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Originally Posted by flybear  I fostered medical cases and mill puppies for many years and have come quite disillusioned with any vet testing dogs get sold with ... Most my medical cases were from AKC breeders, some even from so called " show lines" , often people payed thousands to end up with a dog that still ended up with quite severe medical issues. Unless I know the vet who did the exam on the parents and puppy and has known the breeder and the dogs for a while - I would be very careful believing any kind of vet checks ... With any dog no matter if they are pure bred or not , check or not ...medical issues can happen... and they often go undiagnosed for the first few years. Longlivety is not guaranteed - my most long lived dogs 16.5 still alive and another lived to 17.5) were both mutts that were bred by back yard breeder who likely bred for profit rather than health ( rescues). My most medically fragile were pure bred yorkies and a Shih tzu from " show lines" that was surrendered due to her myriad of health issues) . The best thing you can do it to meet the breeder at a vet and have that vet at least look that puppy over but even that will not tell you if puppy will develop a serious illness later. Dogs - like people ... get cancer, cataracts, vascular disease, gland issues and allergies regardless of breed or quality ... get pet insurance or even better establish a little savings account for surprise medical expenses ... that is the best you can do for any dog ! |
Oh, I would not take the word of a breeder's vet either. I recommended genetic testing which is really the best you can do. I would never purchase a puppy from a breeder who did not do genetic tests on the dogs they breed. (
The Canine Health Information Center | OFA) It DOES eliminate some conditions. Yes, dogs do get sick just like humans and with vet care being more expansive and expensive, I always recommend pet insurance. All of mine are insured. One hospitalization can set you back thousands these days.