DM Is Not In Up North Pyrenees!
Many breeders have no idea what is in their genetics. But I can unequivocally tell you the DM is not in Up North Pyrenees. Even though dogs don’t play baseball they can get a genetic disease similar to Lou Gehrig’s disease or ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). In canine’s this disease is called Degenerative Myelopathy or DM. Many different breeds can get this disease, though DM primarily affects large breed dogs. 3% of German Shepherds actually demonstrate the disease.1 One study found one in eight Great Pyrenees were carriers for this disease.2 Two carriers must be bread together for the gene to be expressed. Understanding what this disease will mean to your puppy and family is important and a picture is worth a thousand words. Click on this link to see the video of a dog with DM. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I10YGGSSZg.
Treatments for DM are not currently available. But, prevention is easy. A simple genetic test can be done before breeding dogs to ensure that two carriers of the mutated gene are not bred.
Up North Pyrenees’ lines are clear of DM. Take a look at our sire and dams. We have no dogs with this genetic mutation. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We hope our work and expense is worth your business. Either way, we sleep better at night knowing that none of our puppies will ever suffer from this issue. Hopefully, more breeders will work together to eliminate the DM gene from this wonderful breed.
Lou Gehrig’s Disease in Great Pyrenees? Not with Up North Pyrenees!
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1. Degenerative Myelopathy in German Shepherds. (2019). Retrieved 29 July 2019, from https://www.degenerative-myelopathy.com/degenerative-myelopathy-in-german-shepherds/
2. Paw Print Genetics – Degenerative Myelopathy in the Great Pyrenees. (2019). Retrieved 29 July 2019, from https://www.pawprintgenetics.com/products/tests/details/87/?breed=134
3. Images are in the public domain on the internet and selected on 7-29-19.