The Problem
Is the modern Doberman Pinscher teetering on the brink of extinction? The once incredibly healthy, powerful, and superior working breed is now crippled by an extraordinarily high prevalence of life-threatening diseases, at earlier and earlier ages, including: cancer, Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM), Wobbler Disease, and hepatitis (inflammation of the liver). Those problems are a predictable result of the breed's severe depression of overall genetic diversity. Previous attempts to "breed away" these diseases have been resoundingly unsuccessful due to this lack of diversity and the fact that, until recently, breeders had no tools with which they could work to breed litters with fewer shared genetic mutations and lower levels of inbreeding (coefficient of inbreeding) compared to the parent dogs.
Over time, the Doberman gene pool has continued to dwindle through the rampant use of popular sires, the cumulative effects of unchecked inbreeding (including linebreeding), and dramatic bottlenecks due to the World Wars and political upheaval. Modern Dobermans -- whether in America, Europe or Asia -- are remarkably genetically similar to one another. Their close genetic relationships further concentrate the genetic mutations behind life-threatening genetic disease -- disease that is very serious and often cannot be effectively treated or cured.
Veterinarians have long wrung their hands when they see Dobermans affected by genetic disease because there is often no effective treatment or cure to offer. Doberman owners have long suffered alongside their beloved dogs, watching their companions die premature or sudden deaths. Doberman breeders have long struggled to contain the genetic diseases that wreak havoc on their breed at earlier and earlier ages. Despite these efforts, Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann's original superior working dog faces a very uncertain future.
Over time, the Doberman gene pool has continued to dwindle through the rampant use of popular sires, the cumulative effects of unchecked inbreeding (including linebreeding), and dramatic bottlenecks due to the World Wars and political upheaval. Modern Dobermans -- whether in America, Europe or Asia -- are remarkably genetically similar to one another. Their close genetic relationships further concentrate the genetic mutations behind life-threatening genetic disease -- disease that is very serious and often cannot be effectively treated or cured.
Veterinarians have long wrung their hands when they see Dobermans affected by genetic disease because there is often no effective treatment or cure to offer. Doberman owners have long suffered alongside their beloved dogs, watching their companions die premature or sudden deaths. Doberman breeders have long struggled to contain the genetic diseases that wreak havoc on their breed at earlier and earlier ages. Despite these efforts, Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann's original superior working dog faces a very uncertain future.
"The prevalence of Doberman DCM [Dilated Cardiomyopathy] in Europe is 58.2% ... Frequently, Doberman Pinschers suffer a sudden death.”
Mausberg et al 2011.
The Evidence
Understanding these diseases and finding answers is an enormous task, but is exactly what we are doing. The non-profit Doberman Diversity Project is, at its roots, a research project working to preserve genetic health and longevity in the breed. And our breed needs this effort now.
The evidence for the poor genetic health of the modern Doberman is sobering:
The evidence for the poor genetic health of the modern Doberman is sobering:
- Cancer. Doberman breeders across the world believe cancer to be the biggest early killer of Dobermans.
- Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM): This is a disease of the heart muscle that causes the heart to stretch out and pump blood abnormally. Dobermans affected by DCM live an average of only 7.8 years -- 30% shorter than dogs lucky enough to avoid this disease. However, over 58% of Dobermans are estimated to have DCM in Europe.
- Chronic hepatitis: Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. Doberman Pinschers are affected by liver disease at a rate much higher than other breeds. A study in 2000 found that over 20% of Dobermans in a random population had subclinical hepatitis and copper accumulation. Liver disease can be difficult to treat because of the liver's central role in metabolizing toxins and regulating the body's enzymes. Although mortality associated with hepatitis is not as high as with DCM, the quality of life with hepatitis is significantly decreased.
- Wobbler Disease: It's estimated that 5.5% of Dobermans have Wobbler Disease, a neurological disease caused by instability of the neck (cervical vertebrae). Also most commonly called "Cervical Spondylomyelopathy", Wobbler's Disease is often supremely painful if left untreated and dramatically limits the type of work a Doberman can do.
- Inbreeding levels: The recent survey from UC Davis's genetics laboratory demonstrated shockingly low diversity and high inbreeding - worse than any other breed tested. Not surprisingly, Dobermans demonstrated less diversity than any other breed in the immunity-regulating areas of the genome. The terrible effects of unchecked inbreeding and genetic bottlenecks are doing as conservation geneticists have long predicted. The effects of ever increasing COIs (coefficients of inbreeding) are now coming home to roost in the Doberman across the world.
"The mistaken belief that the Doberman was genetically diverse may explain why it has developed so many heritable genetic disorders. This study...establishes a desperate need for breeders to search the world for pockets of genetic diversity”
UC Davis VGL 2016.
References
Mausberg TB, Wess G, Simak J, Keller L, Drogemuller M, Drogemuller C, Webster MT, Stephenson H, Dukes-McEwan J, Leeb T: A locus on chromosome 5 is associated with dilated cardiomyopathy in doberman pinschers. PLoS One. 2011, 6 (5): e20042-10.1371/journal.pone.0020042.
P.J.J. Mandigers , T.S.G.A.M. van den Ingh , B. Spee , L.C. Penning , P. Bode & J. Rothuizen (2004) Chronic hepatitis in Doberman pinschers. A review, Veterinary Quarterly, 26:3, 98-106, DOI: 10.1080/01652176.2004.9695173
Genetic Diversity Testing for Doberman Pinschers. (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2016, from https://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/dog/GeneticDiversityInDoberman.php
Mausberg TB, Wess G, Simak J, Keller L, Drogemuller M, Drogemuller C, Webster MT, Stephenson H, Dukes-McEwan J, Leeb T: A locus on chromosome 5 is associated with dilated cardiomyopathy in doberman pinschers. PLoS One. 2011, 6 (5): e20042-10.1371/journal.pone.0020042.
P.J.J. Mandigers , T.S.G.A.M. van den Ingh , B. Spee , L.C. Penning , P. Bode & J. Rothuizen (2004) Chronic hepatitis in Doberman pinschers. A review, Veterinary Quarterly, 26:3, 98-106, DOI: 10.1080/01652176.2004.9695173
Genetic Diversity Testing for Doberman Pinschers. (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2016, from https://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/dog/GeneticDiversityInDoberman.php