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Originally Posted by gemy  Also what I have read recently, I think a British source, is that on average more dogs seem to be overweight, in fact decidely pudgey, that combined with lower levels of exercise,will negatively affect overall health. Cardiovascular, immune, organs, and joints, will be challenged. |
Lifestyle will certainly impact a dog's health. Lack of exercise will definitely have a negative impact on the body. Also, many of the pre-packaged treats are not healthy.
These things will affect a dog, but usually it's an effect seen later in life. I don't think it really reflects on the breeder except that some people seem to think that any problem, at any stage of life, is the breeder's fault. That is not fair and it brings about the question of the responsibility of the owner. A breeder shouldn't be held responsible for the poor care a dog may be given by its new owner.
Since we both used the word 'challenged' in our posts, I would like to clarify. When I suggested feeding a high protein food to a pup to challenge the function of the liver, I used 'challenge' to mean to test the working of the liver. I *think* you mean challenged as in compromised. Just pointing that out so no one gets confused.