Quote:
Originally Posted by goldengal
I seldom post, but did feel I had to speak up on this one. Our first Golden Retriever back in 1984 came from what I now know was a BYB. Duke lived to be 13 with very little health issues other than 2 sebacious cysts which we had removed. He was the joy of the neighbourhood.
Our second Golden who was rehomed to us at almost age 3 came from a reputable breeder. He had hypothyroidism and hip dysplasia. He died suddenly just short of 10 years.
My present Golden comes from a reputable, although small breeder. Her sire is from a large reputable, and long living Golden line. In her first two years I spent $4000 on vet bills - all unrelated. One incident was due to an accident in the yard next door when she was only 8 months old so definitely nothing genetic. She has a pink nose year round and jowls that drool like a Saints, but she is gorgeous.
I suppose the point I am trying to make is, unless we are heading for the show ring, no matter how good the genetics are s--- happens.
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You are right - no matter how good the genetics are, stuff happens. Just out of curiosity - how much of that $4,000 in vet bills was spent on issues that are genetic or hereditary?
However, if you make sure that you only buy from an ETHICAL breeder - who tests and certifies things like hips, elbows, thyroid, etc. then the chances of crippling or fatal stuff happening is greatly decreased.
IMHO - there is a HUGE difference between REPUTABLE and ETHICAL. I have met several breeders of many different breeds who have great reputations for pumping out lovely pups that do well in the show ring. But they do not do any genetic testing and are, shall we say, less then careful when screening homes for pups. An ethical breeder will do everything humanly possible to make sure that any puppies they sell not only meet the breed standard but are as healthy as possible and will live long, happy lives in wonderful families.