I wish I could do something

That is so sad to read Kate, I am so sorry about the bitter irony. xx

 

Hi Kate, I’d love to hear about your experiences of EIC, if it’s not too painful? X

 

@Vamosvamos I`m sorry, but it wasn't EIC that my Sam died from , it was Lymphoma .

 

Several years ago, our breeder of Sky who we have always kept in contact with, contacted all of us to say Sky’s Mum had died from copper storage (liver disease). They were totally unaware of this. She was 10. We had Sky tested and our lovely vet (now retired) even rang us on a Sunday to say that Sky was ok. Unfortunately a short while after, we heard from the breeder again to say that Sky’s brother Frankie who was the first born and the biggest of the litter (a very handsome dog) who they had kept - died of the same thing even though he had been put on a special diet. Very very sad. The reason I am telling you this @kateincornwall is because I do think your breeder is irresponsible and heartless not to be taking notice of what you are telling them. I think our breeder acted totally responsibly by being upfront at what was happening. It was all very distressing at the time but at least we could make our own decision on getting Sky checked out. I am so sorry all this is going on for you - it must be so hard when you are deeply grieving Sam - but at least you know you have done all you can so draw strength from that.

 

@kateincornwall and the moderators already know this story: I was intending to breed from my dear sweet Poppy. I had all the health tests done: hips and elbows scored, eyes tested, EIC, HPNK, CNM, SD2, PRA, and genetic testing; underwent the conformation to breed standard judging; did a character test, steadiness to shot test, took part in competitions, and participated in breeder seminars; had a visit from the breeder association to ensure our home and garden were suitable for breeding a litter of puppies, applied for and got my breeder's license and our kennel name, did countless hours of research and drove all over Germany (and beyond) to find the right stud dog. Much time, effort, and too much money to think about later we were all ready to go, just waiting for Poppy to come into heat - and she had a series of epileptic fits, a month before we would have had her covered.

Now, I could have kept quiet about that, and gone ahead with our plans... But that would have been irresponsible, and damaging to the breed, and might have caused intense grief and pain to the owners of the puppies down the line. It might all have been fine, of course... but personally, I couldn't take that risk.

I think it can be hard to walk away from a dream you have built up and created. Very, very hard, if you have been a breeder for many years, much harder than it was for me. But honestly, I think it is the duty of anyone responsible for breeding animals to make those difficult decisions, for the sake of the future owners, puppies, and for the breed as a whole.

Now, looking back, I thank heavens Poppy had those fits when she did, in a weird way. I mean, I'm not glad that she HAS epilepsy, how could I be??? But I am so thankful that we didn't go ahead and breed from her, maybe passing on that faulty genetic inheritance that she has, and that somewhere, some breeder of her predecessors, knows about.

 

Thank you @Atemas , I am glad that the breeder of Sky was so responsible , and you too @Karen , I know how hard it hit when you made the right decision with dear Poppy . Unfortunately , because it is not an absolute definite re Sams type of Lymphoma being genetic , his breeder is going ahead with another litter from his full sister ( but from another litter , same sire and dam ) . It saddens me terribly , we are grieving , mourning the loss of an otherwise fit, active young dog who was struck down in his prime , and this action almost belittles his death . I cannot get through to her , that this type is uncommon and even more so in a dog under the age of eight , so some of the dogs she has bred could well develop it in the future . Oh well , I have tried my best but it breaks my heart , I just know its not a risk I could ever have taken x

 

You’ve done all you can, Kate. And your posts here will make some puppy buyers question prospective breeders about this issue, seeking assurance that pups they’ve bred haven’t suffered from this type of thing at a young age. It’s certainly something I’ll question a breeder about in future. Sam has raised awareness about this awful disease. I’m absolutely sure that this will help others.

 

Thank you Rachael , this gives me much comfort xx