You can read Max's story here:
http://board.cavaliertalk.com/showthread.php?p=244875
Everyone here will know how I go on and on and on about working ONLY with reputable breeders and paying that extra as necessary to get a puppy from a sound and trusted, KNOWN source, a show breeder who understands health testing, conformation and genetics.
Dogs like poor Max are the reason why.
In his lifetime, Max has no doubt fathered hundreds, and very likely thousands, of puppies. Those are the ones that get sold through brokers, petshops, 'meeting someone in a carpark', imported to the US as 'British champion lines' and sold through online sites etc. Or maybe someone listing dogs in the small ads, who says they bred them themselves -- and so it might seem when you go the the house, which might seema normal family house.
Would you want a puppy from such a father? Knowing this is the condition he is in at this age?
Sadly, Max will likely have passed early onset, severe MVD to almost all of those puppies, now loved family pets somewhere and facing the same grim future. .
And this is why people should NEVER casually breed their dogs! No matter how tempting to get 'just one litter', no matter how perfect you think your dog is. You could have a puppy from a dog like Max for years before his health would deteriorate and your dog could look fantastically healthy until then (so many times I hear from people intending to breed -- 'but my dog is in perfect health so I know his/her puppies would be really healthy'. **Not with a progressive condition like MVD -- you need to know the pedigree and family health history, and have heart tested parents and your own dog within the MVD guidelines.**
If you have such a puppy, and breed him or her as an adult, you are passing this condition on, and on, and on...
THis is precisely why MVD has such a foothold in the breed, why it is now impossible to fully eradicate, and why so many of us will lose our dogs years before their time should come -- people think they want just one litter because their dog is so nice, they want puppies just like him/her... whatever.
* Please think before ever buying a puppy from an unknown or casual source. This supports a chain of cruelty!
* Stick to reputable club affiliated breeders (not just with a national registration -- make sure they are ACTIVE in clubs and known to other reputable breeders and have a history of healthy dogs).
* And please do not EVER breed yourself. If you want to show and breed, get involved with clubs, learn the ropes, find a mentor, and help cherish and preserve the breed.
http://board.cavaliertalk.com/showthread.php?p=244875
Everyone here will know how I go on and on and on about working ONLY with reputable breeders and paying that extra as necessary to get a puppy from a sound and trusted, KNOWN source, a show breeder who understands health testing, conformation and genetics.
Dogs like poor Max are the reason why.
In his lifetime, Max has no doubt fathered hundreds, and very likely thousands, of puppies. Those are the ones that get sold through brokers, petshops, 'meeting someone in a carpark', imported to the US as 'British champion lines' and sold through online sites etc. Or maybe someone listing dogs in the small ads, who says they bred them themselves -- and so it might seem when you go the the house, which might seema normal family house.
Would you want a puppy from such a father? Knowing this is the condition he is in at this age?
Sadly, Max will likely have passed early onset, severe MVD to almost all of those puppies, now loved family pets somewhere and facing the same grim future. .
And this is why people should NEVER casually breed their dogs! No matter how tempting to get 'just one litter', no matter how perfect you think your dog is. You could have a puppy from a dog like Max for years before his health would deteriorate and your dog could look fantastically healthy until then (so many times I hear from people intending to breed -- 'but my dog is in perfect health so I know his/her puppies would be really healthy'. **Not with a progressive condition like MVD -- you need to know the pedigree and family health history, and have heart tested parents and your own dog within the MVD guidelines.**
If you have such a puppy, and breed him or her as an adult, you are passing this condition on, and on, and on...
THis is precisely why MVD has such a foothold in the breed, why it is now impossible to fully eradicate, and why so many of us will lose our dogs years before their time should come -- people think they want just one litter because their dog is so nice, they want puppies just like him/her... whatever.
* Please think before ever buying a puppy from an unknown or casual source. This supports a chain of cruelty!
* Stick to reputable club affiliated breeders (not just with a national registration -- make sure they are ACTIVE in clubs and known to other reputable breeders and have a history of healthy dogs).
* And please do not EVER breed yourself. If you want to show and breed, get involved with clubs, learn the ropes, find a mentor, and help cherish and preserve the breed.
