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ForumsGerman Shepherd Dog > Looking For Black and Red Male (12 replies)
Looking For Black and Red Male by golson on 02 March 2012 - 03:30 |
| All, Hello all and hope this is the place to post. I have to first tell my story. Back in 2005 I was searching for aGSD and done so much research and gained some knowledge on the breed before I bought. Well I found a breeder in Ohio which i will not mention by name, and he got me an imported black and red from Frankfurt Germany. This boy was so awesome and we immediately fell in love with him at the airport. Well 4 months past and he showed signs of weight loss and bad bowel movements. Took him to the vet and he was diagnosed with EPI.......We were devastated.....At 6 months we had to euthinize him becasue of the medical bills and the medication was lifetime. I still have his collar and leash in case we found another one. Well it has taken us this long to give this another try. I really want another GSD now and I hope one of the breeders here can help me out. I am hoping we can get a better male. I will do my homework before I buy and I don't want a puppy mill GSD. Sorry if that offended anyone. So can someone help find me a GSD less than a year old? Thank you all....greg |
by eichenluft on 02 March 2012 - 07:58 |
| I don't understand why you felt you had to euthanize your dog due to EPI - normally it is very easy to maintain an EPI dog on proper diet and enzymes added to the food, proper food/enzyme preparation and the dogs do just fine. I hope your vet didn't tell you it required vast medical bills, because unless it was a form of EPI I don't know about, the enzymes can be pricey but that would be the only expense involved. I guess it's too late now though, move on to another puppy and good luck with that - might be a good idea not to tell a responsible breeder that you euthanized a puppy due to EPI though, they might not want to sell a puppy to someone who euthanized a young dog with manageable health problems. |
by djc on 02 March 2012 - 15:00 |
| Oh that's real nice Molly! Make them feel even worse about a situation that has taken them 7 years to start to recover from. No one fully recovers. If you felt you HAD to mention all of that, you could have gone about it differently so as not to make them feel so badly!!! Debby Melle |
djc by ggturner on 02 March 2012 - 15:09 |
| Golson Sorry for what you went through. Hoping you find a great gsd to fill the void. |
ggturner by Abby Normal on 02 March 2012 - 16:08 |
| I don't want to cause offence or an argument, but I feel I am going to, but I feel it needs to be said. If you take on an animal you need to be able to afford unforeseen medical bills that arise, and EPI is a manageable condition. I am a little shocked to hear of a puppy euthanized at 6 months because of it. I have known dogs live into their teens maintained very well on enzymes and dietary management. The GSD is a breed with a range of health problems which can occur, and there are no guarantees that any GSD you get in future will be free of costly ailments which require medication or surgery. I would suggest that you insure any puppy that you get immediately, so that you do not have to euthanize another animal because you cannot afford the cost of veterinary treatment, and if you can't afford insurance and/or veterinary bills then you shouldn't get another dog. Go to a reputable breeder and insure the puppy immediately you get it. If it comes from a reputable breeder it will likely come with free insurance for a short period and you should then arrange your own cover with whatever company you choose, or continue with the company the breeder has insured with. You shouldn't have any problem finding a black and red! |
Abby Normal by djc on 02 March 2012 - 17:37 |
| Yeah Abby this needed to be repeated didn't it? What is wrong with you people?!!!! Debby |
by GSDPACK on 02 March 2012 - 17:40 |
| Golson, Sent you a PM |
GSDPACK by Abby Normal on 02 March 2012 - 18:54 |
| Debby Actually I did feel it needed to be repeated. To be sure that OP understands that there is another solution to dealing with medical problems than euthanasia. Otherwise what happens with the next dog that gets a medical problem if nobody says anything? It implies that euthanising the puppy was quite a normal solution. It's not. The only reason at all that I can see from the OP's post for euthanising the puppy was a cost issue. Now I can understand that sometimes times are hard and dogs can create expense, but we all have to know that at the outset and be prepared for it. That is my point. The OP's financial situation was sad for the pup. I am sorry that they had a dog that had EPI, but I am sorrier for the pup TBH, and I would hate to see it happen again for the sake of sitting back and saying nothing. So, given that this was a cost issue, I think it's good advice to get insurance so that this doesn't happen again. So, insure the next puppy, and if the OP can't afford to do that, then don't get a dog at all. I don't see why anyone would have a problem with that. |
by djc on 02 March 2012 - 20:48 |
| Abby, I hope next time you make a decision based on what your vet is telling you and his/her advise, that no one like yourself and Molly are around to stab the knife in and twist it multiple times, just because you listened to the vet and trusted them. I hope the next time you make a gut wrenching decision, no one attacks you just because you were uninformed. This was 7 years ago!!! It has taken them 7 years to get partly over making that decision. Obviously they did not take it lightly and were devastated. Now you are slapping their face! That's how I see it. Debby |
by Red Sable on 02 March 2012 - 21:03 |
| I would hope that with the price of these respectable breeders pups, one wouldn't have to worry about EPI. |
Red Sable by Abby Normal on 03 March 2012 - 00:05 |
| Red Sable It would be nice to think so, but we all knowwith any dog you never know what health problems may lie ahead, no matter how well bred, and this is what I am trying to say. It may not be EPI, it may be something else. Debby - I am not 'attacking' the OP as you seem to think. You got a whole lot more from that post than I did. I didn't see where the vet advised their course of action. Doesn't seem like they were uninformed, they were informed by the vet of the treatment and that it was for life, and their decision was made because couldn't afford the bills/medication. That's sad, but avoidable IMO. We obviously see it differently, and I still think they would do well to insure their future pup and thus guard against having to make such a heartbreaking decision for all concerned again. |
by live4schutzhund on 03 March 2012 - 15:31 |
| Weird. Flashbacks from many years ago. I can relate 100% Some dogs do not respond to treatment, mine did not. Vet asked if I would donate his body for some study that was underway, I said sure. Wow, the pain is absolutely still there.... Sometimes we invest more emotion in our animals than is healthy. Anyhoo. Greg, sure your ready? I thought I was. Now our big guy is really my wifes big guy, or rather big baby. Cannot make that emotional connection for probably many reasons but nontheless we do not click the way I "want/need". He's a good family dog, mostly my issues, great with my wife though and thats what is important. Here are some picks when I was trying, or rather fooling myself that I was ready.  In the end, we love him, and he has a special relationship with my wife, especially when she's eating crabs.  |
live4schutzhund by beetree on 03 March 2012 - 17:09 |
| I think your wife is lucky to have such an adoring hunk. |
beetree
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