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Blind Pup Advice


NylaJuno
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Our Pup isn't really a 'Pup' any more (She's just turned 1y/o and our other dog is 6months) But I still would like some advice, or opinions & can't for the life of me find any relevant posts about such things.

Our Oldest dog has got Congenital Glaucoma, and it wasn't apparent until about 4 months. So we've got treatment and everything for her, she's about 99% blind but taking life by the horns (so to speak!) When we told her breeder, they seemed upset and tried to explain that this had never happened before.

When she was about 7 months old, we get 'given' a half price pup from the same breeders, for our troubles and to act like a seeing-eye-dog. (That worked, and their amazing friends now!) When the second dog was born they pleaded poor, and asked us for an extra $200 to cover certain costs etc. (I know, We were taken for a ride but for the benefit of our dog we gave in) (Note: I understand that this is how they make their living, don't get me wrong. But weeks after, they go on about how they've giving away an entire litter to friends and things like this. It just made us think twice!)

The second dog is a little gem, absolutely nothing wrong with her and she's tough as nails- She's the kind of dog that I wish our first had been, for the simple reason that I now realize all that she's missing out on!

Our first dog however, has recently been diagnosed with another genetic disorder in her left forelimb, to do with abnormal bone growth and ultimately she'll have to have surgery to remove the part of her shoulder that's giving her grief or if they can't remove it, she can live with pain for the rest of her life, or have an amputation to remove the entire leg.

What options do we have, in regards to the breeder? With our dogs eyes, We brushed it off as a one-off freak occurrence. Now it seems like we're never going to have her healthy and well and terrible things keep happening to her. :(

I've been speaking to them off and on but whenever I send them an email with bad news or try to call them, they never reply to me. Its rude and I've totally been taken aback to the point where I'm not sure if we'll ever own this breed again.

Edited by NylaJuno
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That's really bad luck (or bad breeding, I don't know which). :(

Did you buy from a registered breeder who had done the relevant health checks for the breed?

Yes, for both. They save that they haven't even heard of Congenital Glaucoma, which says volumes to me- but regardless they are registered in QLD and Dam/Sire/Pups had all relevant health checks before the pups were sent home. Although- about a month after we got the first pup, it seems the heat did away with the Dam... I have my speculations.

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Hoe disappointing - and expensive - and painful for your dog ..

is the breeder is registered with their state's canine council ?

did the pups come with pedigree papers/

what is the problem with her leg exactly ? Is it a common thing in that breed ?

legally - it will depend on what the breeder;s status is - backyard/puppy farm/ registered with some pet dog breeding thingy, or an ANKC breeder .

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Hoe disappointing - and expensive - and painful for your dog ..

is the breeder is registered with their state's canine council ?

did the pups come with pedigree papers/

what is the problem with her leg exactly ? Is it a common thing in that breed ?

legally - it will depend on what the breeder;s status is - backyard/puppy farm/ registered with some pet dog breeding thingy, or an ANKC breeder .

Yes, registered with the QLD Canine council, and I've got pedigree papers for both of the dogs.

Ultimately there is a shard of bone growing off her shoulder socket and inhibiting her from moving the shoulder and leg properly. So she limps around when walking, and if she picks up some speed she lifts it off the ground all together. Its painful to touch/move and she often gets up from sleeping and her leg is totally immobile until she 'warms up'.

Both the Glaucoma and this are not common at all in the breed, and its been determined by our Vet (And several specialists we've been to) That they're genetic deformities.

Edited by NylaJuno
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Breeders don't make a living from selling pups, at least ethical ones don't. What breed? I have bought a dog that turned out to be a lemon ( so to speak ) and bred one. Neither the other breeder or myself set out to do so, sometimes sh!t just happens. I'd be asking to see the results of the health tests.

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Both the Glaucoma and this are not common at all in the breed, and its been determined by our Vet (And several specialists we've been to) That they're genetic deformities.

Genetic does not mean hereditary though. Breeders may not have ever had anything like this show up. Genetic things can crop up in any thing that lives.

