Canine Brucellosis

[HisNameIsHarley]

I've got some serious questions for you experts out there. Firstly how come I only just discovered what Canine Brucellosis is? Why hasn't my vet ever mentioned anything about it? Why didn't my breeder? Both of whom I trust and believe are very professional and caring when it comes to my baby. But why did I have to learn about this awful disease by internet digging? The reason I'm asking is bc I have met w/ a couple who are very interested in breeding w/ my Harley sometime this upcoming year. They want to have puppies to give to their grandchildren (thank goodness they're all over 14) because they love their yorkies so much.(meaning any pups born will be fixed and be made to be the most spoiled pups in the world!) I'm a bit intrigued but still wary. (Wary for my poor couch and other furnature for one thing if i decide to breed him I know they'll be the ones paying the price.. Two words.. Belly Band! ) Their female is AKC registered, is about a year and a half old and weighs a healthy 7 lbs and is healthy all around. But I'm wondering (since I've done all this startling research on Canine Brucellosis) do all of you do the necessary 3 time testing on your dams/sires and require the same from an outside breeding boy or girl? Thanks a lot!

[Wrenee4]

We just got our stud Gizmo tested once. Every female that comes to us for breeding MUST be tested first and have proof in writing from the vet that performed the test on her. Some people only require the female to be tested if she has been bred before, but we req. the test regardless. A couple of vets we have talked to here in Michigan told us that they have never seen a case, but I would MUCH rather be safe than sorry!!!

[HisNameIsHarley]

Yea, I'm definately not going to risk it w/ my little darlin. So you only do one test? I'm not criticising I'm just trying to figure this thing out. Bc every website I've looked into says to have the test done 3 times bc they're so "unsure" and sometimes "insufficient" so it takes 3 times to gurantee a positive or a negative. Here are some websites for it.. I noticed that quite a number of members looked at the thread but didn't respond so I figured I put a couple links in.

http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/debrucel.html
http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/bre...rucellosis.htm
http://www.tlcpets.com/printthread.php?threadid=793


LeeAnn <3 Harley

[sylvan]

Originally Posted by HisNameIsHarley

I've got some serious questions for you experts out there. Firstly how come I only just discovered what Canine Brucellosis is? Why hasn't my vet ever mentioned anything about it? Why didn't my breeder? Both of whom I trust and believe are very professional and caring when it comes to my baby. But why did I have to learn about this awful disease by internet digging? The reason I'm asking is bc I have met w/ a couple who are very interested in breeding w/ my Harley sometime this upcoming year. They want to have puppies to give to their grandchildren (thank goodness they're all over 14) because they love their yorkies so much.(meaning any pups born will be fixed and be made to be the most spoiled pups in the world!) I'm a bit intrigued but still wary. (Wary for my poor couch and other furnature for one thing if i decide to breed him I know they'll be the ones paying the price.. Two words.. Belly Band! ) Their female is AKC registered, is about a year and a half old and weighs a healthy 7 lbs and is healthy all around. But I'm wondering (since I've done all this startling research on Canine Brucellosis) do all of you do the necessary 3 time testing on your dams/sires and require the same from an outside breeding boy or girl? Thanks a lot!

I am glad you are doing the research beforehand on possible concerns regarding breeding your boy. Brucellosis is only the tip of the iceberg and was probably not mentioned since there are dozens of concerns and where do you begin mentioning them?The titer test for this is a must, but also the health history of many generations previous needs to be known as there are common genetically linked problems that may be carried as a recessive trait, but not show up on a health check of the breeding pair. I would not breed a male with a heart murmur even a slight one that resolves or one that has possible tracheal issues. I know you are confident in the breeder that you got him from, but for me there are some red flags, not neccesarily regarding their care or concern, but just from the standpoint of releasing pups before 12 weeks of age and with full breeding rights. Are they mentoring you in this endeavor? Did they provide a complete history of the pedigree health issues? Do they know if anyone in the line a few generations back produced porto systemic shunt or luxating patellas or collapsing trachea?
I am not trying to be rude, just thinking of all the other things that can go wrong not even counting the poor couch and furniture.