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Clearances and a pet Golden

8K views 35 replies 14 participants last post by  Bman 
#1 ·
Seamus is a pet - not a show dog. We got him before I was on GRF and learned about clearances, etc. His breeder has been less than helpful as far as getting us the registered names of his parents so I have no clue whether they had their clearances or not.

My questions is this - Should I have him checked - eyes, heart, hips, elbows - to ensure that he has no problems?

I only ever hear of dogs getting clearances if they are going to be bred. Is it something useful for a pet dog?

Thanks for all your help!

Debbie
 
#2 · (Edited)
Seamus is very handsome :) You don't have a pedigree for him with registered names? Glad you have been able to learn about reputable breeders and clearances here so that you are armed with knowledge next time you buy a puppy :) Sounds like it's safe to say your breeder doesn't do clearances or breeds dogs with failed clearances and doesn't want you to uncover anything. Too late now, but next time you won't give your hardearned money to an unethical shyster.

He should definitely have his eyes checked annually because the eye issues that Goldens are prone to can exist without being obvious to you and by the time it's clear there's a problem, the dog will have suffered a lot of pain and potentially be losing eye sight and even the eye. It's an awful thing and eye checks can catch it in time to treat it to avoid pain and sight loss. If you are a worrier, you could have his heart checked but the hips and elbows you don't need to do unless he appears to show signs of discomfort. The best thing you can do to be proactive about his hips and elbows is to discuss what his ideal weight should be with your vet. Tell your vet that Seamus came from a breeder who doesn't do clearances and you'd like to really stay on top of his weight to avoid issues. Then be hard core about regular exercise and not overfeeding so that you give him the best chance possible. Doesn't matter what the tests would show, keeping him lean is the best thing you can do for him.
 
#3 ·
Thanks so much! Unfortunately Seamus seems to KNOW he's handsome! No, no pedigree but I'm still after the breeder to provide me with the information. Her answer is....oh you have a pet and he's healthy what do you care??? Ugh!!!! Definitely live and learn.

Seamus had a heart murmur as a young puppy (prior to 12 weeks) and then it went away. My daughter is a Veterinary Cardiologist but unfortunately not local. :( I will get him to an ophthalmologist to have his eyes examined. Thanks!

He is kept thin but I have a hard time getting him enough exercise. My other dog (Corgi cross) will fetch a ball and Seamus will run after him (sometimes). He also likes his flirt pole but I worry about having him race in circles..... He has no clue about fetch. Ideas to get his heart rate up????

Thanks again.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Kaizer's not a show dog either, but I think it's important for me to know about his hips, elbows, heart, and eyes, so I'll be getting all his clearances when he turns two this June. For me it's really about peace of mind. If I didn't get his hips/elbows/heart/eyes checked out, I'd be panicking every time he jumps too high, lands weirdly, turns too fast while running, etc. etc.
Plus, I think it'd be a nice thing to report back to the breeder, especially because this was his sire's first litter and I'm sure both my dog's breeder and his sire's breeder would like to know the results :).
 
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#5 ·
Kaizer isn't a fan of fetching balls, but he will fetch his Chuckit Flying Squirrel for an upwards of 30 minutes, which is pretty impressive since I haven't actually spent time teaching him how to retrieve or slowly building up how long he'll retrieve for.

I've found that he's more into the game when I mix up what he's getting for me - so one day it might be that Frisbee, the next day it might be a Chuckit Fetch Wheel (it's basically a wheel), the next day it might be his Chuckit Max Glow ball, etc. etc. Can you tell Kaizer likes his Chuckit toys? :)

I guess my point is maybe he won't chase a ball, but he might go after something else.
 
#6 ·
Yes, Seamus does have the Flying Squirrel. I'll have to try that. Unfortunately, he seems to run after it and then lay down to chew on it.....not retrieve.

I understand that an Ophthalmologist for the eyes, and a Cardiologist for the heart but who does the hips and elbows???
 
