Polymyositis

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Owned-By-Hendrix
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Polymyositis

Post by Owned-By-Hendrix »

For anyone not aware Penn Vet is seeking help for a Veterinarian doing a study. Recently there has been a rash of DS with a severe case of polymyositis where the pups were put down before 20 months of age. They are seeking 24-48 non-familiar DS to DNA test to find the root of this and provide breeders with a tool to screen for it. The link with contact info is below and a copy of the text for those who don't Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/PVWorkingDogCe ... 89/?type=3

Do you have a Dutch Shepherd?

Dr. Karen Wroblewski, a veterinarian in Michigan and contributor to the Puppy Foundation program at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center, recently diagnosed 4 Dutch shepherds with a severe form of polymyositis. The diagnosis is ultimately made by performing muscle biopsies. The condition causes moderate to severe inflammation in multiple muscles of the dog. All pups were initially thought to have had hip problems because they all initially presented with rear limb gait abnormalities between 3-12 months of age. Both males and females were affected. There was a fifth pup that was diagnosed in California. Unfortunately, it is a progressive, painful condition and all 5 dogs were euthanized before 20 months of age.

Fortunately, we have DNA samples on all 5 affected dogs and University of Minnesota is working on a DNA test so that breeding dogs can be screened with a DNA swab test. They are in the final stages and need to test several DNA variants in a larger, diverse group of Dutch shepherds to evaluate their results. They are requesting 24-48 DNA samples of healthy, unrelated, adult Dutch shepherds.

Please contact Karen if you are willing and able to help or have any question! It is easy to collect DNA with cheek swabs and you would just need to mail them to U of MN after collection. If you have a pedigree it would help but it is not mandatory to participate.

Please contact Karen if you have any questions about the study, the disease or anything else.

(Contact for contact info - I don't want to spam her out with spam bots)
Kay, H, and The SO
(Pepper's Look-A-Like)
(Tyson's Soul Twin)
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