Pam M wrote: And, I've also spoken to three seperate veterinary orthopedic specialists...all concluding......hip dysplasia is not a serious problem for cavaliers to live."
I would probably agree with the above statement, but would add one word. That word is "YET". Learning all we can about the dogs we breed does not, IMO, throw the baby out with the bath water. It enables us to make better choices. Unless of course knowledge of the test results "ethically" prevents you from doing what you already wanted to do and not knowing/testing displaces that responsiblity. There are enough "unknowns" that foil our efforts. Why would one not take reasonable precautions to minimize risks? As Leanne pointed out, "If you "don't test hips anymore", how would you know?" Each of us sets the bar of our own personal standards. We can choose to follow the norm of everyone else or we can take a stand, personally, believing that one person can make a difference. Testing for eyes, hearts, hips and patellas is, IMO, not excessive or fanatic. Bearing in mind, that once test results are available, appropriate concessions can then be made in our breeding practices. I am now thinking of our discussion relating to guarantees offered. I don't breed near often enough to offer back replacement puppies for hereditary defects (ie HD); therefore, logically, I will endeavour to take all reasonable precautions BEFORE I breed. In this way, my conscience is clear and I have measured up responsibly to my portion of the "breeding" of the individuals I cause to bring about. I'm not responsible for the breeding practices that have already happened in my cavaliers' pedigree, but I am responsible for my practices and that includes the choices I make. Simply put, it "starts" with me. I don't have gobs of money that enable me to test enmasse. I do it as I can afford to; starting with those I plan to use for breeding. My older ones that I'm not breeding (but provide history to the ones I currently have) will be done as I can afford to. I think the first step is to recognize that testing for eyes, hips, hearts and patellas is the right thing to do and the second step is to set about achieving it, even if it's slowly (not so slowly that it becomes ineffective :) ). Pat Barrington - Barrington Cavaliers (Southern Ontario-Canada) [EMAIL PROTECTED] ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author.
