Having recently spoken to a number of breeders about hip and elbow scores guarantees were mentioned by none. I'm not sure it happens at all in the UK.
3 years in almost unheard of in the USA. I could find no other breeder anywhere with this warranty. When you find one, the max is usually two years, since thats the earliest you can determine a hip problem. One year is common, but that’s stupid, since no vet can diagnose it at 1 year, as the plates have only just finished growing. To do 3 years, the breeder must have many generations of “Excellent" to look back on, and no one coming back asking for help or refund.
The breeder did ask me not to allow the puppy to go up and down stairs more than once a day until 1 year, and not to take the puppy on any running alongside jogging adventures, or allow him to jump off anything other than one step, or on any long hiking or running through fields until exhausted. After that, though, there were no suggested restrictions. So when we can no longer carry him up the stairs to sleeping quarters with us, then we will allow him one trip up, and an assisted trip down for sleeping. Any more than that he’ll have to sleep down stairs, until November 2018.
Hip dysplasia can occur long before the age of 2 years - if I remember correctly we have several members whose dogs were diagnosed at an early age. Breeders normally have the hips and elbows of their dogs and bitches tested at around 18 months so they can be scored for reference - to ensure that only the best hips/elbows are bred from
Yes, Monty was diagnosed at just 6 months, even an untrained eye like mine could see his hip sockets weren't properly formed on the x rays. At the same time he had elbow x rays which were inconclusive, and took another 6 months to be diagnosed, however I'm sure this would gave shown up on a CT scan which he ultimately had at 1 yr. I think x rays can sometimes be a bit hit and miss for diagnosing joint issues in young dogs due to their joints not being fully formed, however this isn't to say the problem isn't there.
I know they say playing with other dogs doesn't count as part of their daily exercise but the way my dog plays with other dogs I can't believe it doesn't cause damage. They jump up at each other, on top of them, roll around together. How can that not cause damage but walking on a lead too long does? I'd be interested to hear from anyone with an older dog and a puppy. How do they play together and how long for? Has it ever caused injury to either one?
Because these is repetitive -- they are using their skeleton and muscular system in a way that means certain ligaments and tendons in a certain way which means they develop more strongly than other parts of the support system, in young animals (including children) this leads to uneven growth causing weakness and/or preventing build up of strength.
Got timed out with the editing ! When they they play freely they can use all of there body in a natural way so that no one part takes an excessive burden helping them build up there strength. That's not to say that they won't have bumps and bruises from free play though.
What @selina27 said, and you're also asking them to move at an unnatural pace when they're tethered to you by a lead. I introduced a puppy to two adult dogs. Once my adults got past wanting to kill her (yup, honestly), they played pretty gently with her most of the time. It was more bitey-face than rough play, especially at first. It did progress to boisterous play once she was older, though, and now it can look terrifying When she was still a puppy, I would intervene if it looked too physical. Now she's now 14 months, so pretty robust. They do self-limit and often shake off to end a game, then start again. We've had an occasional squeak but I could count those instances on one hand.
I had an almost identical experience to Leejane with previous Lab. His hips and elbows were x-rayed at 7 months as he was limping a bit. They suspected elbow dysplasia but the x-ray was inconclusive. It was confirmed by CT scan a few months later on the right side. His hips were very obviously not right when the x-ray was viewed, though, even to an untutored eye, his left one especially. The vet said that affected dogs normally present at around 6 months.
It depends on their age, but they self-limit play so it’s not the same as lead walking at all. Here is an example - Keir 12 weeks, Mollie 10 months and Tatze 4 years. Tatze has to be goaded into play these days by the pups, unless she’s with her Best Friend in the World - then she’s crazy. And here they were at the weekend - this time Keir, 7 months and Tatze and Zaba, 4 years.
This morning Maxx (12 weeks) decided to launch himself into the back of the car from a sitting start as hubby was opening the hatchback ready to pick him up and put him in. It took us completely by surprise as he hasn't tried that before. He completely missed and fell back onto his back on the road . He is also already lunging up our inside staircase if we don't grab him as soon as we come in the front door. He seriously thinks he is indestructible so we really have to watch him more closely. New lesson: Short leash while opening car and walking up stairs
My boy was ridiculous as a puppy (he’s still quite ridiculous as an adult) and was always hurling himself down cliffs and over obstacles. He would vault the sofa in one go, or jump up onto the back of it, walk along and then off the far side. My heart was in my mouth with him every ten minutes, or so it seemed. We did our best to minimise this ridiculousness for fear of him hurting himself but there’s really only do much you can do with a dog intent on extreme sports unless you want to keep him tethered to you at all times ... and even then, you’d probably end up following him over the sofa I live in the mountains and pretty much everywhere we walk is a slope of some description. I just employ a common-sense approach. With my latest puppy, that meant walking slowly, giving her the chance to rest every few minutes. Even now (she’s 14 months) we’ll walk fifteen minutes or so then stop for five so she can mooch around, hunt for pine cones or play some games - or I pop her on lead and we’ll practice “doing nothing” for a few minutes. The sloping paths are great for building muscle, just take it easy, especially going downhill.
Can you use a baby stair gate at the bottom of the stairs? If you can it is ideal to stop puppy running upstairs and comes in useful at other times to block access across a door way without shutting the puppy/dog in.
Angus does very well; at 10 months the orthopedic vet thought he'd need surgery to remove the hip ball. I immediately asked for a few months to see if I could treat him homeopathically. He gets 1500 mg of Gloucasamine and MSM each day, plus a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar each day along with Fish Oil (five days each week), Vitamin E every other day, and Coconut Oil on the weekends. We use pain meds mainly as a preventative now; for example, when we know a cold snap is coming or we are traveling or making a beach trip. I can see on his face if he needs the help. X rays have shown that his development of arthritis has not been extreme, so we have been very lucky. A few days without his MSM or his ACV and we will begin to see him favor the worst hip or his worst elbow, so this has, along with the X-ray's and the avoidance of surgery, proven that what we are doing is working for him. He also is allowed to set his own activity level....in other words, if we are taking the others out for exercise, he is invited to go along not made to go along. How he responds is a good indicator of his level of pain on that day. He may eventually need the surgery, but his doctors are amazed that he hasn't yet needed it.
You are very lucky to have gotten a three year warranty on your puppy; your breeder is very confident not only in her own steps to reduce and avoid the issue, but she also has a great deal of confidence that you are going to uphold your end of the deal and raise the puppy in an informed way. We received a two year promise on Angus and received our purchase price back when he developed it at 10 months of age when his Breeder, who is also his Vet, was the one to take the X-rays that showed HD. After researching more on HD, I tried to give him his money back, because I had NOT upheld my end of the deal by protecting him environmentally and feeding him more because I fell victim to those famous Labrador begging eyes. (He refused of course.) The point others are trying to make here is this; a breeder can do everything in their power to avoid HD and ED in their litters including researching the pedigree and health tests for generations back. They can breed only two dogs with the correct hip scores; they can raise the litter on non-slippery surfaces and limit feeding to appropriate levels during the 8 - 10 weeks they are 100% responsible for the heath and wellbeing of that litter and follow up on that through education of the new family but..... What YOU do once you take the puppy home can undo all that care taken by the Breeder..... Having a three - year promise that they'll give you back your purchase price is not a promise of no HD or ED, it is a breeder doing the right thing.
