09/06/2025
A lie about Maxomagic kennel was shared to Central Asian Shepherd Pedigree Database stating : “DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy) and DM (Degenerative Myelopathy) affects a good number of their dogs.” Firstly, we did have an issue with DCM early in the history of the kennel. It came from Al Amir’s Hammer, a direct import from Uzbekistan. Kennel founder Victoria Evans and my father, Steve Nash traveled to Uzbekistan to procure the best lines available and to also foster good working relationships with breeders in countries of origin. They went to the source where the dogs were said to be the healthiest and most authentic. This shows that things can happen with even the best lines and to the best kennels. Hammer was used many times before he started showing symptoms at about 4 years of age when he was diagnosed with DCM. Instead of excluding some excellent quality dogs from our program, we tested all of the dogs that descended from Hammer by echocardiogram. Out of 13 dogs tested, 13 dogs passed. Offspring from those dogs that we kept were also tested by echocardiogram, which is the Gold standard for testing for DCM. We have not had any reported DCM for about 8 years. Hardly “A good number of their dogs”. Genetic testing for DCM is breed specific, meaning different genes are responsible for causing DCM in different breeds. Currently the genes for causing DCM in CAS haven’t been identified, so echocardiogram is the only diagnostic tool available.
On to DM. I have never had anyone tell me that a dog from me has been diagnosed with DM. The way a diagnosis of DM is made, is a during a necropsy. A sample of the spinal cord is put on a slide and looked at under a microscope (Histopathology). Barring any report of this over the course of 18 years, I decided to check all of my Maxomagic dogs for DM by genetic testing. I will include the reports on this post. All dogs tested had zero copies of the gene responsible for DM! ZERO. With DM, there is Clear (Zero) copies, Carrier (One copy), and Affected/Homozygous (2 copies, one from each parent). There are no Maxomagic dogs with DM.
So what we have here is a nobody trying to become a somebody by trying to tear down a long established breeder with a good reputation. Instead of making up nonsense and sharing it as fact on a public database, they should try having achievements of their own. Here are the facts: Maxomagic has more passing joint results then any other breeder by a large margin. Maxomagic has more Champions and Grand Champions then any active breeder by a larger margin. Maxomagic dogs have proven themselves as LGD and as home guardians. I will always support ethical breeders that health test and have a history of good animal husbandry. Maxomagic has these achievements because it has been around for a long time and we care about the health, longevity and structural soundness in the dogs we produce. This is not meant to discourage others, but as a reminder of the hard work that myself and those before me put in to get to where we are.