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Breeders don't make a living from selling pups, at least ethical ones don't. What breed? I have bought a dog that turned out to be a lemon ( so to speak ) and bred one. Neither the other breeder or myself set out to do so, sometimes sh!t just happens. I'd be asking to see the results of the health tests.

Australia Cattle Dog. So, you'd expect to see a stout little tub of dog which never falters. Instead we've got a Blind dog that can't walk properly, by her 1st birthday.

I don't know what the husband does, but the wife does breed full time.

I understand completely that sometimes things just happen, I was wanting to know If I had any rights in this or its all done and dusted and I've just got to suck it up.

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So - the dog has osteochondritis dissecans ? is that what you are describing? if it is,it can be surgically treated- and with rest etc may well not be a problem again ... not easy ..but can be done .

and the glaucoma was noticed very soon after you took the pup home - ( I spotted this on another site

Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with Congenital Glaucoma and lost sight in one eye when she was 10 weeks old.
THAT would have been the time to return it , or get legal advice- not 12 mths down the track :( I think that unless you can prove - lord knows how - that this was a result of the breeding - there is nothing to do ... :/

the glaucoma you described as 'congenital" - so she was born with it - BUT it may not be something she got directly from a parent ..may not be ..... congenital is not automatically hereditary , AFAIK.

Edited by persephone
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So - the dog has osteochondritis? is that what you are describing?

and the glaucoma was noticed very soon after you took the pup home - THAT would have been the time to return it , or get legal advice- not 12 mths down the track :( I think that unless you can prove - lord knows how - that this was a result of the breeding - there is nothing to do ... :/

the glaucoma you described as 'congenital" - so she was born with it - BUT it may not be something she got directly from a parent ..may not be ..... congenital is not automatically hereditary , AFAIK.

I can neither spell, nor say 'osteochondritis' - so Thanks for that! Yes, that's it.

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So - the dog has osteochondritis? is that what you are describing?

and the glaucoma was noticed very soon after you took the pup home - THAT would have been the time to return it , or get legal advice- not 12 mths down the track :( I think that unless you can prove - lord knows how - that this was a result of the breeding - there is nothing to do ... :/

the glaucoma you described as 'congenital" - so she was born with it - BUT it may not be something she got directly from a parent ..may not be ..... congenital is not automatically hereditary , AFAIK.

I can neither spell, nor say 'osteochondritis' - so Thanks for that! Yes, that's it.

:) it's a tricky one. Not an uncommon thing - I used to see it a lot when working with labs ..elbow and/or shoulder :(

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Ok OCD is very much something that can just happen, occurs in fast growing dogs, greyhounds can suffer from it. Usually a simple op is all it takes to fix it. My greyhound man told me about it.

I'm only quoting what we were told by her specialists, and apparently with ACD's its not that common. But, regardless its good to know that its relatively easy to fix in other breeds. Thanks for that.

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What awful luck. Poor dog. Guess the question is

What would you like the breeder to do ?

Small claims court is generally the place to start re financial matters .

As a breeder if I was in this situation I would offer full refund regardless of fault/responsibility but I am not the breeder.

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What awful luck. Poor dog. Guess the question is

What would you like the breeder to do ?

Small claims court is generally the place to start re financial matters .

As a breeder if I was in this situation I would offer full refund regardless of fault/responsibility but I am not the breeder.

She came with one month free pet insurance, which we kept going and we're in the process of claiming.

I'm beginning to believe that there is really nothing we can do at this point, about her breeders. They're simply being uncontactable and I'm not chasing them around the country side with lawyers.

Thanks for everyones help. ????

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Sorry about your problems.

Neither "congenital" nor "genetic" is the same as "hereditary". For you to have any recourse from the breeder, you would need vet statement/s stating that the problem was hereditary.

It also appears to me that perhaps the breeder considers that the "half price pup" was compensation for the problems you have had with the first dog. I also think that perhaps they do not know much about either problem, and find it all too difficult. But - that's just my opinion.

Very trying and frustrating for you - but your dog is so lucky to have you to care for her.

