Sad news Ken Vom Elzmündungsraum has suddenly died - Page 3

So sorry for KEN,thet is very very big loss for German Shepherd Dog's!!!!!!!!!:(

He always to be EXCELLENT male!!!!!!!!

That is so sad! My condolences to his owners on Ken's untimely death. Yes, torsion is a nasty killer and quite a few of us have lost a good dog to this condition.

Regards, Chris

To Ken's owners and breeder - my sympathy. It is hard to lose any dog but especially at a young age and with such promise.

Penny, I respectfully disagree with your comment  " Gastric or Splenic torsion can take dogs of any age, so I dont think there needs to be a question about his worth as a stud from Uberland as above.... it is quoted before that post as cause of death,  most people that own GSD`s know that there but for the grace of God go all of us that own them, its much too prevelant." I do think we have to question his worth and his bloodlines. One of the many reasons that American Shepherds have fallen out of favor is that they did not pay attention when some of their most beautiful dogs  kept dying from bloat and torsion. Their solution - breed them younger. They now have what is called the Death Factor in many if not most lines. One third of the litter dies before 8 months, On third by 2 years of age and the last third you get what you get.  And for those that say bloat and torsion do not have a genetic basis they just need to study American pedigrees. At a minimum it certainly does have a genetic predisposition.

The reason it is much too prevalent is we are not paying attention and we excuse it as "being much too prevalent". We need to sit up and pay attention and keep track!

Does any one no what the "illness" was he had at age 3 (2006) that kept him from being shown at the German Sieger show that year.  Was it bloat or torsion or something else?

I know these statements and questions may seem insensitive - I do not mean to add to the hurt of his owenrs and breeder but I do strongly feel that this is important to say.

I don't want to look like an idiot, but I have been breeding German Shepherds since
1979, and I really don't know what torsion is.

I understand what bloat is, but I guess I will just google torsion,

I've neither had bloat or torsion occur in my dogs....

It is way too sad to lose a dog at such a young age, at least he was out there standing out in the crowd,
he looked very happy to be shown.

   Sorry for your loss.......

Condolences from Lakewood-K9 Search & Rescue

<<Penny, I respectfully disagree with your comment  " Gastric or Splenic torsion can take dogs of any age, so I dont think there needs to be a question about his worth as a stud from Uberland as above.... >>

anytime a dog dies young, especially a prominent stud dog, you should question why he died.   I never questioned his worth as a stud.  Bloat DOES run in Families.  like someone else posted, study american pedigree's.  you will start to see families of dogs who die at 4 and 5 years old from Bloat or torsion. you will have several gen of dogs on a pedigree that died young from Bloat. 

my condolences to the owners, I never ment to be disrespectful to them.

Jennifer

Yes, it's sad. I had Am-bred (with German lines thrown in) from 1964-1990. In addition to working at a veterinary teaching hospital, I also worked at several veterinary emergency clinics--where I knew most of the GSD breeder/clients. I can say that, based on my observations, gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV--bloat/ torsion) and torsion at the mesenteric root (toxic gut syndrome) are hereditarily predisposed.

The only way to avoid it is to select breeding partners after careful research. Sometimes, I feel that it is better for a dog so predisposed to die young before contributing further to the gene pool. Like, TIG, I apologize if I seem insensitive.

So very sorry to hear the Sad News of  Irish Sieger - VA1 Ken vom Elzmundungsraum. An excellent dog in every way.  

We know no words can ease the pain that you must feeling from your loss, so we hope you can take some comfort in knowing our thoughts are with you at this sad time and in the fact he will live on forever in his progeny.

Our Deepest Sympathy - Sue and Jim Belfield

"In Life they share our every move, in death they steal our hearts"  (sb)

We have a secret you and I,
that no one else shall know,
For who but I can see you lie,
each night, in fireglow?
And who but I can reach out a hand
before going to my bed,
And feel the living warmth of you
and touch your silken head?
And only I can walk woodland paths
and still see ahead of me,
Your bold form racing with the wind,
young again and free!
And only I can see you swim
in every brook I pass.
And when I call, no one but I ,
can see the bending grass.

Author Unknown

What a lovely poem

so sad to hear of another great dog  being lost to torsion, i lost an oldie a few weeks ago but she was 15 Ken was in his prime at 4 yrs