This may sound dumb but I've never had a purebred before now!

**Serra'sGhost** · 03-07-2002, 06:42 PM

I was wondering, to all the husky owners out there...this is my first purebred dog and I know there are certain test that should be done to make sure she's healthy and all...the hip one and the eyes for example...how old are huskies when they are tested for these things...my pup is 4months old right now.
Thanks,
Sarah and Ghost

**lizbud** · 03-07-2002, 08:23 PM

Hi. I've had purebreeds before (Collie & Boxer) and
I thought the Breeders checked the sire & dam of any
litter of pups before they allowed the breeding.

Maybe the breeder can give you some idea of when the
pup should be tested . Best of luck to you. Liz.

**tatsxxx11** · 03-08-2002, 06:02 AM

Same here. I was given papers certifying that her parents were xrayed, had eye exams, etc. and were free of certain conditions. I was always under the impression that this was the responsibility of the breeder. Maybe you could ask your breeder??

**Karen** · 03-08-2002, 07:13 AM

I thought that you only NEEDED to get a dog tested if you're planning on breeding her. Otherwise, I'd just ask the vet to check her for hip dysplaysia, etc - those things that big dogs sometimes have problems with.

**anna_66** · 03-08-2002, 09:03 AM

[IMG]Angus & Rox 3-5-02[/IMG]

I also thought you only had to have them checked if you were going to breed them. The breeder should do that before you buy them. I have had quite a few pruebreds & that has always been the way it was. I do have a husky too, aren't they wonderful?!

How old is yours? Mine is 9 mos

**Dixieland Dancer** · 03-08-2002, 09:56 AM

When you are going to breed reputably, you have the sire and dam checked for whatever your breed guidelines are. For Goldens it is hips, elbows, eyes and heart. You DO NOT have to do this but again if you are going to breed reputably then you will.

Hips and elbows can not be certified on a sire or dam before they are two years of age. This is because the bones are still soft and forming and do not become hard until around the age of two. You can have what is known as a preliminary report done but the OFA (Orthepedic Foundation of Animals) will not register them before the age of two.

Eyes are checked yearly in breeding stock dogs.

I sold all my puppies with a guarentee against hip, elbow, eye and heart problems. If I was not confident that my dog and the sire were healthy breeding stock, I would not offer this guarentee. If any of our puppies should be tested for any of these conditions then I will do one of two things. 1. Give a replacement pup (purchase a dog of their choice for them) if they return the dog to me or 2. If they choose to keep pet, Pay vet bills equal to the purchase price of the dog for the diagnosed condition.

I actually turned down two studs that I was very interested in breeding with because they only had fair hips. The rating is Excellent, Good or Fair. Anything less than fair is not recorded.
Dixie had Excellent hips which is not the norm for a Golden. She was bred to a Good which is the norm for a Golden. Fair is still considered breedable but I would not even consider it!

All the puppy owners have until the dog is 26 months old to have the tests to diagnose these conditions in the dog. After that point the money part of the contract ends. This is because all these problems can be diagnosed by the age of 26 months with a relative 100% success rate. If something happens to the dog later in life which creates any of these conditions then I should not be liable. For instance if a dog is jumping over something and does damage to the hip joint which over time will eventually develope into arthritis.

You do not have to have your dogs hips x-rayed. This is just a comfort level to know what the future may hold so you can perhaps keep the dog from doing something that will aggrevate the condition!

**Serra'sGhost** · 03-08-2002, 02:26 PM

Anna,
Ghost is 4 months old and in April we're getting another one. His name is Rowan, he's red/white and he'll be 8wks old. Your pup is beautiful...Love to see more photos of him....
Thanks,
Sarah and Ghost

**anna_66** · 03-08-2002, 03:32 PM

Originally posted by Serra'sGhost
Anna,
Ghost is 4 months old and in April we're getting another one. His name is Rowan, he's red/white and he'll be 8wks old. Your pup is beautiful...Love to see more photos of him....
Thanks,
Sarah and Ghost

Ghost is beautiful, if that was him in the picture! I really need to see more pictures! I'm in the process of putting them on Photogra.com, when I get that done I figure out how to put them on here! By the way, was that the 8wk old in the picture too? What a beauty!

**mugsy** · 03-11-2002, 08:42 PM

What beauties!!! We're still trying to find Captain the male husky that's at the SPCA a home. He went home last week with Shadow (another SPCA Husky), but he attacked her, so the guy was forced to bring him back. He is really a sweetie, but needs to be the only dog in the house. Good luck with your new babies and let us see pictures.

**Rottie** · 03-12-2002, 11:48 AM

Hip X-rays and other health tests are not really necessary for the normal, everyday pet.

They might be helpful if you plan on doing a lot of walking, jumping or even doing agility.

But normally these tests are only performed on dogs who are going to be bred. Because many of these health problems can be genetic, breeders don't want dogs to pass the bad gene onto their puppies. So, any dog that does not pass the health tests, will be spayed in an effort to eliminate these health problems altogether.