WOULD YOU, SHOULD YOU?

If you breed long enough, sooner or later you may breed a litter that has genetic health problems like mega, EPI, SIBO, etc. Many times you are very surprised by this because you were unaware of the bloodlines that you were breeding carried these problems. Truth be told many bloodlines carry some health problems. There is not a perfect bloodline free from any and all health problems. The trick is to find a bloodline that has as few of these problems as possible. Without honesty among breeders and especially stud dog owners, then “surprise” litters like this will pop up more and more.

Why do I say especially among stud dog owners? Well because most of the time a breeder should know (if she’s done her homework) the faults of her bitches line. When she chooses a stud dog, she is looking to correct those faults or stay away from them altogether! She’s not looking to double up on them. She should be able to go to the stud dog owner and ask him if his dog carries these health problems in his line. Sadly, many (not all) stud dog owners will say, “Not my dog!” Without this honest communication among the breeders, the bloodlines get corrupted and may take generations to weed out the genetic health problems.

This is the purpose of this article today. Most good breeders if they have a puppy or two in a litter that has mega esophagus for example, will not keep a brother or a sister that doesn’t have it and use them for their breeding program. They’re smart enough to know that although this puppy doesn’t have the fault, that the potential for him to carry it is great. So perhaps if they bred their unaffected puppy, her pups could be affected with this terrible health problem.

Now what I want to know is does the same thing hold true with the temperament of a litter? If you had a potential “star” in a litter, but a couple of his litter mates had bad temperament, would you keep or sell the star knowing that although he has wonderful temperament, the potential for him to produce bad temperament is there?

So your new litter seems to be healthy and strong with no obvious genetic health problems. BUT………a couple of the puppies don’t have ideal temperament. You know your bitch has a good temperament and the stud dog appears to have a good temperament as well. How much do you know about the temperament behind the two dogs you bred?

Why is it that breeders will keep a puppy from a litter that didn’t have 100% of the puppies with the ideal German Shepherd Dog temperament? How is this any different from keeping a puppy where litter mates had health problems? Is one more serious and important than the other? Should we not be as conscientious when it comes to keeping a puppy that comes from a litter that has bad temperament in it although he himself is fine?

I remember one time a litter that had two champion males. One of the males had the ideal temperament and the other one did not. Both of these dogs were utilized by breeders in their breeding program. I remember talking to breeders that had bred to the dog that had a good temperament. A few of these people told me that they were disappointed in the temperaments that they got from this dog even though he himself was fine. On the other hand the bad tempered male produced some dogs that had good temperament.

So do we do a disservice to the future genetics of the breed by including dogs that come from litters that are not 100% sound of mind? Would you, should you be breeding dogs that come from litters of unsound temperament? Are we fooling ourselves by thinking that because we kept the good tempered puppy that we don’t have to worry about bad temperament in our future litters? We should not treat temperament problems in a litter with any less seriousness than we do a health problem.


From the book - "CONTROL OF CANINE GENETIC DISEASES" - If you breed dogs for any reason, you must own this book. Genetic diseases are among the most serious hazards on the landscape of modern dog breeding and one of the most vexing challenges facing today's dog breeders. Is it appropriate to open the gene pool to unwanted conditions in the pursuit of physical perfection, or must breeding to the Standard take a back seat to producing healthy animals?

In Control of Canine Genetic Diseases, renowned authority George A. Padgett, DVM, provides an expert road map to help dog breeders everywhere avoid the pitfalls they are almost destined to encounter. For anyone whose goal is to produce healthy, functional and beautiful dogs, this is the book they need. Dr. Padgett provides clear explanations of modes of inheritance, how to conduct and analyze test matings and how to lower the chances of producing affected animals. Numerous tables, diagrams and graphs further enhance the text to facilitate the breeder's understanding.


My rating: Genetic faults: (1)

EMBRACE PET INSURANCE

Sometime last year, I wrote about pet insurance. Recently a pet insurance company contacted me by the name of EMBRACE PET INSURANCE. After looking over their policy, I agreed to let them advertise on my blog. See their ad on this blog in the purple box for more information. I will touch on a few things about this company here.

