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ForumsGerman Shepherd Dog > This is why breeders need to pay more attention (13 replies)
This is why breeders need to pay more attention by Siantha on 08 June 2012 - 18:02 |
| this puppy is one of 2 puppys from the same litter with the same exact condition Eli is our 4 month old German Shepherd pup who came to us just a few short weeks ago. He has a genetic condition which is best described as bilateral hind limb hyper extension. What does this mean? His femoral heads and patellas are luxated and his quadriceps are atrophied. He has great difficulty walking on his own, but he is getting stronger everyday. The gentleman who brought Eli to the sanctuary generously gave us a cart to assist him when he is older. For now, the Veterinarians feel it is in his long term best interest to let him use his legs as much as possible to try and develop his quadriceps muscles. Eli has a long journey ahead of him as he learns to navigate through life, but we will be there with him every step of the way. The really good news is that he is not in any pain, loves to play with his new sanctuary friends and as we always say, he doesn't know he is any different.....
http://www.doublejdogranch.org/default.html
The Second dog on their first page is this puppy. i met him the people who have this little guy are amazing people and this puppy i did not even notice his condition untill he stood up. the breeder of the puppy was a guy who had a female shepherd and his neighbor had a male and they decided to breed. well this puppy was the result of that. please be responcable with your breeding practices. we need to be bettering the shepherd breed not makeing them unable to walk. |
Siantha by trixx on 08 June 2012 - 18:16 |
| i agree 100% , i wouild hate for one of my puppies to have any condition. |
trixx by CMills on 08 June 2012 - 21:38 |
| I've never heard ot this, nor never heard of any testing that could prevent it?? |
CMills by BoCRon on 08 June 2012 - 23:02 |
| The pics on the site you posted were pretty small and I couldn't see any way to make them bigger. Is it the same condition described here? http://www.straightlegshepherds.org/index.html |
BoCRon by aceofspades on 08 June 2012 - 23:38 |
| How do you test for this though? This seems to be something rare enough that it could happen with two people who think breeding their dogs is a great idea or it could happen to xxx big name breeder who does every health and genetic test in the book. Is it a known hereditary defect or is it just a one in a million genetic annomoly that is not passed down from one dog To another? What is known about this condition? |
aceofspades by brynjulf on 08 June 2012 - 23:41 |
| OMG why in the world were those animals not euthanized.( the ones on the site that boCRon posted) I realize I am one of the few people on the board that would suggest this but honestly what kind of a life do those poor dogs have. ( I guess I will just never be PC....) |
by Siantha on 09 June 2012 - 00:43 |
| yes it is the same condition me personaly if my dogs produced this i would spay and neuter and euthanize the puppy because it would be the only right thing to do in my mind. i do not know if there is a way to test for it. but it has to be genetic in some way. |
by k9gsd78 on 09 June 2012 - 01:25 |
| It is very sad whenever unintended problems arise from breeding. It is very disturbing when they arise from irresponsible and ignorant breeding practices. That being said, there was a time that I was one of the people that would have thought, just like bryn, that all of these sad cases just need put down. I have had the privilege of grooming the dogs from the Double J Dog Ranch for the last 6 years. Most of these dogs act no different (and dare I say, they act BETTER!), than most of my "normal" grooming clients. They are happy, always ready with a wagging tail and lots of licking. They each have their own incredible personalities and I can't imagine not having them come around on a regular basis. I would surely miss them. These dogs have an awesome life at the ranch. Cris & Duane spare no expense to keep them happy and well taken care of. If there was any inkling that one of these dogs was in pain or suffering, they would be humanely euthanized. If only everyone that had "normal" dogs took care of their dogs as well. As a groomer/trainer, I have seen many dogs that are perfectly fine physically, but definitely need euthanized because of bad temperament and/or improper rearing. I have seen dogs that are diseased and in pain that need to be put out of their misery. I have seen dogs that are suffering from owner neglect and lead a miserable excuse of a life. The dogs at Double J don't have any of these problems. They are a living testimony to the public on why they need to seek out and support responsible breeders that make it a main focus to do research, educate themselves, and only breed to improve a breed. |
k9gsd78 by Siantha on 09 June 2012 - 01:49 |
| o no i was not dissing the double j ranch at all i met the people and they are amazing. i had soo much fun playing with eli and talking with everyone they are very true in their care for the dogs. i just agree with them that people need to be more responsible in breeding. |
by k9gsd78 on 09 June 2012 - 02:41 |
| No worries, Siantha... I didn't think you were dissing them at all. I was responding to bryn's post about the dogs needing euthanized, because I thought the same thing many years ago. I'm sure there are many others that feel the same way, so I put my thoughts out there since I know them personally. I'm really glad that you posted. It will help bring awareness of a little known condition to other breeders. |
by ggturner on 09 June 2012 - 13:29 |
| I also do not see the point in euthanizing the dogs if they are living a happy, pain free life. Sad condition and I hope one day a test could be developed for breeders. |
ggturner by Double J Dog Ranch on 18 June 2012 - 15:43 |
| To the original girl who posted this, I want to say that I remember you from the Dog d'Alene. You spent quite a bit of time at our booth and playing with Eli. Since education at these events is one of our primary purposes, I find it odd that you did not talk to us about your position, especially that you would have euthanized him. Instead you chose to cut and paste from our website to blog about Eli here. I will choose to see the positive and look at the awareness generated and the fact that the conversation has been started. However, I disagree with you that these pups should be put down. We are all about quality of life at the sanctuary and always put the animals first. We do not believe that every dog can or should be saved but special needs dogs should not be destroyed just because they are imperfect. They also have a purpose. That being said, these straight leg shepherds are not in any pain and certainly do not know they are any different. You saw for yourself how happy and otherwise healthy this pup is. Right? If we kill all of these imperfect puppies, how are the researchers able to do their jobs? With no patients, DNA, etc. how do you do genetic testing to ensure this and a host of other problems do not continue? We are proponents of responsible breeding and know many of you out there who are. You go to great lengths to better the breed to continue strong genetic lines and we applaud this. The bitch responsible for giving birth to Eli has been spayed and we are working on the owner of the sire to convince him to do the same. This is the responsible thing to do. If any of you find yourself with a straight leg pup in your litter and not sure what to do, contact the ranch and we will take the pup. DoubleJDogRanch@aol.com |
Double J Dog Ranch by starrchar on 18 June 2012 - 18:06 |
| Double J Dog Ranch, I applaud you for you are doing. I so admire people like you who are willing to take on a cause such as this. Not only are you giving wonderful care to dogs that would probably otherwise be put to sleep, but you are also educating the public, especially breeders. It is selfless act of love and kindness, not to mention lots of time and hard work. Bless you for all that you do. Char |
starrchar by Krazy Bout K9s on 20 June 2012 - 05:53 |
| Yes, the breeder worked hard to find the right home for the pup, and did agree to spay the female....which is done now. He was very responsible, trying to give the best life possible for the pup. The pup looked happy and didn't know any difference, he is a survivor. We worked long and hard to give this pup a chance, the sibling came out of it, the original breeder found a cart for the present pup, and did all he could do for him...he does understand what he did and learned a valuable lesson. I was going to take the pup in and was working on making room for him. But I am glad that Double J was able to take him in. Yes they are Angels!!!! Tebow's Mom was a great help also!!!! Steph Montana GSD/Belgian Malinois Rescue |
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