Not sure what I'm looking at on that link apart from a list of unaffected dogs?
As for here... last time I checked the incidence here was around 60%, but that was back in 2011 so it may well be higher now.
Testing here is three options on the real-time detection side: basic ECG, which is essentially useless; 24 or 48 hour ECG (holter monitor) which can be very helpful and some people say it's the only definitive way to diagnose but I disagree; and the echo (ultrasound) scan. Personally I would go for that first as it'll pick up the physical changes and can detect them long before the dog becomes symptomatic. There is also now the troponin level test; this measures the level of troponin protein in the bloodstream which is released when heart tissue becomes damaged. This correlates well with heart status and is a useful first stop; raised levels would indicate moving on to echo/holter testing. It can be done at a year old which is a benefit; It's cheaper too - not sure on the exact cost but I *think* less than £50 (don't quote me on that!). Whereas an echo at my vet is £90, or at Liverpool £350; and a 48 holter at mine came in at over £500 with a £100 deposit in case the recording device was damaged (it cost them around £1000). In future I will be using the troponin test on any new dobes I get when I get them - they'll be rescues so adults already.
I would LOVE to see twice yearly testing here, I really would. The problem with any tests as you've said is that it's a snapshot - a dog can test clear one day and develop it the next, it's the nature of the disease. You could argue that this renders testing pointless but some is better than none IMO. As far as I know dobes have the highest incidence of any breed but I am a little behind on my info so happy to be corrected on that! They aren't the only breed prone to it though, certainly. Deerhounds I believe are, possibly sighthounds generally but not sure on that.
A huge problem here is breeder denial - either denial that the problem exists at all, or denial that it exists in the breeder's lines. So the overwhelming majority of breeding dogs do not get tested and the ones that do, often aren't tested enough (annually would be a minimum for me).
There are problems with the testing of course - the snapshot problem for one thing, and age for another: most cases don't show symptoms until the dog is 4-5 years old or older, by which time they've been bred (although echo testing can pick it up younger). However if we did not have breeder denial; if the proper records were kept, if pups were kept track of throughout life, we should in theory by now be in the position that we could look back over the pedigrees and identify carriers (as of 2011 ~85% of cases were genetic in origin, possibly all but they hadn't identified the cause of the other 15% at that time - not sure what the status of that is now, I really need to get myself up to date!). But of course, with the BYBs and even a lot of the show breeders not doing the tests, we can't.
At present, there is no requirement under KC for regular testing or indeed any recommendation for heart testing at all for dobes - something I find absolutely ridiculous. I'd like to see annual testing (both holter and echo) made mandatory for anyone on the assured breeder scheme (well frankly, for anyone breeding them at all, but we all know the chances of that happening). Lack of knowledge is still a massive problem here as well as denial and I think changing that would go a long way to changing things for the breed - I've had dobes for over 11 years now and in all that time, apart from the people I met at the 2011 seminar on the disease, I have met one person who was already aware of it. One. And he is only aware because of the 7 dobes him and his wife have owned, they've lost 5 to it - but they weren't aware before they lost the first one. They also weren't aware that the only symptom can be sudden death - all theirs went the slow, heart failure way, then I took my Soli in after her heart attack and they learned about that side of it. Soli's brother's owner was the same - never heard of it before his dog dropped on a walk. I have spoken to countless dobe owners over the years out and about and it's always been the same - no knowledge of it whatsoever. I'd understand that with a minor ailment - the prevalence of hypothyroidism in the breed for example, because it is typically not fatal or particularly dramatic but for something like DCM, there is a massive gap in knowledge that really needs to be addressed.
as I believe from what you've said a few times, the European dobes are much higher drive than our own as working ability has a much greater emphasis for breeding animals - the vast majority of homes here are pet homes who would never cope with a working type dobe.
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