From TOP CONSUMER REVIEWS: They gave this company five stars! When we began our examination of Embrace Pet Insurance, we quickly became impressed with the level of pet insurance they provide. Embrace sets the standard for all pet insurance companies by providing excellent, cost-effective service that meets the needs of most dogs or cats in all 50 states.

Overall, Embrace provides excellent pet insurance tailored to meet your specific needs. Premiums are competitively priced and allow for convenient monthly payments. We found a multitude of positive reviews on Embrace as well as numerous reports of hassle-free claim payments. If you're looking for affordable pet insurance for your loved one, Embrace earns our top recommendation.

What Is Dog Insurance?

Dog insurance helps protect your dog from large, unexpected veterinary bills. Modern veterinary care can be very expensive. For example, a trip to the veterinary ER could easily cost $1,000. Dog insurance pays a large portion of your veterinary bills so you never have to decide between digging deep into savings to treat your dog or putting him down.

What Does Dog Insurance Cover?

Dog insurance will reimburse you for costs associated with diagnostics, surgery, hospitalization, cancer and chemotherapy treatment, and even alternative and homeopathic therapies. You can visit any veterinarian you like and there are no networks. Read about what Embrace's dog insurance covers but remember that no plan covers your dog for conditions that are pre-existing.

How Does Dog Insurance Work?

It's very simple to use your insurance. Usually you:
• Visit any veterinary hospital, there are no networks
• Pay for treatment
• Submit a claim form with your itemized invoice
• Receive your claim refund in 10 to 15 business days

What If I Have a Purebred Dog?

Purebred dogs are more susceptible to genetic and breed-specific health issues such as hip dysplasia, cherry eye, or luxating patella. Many of these conditions can be debilitating or life-threatening and can cost thousands of dollars to diagnose and treat as well. In these cases having insurance for your dog lets you focus on his care without worrying about the cost.

Choosing a Dog Insurance Plan

If buying dog insurance is the right thing to do, how do you choose a plan? You should know that Embrace Pet Insurance is one of the few companies that cover genetic and breed-specific conditions. This way, you're not stuck guessing what conditions might be covered.

Also find out if the plan you're looking at has per-incident or lifetime limits. Some companies use benefit schedules that can drastically limit the amount of your reimbursement. Embrace Pet Insurance has no per-incident limits and does not use a benefit schedule. Instead we pay based on your actual veterinary bill so you get more back.

How Much Does Dog Insurance Cost?

Dog insurance costs on average around $27 per month although the premium varies by the breed and age of your dog, and depends on the amount of coverage you choose. You can keep your premiums low by opting for a major medical dog insurance plan with a high deductible. This keeps your premium affordable without sacrificing coverage.

Don't forget, you can get discounts on your dog's health insurance if your dog is altered, micro chipped, or if you have a multiple-pet policy.

When is the Best Time to Buy Insurance for my Dog?

The best time to buy your dog insurance is when your dog is a young and healthy puppy, before any conditions might develop. It's important to have the insurance before you actually need it because pet insurance is the one thing you can't get when you need it the most.

What Embrace Covers

Embrace plans cover all the basics that you expect: accidents, illnesses, diagnostic tests, surgery, and more. Embrace also covers:

• Genetic & breed-specific Conditions
• Wellness & Routine Care
• Cancer Treatment
• Chronic Conditions
• Alternative Therapies & Rehab

Check out their website here on this blog to check out those things that they don’t cover.


My rating: Embrace Pet Insurance: (4)

OFA - OVER USED OR NOT USED ENOUGH?

I planned on writing about hips and elbows and the OFA for some time now. I saw in some of my e-mails on one of the lists that I belong to that someone was writing about a dog that has a bad hip. They were looking for suggestions on how to keep the dog comfortable while living with this condition. I’m not going to write about what to do about it, but instead I’ll be writing about the OFA, and the importance of having our dogs x-rayed.

OFA stands for Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. This foundation has been around for over 40 years. Their basic concept is to collate and disseminate information concerning orthopedic and genetic diseases of animals.

For years and still today, many pet people may associate the German Shepherd Dog with, “Oh those are the dogs that have the bad hips!” Before I ever became involved with the breed, when I was growing up, I only remember ever seeing one dog that was lame in the rear. However, he was such a mean spirited dog (maybe due to the pain in his hind legs); his hips didn’t prevent him from chasing me every time I walked passed his property. He was a big, mean boy and bad hips or not, he was still there to remind me of his “ferociousness!”

