Red Labrador

tommyhayes1979

Hi All

I'm looking to home a fox red labrador.

I'm based in Dublin and I'm having a good deal of difficulty finding one ideally a pup.

Rehoming a rescue would be ideal but will pay for a pup if needs be.

Many Thanks

Lemlin

tommyhayes1979 wrote: »

Hi All

I'm looking to home a fox red labrador.

I'm based in Dublin and I'm having a good deal of difficulty finding one ideally a pup.

Rehoming a rescue would be ideal but will pay for a pup if needs be.

Many Thanks

I know of a well bred field trial pup available in NI with necessary health checks on both parents. The pup will be €500 (£400) though.

Only two male pups left available.

tommyhayes1979

Lemlin wrote: »

I know of a well bred field trial pup available in NI with necessary health checks on both parents. The pup will be €500 (£400) though.

Only two male pups left available.

Thanks for getting in touch, 500 is too steep I'm just looking for a family pet he/she will get a great home with plenty of space

andreac

500 is not dear at all for a pedigree dog. Please make sure whatever pups you choose, that the parents are hip scored.
If you end up going for cheap pups you will pay in the long run.

tommyhayes1979

andreac wrote: »

500 is not dear at all for a pedigree dog. Please make sure whatever pups you choose, that the parents are hip scored.
If you end up going for cheap pups you will pay in the long run.

Thanks I'm aware of the hip score, 500 is just out of my league at the minute.

andreac

Well then I would wait until you do have the money. Save up and get a good quality pup. No point cutting corners when it comes to getting a good quality, healthy pup.

tommyhayes1979

andreac wrote: »

Well then I would wait until you do have the money. Save up and get a good quality pup. No point cutting corners when it comes to getting a good quality, healthy pup.

Yeah you could be right

borderlinemeath

2 of the 3 red fox labs I've met have hip problems, it's well worth paying the money for a well bred dog. It will save you a fortune in vets fees in the long run.

Lemlin

tommyhayes1979 wrote: »

Thanks for getting in touch, 500 is too steep I'm just looking for a family pet he/she will get a great home with plenty of space

You'll find it very hard to get a Labrador with both parents hip and eye tested for less than €500. €500 is actually a great price and I'd put this reduction down to the pup being in NI.

A standard Irish Lab pup is €600 to €650.

tommyhayes1979

Lemlin wrote: »

You'll find it very hard to get a Labrador with both parents hip and eye tested for less than €500. €500 is actually a great price and I'd put this reduction down to the pup being in NI.

A standard Irish Lab pup is €600 to €650.

Thanks for the info, I'm aware of the hip score but hear that info can sometimes be false how do I ensure the info is correct

Lemlin

tommyhayes1979 wrote: »

Thanks for the info, I'm aware of the hip score but hear that info can sometimes be false how do I ensure the info is correct

I was given a photocopy of the results of both the parents of my Lab.

andreac

Yes there are certs from the bva so ask to see copies of them for both parents. If they can't show you then walk away as they obv aren't tested then if they can't show you.

Vel

tommyhayes1979 wrote: »

Hi All


Rehoming a rescue would be ideal but will pay for a pup if needs be.

Given your other posts I assume, and apologies if I am wrong that you after a rescue pup because you think it will be cheaper than buying a pup from a breeder? A pup from a rescue is not likely to have had hip scores etc. and as others have said this is a breed prone to hip problems. Therefore getting one from a rescue could end up being a lot dearer in the long run if the dogs does indeed end up with problems. And if you don't have the money now to afford to buy a well bred pup then you may not have the money in the future for vet bills. It could be a false economy in the long run.

I am all for people getting dogs from a rescue, but for the right reasons and having thought it through. I hate the idea that people are going to a rescue purely to get a cheap pup because they don't want to spend or have the money to spend on a well bred one with all the relevant health checks.

Magenta

tommyhayes1979 wrote: »

Hi All

I'm looking to home a fox red labrador.

I'm based in Dublin and I'm having a good deal of difficulty finding one ideally a pup.

Rehoming a rescue would be ideal but will pay for a pup if needs be.

Many Thanks

There's no such thing as a fox red Labrador. The official recognised colours are Yellow, Black or Chocolate. Unless you want a hunting strain because show breeders will not be breeding dogs that are the wrong colour.

tk123

Magenta wrote: »

There's no such thing as a fox red Labrador. The official recognised colours are Yellow, Black or Chocolate. Unless you want a hunting strain because show breeders will not be breeding dogs that are the wrong colour.