I used to breed horses, and a glorious imported mare - well known in the breed worldwide - she had offspring in Europe, America and NZ, arrived to have her foal, by a very nice horse, and to be re-bred to my stallion. The foaling was uneventful, the foal very nice ... but something was wrong. I wasn't sure what it was, so I phoned my vet. Naturally, I had to handle the foal so the vet could do an examination. During the handling I discovered what was wrong - the foal was blind. Vet concurred; we had an eye specialist for an opinion. Blind as a bat. We could see why. This type of blindness is practically unheard of in horses and in fact neither I nor my vet had ever seen it before. Perhaps it was hereditary - who knows?

The foal was a lemon.

And yes, I would tell the breeder - in a non critical, non judgemental way.

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I'm sorry for what you have gone through with this pup...

OCD IS common in the ACD, but getting the majority of breeders to admit it, is another thing altogether :mad . How do I know, I bought a gorgeous bitch many years ago, diagnosed at about 8 months with OCD of her hock, a not very common place for ACD's, more commonly found in the elbow/shoulder. I tried my best to find info about the sire, (was used extensively at stud, and had apparently not produced it, but who knows), and the bitch, (first time used, but apparently not in her lines ???), then cut off from her breeder :mad ...

Long story short, we had her operated on by a very well known Sydney Orthopaedic Surgeon, (we live in Tassie, and wanted the best), very soon after diagnosis. We thought her show career was over, but we talked to the surgeon who assured us that she had operated on a number of big winning dogs around the country, who all resumed their show careers, after rehab, successfully... So did she, I thought she deserved her title, and it was an exciting day, when she acheived it :) ...

I found her the perfect home, after I spayed her, where she was a truckies dog, and a very capable one at that !!!! She lived a long and happy life with no issues from her OCD or Surgery.

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Long story short, we had her operated on by a very well known Sydney Orthopaedic Surgeon, (we live in Tassie, and wanted the best), very soon after diagnosis. We thought her show career was over, but we talked to the surgeon who assured us that she had operated on a number of big winning dogs around the country, who all resumed their show careers, after rehab, successfully

If i

Not to be rude but isnt that a little bit of cheating? Your dog has a problem which would preclude it from breeding and after rehab it goes on as an entire dog to win shows? If it's becoming more common in your breed and this type of thing is happening it's not surprising. Champion on paper = $$ for puppies.

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Long story short, we had her operated on by a very well known Sydney Orthopaedic Surgeon, (we live in Tassie, and wanted the best), very soon after diagnosis. We thought her show career was over, but we talked to the surgeon who assured us that she had operated on a number of big winning dogs around the country, who all resumed their show careers, after rehab, successfully

If i

Not to be rude but isnt that a little bit of cheating? Your dog has a problem which would preclude it from breeding and after rehab it goes on as an entire dog to win shows? If it's becoming more common in your breed and this type of thing is happening it's not surprising. Champion on paper = $$ for puppies.

I'm sure this is a question to be asked in another thread, Or a pm.

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I'm sorry for what you have gone through with this pup...

OCD IS common in the ACD, but getting the majority of breeders to admit it, is another thing altogether :mad . How do I know, I bought a gorgeous bitch many years ago, diagnosed at about 8 months with OCD of her hock, a not very common place for ACD's, more commonly found in the elbow/shoulder. I tried my best to find info about the sire, (was used extensively at stud, and had apparently not produced it, but who knows), and the bitch, (first time used, but apparently not in her lines ???), then cut off from her breeder :mad ...

Long story short, we had her operated on by a very well known Sydney Orthopaedic Surgeon, (we live in Tassie, and wanted the best), very soon after diagnosis. We thought her show career was over, but we talked to the surgeon who assured us that she had operated on a number of big winning dogs around the country, who all resumed their show careers, after rehab, successfully... So did she, I thought she deserved her title, and it was an exciting day, when she acheived it :) ...

I found her the perfect home, after I spayed her, where she was a truckies dog, and a very capable one at that !!!! She lived a long and happy life with no issues from her OCD or Surgery.

Thanks for this. It makes me Happy to know there was good news!

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