Quote Originally Posted by Spiritwind View Post

Bloat is VERY common in some bloodlines.... lines I've tried to stay away from as much as possible. Dermatomyositis (commonly called DM in the Collie/sheltie world) is seen in some lines, though I've never personally seen a dog with it, just photos.
Have you ever been to any Pat Hastings seminars? She believes that bloat is related to how short the sternum is or isn't. When you think about it, it makes sense -- the breeds most prone to bloat tend to be very short in the sternum (boxers, dobes, great danes, etc), allowing organs to be more exposed (including the stomach) than in a normal dog. It's one thing I feel for in dogs -- the sternum should be as close to the "belly button" as possible.

In my grooming career, I have to say that almost all of the large breed dogs I groom I would consider dysplastic. Of course I also groom alot of breeds very prone to dysplasia genetically, but these are pet dogs that will never be x-rayed. And yes I agree it can be hard to tell by a dog's movement depeding on the dog. A good friend of mine has a sister who breeds pyrs -- everyone in the show ring always marveled at how well her dog moved -- just beautiful movement. When she had the dog x-rayed, it literally had no hip joints and no hip sockets to put joints in. It was one of the worst cases of dysplasia the vet had ever seen. Belgians are hard to tell by movement because they are light dogs, and they have a high pain threshold when they are working, so they will keep jumping and running as long as you tell them to. I think alot of times it can depend on the breed involved.