Sadie with Illinois Doberman Rescue is Senior of the Week

Sadie is this week's Special Needs Dobermans Senior Doberman Project Senior of the week. This 7 year old docked tail, natural eared girl was picked up as a stray and then surrendered to IDR when her owner was located an found unable to care for her. She's in the care of Illinois Doberman Rescue plus.

Doberman Health: Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the bogeyman in Dobermans nowadays. There is no modern bloodline that is free of it. There is a $65 genetic test that you can get from VetGen to see if your dog is a carrier of that specific gene, but the problem is, they've only identified one gene. So dogs that test "clear" may still die of DCM.

It's a scary thing to think of. And currently, with Elka at the tender age of 3, I'm clinging to the notion that she'll live forever. That's how this story will go, right?

(notice how Elka found the only green in the fallen leaves?)