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Pedigrees
& Health
Just
being pedigreed does not mean a dog is healthy or
does not carry for hereditary problems. A good
breeder will screen for health issues such as
hips, eyes and thyroid. They many even test
further like BAER (hearing) and for other health
issues in the breed. It is up to the breeder to do
all possible to test and breed for health. If the
breeder does not test or you cannot see proof of
such tests, this is not a breeder to work with.
At
minimum, hips and eyes should be screened. Just
because a dog is a Champion does not mean it is
healthy. I personally spoke to a man who was
breeding a severely hip dysplastic bitch he got a
champion title on before her hips became apparent.
Even after she could barely walk, he kept breeding
her. He felt since she was a Champion, she should
be bred. He ignored the orthopedic problems he was
passing on as he was blinded by the title his dog
won.
It
is not uncommon to hear people well versed in
their breed to go over a pedigree and make
comments like, "See this dog way back here?
Several pups from different bitches in different
lines developed eye problems. No other pups
developed it. It is suspected this dog has it.
This was before there was a test for the
problem." And the same things goes for
females: "The bitch was bred to a few dogs
over the years and in each litter there was an
affected pup so it is suspected she has the
problem. The genetics are still unknown but none
of the males have produced affected pups."
A
pedigree in the hands of a person who really knows
the breed and what is out there can tell far more
than just the parents of the pup and what titles
are behind him. How does this relate for the
person just wanting a pet? Well, do you want to
risk buying a pet that could develop serious
health issues down the road? Not all genetic
problems show up at birth. Some take months or
years to show up. If you do not care if your
purebred has a pedigree, go to a rescue. These
dogs need homes. That cheaper puppy you get from
that newspaper ad may end up costing you far more
financially as he grows up than the puppy from a
good breeder who knows the pedigrees behind the
dogs very well and also tests breeding dogs.
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