Sick King Shepherd - Page 1

I just put down my 7 year old, beloved King Shepherd, Excalibur's Justice. He came from the President of the King Shepherd International group. We paid $1500.00 for him plus $300.00 for delivery.
As a pup I had him Penn Hipped. He was a 70 out of a possible 0 to 100. I was told that if he was not operated on he would be unable to walk at a very young age. So we paid another $1500.00 to fix his hips at 18 weeks. At 7 months he started falling on his face while we were out walking. The breeder said it was Pano. Michigan State's Veterinary School said it was arthritis in his elbows.  We were a few months to late to get it fixed, so Justice would just have to live with it.
This spring we had to put him down because he had cancer. The vet thought it was bone cancer, but could not tell me for sure without a lot of expensive tests. He was stage four so there was no helping him. I believe, and it is an intuitive guess from my vet, it is likely that this cancer was hereditary. Coincidentally, his mother died at the same age of "bloat," or so we were told. Now I am not so sure.
I did take Justice to another vet when he was about two and she totally hurt my feelings when she said, to my face, that Justice was a "Train wreck". Ouch! My beautiful baby a train wreck. 
My intention was to train Justice as a therapy dog. That went out the window with the health issues.
I am angered to see that even now there are King Shepherd breeders out there advertising these dogs as having no known health issues. Wow! My dog was back at the beginning of the line so how can that be? It can't!
Why am I posting this? As a warning. When I bought Justice the King Shepherd community was saying that they were a cross between a Pyrenees, a Mountain dog and a GSD, or something along those lines. Of course the Shiloh people were ticked because all you had to do was look at a King to see they were related. It took some time and probably a DNA test for them to come clean. Yep, GSD crossed with a Shiloh.
The problem is responsibility and accountability on the part of the breeders. I called the King registry not that long ago and told them of the health issues and they said they would post them. I guess since the breeders are selling these dogs as no known issues they were not posted. To Excalibur's credit they did refund my purchase price after a few years. However, it did little to cover the damages that they caused. They did offer me another puppy. Why would I be so foolish as to willingly repeat this process again?
Yes, I was given a contract. The standard not worth the paper it is printed on contract that all breeders have. You know the ones where they say they will take the dog, who is now a member of your family back, or give you a new sick puppy to go with the one already have. Nice. I feel so much better.
So here are a few tips.
1. Never by a dog from a breeder who is not willing to show you the veterinary records of both the parents and grandparents of the puppy you are considering. If this is a problem for the breeder you can be sure the puppy will also be a problem, an expensive problem in both dollars and heartache. Since most breeders insist on speaking to your vet, it would be highly suspect to me if they refused.
2.  Purchase a dog who is only a few hundred dollars. That way you can save the big bucks for the vet bills that could come your way. Remember, just because you pay a lot of money for a pure bred, you are not guaranteed a healthy dog. Everybody knows mutts are the healthiest.
3.  According to my specialist, if a dog has anything less than a hip rating of "Excellent" you can be sure there is something not right with their hips. Makes sense. Otherwise, they would be rated as excellent.
4. You can do all the research you want to, but if the breeders are not being honest you will get caught same as me.
Good Luck!

I disagree with 2 and 3.  You will never get a good dog with health checks from a reputable breeder for a few hundred dollars; it isn't economically viable.  Also, you did not buy a pure bred dog, you bought a King Shepherd.

Your specialist who claims that any hips that aren't excellent will yield problems is ridiculous.

"Everybody knows mutts are the healthiest".

How many people with Mutts have OFA done?? Or other test?


Kim

I truly understand your pain.  But if in reality If I go to a car dealer and he tells me that the car  I'm looking at has has a high safety rating, and almost no mechanical issues.  If I just take their word for it then its not surprising that I get taken for a ride.  You need to do research on the breeder just as much as learning about the breed and the potential problems inside the breed.  And when you are dealing with a mix breed there really is no way of knowing what you will get.  Just like a box of chocolates. 

Never buy designer dogs at any price.
Is this why you joined?

My condolences to you for your loss shepherdkisses, most of us assume that breeders care about and know what they are doing until we learn better. Breeding for oversized in a German Shepherd dog is a major red flag that a breeder does not know what they are doing and does not care about the repercussions of their actions. I encourage you to learn more about the breed and know that there are breeders that work very hard to produce a true representation of the breed. Paying only a few hundred dollars would be another red flag that a breeder is not investing in their dogs well being but I understand your sentiment.

My best GSD cost me $350.00, she's much better than my import that cost me a great deal more.
Money is no indication of worth.

I'm so sorry you and Justice went through so much together and my sincere condolences on the loss of your beloved boy. Unfortunately this could've just as easilsy happened with a well bred GSD...and it does happen quite a bit and there are plenty of people on this board who can relate to your heartache and dissapointment. I sure can. Even with the very best of intentions, things like this happen.

All breeds have their health issues and I do have an issue with them telling you the King Shepherds have no health issues, although I've heard that before. How would that be possible when they originate from the German Shepherd, a breed that has an extensive list of health issues?

My last three GSDs had health issues. One had surgery on both hips and and one elbow. Parents were Sch 3 with A1 hips throughout the pedigree. No refund, no replacement puppy. The next one had severe allergies, breast cancer and arthritis of the spine. Parents were health tested (good hips and elbows) and sire was Sch3 and dam was Sch1. He did live to be 14 years old. My last one was a rescue that I paid a $350 adoption fee for and she died at age 7 from DM.

The fact that the breeder gave you back your money is something the average breeder of any breed would not typically do. I know it doesnt cover anywhere near all the money you spent on Justice, nor does it make up for the heartache, but at least you got something.

I disagree with what your vet said about excellent hips. There are plenty of breedings that take place where parents with OFA good hips produce offspring with good healthy hips. The reverse can happen as well. In addition, excellent hips are not all that common in the GSD breed. Plus you need to look at the whole dog, not just hips.

I do hope that when you once again are ready to look for a new dog that you will have better luck.

When looking for a dog, you need to do your extensive research and hope for the best. Nothing is for certain in this world. Again, I am very sorry for your loss. 

I am sorry for your loss and any suffering Justice might have experienced. There are no guarantees, just as people, that someone or something won't have health issues. Responsible breeders do try to avoid them but sometimes it happens. My most precious GSD had Mego Colon. It took 3 bets and finally a specialist in NYC to diagnose him. At the end he had to have an enema every few days at the vet office. We had to put him to sleep at age 6. The breeders range from excellent all the way down to 'in it for the money'! You can pay a lot or a little and wind up with an healthy or sickly dog. We just searched for a new dog for 4 months before we settled on a breeder we felt 100% confident in. Did our puppy cost a nice penny, yes but worth it and we believe if something does go wrong the breeder was HONEST and did everything they could to give us a well bred, healthy pup. Regardless how much they cost or where you get them from, they still make their way into your heart and loosing them is the greatest pain not the bills. I hope when you are ready you find a breeder that is honest. It's easy to get 'dirt', google is your best friend. Where there is a lot of smoke, there is a big fire. Good luck and I hope your broken heart mends. RIP Justice.

So sorry for your loss;  all this BS does not help when you have lost a dog;  however, time does help you heal the wounds and the heart.  Better days ahead,  Nan