Hi all Myself and my wife have just gone to view this litter based at a farm near us. 4 puppies left out of an initial litter of 8. The puppies are 7 weeks, 5 days old. Which is a bit of a worry The dad is a white lab and is 1 year 11 months old. Paperwork with hip scores and elbow scores all ok The mum is a fox red lab and is 3 years old but no paperwork. Neither parent is KC reg. ive attached some photos of the litter and the mum. The pups look great. Very playful and friendly. The dad looks great. However I thought the mum look thin especially in the face. Any opinions or advice great fully received. Thanks http://s28.postimg.org/rio1klvkd/image.jpg
Hello there, and a warm welcome to the forum. If the bitch isn't health tested, walk away - it doesn't matter what she looks like, whether you like her slim face or not. Don't buy a puppy unless both parents have excellent and complete health results. It is not enough that the sire is tested (see the article below on common myths). See these articles for the reasons: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/health-screening-for-labrador-diseases/ http://www.thelabradorsite.com/common-myths-about-labrador-health-testing/ http://www.thelabradorsite.com/category/labrador-health/tests/ While the puppies may look beautiful, and steal your heart, if you take a little time to read the stories of people on the forum about when they stand in the vet's office and hear the diagnosis of elbow dysplasia, hip dysplasia, EIC and similar, you just won't risk it. And please don't. There is no need, you will soon find another litter where both parents have good health tests. Best wishes in your search for your puppy.
Hi , when you say the Mum isn't KC registered , is she health checked ? I think that these days , the advice is to make sure you buy a puppy from a sire and dam who are both health checked , hips, elbows and eyes at the very least . It isn't a guarantee of course, that the pups will not suffer from ill health, but it goes a very long way to protect the pups . If Mum has been health checked but just isn't KC registered , then I wouldn't worry, but please, to try to minimise any future problems and distress , make sure you chose a puppy from a litter where both parents have been checked, and I wish you good luck
We visited the pups this evening and walked away because of a few concerns. I'm also waiting for the breeder to find the Mum's paperwork of her most recent health check visit.
If you have doubts, then its best to walk away and wait until the right one comes along, from the right parents . I know its hard to do this but honestly , its for the very best .
Sounds like the Mum is not tested. Honestly, buying pups from untested parent(s) is not worth the risk. There are so many litters out there where the breeder has done the right thing and had all the right tests with good results and who knows it's important to keep pups with Mum till 8 weeks of age - you're better off with one of those breeders.
I emailed the breeder regarding paperwork of the Mum's most recent health check. No she had booster last year but has been in fine health that is as far as it. Goes health check wise I'm not a. Breeder and it maybe 2 years before I have any .more puppies from her The pups are on a family farm and its looks like they've had a fun start to their lives. I think he's an inexperienced breeder though
Here's the hip/elbow scores for the Dad. http://s12.postimg.org/6j6f2s43h/image.jpg http://s16.postimg.org/dlrncd051/image.jpg However best on the fact that no health check paperwork can be provided by the Mum.... I think we'll give this litter a miss
Walk away. The risk is too high. Pups might be cute but you may end up with broken heart, not even mention fat vet bill.
I really do think that is the best thing to do. Plus, I wouldn't buy a puppy with one parent scoring 6 on a hip - it's best to think of doubling the highest score (so that's a 12). While slightly below average, it's easy to do much better than that for Labradors these days. I had no trouble finding a sire with zero, zero hip and elbows and a dam with nearly as good. There are no guarantees, but give yourself the very best chance of a healthy puppy at the outset. Best wishes for your search.
Also, check out the Kennel Club EBVs - you need to see good result on these too, as well as the individual results for the parents. Just type in the pedigree name to get the results. You want to be way over in the green with a high confidence interval (the grey area as small as possible). http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/services/public/mateselect/ebv/Default.aspx
Only the parents of the Dad are KC registered. I've taken their names from the Dad's hip scores test sheet. Below is the Dad's, Mum http://s3.postimg.org/ox9gykrsj/image.jpg Below is the Dad's, Dad http://s11.postimg.org/lzmgo1hdv/image.jpg
The result for the sire might be better than those but only if there is a history of him producing puppies with great scores. If not, then his scores will start at the average of his parents. I'd be looking for something better than those with a longer history of testing (so the confidence intervals were smaller). Anyway though, since the bitch isn't health tested you can't tell what the results for the puppies would be from the results of only one set of grandparents.
Hello and welcome. I support the other moderators who advise not buying a puppy from a litter unless both parents have full health checks. Good luck in your search for a puppy from a responsible, reputable breeder - you won't regret it. Do let us know how you get on.
Hi and welcome to the forum. It's hard to walk away from cuddly pups but you have made the best choice. If both parents haven't been hip and elbow scored (although the KC don't have this as a requirement, only an option) and eye tested don't even consider a puppy. My gorgeous girls parents both have brilliant scores for hips and elbows but Juno has Elbow Dysplasia, not something that could have been foretold as it is genetically carried. I look forward to the time when the offending genes are identified to eradicate these conditions. I'm sure you will find the right breeder and the right puppy, even if it does involve a wait - it all increases the pleasure.
I second all the advice; don't touch with the proverbial bargepole if the bitch does not have good hip and elbow scores. There's plenty more fish in the sea!
Spend a couple of hours on the internet researching breeders, not necessarily with pups available. The more you look, the more you learn and figure out the type of Labrador you want. Lots of breeders publish their dogs' health scores and pedigrees on the internet; they make interesting reading and you will soon see pedigree names cropping up frequently, then you can research those breeders as well. There are so many breeders on the KC site I found it easier to just research breeders on a search engine THEN if I found one I was interested in I went back to the KC to check if they were assured. I also looked on Champ dogs (I think it's called) and again cross-referenced back to the KC. Good luck
