there are several dogs that have died young from DCM. Mine will be tested when we visit holland again.

[marjolein]

We have 10 to 15 DCM-positive deads here in Holland. This could become a huge problem in the future and that's why we have to do this test before breeding.

[christina]

We have 10 to 15 DCM-positive deads here in Holland. This could become a huge problem in the future and that's why we have to do this test before breeding.....


Hi Marjolein,

Just a thought since you mention DCM .... Cardiomyopathy is also one of the clinical symptoms for Hypothyroidism - so it might be an idea to check for that as well. IMHO all dogs should be checked for it yearly anyway - but particularly the ones earmarked for breeding .... and maybe in Holland thyroid testing is already is mandatory (??). You seem to be ahead of the game on the Continent. I know it isn't mandatory in the UK - but in my view it should be!

Please have a read through the following website. It gives all the clinical symptoms for HypoT at the end....
www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/ThyroidDisease.htm
Extract:
....Thyroid testing for genetic screening purposes is less likely to be meaningful before puberty. Screening is initiated, therefore, once healthy dogs and bitches have reached sexual maturity (between 10-14 months in males and during the first anestrus period for females following their maiden heat). Anestrus is a time when the female sexual cycle is quiescent, thereby removing any influence of sex hormones on baseline thyroid function. This period generally begins 12 weeks from the onset of the previous heat and lasts one month or longer. The interpretation of results from baseline thyroid profiles in intact females is more reliable when they are tested in anestrus.....

....Healthy young dogs (less than 15-18 months of age) should have thyroid baseline levels for all parameters in the upper 1/2 to 1/3 of the adult normal ranges. In fact, for optimum thyroid function in screening breeding stock, levels should be at least at the midpoint of the laboratory normal ranges, because lower levels may well be indicative of the early stages of thyroiditis among relatives of dog families known to have thyroid disease.....

Best wishes,
Christina

[tasha]

aren't thyroid tests very hit and miss and open to interpretation?