Siberian Husky - where?

Vince32

I just got off the phone with him, and he said it cost €700++ to get the dogs scored, and it could only be done in Dublin or the UK, I found that really hard to believe since an X-ray costs like 20 bucks or something. I'm feeling angry about it too, but there isn't much I can do about it.

The Breeder said "If I massage or rub down her hips, and she gets uncomfortable or yelps, that is a good sign she has the disease" not so much that massaging would somehow magically reverse the problem.

I contacted her vet in Co.Galway and asked about the litter that came in from the breeder, born on 1st sep. everything checked out, and there is no history of hip disorders in her parents or subsequent pups.

The breeders partner is a veterinary nurse, something I didn't know, and the vet in Galway has nothing but praise for the way they breed their dogs.
So I don't know what to think, maybe the little bunny hops are nothing to be worried about and she'll be fine once she grows into herself.

andreac

He is lying!!

The x-rays cost less than 200 euro for one dog. I have had it done with my rottweiler and the cost for the x-ray to be scored by the BVA in the uk is around 35-40 pounds, and to get the x-rays taken here in Ireland is no more than 150euro.

X-rays dont cost 20 bucks either. Most vets can take the x-rays for the Hip scoring, but they can only be evaluated in the UK by the BVA. Most people go to the likes of UCD to get them done as they are very experienced in taking them.
But 700 euro is pure lies!!!

These people will fill you full of any crap to make you buy their dogs. Just because the parents dont have any problems with their hips, doesnt mean they have good hip scores. If they have abd hip scores they risk passing this on to the pups which can cause hip dysplacia. If your pup is still limping then i urge you to bring it to the vets.

I wouldnt be exercising your pup until this is sorted as you risk causing more damage.

ISDW

I just despair, I really do. The breeder's partner is a vet nurse and she didn't push for genetic health tests? So I guess the parents didn't have their eyes tested either? Lets hope theres no eye problems in the lines.

I don't think I can stay in this thread any longer because I'm just getting more and more frustrated. You came on here looking for help about getting a puppy, you were advised on the best way to go about it, instead you rushed into it, finding a breeder who is obviously breeding purely and simply for money. It appears that you knew the parents weren't health tested, but you still gave this puppy farmer your money. And please don't come back now and say it wasn't a puppy farmer, yes it is. He is breeding purely for money, not to better the breed.

As Andrea says, it does not cost anywhere near €700 for hip scoring, even doing both the parents wouldn't cost that. And with a vet nurse in the family, the xrays would have been done cheaper I'm sure. All you do is get the Xrays done and send them to the BVA in the UK, so you just pay for the cost of xrays and the fee, which is, as Andrea says, about £40. If the dogs are being bred from a few times - which I bet they are, the cost is obviously diluted over the number of litters.

I have no issue with people buying pups from responsible, reputable breeders, but I'm afraid I have huge issues with people buying from bybs and puppy farmers when there are so many sibes that these people have bred that are in pounds and shelters around the country. I have 4 purebred sibes looking for homes at the moment, I know of another 4 with one rescue, and another 3 with a different rescue. That is not counting all the ones in the pounds, and those still in their family homes looking to be rehomed because they can't cope with them. But people like this, who a vet in Galway thinks is fantastic is still churning out dogs, not caring where they end up or what happens to them.

This fantastic breeder told you how to tell if your pup has HD, so I guess he's going to take the dog back and give you a full refund?

I'm outta here. Good luck with your dog, I hope you have many happy years together.

Irishchick

Vince32 wrote: »

The parents were never scored, the breeder found it too expensive and too inconvenient to have them scored.

. Thats just disgraceful. You should have walked away when you heard that.

Wibbs

Just an aside if I may ask; is HD in sibes(and other husky breeds I gather) more of a problem in the Irish lines or is it widespread throughout the breed as a whole? I'm just wondering as I've noted it mentioned here and in other Irish sites a fair bit.

My only experience with the condition was my one and only purebred GSD a couple of dogs back. He got it really bad around 6 Thing was he came from (very)"good lines" and had hip scores on both his parents and grandparents which were good. Or so I thought at the time(late 80's). They were good for GSD's but not so great overall. The interweb can be an education on what the various scorings mean if you google it. Still he got it really bad. Bad luck, bad diet(only dog I fed exclusively on commercial food), who knows? But he was "middle aged" when it struck.

Latterly I've wondered were his ancestors hip scored at say 2 or 3 and shown to be OK, but they suffered as they aged so it wouldn't show up obviously in the lines? Like I say I dunno nearly enough about this. Though if it can be seen in little puppies it must be very bad in some lines/breeds I would have thought?

Either way Vince32, I hope your little guy hasn't got it and it's just some strain from walking or something similar. Best of luck. As for the breeder. It does sound like BS alright, but I'm not gonna give you stick over that. It's all too easy to make a decision when you see a puppy for the first time. Like I say hopefully it works out for you.

Vince32

Just got back from the vets, and I told her the whole story, she checked both limbs thoroughly and is convinced that they are both forming perfectly, we will need to go back in 4 months to double check, but it looks like there is nothing wrong at all... apart from one stupid buyer not asking one vital question - me - ...

She was probably just tired or running at a strange angle or something.

Vince32

Reference: http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=42595

OK, this is what I understand of it.