So just what is hip dysplasia anyway? According to the OFA website and I quote: “Hip Dysplasia is a terrible genetic disease because of the various degrees of arthritis (also called degenerative joint disease, arthrosis, osteoarthrosis) it can eventually produce, leading to pain and debilitation.” I’m not going to write everything about this disease here in this short space, but advise you to go to their website for more information. What I will say though is to make sure the veterinarian that you use knows how to properly do a correct x-ray for evaluating your dog’s hips and elbows. Proper positioning of the dog is extremely important to get the best x-ray that you can. Even more important is that the person at the OFA knows how to read them correctly. The last bitch that I had x-rayed when my vet read them, told me that they were some of the best hips that he had seen. I was also told that it is extremely rare for the OFA to give out too many excellent evaluations on German Shepherds. Sure enough she got a good evaluation. I was fine with that as her mother is OFA excellent and her father is OFA good.

What I want to talk about is the importance of x-raying our dogs. Some breeders x-ray every animal that they will be using for breeding. Some breeders will only use animals that can be OFA certified. If they can’t get this number than they eliminate these animals for their future breeding program. Then there are some breeders (and some of them are very well known) who never x-ray anything. If the dog is well bred and has the conformation they want, they will breed this dog without x-raying them. Some may question the ethics behind this type of practice. Their argument will be that the majority of puppies are sold into pet homes and no one should have to live with an animal that may have the pain of hip or elbow dysplasia. Then there are still other breeders that will always x-ray their animals, and if they have a really good quality dog that won’t receive an OFA number but isn’t very bad, they’ll still breed them.

Those who fall into the last category may very well be good conscientious breeders who having made the decision to breed a dog that might just be slightly off in the hips or elbows; will do so very carefully. This is the breeder who will study their animal’s pedigree to see just how many generations behind their dog have good hips and elbows. Then he will go about choosing a breeding partner who is OFA certified and comes from a long line of good hips and elbows behind him.

Because this is a genetic condition, many breeders feel just like anything else that is genetic, that nothing can be guaranteed when you breed two animals. You can have a long line of good hips and elbows in the pedigree and still come up with dogs that will have dysplasia. On the other side of the argument, many breeders say, “Why take chances?” They feel you should breed nothing but good hips and elbows to dogs that have these same attributes.

Some breeders feel that they can take a little more chance with a bitch that may not be OFA certified because as the breeder of the litter, they can choose the males that they will breed her to. They can choose only dogs with OFA hips and elbows and look at the pedigree he comes from. A stud dog owner doesn’t have these same choices. He doesn’t always know the bitch that is brought to him and whether or not she is x-rayed. Some stud dog owners will only allow OFA bitches bred to their dog although this is rare. Because the stud dog will produce many more puppies than a bitch will in her life time, many feel that the stud dog should definitely be OFA certified hips and elbows.

I remember reading MANY YEARS AGO in the Redbook (an outstanding reference guide of producing pedigrees published by the GSDCA) that a breeder said that one of her males had one hip that would not OFA. This dog became an ROM producer and lived a relatively long life. Her admitting this didn’t stop this dog from having bitches bred to him. But because of this revelation, it helped bitch owners make a better and more educated decision about breeding to this dog. I admired this breeder for her honesty.

Because a bitch can produce a large litter, anything and everything may happen. The whole litter may have good hips and elbows except for just one puppy. This is genetics. So do you eliminate this bitch from a future breeding program? Do you stop using the stud dog because of this one puppy?

To be honest with you, I hear much more about other genetic health problems besides hip and elbow dysplasia. Occasionally I may hear about a dog that has one hip or elbow better than the other, but I really don’t hear too many breeders complaining about the orthopedics in our breed. That’s not to say that they are not there, but I just don’t hear about them as often as I do the other things. Are we doing better in this area? I believe more breeders are x-raying their breeding stock and this is a good thing. It’s always the wise breeder that breeds with his eyes “wide open” rather than shut and be shocked into opening them later on!

My rating: Importance of x-raying breeding stock: (4), Only breeding OFA animals: (3)