What a fantastic milestone on the recovery plan........being able to make it to the pub!So pleased you have been able to get away for a break ,great for you all x Charlie looks lovely,he's so handsome x
Glad to hear you are out and about! Really hope the elbow won't be an issue. I mean, seriously..... Charlie is looking fab!
So pleased to read this and Charlie must think he is in heaven, as you also must feel. Not long to go now until all back to normal. Edited to add hadn't seen your previous post re Charlie's elbows, I am sorry, I do hope for the best outcome.
Elbow worries are terrifying - the thought that this isn't the end of it is enough to make me just give up at times to be honest. But, we are staying cheerful and enjoying our weekend. I will never, ever, own another pedigree dog though, much as I love Charlie, it's just not worth it.
I cant blame you for that Julie , after all the distress you and your dear boy have had . It certainly makes you wonder if they ( Labs ) have become too popular for their own good .
Was just wondering how Charlie was getting on, lovely to hear you have managed a well deserved trip to Cornwall!
Hope you a having a great time in Cornwall, Charlie looks fab. Really hoping the elbow thing is nothing important...
Ah that's great news, you made it to Cornwall. A much needed break and change of scenery for you all. Looking good Charlie!!! xx
Do you think this is down to him being a pedigree dog then Julie? I mean, you took such care in picking from totally health-checked parents, surely this is just bad luck and could have happened with a cross-breed or mongrel? Also, IF there is a problem with his elbow (though we are all really hoping not), is that likely to be as a result of holding himself differently due to the cruciate issues and operations, not an inherent problem? Not trying in any way to make light of your problems, just wondering if you think Charlie's health issues are due to his breeding?
Sorry to hear of Charlie's elbow problem (still catching up after holiday to Brittany). It's good to hear that the specialist is in no hurry to investigate with arthroscopy - from my experience of elbows most problems are indicated by x-rays and confirmed by scans. If Charlie's x-rays and scan is clear I would be really hoping that the soreness is caused by increased pressure on the elbow while he has been suffering with his cruciate and that it will gradually improve. Sounds as if Charlie is having fun in Cornwall with a trip to the pub . Enjoy your break and try not to worry
I don't think his problems are a result of his breeding in the sense the breeder is at fault, no (if I thought that would hold, in terms of being able to find any evidence of carelessness or less than diligent professional standards, I'd have sued her). I've looked back over the health results a thousand times, asking myself if I would have chosen differently based on them, and no, I wouldn't. Even the EBVs are deep into the minus figures, with the confidence intervals way out of the danger zone. I don't place much weight on the individual health scores of the parents, and much more weight on the good EBVs with tight confidence intervals. But yes, I think his problems are to do with him being a pedigree dog - it's not just bad luck, could have happened to any dog. Any system which breeds from a closed gene pool, made worse by the over use of popular sires, is increasing the chance of genetic inherited problems. In time, probably a lot of time, I think genetic problems in pedigree dogs will be so bad that the concept will have to be abandoned.
I hope so. But cartilage doesn't show up on either x-rays or scans. So common forms of elbow dysplasia that cause the bone to change show up, but even extensive cartilage damage won't show on anything but arthroscopy pictures. Charlie has very minor changes in the medial coronoid process - tiny, nothing that can be treated (no fragments, just a tiny change in the tip), and nothing that is even particularly unusual (but it's not perfect). On a clinical exam though, he shows significant discomfort on an elbow rotation test, so something is going on.
Anyway, on a happier note...Charlie has had our undivided attention this weekend (and we don't have to go back until Tuesday ). So although there have been no cliff walks, beaches, or river swimming we've been busy, and everything has included Charlie. He has slept peacefully in between outings. He has been to the pub, several times, had new walks with lots of new sniffs, been to the car wash, the tip, the garden centre (he had a pee on a white camilla, unfortunately, so I thought I should buy it , nevermind, it's very pretty ), watched brass bands, been to a garden party, a stately home, and had a boat trip. So he's been a busy pup. On a trip to the boat park, we stopped for lunch and I was sat on the floor with him. I noticed that he was sort of rocking back a bit on his paws, and taking a closer look thought his nails looked long. I've never had to trim them before but obviously the lack of walking has allowed them to get a bit long. So we trained sitting still to have nails clipped. He got 25 seabiscuits for that, which he thought was a fair deal. We have a small secure bit of outside space here separate from the garden, not very large - not large enough for him to get into trouble - so he has been able to be outside off lead. A tiny luxury, but one he enjoyed all the same. We also have a very low sofa, and by making a step with his bed, he has been able to get on and off the sofa freely. Which he has loved. No trouble readjusting to having sofa rights: weekend 1 by julieandcharlie julieandcharlie, on Flickr And helping with the BBQ steak - phew, good job he was there to help, really: weekend 2 by julieandcharlie julieandcharlie, on Flickr
Fingers crossed that there's no cartilage damage despite the discomfort. When Juno was examined by the specialist she showed discomfort on her left front, the leg she had limped most frequently on but the scan was clear on the left and it was the right that was the problem. Try not to worry too much, and I know how hard that is.
Well, I'm relieved that he's got sofa rights back again Sounds like he is having a wonderful time. As far as the pedigree issue goes....having parents from a wider gene pool is no guarantee of good health. The problem is to do with the type of genes in the gene pool, not just the size of the pool. A small gene pool with problem recessive genes isn't good, as the chance of inheriting the gene is greater, but a small gene pool with no problem recessive genes is just fine. And cross bred dogs can inherit dodgy genes too - basically, it depends on what your parents are carrying. Screened parents are better than unscreened parents. And few cross bred dogs have screened parents. Just look at humans. We have a big gene pool. But that doesn't prevent genetic disorders arising in human babies.
One option would be to get an older dog, say 2 or 3 years of age, with no evidence of health problems, and get a vet check too. That's probably the best way to really reduce the risk. Would that be an option? I know you're not planning on getting another dog soon so it's hypothetical.....
It's true that the human gene pool is large and diverse, and there can still be problems - it's no guarantee. But that's not the case with pedigree dogs - the gene pool is closed, and popular sires get used again, and again reducing the pool further. It just seems like it's asking for trouble.
A study on inherited disorders and purebred vs mixed breed dogs that might interest you, Julie: http://animalbiology.ucdavis.edu/Accomplishments/PDF/Inherited disorders with dogs.pdf
