Re: Orthopedic status of breeding stock
On Tue, 12 Nov 2002 06:52:48 -0800 (PST) Sharon Montville [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I have used an HD fair bitch for breeding and I will let you know in a month, the final results on her offspring. So far, out of the 4 pups she produced, one was OFA Prelim Good at 11 months, and one was GDC Excellent at 12 months (she will be 2 years old at the end of November, along with her 2 littermates).. The post made by Sharon is IMO an example of what a real breeder does to make an educated decision on what to breed. They do not look at one piece of information but rather carefully weigh all information together to decide to breed. They do a breeding and evaluate all the info they can to then determine if the breeding were a success or not. Each breeder has their own criteria for what makes a breeding a success and each breeding can be considered a test breeding. It may or may not turn out. If you want to find a breeder then reread Sharon's post and see how she logically made her choice, what info she had on hand, what info she is trying to obtain. Each breeder should be able to share this type of info. When you find the person who can, then you have found a breeder who is basing their decisions on the entire dog and not just a tri-colored dog with hips and elbows. Susan Ablon Gweebarra BMD Balch Springs, Tx http://www.pageweb.com/gwebara
RE: Orthopedic status of breeding stock
Sharon ... BRAVO TO YOU!! This is exactly what I was trying to do in the Buhund club -- it's not JUST getting the dog/bitch cleared ... It's knowing it's littermates, and it's parent's littermates ... And how can YOU the breeder know what sort of breeding program you have, if 90% of your puppies go as pets and are never xrayed! I don't know how many breeders I've met (not on this list) that say not to send in to OFA if you know it's going to fail -- just tell the breeder, they're all that needs to know!! How ABSURD!!! I met a woman at a hotel, with a Rottie ... She said the bitch she had passed OFA for hips, but the elbows didn't look like they'd pass ... So not only did she NOT send in the elbow xrays to OFA ... But she's going to BREED THE BITCH ANYWAY!! I must say, to everyone on this list, I have already seen some wonderful statements from owners and breeders here!! Especially when it comes to health tests. It's great to know that there are GOOD people out there!! It is up to us, the responsible owner/breeder -- REGARDLESS OF BREED -- to keep the breed to standard and healthy!! So is the problem of capitalism ... Money drives way to many things in our society. --Tracey Snip from Sharon's email I cannot emphasize enough, that the future of this breed truly lies with the Pet Owners. No, I'm not just another breeder trying to pass the buck. The simple truth is this: Pet Owners own the MAJORITY of Berners. Please, x-ray those hips and elbows, send to OFA and sign the open release form to release dysplastic results. Enter your dog in Berner-Garde. Exercise your majority, to do the right thing for the BREED. One set of x-rays may not mean alot... one dysplastic result may mean more to the individual... but the AGGREGRATE data is SO VALUABLE to help improve this breed's future, and cannot be obtained without the cooperation of individuals. Sharon Montville - Firstrax - Colorado
RE: Orthopedic status of breeding stock -- The Role of Pet Owners
Sharon's response (i.e., the importance of looking at the health picture painted by the broader family tree) to Lisa's question offers a great opening for me to join in stressing how important it is for PET OWNERS to radiograph/X-ray hips and elbows (at a minimum) and test (where possible) their dogs and TO RECORD THE RESULTS in both the OFA (elect the open option) registry and in the open-by-definition Berner-Garde database. While a modest fee is charged by OFA, recording data in the Berner-Garde database is free to any Berner owner. I encourage you to record your dog's data -- good and bad. If your dog is already entered in the database, please update his record with any new information you have. If your dog has gone to the Rainbow Bridge, please enter data on cause of death and date of passing. Theses are extremely valuable data -- for prospective puppy owners (pet and show), breeders and researchers. You can enter data using the forms at the website www.bmd.org/bg1.html Pet owners should also note that The Berner-Garde Database is useful, not only to breeders, but also to ANYONE who is looking for a Berner. It makes no difference whether you are looking for a pet or show prospect, you STILL WANT A HEALTHY DOG that has the best prospects of a long, high-quality life! If you are curious about the B-G database, take a peek at the pedigrees and information stored in it. Nancy Melone, Ph.D. Treasurer, Berner Garde Foundation, Inc. A 501(c)3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization Leave a Legacy -- contribute data and dollars to the Berner Garde Foundation, Inc.
Orthopedic status of breeding stock
I am interested in the opinions of others on the breeding of dogs or bitches that are HD Fair. I do not think such dogs should be a part of a breeding program and wish to hear how others feel about this. Specifically, Berners, of course. Lisa Allen I thought my Berner Daphane (1983-1993) was the only dog who frightened herself terribly when she er, ah, ahem, experienced an episode of flatulence. Glad to hear she was not alone in this regard! _ The new MSN 8: advanced junk mail protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail
Re: Orthopedic status of breeding stock
Lisa, The current BMDCA Code Of Ethics, section C states, C. Ideally x-ray for evidence of hip dysplasia at age of two years or older, treating mild cases as they would any other fault, and excluding from breeding programs dogs with more severe evidence of hip dysplasia. OFA says it is the lowest of three passing grades but is acceptable to breed. GDC called it acceptable normal and it was the lowest passing grade of three. The Alpenhorn printed an article on the back cover about the comparing different ratings and the instances of them degrading. I do not remember the date, I believe it was between 1997 and 1999??? Does anyone know which issue this was?? I feel if the dog/bitch received a fair rating at 1 year old by GDC it should be checked at two years by either GDC (now gone) or OFA to see if the hips have degraded further. I do know of several dogs who received a AN (Acceptable Normal) rating from GDC at 12 months who were re-x-rayed at three or four years old and were given Good ratings. I'm sure it has swung the opposite direction as well. Bernerly, Mary
Re: Orthopedic status of breeding stock
Fair means clear. Fair hips get a number. I feel to abolish a dog from a breeding program soley based on fair hips would not be a decision I would make. Let us think about a champion bitch with clear elbows, great temperament, breed type and strong pedigreewould you really not breed her because her hips are fair??? On the other end of the spectrum, what about a bitch with excellent hips, no breed type and a shy temperament? To deny a dog the chance to contribute attributes to a gene pool based on fair hips alone is to beleive a dog is nothing but a set of hips!!! My dogs are much more Just my opinion, Joanne Gerow, Indian Hill www.indianhillbernesemountaindogs.com - Original Message - From: Lisa D Allen [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, November 11, 2002 3:17 PM Subject: Orthopedic status of breeding stock I am interested in the opinions of others on the breeding of dogs or bitches that are HD Fair. I do not think such dogs should be a part of a breeding program and wish to hear how others feel about this. Specifically, Berners, of course. Lisa Allen I thought my Berner Daphane (1983-1993) was the only dog who frightened herself terribly when she er, ah, ahem, experienced an episode of flatulence. Glad to hear she was not alone in this regard! _ The new MSN 8: advanced junk mail protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail
