Welcome to Circle D Aussies!

Medications: Aussies and other Herding types such as Collies, Border Collies & Shelties

can have certain drug sensitives. Aussies should never be given any of the Drugs listed below.

Note, Heartguard is on the list because it can cause seizures in sensitive Aussies. Use Interceptor or 

Sentinel instead. Note, not all Vets are familiar with this list or the MDR1 Mutation.

(The MDR1 means Multi-Drug Resistant gene)
​
Ivermectin (antiparasitic agent) "Heartguard"
Loperamide (Imodium: over-the-counter antidiarrheal agent)  
Doxorubicin (anti-cancer agent)
Vincristine (anti-cancer agent)
Vinblastine (anti-cancer agent)
Cyctosporin (immunosuppressive agent)
Digoxin (heart drug)
Acepromazine (tranquilizer)
Butorphanol (pain control)
 

​​Interceptor® is a non-Ivermectin based heartworm treatment safer for most mini Aussies. 

For those that can no longer find Interceptor, Sentinel proves to be a good replacement. 

As always, please seek your own vet’s advice.  Sentinel® combines Interceptor® and 

Program® into one pil

Normal
This dog is homozygous N/N for the mutation that is the most common  cause of Degenerative Myelopathy, with two normal copies of the gene.  Among the hundreds of dogs studied so far at the University of Missouri,  only two dogs with test results of N/N (Normal) have been confirmed to  have DM. The N/N (Normal) dog can only transmit the normal counterpart  of the common mutation to its offspring, and it is unlikely that this  dog or its offspring will ever develop DM.

Carrier (A/N)
This dog is heterozygous A/N, with one mutated copy of the gene and one  normal copy of the gene, and is classified as a carrier. Carriers are  far less likely to develop DM, but we have confirmed DM in a few carrier  dogs. They may be used carefully in breeding programs to keep their  good qualities while reducing the risk of DM in future generations.

At-Risk (A/A)
This dog is homozygous A/A, with two mutated copies of the gene, and is  at risk of developing Degenerative Myelopathy (DM). Although almost all  dogs in the research study with confirmed DM have had A/A DNA test  results, recent evidence suggests that there are other causes of DM in  some breeds. In addition, not all dogs testing as A/A have shown  clinical signs of DM. DM is typically a late-onset disease, and dogs  testing as A/A that are clinically normal may still begin to show signs  of the disease as they age. Some dogs testing A/A did not begin to show  clinical signs of DM until they were 15 years of age. Research is  ongoing to estimate what percentage of dogs testing as A/A will develop  DM within their lifespan. At this point, the mutation can only be  interpreted as being at risk of developing DM within the animal’s life.  For dogs showing clinical signs with a presumptive diagnosis of DM,  affected (A/A) test results can be used as an additional tool to aid in  the diagnosis of DM. Dogs testing At-Risk (A/A) can only pass the  mutated gene on to their offspring.

Equivocal
An Equivocal test result indicates that the test results were  inconclusive. This is typically the result of poor sample collection.  When the test yields an equivocal result, a second punch will be taken  from the FTA card and the test rerun. If the second test is still  equivocal, the owner will be contacted and asked to submit a new sample.

Although  any dog can be tested for Degenerative Myelopathy, it is possible that  the genetic background that predominates in some breeds prevents the  development of symptoms even in dogs testing affected (at risk). At this  time we are reluctant to recommend testing for members of breeds where  the University of Missouri has not yet proven susceptibility to DM  through microscopic examination of spinal cords from deceased dogs that  exhibited symptoms of the disease. The required evidence of association  between the genetic mutation and actual spinal cord evaluations has only  been proven in the breeds listed:

• American Eskimo Dogs
• Bernese Mountain Dog
• Borzoi
• Boxers
• Cardigan Welsh Corgi
• Chesapeake Bay Retrievers
• German Shepherd Dog
• Golden Retriever
• Great Pyrenees
• Kerry Blue Terriers
• Pembroke Welsh Corgis
• Poodle
• Pug
• Rhodesian Ridgeback
• Shetland Sheepdog
• Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers
• Wire Fox Terrier

Please note that Australian Shepherd is NOT on the list.

This information came from this site: https://www.ofa.org/diseases/dna-tested-diseases/dm