GraKee German Shepherds

Food for thought 🤔

Hip Dysplasia is a very emotive issue for both breeders and owners.
It's heartbreaking to find out that one of your breeding has hip dysplasia, despite dutifully researching lines that should best go together to produce sound dogs, in character and structure, along with the noble beauty our breed is known for.
The breeder brought that puppy into the world, held it for its 1st breath, and to find it is not going to live life to its full potential is devastating.
None less so for the owner who has welcomed the little puppy into their family, fallen totally in love with it and not wanting to see their 4 legged family member suffer.
We are often asked if we x-ray our puppies and the following x-ray of a young pup will clearly show why we can't.
We don't hear of much Hip Dysplasia now but this is the reason we reiterate to our clients not to allow your puppy to jump. Not to over-exercise or allow to become heavy.
As soon as the public, and a lot of vets, hear "hip dysplasia" their thoughts go to bad breeding. It is so unfair when breeders have tried their hardest, and care of the dog in its formative months is in the hands of the new owners.
Genetics is a small part, environment is the bigger part.
From The Institute of Canine Biology.
"Although there is a genetic influence on hip dysplasia, the heritability of the trait is rather low. Many studies have shown that genetic variation accounts for only a modest fraction of the variation in hip scores, usually 15-40%".

Do your research peeps!

If your doctor suggested that you castrate your son at 4 years old because it will increase his life expectancy would that seem like a good, or a bad idea? As owners, should squeezing every last possible day of life out of our dogs be our goal, or should the quality of that life, and allowing our dogs to achieve their genetic potentials be where our focus lies?

Photo Credit: Unknown. Please DM for credit.

Another post on obstructed airways - PLEASE take the time to read/watch. RIPH🌹

Veterinarian demonstrates simple maneuver to save your dog's life if they ever choke on a ball The XXT or the external extraction technique, is a safe and effective intervention.