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To: webheart
We've had 15 Dobies over the years. . .4 right now. . and they are without a doubt the Rolls Royce of canines. Smart, elegant, graceful, intuitive and obedient, they have ruined me for any other breed.

We had two Dobermans who were with Pets on Wheels and they were naturals at the nursing home. Alas, the breed is short-lived - the only draw back

59 posted on 03/16/2012 3:07:13 PM PDT by doberville
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To: doberville

“Alas, the breed is short-lived - the only draw back “

They didn’t use to be.

In the late 90s, two particular, very popular bloodlines became *the* ‘in sires’ and DCM became endemic.
One ‘dog of death’ is syill being bred via ‘pupsicles’ despite the fact that he was homozygous for DCM and died of it.
The other two dogs are still siring pups, post mortem.

My last Dobermann Arthur, lived to be 14 and was never sick a day in his life.
His best buddy Merlin died 2 years before him and she was at least 4 when I got her and she lived another 8 or 9 years, too.

Hypothyroidism is now a given in the breed and you really should read Dr Jean Dodds book about the epidemic.

http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/HEMOPET.HTM

If you haven’t already, please have your dog tested for hypothyroidism and DCM.

http://www.vetgen.com/canine-dob_panel_testing.html

Sadly, it’s up to those of us who love the breed *without* the titles who will have to fight to return them to their normal expected life spans.


62 posted on 03/17/2012 10:50:07 AM PDT by Salamander (You don't know what's going on inside of me. You don't wanna know what's running through my mind)
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