Darkest yellow = red.

tommyhayes1979

Magenta wrote: »

There's no such thing as a fox red Labrador. The official recognised colours are Yellow, Black or Chocolate. Unless you want a hunting strain because show breeders will not be breeding dogs that are the wrong colour.

I'll think you'll find there is.

tommyhayes1979

Vel wrote: »

Given your other posts I assume, and apologies if I am wrong that you after a rescue pup because you think it will be cheaper than buying a pup from a breeder? A pup from a rescue is not likely to have had hip scores etc. and as others have said this is a breed prone to hip problems. Therefore getting one from a rescue could end up being a lot dearer in the long run if the dogs does indeed end up with problems. And if you don't have the money now to afford to buy a well bred pup then you may not have the money in the future for vet bills. It could be a false economy in the long run.

I am all for people getting dogs from a rescue, but for the right reasons and having thought it through. I hate the idea that people are going to a rescue purely to get a cheap pup because they don't want to spend or have the money to spend on a well bred one with all the relevant health checks.

the rehoming option was purely an effort to give it a better life rather than a cash saving exercise. It sounds to me like it's a case of saving for a while to get a well bred pup with relevant hip score etc.

tommyhayes1979

andreac wrote: »

Yes there are certs from the bva so ask to see copies of them for both parents. If they can't show you then walk away as they obv aren't tested then if they can't show you.

What should I be looking for in the certs, that would be new to me. how do I distinguish between a good and bad score.

Thanks for all the insights.

andreac

Have a look at this link, this shows what the cert looks like.

http://www.lab-health.co.uk/Tests/hip_certs.htm#Very_Good_Hip_Certificate_

At the moment the average for a Labrador is 14, thats the total of both hips, so you would be aiming for that score or lower if possible.

Lemlin

tommyhayes1979 wrote: »

What should I be looking for in the certs, that would be new to me. how do I distinguish between a good and bad score.

Thanks for all the insights.

A bit I found online from a breeder I know:

http://www.cuileann.net/#/health-hip-score/4564296500

The Labrador like most medium / large breeds the labrador has a predisposition to Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD). Currently the average hip score in Labradors is around 16. This is achieved by an x-ray of the hips after which the film is sent to the BVA for examination. A point is added for each fault seen so the lower the number the better the hip score. A score of 0:0 is rare and remember 16 is an average so scores slightly higher than this are still acceptable. Hip dysplasia literally means an abnormality in the development of the hip joint. It is characterized by a shallow acetabulum (the "cup" of the hip joint) and changes in the shape of the femoral head (the "ball" of the hip joint). These changes may occur due to excessive laxity in the hip joint. Hip dysplasia can exist with or without clinical signs.
Hip dysplasia is a developmental condition and is not considered a congenital anomaly. Dogs with hip dysplasia appear to be born with normal hips and then to develop the disease later. This has led to a lot of speculation as to the contributing factors which may be involved with this disease. This is an inherited condition, but not all dogs with the genetic tendency will develop clinical signs and the degree of hip dysplasia which develops does not always seem to correlate well with expectations based on the parent's condition. Unlike many other genetic disorders, however, the occurrence of hip dysplasia cannot be traced to a single gene; it is polygenic (caused by many genes). As with other polygenic disorders, external environmental factors play over a 60% role in the expression and degree of hip dysplasia. In other words how the dogs are looked after during the crucial growth period.

In recent studies it has been observed that 2 out of 10 puppies born of so called HD-free parents will develop hip dysplasia. The risk increases to 5 out of 10 if one of the parents does in fact have hip dysplasia; 8 out of 10 will risk developing hip dysplasia if both parents are afflicted. At present, the strongest link to contributing factors other than genetic predisposition appears to be to rapid growth and weight gain. In a recent study done in Labrador Retrievers a significant reduction in the development of clinical hip dysplasia occurred in a group of puppies fed 25% less than a control group which was allowed to eat free choice. It is likely that the laxity in the hip joints is aggravated by the rapid weight gain. The good news about Canine Hip Dysplasia is that most cases can be treated to help eliminate or decrease pain, allowing fairly normal levels of activity. Very few dogs today have to be put to sleep to alleviate suffering. There are always choices to be made, but the vast majority of affected animals can live quite comfortable lives. For now, the best chance of avoiding the disease is still to select puppies from parents who both have normal hip joints, but this doesn't guarantee the puppy won't have dysplasia. Normal puppies may also be born to parents who have hip dysplasia. Like all of life, it still pays to get the best odds you can.