Short Summary:

In general: Despite the devastating nature of this condition, it is rarely or infrequently diagnosed in all breeds; and the sod1 test is not– on its own– predictive of DM in any breed. Most occurrences of dogs presenting with symptoms of degenerative diseases have other conditions, not DM.

Breeders: Sod1 testing should not form the basis of breed‐wide strategies. Eliminating dogs from breeding based on the sod tests is detrimental to breed diversity and will not achieve desired results, even in German Shepherd Dogs or Boxers, Bernese Mountain Dogs (sod1 and 2), Corgis, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Borzois, or Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. Prioritizing testing for this condition will also take away emphasis from other more commonand severe conditions. The sod1 gene is incompletely penetrant, meaning that sod1 is only one factor in the polygenic DM disease, not large enough to cause the disease by itself. This complex disease cannot be controlled on the basis of this test at a breed level.