Who wants to participate with DM research?

[mijke]

In the past Ina already did inform CsW world about the DM research in Bern and Dusseldorf. In the last months I did have contact the uni of Bern. And I was told they still need a lot of EDTA of CsW’s! They explained it is the best for the CsW breed to collect many blood samples with good information, that means ‘healthy with x years’, ‘first symptoms with y years’, ‘DM-test result’, videos of affected dogs etc.

So I write this request as a kind of reminder to send EDTA of your dog to Bern!
Who wants to donate 5 ml EDTA blood of his CsW for DM research project in Bern?

The research project of the uni of Bern
At the moment their main focus of DM research is the Hovawart breed. (Because of this breed they already have a lot of blood samples, a lot of documentation about the DM status of the dogs and several biopsies of all tissues of DM/DM dogs.)
They are willing to start the same project for the CsW breed in future, but therefore they need a lot of EDTA samples of the CSW breed with good information on the DM status of a dog and also several biopsies!

For this research they need EDTA samples of N/N/, N/DM en DM/DM CsW’s with relevant information of the dag as: age, yes or no physical problems, and if possible a copy of the test results. And they also can use the EDTA of not yet DM tested dogs!
Of all dogs with physical DM problems they also like to receive pictures and movies.

Here you can find the form and the info how to send the 5 ml EDTA to Bern.
When you have additional info and/or a copy of the DM test result, please send this together with the form and the EDTA sample!

General Info
The last years several CsW’s were tested for DM and this showed that also this mutation is far spread in the breed. DM occurs in many breeds and even in no-breed dogs. And until now it is not possible to cure a dog with DM.
Nowadays there is still a lot unknown about DM: why it occurs, how to prevent or how to cure. So worldwide there is still a lot of DM research going on.
Obviously there is a close relation between the occurrence of the mutated gene and getting physical problems. And the scientific assumption is there has to be one or more other facts (environment or genetic) that causes the outbreak of physical DM because:
Not every dog with test result DM/DM (homozygote) dog develops physical DM problems
Most dogs in a population who did get physical DM problems were all DM/DM tested (homozygote).
Dogs with test result N/DM (Carriers / heterozygote) can get physical problem, but often later than DM/DM (homozygote) dogs.


In the time before DM testing I did breed 2 litters with my female Chezka. Later on she was tested as N/DM. And unfortunately 2 of her offspring were tested as DM/DM. (One of them did develop physical DM problems and the other not (yet) )
The DNA of my dogs and most of their offspring was, like many other CsW’s, already stored in Laboklin.
But in the interests of the DM research veterinary Judith van de Wiel and I did collect again also 5 ml EDTA blood of these and several other (Dutch) dogs for the project in Bern.

And we hope a lot more owners and breeders in several countries will follow and will also send EDTA of their CsW to Bern!

[Shadowlands]

Would DNA samples from Laboklin be acceptable - sending EDTA samples by post from Bulgaria is very difficult. If they would be OK, I will organise for Shadow's and the B litter's to be sent to the University

[mijke]

As far as I know they need 5 ml EDTA for the research.

I also did send some EDTA tubes in a normal envelop (with bubble plastic inside, like sending for Dvd's) by normal mail.

Is it also a problem in Bulgaria when you send to a lab in this way?
Otherwise you maybe can send by normal post to a wolfdog owner in another country! (and he/she can send it to Bern for you)

[Shadowlands]

Thanks Mijke,

I'll look into what I can do when I get back home from the UK