Please forgive me in advance. I am mad and sad at the same time of
writing this, as I had to put down one of my beloved girls at the age of
3Y today due to a heart condition. The vet thinks it could be TVD, my first
case in the 16 years of breeding.

When I bred this litter to produce this lovely girl I was told by the stud
dog owner that the sire had a heart ECHO clear at the time of the mating
only to find that after I bred to him that there was no proof that the dogs
heart had ever been clear by a cardiologist, and yes I asked for a copy of
the heart to be sent along with the copy's of all other clearances.
After not receiving a copy in the stud dog packet I was ushered it had
been done and I would be sent a copy at a later date but never received it.

I really can't understand why people put up on there web sites and tell
people that a dog has a clearance if they do not have proof!
As far as I am concerned they are lying if they don't have some type of proof!!!!!

Please learn from my mistake, and make sure you get a copy of all
clearances before breeding to a stud dog that does not have clearances
posted on some sort of data base.

I have bred the mother of this girl 4 times with no problems that I am
aware of. The mother herself was out of a litter of 13 puppies with no
problems there as well and I stay in contact with all of my puppy buyers.

The mother (DAM) had a heart ECHO and the grandfather had a heart ECHO
on the mothers side. I am not blaming this all on the stud dog as I know
it takes to to tango. All I am saying is be careful who you deal with when
making your stud dog choices and make sure to get copy's of everything
before the breeding, don't just take peoples word for it that something has
been done.

God speed my beautiful girl.

Broken Heart!!

I am sorry you had to say good bye to your girl at such a young age, but the one thing that bothers me is that you yourself had no proof that it was indeed TVD! There are other heart problems in canines and if your vet did not even do an ECHO to confirm TVD, then you have no reason to be blaming the stud dog. Also be aware that just because a dog is clear from the disease, does not mean that they will not still produce it. So regardless of whether there was proof of a clearance, this disease is not an easy one to pinpoint.

Please keep in mind that most mild to moderate cases of TVD do not even have audible heart murmurs and dogs can live a normal life with this disease.

Again, I'm sorry for your loss, but please keep in mind that 1) you didn't even proof your girl had TVD and 2) the mode of inheritance of this disease.

First, let me say I am so sorry to hear that you lost your girl today...and particularly at such a young age! I can not imagine your grief (& anger).

I want to thank-you for the reminder to ask to see hard copy of clearances that are not registered/recorded (prior to committing to a breeding). Of course, as the previous poster noted- things can happen even with documentation- but, I for one, would rather make sure I am doing everything I can to assure that my risks (and that of my breeding) are minimized.

May you find some comfort in knowing that at least one person values the "reminder".

I am very sorry for you. I have walked in your shoes in this situation and know what you are going through. I agree, even if they are a friend, double check through OFA their claims. I was douped on an elbow clearance.

And in regards to TVD, remember, no it isn't believed it takes two to tango, so you have every right to be mad. Remember I said I have walked in your shoes and I am still mad years later at the time, emotional and financial investment into a litter that never should have been produced. But unfortunately there are ECHO cleared dogs out there that produce TVD, we need a genetic test. Last research I read, it was still thought to be dominant with incomplete penetrance.

Responsible dog owners that see a significant trend in offspring produced would pull their dog from a breeding program (be it male or female) for the sake of the breed. But some are driven by the all american green back and fame, not ethics.

We should have more information tomorrow as a necropsy is going to be
performed and samples sent off to the university.

My vet took three different views of the enlarged heart along with a sonogram
and a bunch of other test. The hole right site of her chest was filled with fluid.

We are suppose to get 6 to 8 inches of snow tonight so I did not think I
would be able to drive to the university tomorrow for a ECHO and I did not
want this bitch to suffer anymore than she already has.

I am not blaming the stud dog! I was only stating to make sure you ask
for clearances and not just take peoples word for it that things have been
done when they have no proof.

I am sorry for you to have to go through this.
Do you mean an actual clearance? My mentorhas a cardiologist examine dogs between 6 and 9 months, and does not want to wait until after one year. The vet gives them clearances at that time. You do not need to have a piece of paper that says clearance, just the test report from a vet.

Wondering why any stud dog owner would not have COPIES of their cleances in a PDF file for easy copying on their web site. Sure makes life easier for bitch owners , and stud owners alike.

I am so sorry for your loss.

You are throwing stones with no idea of what really went wrong. I am so sorry about your girl! I have a heart clear girl , sire and dam clear, no problems in the lines with hearts at all and yet at 4 she had to have a pacemaker, No heart damage, in fact if she didn't have the Pacemaker she would pass an echo now. Things can happen, her block was caused by a virus. Not the fault of sire or dam. You are correct it takes two to tango. So if it is TVD you are looking at both the sire and the dam. Genes can
be wonderful when we get that lovely head, tail, coat
but deadly also.

Very sorry to hear of the sad and early passing of your girl.

To the poster who said that it takes two to tango, however. What information do you have that it TVD is the result of a recessive gene? I don't believe that the researchers have come to any conclusion other than the prevailing theory that it is autosomal dominant with incomplete pentrance. which means that it only takes one parent (of either sex) to transmit the TVD gene, but that not every offspring will exhibit signs of the condition. That is why dogs who have echoed normal can still produce TVD affected offspring.

Your initial post leads a reader to believe you are blaming a "stud dog". Re-read the post and think about how it reads to others.

I do not think the OP is blaming anyone. I've been in her shoes, not recieving all clearances from a specific breeder more than 1 time. When that happens, we do assume they have something to hide or they LIED!

She's not blaming him in my humble opinion.

I sorry you lost your girl. I understand why you didn't wait any longer although the Echo *could have* diagnosed the exact heart problem. I've heard once a dog is deceased, it is difficult to diagnose TVD for example. The flow is no longer there to accurately say it was absolutely for example, a tricuspid valve anomaly.

I don't see the stud-dog blamed, I see the stud-dog owner blamed for never sending the clearance as promised. It probably never exisited.