Chows only real health issues are entropian(eyes) and hip dysplasia. I am currently looking at a breeder who has dogs that they would like to eventually show and they have had puppies that have been shown but they are not actively showing now do to them having time restraints. Anyway, she said that all of her dogs have been checked for any signs of hip dysplasia and they have never had a puppy turn up with it. Her dogs were checked by her veterinarian but not OFA certified.
Is it enough that a person who is not an active shower at least gets them checked but not certified? I am running into that alot with breeders that don't show. This one however has given me the vets number to check and is more then willing to let me here from her customers, some of which have went on to show their dogs. What do you think??
I would not buy a dog without a OFA. Even my bulldog breeder OFA's. How long has this person been breeding? If they haven't been breeding 20+ years how do they know if they have had a dog with hip dyslpasia or not? I just wouldn't take the chance. Never mind the money it costs for surgery and vet care think about the heart break and pain for you and the puppies. Its just not worth it IMO.
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Saving just one dog won't save the world, but it surely will change the world for that one dog. -Richard C. Call
They have actually been breeding for about 18 years. And she is giving references of people who have bought multiple dogs from them, she said it was stupid to give a reference of someone who had just bought their puppy because they, of course, love the dog as they just got it. But she said if I want some numbers of people that bought from the last litter she would provide them too. (After she confirms that it is okay with them) I am definitely not concerned with what we pay for a dog, I just want it to be healthy. I am just finding alot of chow breeders don't OFA their dogs.
I think if someone is serious about breeding for the betterment of the breed and hip dysplasia was a known problem in the breed they would do OFA testing. And who's to say that the numbers she gives you aren't for only those who have gotten dogs from her who haven't shown any problems so far. What about the phone numbers she's not giving you? How old is the last litter who's owners' phone numbers she's willing to give you? Correct me if I'm wrong, but except in extreme cases, I don't believe dysplasia is generally caught in pups and tends to rear it's ugly head when the dog is older. In fact I have heard that OFA tests generally aren't reliable until a dog is around 2 years old. If it were me and it is a known problem with the breed I'd wait until I found a breeder who does all the necessary testing.
This is where I find the problem with references. How do you know for sure these people are who she and they say they are? How do you know they're not just friends of hers pretending? This is where sometimes you just have to have a little faith but I just don't know that I'd have enough faith when it came to this. Katz I'm not trying to discourage you from doing what you want. I'm just giving you my opinion which is what you asked for.
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Saving just one dog won't save the world, but it surely will change the world for that one dog. -Richard C. Call
Hi! I don't mean to butt in or anything. And I know zippo about chows except that Martha Stewart has them. But I was thinking that you would do well to look at the breed's page. They usually have a breeder referral. I don't know what you've been using to find a puppy, but in my experience puppyfind and tp are full of puppymills. I would trust someone on the breeder referral list to at least give real references.
If you click on Memeber Contacts it will give you a list of breeders. I'd guess if they went to the trouble to join the club, they're less likely to be a puppymill.
