Health Testing Pets

[Beanie]

Some vets WILL do OFA x-rays without putting a dog under. Mine did not, but I do know of one in the general area that will... it's just like a three hour drive to him. So if I was super incredibly concerned about that, it was possible to get a vet to do it without putting him under.

[Dekka]

Originally Posted by sillysally

Obviously if I am going with say, a lab breeder that is health testing and paying $500 or $600+ more than a BYB for the fact that they are tested, then I care about testing. Because I think it's a little much to expected to pay for hundreds of dollars in testing on an otherwise healthy dog whose parents have had a full battery of tests who is only going to be doing the activities of a pet doesn't mean that I don't. What it means is that since the breeder will also be DIRECTLY benefiting from the testing, they should pay for some of it, work with vets for a discount, if they are going to require it.

How does the breeder DIRECTLY benefit separately from the puppy buyer?

So breeder ads 150 dollars to puppy price and does them all.. or has cheaper upfront puppies and gets in contact with buyers and still gets everyone a discount. Dont' see the difference really.

[colliewog]

Originally Posted by sammgirl

The Viewer Viewpoint - The Stages of Degenerative Myelopathy

Degenerative Myelopathy - disease basics

It's Degenerative Myelopathy:

Just to chime in ... if you say DM to a Collie or Sheltie breeder, it's dermatomyositis that they are thinking about. Sometimes when a vet says 'DM', they mean demodectic mange. Too many diseases share the same initials!

/end hijack

[CaliTerp07]

I guess I'm not sure how it benefits a "mainstream" dog owner? Unless I'm trying to do something strenuous with my dog, how does knowing if the dog has poor eyes or hips at 2 years old help me? Most peoples' dogs are just going to run around the backyard and go on walks through the park, no matter what their health level.

Side note, can you get mutts health tested? Or is this only for purebred dogs?

[Beanie]

You can get a mixed breed dog tested, yup.

If Happy were my dog I would have taken him to get OFA x-rays on his hips years ago, and certainly NOT for his "breeder" since he's from a puppymill... but because I would really like to know exactly how bad his hips are. It's about knowing the internal health of a dog so I could better plan for the future and manage better for him. His hips may not be as bad as they appear to be, I can't see anything about the joints just from watching him walk around. I'd also be curious to know if one side is worse than the other, because he actually wrenched his leg really good as a puppy and broke it and that may have more to do with it than hip displaysia...


Some people may not care, but others certainly would like to know about the condition of their dog's joints. Maybe not right at two but that's a really good age to start thinking about it since a majority of dogs are done growing by then (or way beyond done growing!)

[Psyfalcon]

It definitely helps the breeder more than the owner.

The owner gains what exactly for most tests? Once you buy the dog, my thought is that its now your gamble. I guess you could try to enforce the health guarantee, but at 2, you're now rather attached to the dog. I don't really see the benefit unless you plan on going back to that breeder.

The breeder however, gains data on their line. They can also now advertise that they had all the puppies test clear, and raise the price even if they don't pay a cent into the health testing. So, basically, its the same thing as the breeder showing, it proves their dog, so either take a loss on it, or charge more.

Hopefully they could find a bulk discount with their vet, since they're already spending enough there.

[Dekka]

Originally Posted by Psyfalcon

It definitely helps the breeder more than the owner.

The owner gains what exactly for most tests? Once you buy the dog, my thought is that its now your gamble. I guess you could try to enforce the health guarantee, but at 2, you're now rather attached to the dog. I don't really see the benefit unless you plan on going back to that breeder.

The breeder however, gains data on their line. They can also now advertise that they had all the puppies test clear, and raise the price even if they don't pay a cent into the health testing. So, basically, its the same thing as the breeder showing, it proves their dog, so either take a loss on it, or charge more.

Hopefully they could find a bulk discount with their vet, since they're already spending enough there.

A good breeder should refund and let you keep the dog if somethign shows up. And forewarned is forearmed. Knowing your dog has an issue allows you to deal with it, potentially treat it before it becomes a problem.