| Any litter of dogs, whether they be purebred or mutt is just a roll of the dice. Responsible breeders take the time to compare the pros and cons of the sire and dam to try to ensure that the puppies will be as close to the standard for that breed and as healthy as they possibly can be. They also do a plethora of health testing, from x-raying hips and elbows to rule out dysplasia, having their dog's eyes cleared to rule out progressive retinal atrophy and other eye defects, blood tests for Von Willebrands and ultrasounds for heart defects.Mrs. Smith, with Fifi, the malti-poo down the street that got bred by Rex, the terrier cross next door, probably didn't even deworm the puppies before they went to their new homes. Because neither the sire nor dam has ever been checked or cleared for any of the above diseases, their chance of producing affected offspring is much greater than any other mating that has been checked.Because most pet owners don't check their young adult mutts for these diseases, again, we have a series of puzzled pet owners wondering why their beloved dog passed away at 6 while catching a frisbee (heart defect), or why their 8 year old dog has suddenly... |
