Best Course of Action

[brnlow]

Hello all been lurking here for a week or two,
I need to know what I can do about a situation.

A little background:

My wife and I recently acquired our rottie Jake (4.5 mo) from a couple who decided that they were unable to care for him anymore. One of their decicision factors was the puppy's heart murmur. Prior to giving us the dog, the former owner contacted the breeder about the fact that the dog had a murmur and that he should stop breeding. Well the breeder apologized and promised him the pick of the next litter.

Fast forward a couple a month; my wife and I have followed up with a specialist and were told that Jake's murmur is from severe subaortal stenosis (SAS) and that he probably not live to see 2 yrs. Needless to say we are devestated. The vet told us that this is definately a problem with a genetic component and that we need to alert the breeder. I do have access to the breeder's info, but from what I was told by the guy who gave us the pup the breeder doesn't seem to care. We definately don't want other people to go through the same heartbreak in finding out about the SAS. What should we do? Should we contact the breeder again? Are there any places to report this guy?

[JDUCE]

I am so sorry to hear about your little guy. I don't have any advice, but thank you for taking care of him - it is a tough thing to see your dog hurt, but you are doing a great job.

[Carol Burke]

I would contact the breeder if I were you. SAS is becoming a major problem in Rottweilers and any breeder who is serious about improving the breed would want to know if this is a problem in his lines.

[Karyn]

Love him for whatever time you are allowed. I would write a letter to AKC -if that is who he registers with. They won't do anything but it will be in writing somewhere if the need ever arises.

[Miabella]

How sad. I would definitely contact the breeder again. You could also submit the cardiac results to the OFA (http://www.offa.org/), so at least it would on record somewhere that this breeder produced this problem.

[frontierrots]

We have managed to get a study started on Rottweilers and SAS.

I URGE you most strongly to submit your pups pedigree and cardiac testing results to the Dr Conducting this study.

Her name is Dr Meurs and her contact info is
meurs.1@osu.edu or mailed to Kate Meurs, Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Veterinary Clinical Science, 601 Vernon Tharp, Columbus, Ohio 43210

This information is kept strictly confidential

For more info on this study see also

http://www.rottweilerhealth.org/sas_study.html

also

http://www.frontierrots.com/darlafd.htm

[Patty1231]

What time your puppy has you can make special - bless you for taking care of him. I, also, would contact the breeder. If you receive no satisfaction and are concerned they may continue breeding with this genetic fault, you could file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

[Karyn]

Do a letter and send it to your local ASPCA - any all Kennel Clubs locally and breed clubs - AKC and any other dog/rottweiler organization you can think of. It will get the word out if these people won't listen to you and perhaps deminish their sales. I seriously doubt they belong to the Better Business Bureau but do it anyway, also Consumer Affairs, Department of Agriculture (since this comes under their dept). Make a federal case of it by giving them unwanted publicity.

[spidey]

the dog had a murmur and that he should stop breeding.

I'm not surprised the breeder wasn't responsive if the original owner told him he should stop breeding. Finding heart problems in your lines means you should stop using certain dogs or certain lines, it doesn't mean you should stop breeding.

Given that you, yourself, have not actually had any contact with the breeder, and that your only evidence that the breeder is not interested in this problem is second hand storytelling, before you start reporting this all over the place to third parties, may I suggest you actually contact the breeder yourself? You may be pleasantly surprised, and if not, at least you can move forward knowing that you took the right first step.

I'm very sorry about your dog's prognosis, make every day count.

[BostonRott]

Please follow Diane's advice and submit the pedigree and cardiac exam to the study. The Golden Retreiver people are working on studying this too and finding that there are a lot of silent carriers, etc. This points even more to the need for pedigree analysis and study.

[spidey]

Please follow Diane's advice and submit the pedigree and cardiac exam to the study.

I second this. As well as contacting the breeder yourself.

[Luvs]

I am so sorry to hear about your boys problem! I agree with those who advised you to call the breeder and submit the test results and pedigree to the study.

Your boy is very lucky to have found someone who loves him so much and will provide such a wonderful home while he is with you.

[Judi W]

Yes, you should contact the breeder and let them know you have the dog. I also would urge sending in an OFA report. The first place people go when researching a pedigree is to that database.

Sending letters to clubs that the breeder is not a member of really does nothing. They have no association, responsibilities or authority. Likewise AKC which does not involve itself in disputes. AKC does record OFA information and that is another reason to submit the findings to OFA on their official report form with fees.

[brnlow]

Thanks everyone for the input. As some have pointed out, I shouldn't jump to conclusions about this breeder from second hand information so I will definately contact the breeder myself and let him know of the SAS. Also thanks for the various links, I will be following up with the study and ofa.

[TrishB]

Also keep in mind that the better business bureau won't be able to do anything, since the OP was not the purchaser.

The breeder should be notified. Try not to be accusatory - but helpful. Remember that there is a whole litter out there with other owners that may not know that their pups health is questionable. They need to know if they don't already.

Lastly, develop a good relationship with your veterinarian. See that they are up to date on SAS, treatment, prevention, diet - anything that could make your puppy more comfortable. Enjoy him while you have him. He has an advantage in that he doesn't know / comprehend what is wrong with him. So enjoy him with the enthusiasm that he shows you everyday.

Best of luck.