Once again, I have to applaud JoAnn
MVD is a strange disease...many cardiologists think it is more than one
disease. Certainly there must be a difference between a cavalier who has a
murmur, regardless of grade, and lives to be 13-14 and dies of something
else and a cavalier who is clear to 5 3/4and drops dead at 6. The problem
with these later onset diseases is that you can't wait until a dog is 10 to
breed it so you breed your clear 3-4 year old and it develops something the
following year. You therefore, with all good intentions, bred those bad
genes. I have spoken to geneticists and specialist in almost everything.
Believe me, we dog breeders talk a good line but we know relatively nothing
about real genetics and the inheritance of most diseases. Forget rules and
let's work on being the most ethical and honest breeders we can be.
Personally, I test eyes, hearts, hips, patellas, everything there is to
test and then I consider the whole dog and try to breed it well. I have
bred from dogs with murmurs and have been totally open about it. That is
the key in my opinion....honesty. If everyone can make an informed choice,
then we have done our best.
You must all know I publish the Julie Browns Directory to
Pedigrees for Labrador retrievers as well as Cavaliers. I have been doing
Labrador books for 31 editions, now working on the 32nd. I have typed
literally thousands of pedigrees and health test results and can report
this exception to a "rule"
There was a famous Labrador who was sound at 18 months but was
considered dysplastic by OFA at 2. By that time, on the basis of his good
preliminary xrays, he had been bred many many times. This "dysplastic" dog
contributed much to the breed including the HIGHEST percentage of OFA
excellent offspring of any other dog in my book. Does this mean I advocate
breeding dysplastic dogs? NOT AT ALL. But it does mean we need to get less
hysterical, more realistic, more open and more honest. Ethics can not be
legislated but we can all attempt to stop pointing fingers and making rules
for everybody else. If we all take responsibility for our own breedings and
do the very best we can, many of these discussions will become unneccessary.
Julie
At 09:21 PM 9/1/01 -0400, you wrote:
>Well thought out post with reasonable ideas.
>So..where do I find the rules?
>Of course I do eye, heart etc test.
>Most of the folks that I hear sounding off about these problem simply don't
>know what they are talking about...and some that do know the truth of it
>don't tell it. Or to be rude..they lie.
>Just because a cavalier (can't speak for other breeds) tests clear at 2 or
>5..it does not mean that that very same Cavalier won't develop MVD the
>day after it turns 5 and be dead by 6.
>On the other hand..and listen up this happens a lot..anyone who actually
>does follow up on pet buyers can attest to this...
>Little Millie develops MVD at 4 and here she is 13..same old problem, no
>meds, feels fine (for 13)..and in a year or so she dies of liver failure or
>something else related to old age.
>I, personally, would rather buy a pup from a bitch that had developed a
>murmur at 2 after having had a litter and then goes on to live to a ripe old
>age... So????
>After 25+ years in this breed I find it very confusing to know just what to
>do, terribly heart breaking to lose a dog or even to hear of another dog
>that has died of MVD. And then... utterly sickening to be accused of not
>testing or to hear of some one else accused of not testing by someone who
>doesn't have a clue...someone who has possibly read a book or gotten on a
>list or just knows how right they are and how wrong everyone else is....
>Jo Ann Carvill
>BJ Cavaliers
>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>www.bjcavaliers.com
>
>
>
>
> > Kathy Yonkers wrote:
> > > In any system...ask questions!!! An example of a guestion is..."how many
> > retinal folds can be present and
> > > still be identified as cleared for breeding within a system".
>
> > From: "John P. Garrison aka Michael Allen
> > Yes, agreed. It seems (in Finland) that the problems are the breed
>specific
> > inherited problems that turn up the most often. Retinal folds are not
> > considered problematic in Am. Cockers, they do not cause blindness as it
> > does in Lhasas (so I am told by the opthalmoligists). We have HC or
> > hereditary cataract and hip dysplasia (as well as bad thyroids, poor
>immune
> > systems as the 2 are linked). There is a proposal up for parent club
> > consideration to accept Futurity nominations only from parents with clear
> > eyes and hips. I feel this is a good thing, but of course, beauty is in
>the
> > eye of the beholder and so one may nominate one's litter out of two ugly,
> > poor type, slip stifled, pointy headed, hump backed, short legged pets
>with
> > a like pedigree that bite everyone. One must have CERF'd eyes to nominate
> > Whippet litters. I personally am in favor or doing everything I can to
> > insure a healthy and winning litter, but unfortunately, rules do not make
> > good litters, clever breeders do. Merely food for thought, not intended to
> > be argumentative. I will play by the rules, whether or not I agree as the
> > intent is good. Michael
> >
>
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