Dr. Tobias at the University of Tennesse has been doing a study on Liver Shunt. Some people feel that if the parents test fine then they are not high risk. This is not true, Yorkies are at high risk for liver shunt. They should be tested if any symptoms exist as stated below in a few of these threads. Two Healthy Breeding Yorkies may only throw one liver shunt puppy in a lifetime, Two Yorkies that are being bred in this study may also produce the same amount of liver shunt puppies or puppy in a lifetime of breeding. You can get two yorkies that click perfectly to consistently produce liver shunt puppies, and use that same male or female to different partners, and never get it again. I think that Rose has done a great thing by having all of her breeders tested, and this is a step in the right direction, and I'm sure all of her puppies bile acid's came back great, but proved not to be worth the risk. So many tests are run because of pressure from the public. We find out that the public is uninformed. Just like the Vaccines, Why don't we get revaccinnated every year? Because it isn't neccessary!! There is not a great big book out there with all of the answers, and thanks to this thread a lot of people will think differently about trying to please the public, and to try to do all of the so called Right Things. Breeders develop an instinct, and this is what makes them good breeders. As long as they have a conscious, any breeder will cover a liver shunt puppy, there is no denying it is genetic, even if the parents and grandparents had been tested. No One can say, it developed with age. I am very sorry for your loss, but most breeders do go to the school of hard knocks, and Teaser, only here for a short while, has taught many a lesson. Thanks for your Post. |