Hip dysplasia - Page 1

I have 3 Shephards the first one I was stupid I didn't know what to look for OFA what was that? But I got educated fast. Years later I bought a girl and her prelimbs came back bad. Breeder gave me another after I fixed her (not that I would ever breed a bad dog). Before I took the other one I checked here and both parents looked good. I haven't checked him yet waiting for insurance on him to go through just in case his hips are bad at least they will help with the surgery. But the vet is highly suspicious his hips are bad as well.

Bottom line is the breeder is still breeding the first one's mother but with a different male. Bad practice bad breeder, If this one checks out bad the info will be placed on this website, He also had one testicle so he has been fixed already, Yet she is still breeding his parents. Interesting fact I found out also is that OFA won't put a dog with bad hips on their website unless you give special permission, so when I took the step to check the kennel name on the OFA site that came up clean.  

I have made the decision never to buy again because there are so many that need to be adopted from GS rescue, I also found out my heart is too big to put down dogs with bad hips or elbows or 1 testicle. Out of site out of mind just isn't in me, My breeder did refund all my money and thanked me for taking such good care of the dogs. But still breeding the same dogs with genitic defects because they are excellent beautiful show dogs still isn't right.

Lets start being responsible and not look at the dollars that come from breeding Get their hips checked when they are 2 and if they aren't good for breeding there are plenty of people that will take them off your hands and love them the way I love my dogs. If you have never seen an 11 year old suffer through hip dysplasia I can tell you all about it. Luckily I have a wonderful vet and enough money to keep my buddy comfortable for now, hopefully I can get a couple more years out of him because he is the best dog I have ever had and my best buddy.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO BREED BE RESPONSIBLE !!!

I may get "bashed" for my oppinion on this matter, ...but so be it.....

Dysplasia is NOT 100% preventable. It unfortunately is a genetic problem within our beloved breed.

If parents are certified by OFA or the German A-stamp...they are (certified for breeding). ...You can have both parents and their previous generations be certified, and still dysplasia can & will  occur....to say that a dam or sire should not be bred because it has unfortunately produced an offspring with non certifiable hips is ridiculous......the breed would become extinct....

All we can do as respectable breeders,..is to breed with concience, and put the best possible genetics forward....the rest is up to nature.

The same goes for "testicle" problems.  As breeders, we must be aware of what "genetics" combined can give us this potential problem and breed accordingly in our programs.......but again.....these problems do occure....and to say..."never" breed the parents again, is not  being realistic.

I have personally seen and owned dogs/pets with dysplasia, and it is hard on both dog & owner.....but it is a defect that is apparent in our breed, and as owners....we have freely chosen to own this breed,...fully aware of the health problems that may  or may not arrise in our dogs.

An 11 year old dog with dysplasia of ANY breed is not un common....... however;...it doesn't make it easier.....

So true. well put..It behoves me, that people forget that the top dogs in this country have litters, some of them so many you cant even count them on the database under their names...and you and I both know, many bad hips are produced , but do you think those proud owners are going to tell you and me....of course not....some litters are registered by Schutz and those kennels do have records of each pup,,,but you will never make me believe that all these kennels , even those registered by Schutzhund,  produce all no hip Hd in every litter they sire or birth...It takes both pedigrees and Im sure the feathers fly , between the two if a bad hip is produced, as to whose fault it is...after all both are kk1 and have mega titles.

I still like Dean Calderons take on the issue,,,its a crap shoot...we breed the best and hope for the best."

crhuerta

you are correct. my expereince is that the reason many are so concerned about being overly careful with a pup is the poor genetics due to poor breeding practices. I say that because i have always had gsd with good hips and never had a problem  and had to worry, i start my pups  tracking at 10 weeks and were off to the races and not a problem one (no i not a idiot or push to extremes).

good breeding practices are the key. IMO a low percent of peope actualy adhere to a strict requirement. thats why now you never know what you will get even if both parents had excellent hips, its the ones you never see/hear about that get you.

Oh I agree with a lot of what you say. OK this breeder that I got the 2 from "has never thrown a bad hip or testicle before" and I just happened to get both from completely different breeeding pairs and she has been breeding for a while,. I honestly think her vet missed the testicle because there was a lump there that I felt before I brought him home and thank God I took him. My vet found it the next day and felt it as a lymph node. We waited and waited but no testicle so he is fixed. He is a georgous with a blood line that could have made for a wonderful stud dog. A friend begged me to wait and breed him with his female and he said he wouldn't give the pups away unless they were fixed but I refused to breed a genetically imperfect dog,. The female's prelimbs were bad waiting on the 2 year. I didn't see her mom when I got her but I did another time and here mom's rear end looks and awful lot like hers, I would venture to bet her hips are bad also.  I know the breeder says she iis trying. She has top notch accommodations and spends a lot of money on their training and titles. And their kennels are beautiful. But their hips are done in Germany and my vet and I both feel that Germany is more lax in their standards. Any info there? Like I said I am here to learn. I will never breed but I will rescue them till the day I die, 

My vet is praticularly sensitive to the subject as she herself had a dog with hip dysplasia yet her friend got a dog from another litter with perfect hips. She has taught me a lot. The crap shoot is true but you have a better chance if you know this female has had 2 with bad hips that I know of ( thats not taking into the consideration that probably 50% of the people never have hip checks) shpould stop breeding  then the next generation will have better odds. I know people who know breeders who will kill a male with one testicle rather than word get out and ruin the breeders name. My friend has even offered to take the male and have him neutered but they said no. If he isn't alive it can't be traced.

So I say a responsible breeder who truly cares about this fabulous breed would stop breeding at the first sign of a bad hip. Your right its a crap shoot one that they lost. So take your loss have the dog fixed and give it away. My female would be a great search and rescue dog. My male will be a wonderful therapy dog. They are not useless they just won't make me any money but they are goofy and make me laugh well worth the trade. Fortunately I love this breed enough to try to improve the crap shoot for the next generation and maybe we can get these dogs back to the heros they once were. No wonder the police depts are switching to Australian Shepherds.

Yep, I know several breeders who gsd threw bad hips and they just keep right on breeding them...

Yes, and I know several big named breeders that have thrown bad hips and the show goes on.  One excuse for not quitting the stud from breeding, was that you dont know which dog to blame for the hips that are bad.....well, strangly enough,that same male was bred to lots of females , and lots of litters he was the stud for had pups with bad hips. Is there an answer for that.

Mo money for the breeder is the answer....