#7 · (Edited)
Have you tried practicing inside with a ball first? Kaizer and I started with me throwing a ball down the hallway and then really excitedly clapping and cheering when he got it, usually that's enough to get him to come back. Since it was indoors, there were less distractions and he learned to come back. I use a completely different toy when we're outside, but the excited clapping and cheering is still the same.

Hips/elbows are generally done by vets, then you get the xrays and send them to OFA. The issue is finding a vet who can take good xrays and doesn't charge too much :)
 
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#8 ·
You might contact your nearest GR club and ask if they're hosting any health clinics soon. You could likely get his eyes and heart all done in one visit. I took Teal and Archer to a clinic in the Summer and I think they only charged $30 for eyes and like $45 for auscultation by a cardiologist. Archer is neutered but he's almost 4 and I'll probably get his eyes done annually when I take Teal now. You could also ask about what vets are best at getting X-rays done for OFA. Most any office will take them, but you want to get the best views possible to submit and it can be kind of difficult. Some vets I've heard prefer to do them with the dogs sedated as well, but I don't want that done.
 
#9 ·
ArchersMom - I agree! I do not want Seamus sedated. Thanks for the information.
 
#11 ·
Also, I'd recommend getting a recommendation from someone else about a vet's xraying skills. Someone could be a great vet, but take shoddy x-rays (if a dog isn't positioned properly, their hips could look dysplastic on x-ray even though they might actually not be). There's a group on Facebook called OFA Hip and Elbow Results where you can ask for a vet recommendation in your part of the country.
 
#12 ·
aesthetic - Thanks! I'll look into it!
 
#14 · (Edited)
Jennifer K is in Ohio- Jennifer Krawsczyn Pomeroy, OH-
her son does nice OFA films if that's reasonably close. If you want good positioning it is important to go to someone who does OFAs often.
Her site is shilogoldens.com I think and that'd have her email on it.

I am hung on the murmur when he was a puppy. Has your daughter listened since, and she says it is gone, or just your practitioner vet? If your daughter hasn't listened, I would probably get a cardio to listen too before I worried about getting that heart rate up!

And really? You got no papers, no pedigree, no parentage info at all? Does the breeder have a site? If so, DOB? Maybe we can figure it out. If you paid money for this dog, you need to have his parents' registered names! A pet is the most important job there is- and to properly care for a pet, you need to know a health history. The best way to get a health history is to know the pedigree. If you have the registered names of the parents, absolutely we can come up with a pedigree in time- it may take a few days or may be mere minutes- depending on what's already in k9data. If not registered parents, that is a different story.
 
#15 ·
I'd second the idea of looking into your local GRC health clinic. I've taken Gracie to the annual one offered by the HVGRC. It's very comprehensive, offering hips & elbows, eyes, heart, genetic testing, thyroid and SNAP, maybe more. It's well run and well attended. The times I've been there I've noticed a number of breeders there with their dogs.
 
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#16 ·
Prism Goldens -

Thank you for your information. My daughter has not listened to Seamus' heart. I will be taking him to a cardiologist to check before exercising him.

Ok - breeder. Pat and Maureen Cox. Ohio. Mother's call name Cachet. Dad's call name Divot. I am told Maureen shows goldens. No, the breeder does not have a website. Seamus' date of birth is 4/22/2015. I believe the dogs that they have on K9data are under the name GoodSports.

I continue to contact them regarding this. I wish I knew then what I know now!!!!

Thanks!
 
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#17 ·
My dog comes from fully clearanced dogs, back generations, and she will never be bred. But I am still getting all her clearances done - just so I know, but also so that anyone looking at my breeder can see that she produces good dogs. Shala has her eyes and heart done (and I will get her eyes done every year) and we are getting hips and elbows done in the spring at a Golden Retriever clinic. So I say absolutely get them done for your own knowledge.
 
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#32 ·
Hi! I am from Toronto as well. I am wondering which GR clinic are you going to right now? I am waiting for my puppy to arrive, and have booked an appointment with a local vet that also sees my cat. I am not 100% if I want to go with them with the puppy since their quote for spaying was around $700. Thanks!
 
