I have been following with great interest a discussion sparked off by Jemima's blog about Minnie.
There are some well thought out points being made by some of the decent caring owners that this breed so needs. Unfortunately they are not being answered.
I am so disgusted with the hypocrisy being displayed by some of the breeders posting on that discussion I decided I would just point out a few salient facts.......
And before the people concerned start issuing threats ( a favourite top breeder ploy ) I would like to remind them you cannot be sued when the facts are true.
Minnie's breeder wrote on the thread in question that some might query if "SM is the terrible painful disease that some would want us to believe."
Just to set the record straight he, like all the others posting negative comments about the blog, and later about the proposed BVA/KC scheme, know they have bred affected dogs over many years.
No shame for what was done unknowingly in the past, but what sort of person is it who now maintains ( falsely as it happens ) that he knows all about SM, and will then come out with a callous and dismissive remark like that. He needs to read a few of the stories here.
There is a lot of research information published about SM. Health representatives should really try and keep up with the studies.
Another negative poster, a past regional club chairman and ex-health representative, has in the past talked, although only on pet forums, about her eleven month old SM affected puppy that was diagnosed and operated on in 2001. The puppy's sire was her own well known stud dog.
She touchingly described this little dog as " the light of my life" and fortunately the shunt was successful, but she saw this puppy suffering pain so extreme that he needed surgery before he was a year old, so what sort of breeder is she to then send a post that suggests that SM is due to the trauma of exercise?
This was by no means the only affected puppy from her line. She has known for many years of other affected dogs she has bred.
I could also talk about the SM dogs bred by the regional chairman/ health representative who complains about the extra cost of the official scheme, but finds the money to go to nearly every far flung show.
If you want to see duplicity in action go and read the posts.