Lower hip score means better hips. Breeding programmes should always aim to lower the average hip score for the breed. Different breeds have different problems with hip dysplasia, so if you were breeding Newfoundlands, with an average hip score of 29, any specimens scoring lower than 29 would make acceptable breeding stock. Sibes have generally better hips with an average score of 7, but you still want to reduce this average, so should only breed from animals with a lower score than 7.

andreac

Vince32 wrote: »

Reference: http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=42595

OK, this is what I understand of it.

Lower hip score means better hips. Breeding programmes should always aim to lower the average hip score for the breed. Different breeds have different problems with hip dysplasia, so if you were breeding Newfoundlands, with an average hip score of 29, any specimens scoring lower than 29 would make acceptable breeding stock. Sibes have generally better hips with an average score of 7, but you still want to reduce this average, so should only breed from animals with a lower score than 7.

Yes exactly, so you should have made sure you didnt buy a dog that wasnt hip scored, like from the breeder you bought from.

IK09

There are alot of pretentious assholes on here. I don't think il be lookin for advise on this site. There is a very "holier than thou" attitude. The guy is just lookin for advice and some of ye are just puttin him down. Just wondering when the "this person doesn't deserve to own a dog" line is coming...

star-pants

IK09 - I suggest you read the charter and don't just post to insult others.
If you have an issue with a post use the report post function (red triangle with ! in it).
Do NOT reply to this post, you can PM if you have further issue

Wibbs

Vince32 wrote: »

Different breeds have different problems with hip dysplasia, so if you were breeding Newfoundlands, with an average hip score of 29, any specimens scoring lower than 29 would make acceptable breeding stock.

29? Is that not bloody high? Should they not be trying for much lower numbers? Hell I'd be aiming at nearer zero myself under 10 anyway. Where is the problem with doing that? Is this not encouraging medium levels of HD in breeds?

Vince32

I think thats an example, of good breeding stock, 29 does indeed seem very high, when a perfect score is 0-0. But the point I think the OP was making was breed only with animals that have a lower hip score than your own, and this way we can breed out the crippling hip disease. And maybe prevent other animals being born with this genetic disease.

But hell I'm not the one to be giving advice.. ask a vet or a couple of breeders and find out exactly what you need to know.

Irishchick

IK09 wrote: »

There are alot of pretentious assholes on here. I don't think il be lookin for advise on this site. There is a very "holier than thou" attitude. The guy is just lookin for advice and some of ye are just puttin him down. Just wondering when the "this person doesn't deserve to own a dog" line is coming...

No one here is pretentious. We are just trying to make sure people get the healthiest dog possible without having to support back yard breeders and puppy farmers who really couldn't give a toss about the animals they are breeding as long as they make a profit.

We are only trying to save the OP from thousands worth of vet bills.

So if you think that's pretentious then go somewhere else. Done deal maybe.

Irishchick

Vince32 wrote: »

Just got back from the vets, and I told her the whole story, she checked both limbs thoroughly and is convinced that they are both forming perfectly, we will need to go back in 4 months to double check, but it looks like there is nothing wrong at all... apart from one stupid buyer not asking one vital question - me - ...

She was probably just tired or running at a strange angle or something.

Scientifically Hip Dysplasia is where the femoral head does not articulate properly with the acetebulum. This would mean that you may not see any symptoms until after she has fully matured.

At least you have insurance now though so she can be treated if needs be

Vince32

Irishchick wrote: »

No one here is pretentious. We are just trying to make sure people get the healthiest dog possible without having to support back yard breeders and puppy farmers who really couldn't give a toss about the animals they are breeding as long as they make a profit.

We are only trying to save the OP from thousands worth of vet bills.

It's true, and I deserve a scolding for not taking the proper precautions, but with the help of these posters, I have been given an informal education and both my dog and myself are better off because of it.

Huskies are an incredible breed, and require a lot of maintenance, work, play and training to be happy and healthy.

IK09, there is nothing pretentious about concerned people giving good advice, and if I wasn't happy with the content or tone of the posts I'd simply stop posting and find another forum to ask my questions on.
I haven't "worded" my posts very well, and I'm starting to realise that people are assuming the worst case and offer advice on that.

I've managed to terrify adrenlinejunkie and ISDW with some of my posts and while I didn't see the cause for alarm at first, I'm starting to realise what they said, and the advice they gave is 100% correct and I should listen and learn.

The Vet has said, the hips look fine, and her sight is "ok", so no harm, no foul, although people who don't score their dogs and breed from them are greedy and doing it for money reasons only and not trying to improve on the breed.

I'm still a novice when it comes to huskies, and I have to accept what I'm being told is the truth and meant with genuine care and concern.

IK09

Right so andreac is the only person allowed post negative posts. Sorry must have over looked that rule

Hellrazer

IK09 wrote: »

Right so andreac is the only person allowed post negative posts. Sorry must have over looked that rule

As star pants says if you have a problem with a post report it and we will deal with it.However if you keep arguing with a mod on thread it will be you that ends up infracted or banned.Consider this a final warning.

andreac

IK09 wrote: »

Right so andreac is the only person allowed post negative posts. Sorry must have over looked that rule

Huh?? What are you on about? I gave very good advice.

Hellrazer

andreac wrote: »

Huh?? What are you on about? I gave very good advice.

Andrea please dont respond and let us handle this.

Vince32

I'm certain if you re-read whats written you'll see there was only positive remarks made, but don't go getting yourself banned, cuz I still want to talk to you

Yo mods, will you lock this thread please, I'll start another in a few days when everyone has had a chance to chill a bit.

Cheers