#18 ·
Sweet Girl I'm with you. My girl comes from a long line of titled dogs with clearances. I was happy for the limited registration and will never breed but think the information is important for the breeders. It will also give me some peace of mind. I found 2 upcoming shows to get the eyes & heart clearance but will have to do an overnight trip to get the hips / elbows done. Road trip!
 
#19 ·
My prior dogs all got eyes, heart, hips and elbows checked in their lives.

First dog had cataracts - so dogs after him were always checked. Not every year necessarily. My current two goldens are the first to have their eyes checked every year. Do I think it's necessary no exception to have eyes checked yearly? I don't know. But I think getting eyes checked periodically is important because eyes change and conditions develop.

Have not had a dog with a heart issue - but SAS scares the heck out of me. So our dogs have all had their checked at least by a practitioner. My current two were the first who got their hearts listened to by a cardiologist. Bertie is my first whose paperwork was sent in to OFA. You don't have to send in to OFA, but getting stuff checked for peace of mind is priceless.

Hips and elbows - because this is a non-breeding dog and non competing in sports where you absolutely have to tread carefully to avoid causing an active life shortening injury.... it might not be absolutely necessary to go the OFA route. A lot of vets can tell you whether hips/elbows look good or bad. They might not be the best source of evaluation beyond that, but at least you'll know your dogs hips are not technically dislocated or really thick with arthritis. And you'll know there are no chips or other issues with the elbows.

People who do stuff with their dogs - like agility, for example.... they should get the hips and elbows OFA'd.
 
#20 ·
another option if you decide to not send to OFA but just do films- you can get 'review's it were by FBs OFA results group. But for my $ if I were going to get the rads done, the extra $30 or so for OFA is just chips. Cause no one can just look at a dog from the outside and know what's on the inside.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Bet $ (or some of those chips mentioned in last post lol) that this is his sire:
Pedigree: Goodsports Tearin' Up The Fairway He has hip and elbow clearances on OFA. The name makes sense w/Divot as a call name. He likely has cardiac and eye clearances but they are not on OFA.

and that this is his dam:Pedigree: GoodSports Guess Who or
else there's one who's not on k9data- because all the bitches have call names except this one.
Oddly, this bitch does not show up on AKC with or without a space between good and sports, with or without an apostrophe, and not on OFA either. Which would (if this is his dam) explain why you didn't get registration papers but I really can't fathom why someone would have a bitch and not have her registered. There are only two girls w call name Cachet on k9data, I kinda went that way thinking there may have been a co-own dispute or something but didn't see the kennel names associated w the breeder on other dogs on k9data. I hope you can find out who his dam is!

All speculation- but I'd bet on the sire for sure.
 
#27 ·
Yeah, I saw that about their dogs attacking other dogs in MA.

I was thinking that Goodsports Tearin' up the Fairway had to be Divot but I have a vague recollection of Maureen saying that Cachet's registered name started with "Just a"....

I love Seamus dearly but I wish I had found this forum (and read about clearances) before finding him.
 
#28 ·
Yeah, I saw that about their dogs attacking other dogs in MA.

I was thinking that Goodsports Tearin' up the Fairway had to be Divot but I have a vague recollection of Maureen saying that Cachet's registered name started with "Just a"....

I love Seamus dearly but I wish I had found this forum (and read about clearances) before finding him.
Don't beat yourself up - you are learning now. You'll know for your next Golden. And by getting your dog tested, you'll know if you need to be careful about anything (ie. if his hips aren't good, you'll know you have to keep him slim and choose his exercise carefully).
 
#31 ·
OK -

Yes, could be his dam - don't know.

My husband is a sharpener. He posted a sign that he was looking for a golden retriever puppy. Someone who knew them, knew that she had puppies.

That's how I found her.

I also saw a lot of her dogs are co-owned(????) by Kathy Doyle - LazyDaze Farm??????
 
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