Reba's in Heat
Hugs, Crazy |
|
|
| There's nothing you can do to reduce the swelling or any symptom of her heat cycle. Are you showing her? Do you plan to breed her? |
| yes, I plan to breed her. |
| I sounds like you are new to the whole breeding scene, and there is lots to learn. I would suggest that you contact the breeder you got your OES from, who I assume will be mentoring you. Your reputable breeder who let you have a dog on a breeding contract will help you through all of this. I am of cource, assuming she is registered, otherwise she shoudn't be bred. Good luck! |
| That's a cute avatar crazy4sheepdogs! Good luck with breeding her. |
Bosley's mom wrote: I would suggest that you contact the breeder you got your OES from, who I assume will be mentoring you.
The breeder I got Reba from is Amish and they don't speak directly to the buyers, I've already tried. The breeder that I got Zeke from is another problem. Apparently Sheepdog Marine got his pups from her also and had some problems. I did not realize this before I got Zeke. Well, now I am leary of asking her any questions. I've done my homework on breeding, I'm just overprotective about making them comfortable. You may not believe this, but I spoil my sheepies!!!!!!! LOL |
| If Reba is from the Amish, chances are extremely high that she was puppy mill bred. If that's the case, she should not be bred, IMHO. Besides their religious beliefs, there are reasons why the Amish don't speak to buyers of their puppies - they can't give the owners the answers they want to hear. Many health problems have surfaced from these puppies, my own dog's included.
As for Zeke, if he came from the same breeding stock as Sheepdog Marine's, enough said. Even though Zeke may have been given a clean bill of health, he can still carry the gene for HD. You may be leary to ask the breeder questions about him, but it is almost imperative that you do. You don't want to consciously pass the problems along to the next generation. My own sweet Drezzie was a product of a Lancaster County, PA puppy mill. We rescued her at 2 years old. She has the most pleasant personality, always smiling, always happy. She loves everybody and everybody loves her - not a mean bone in her body. A little over a year ago we learned that she has severe hip dysplasia, a condition that she's probably had for a very long time but we didn't discover it until she started to limp badly. In hindsight, there were signs of a problem for awhile but we never knew about the condition and so weren't tuned in to what to look for. Luckily she was spayed as a pup before we got her and she never had any puppies. Of course I believe you spoil your sheepies! It is apparent from your tone of writing that you love these dogs very much indeed. Reba and Zeke sound like two very lovable, loving pups, no personality problems - just spoiled! Your wanting to breed Reba has no bearing on the love you have for her, and the same goes for your wanting to use Zeke for stud. In my mind, though, the bigger picture here has to be the next generation of puppies' quality of health. I hope this didn't come across too strong, but there have been many posts on this forum about back-yard and puppy mill breeding, and many of us have dogs with problems because of it. I would just hate to see future dogs suffer. Chris |
| Chris,
Are you in PA? |
| Yes, I'm in PA. Mid-northeast. About 60 miles north of Philly. |
| I don't think there are many OES rescues in PA. I would love to start one, but I am concerned about medical care. If I get one that is starved or maimed, that would be a huge expense. But I think it is really needed here in my area. I am in southern PA outside of York. |
| If there is any question to the history of your dogs parents, don't breed them.
If your female came from a community that won't support new owners, would they do health testing before breeding...or just MILL them out...you could be have a litter completely disabled in less than two years. Are you prepared to give every single owner back there money with a 3 yr health gaurantee, or a lifetime gaurantee against dysplasia. As for her heat cycle changes you can't do anything. Just keep your male away from her until it passes, if this is her first she is way to young to have a litter. After 2 years, after you've tested both parent dogs, for everything, and had the hips OFA'd. Your looking at alot of money for each dog to have them ready for proper breeding. |
| The closest rescue people are in the Reading suburbs. Very nice people who could probably use the help, I've offered to help them out here in Harrisburg and haven't gotten any messages of needy sheepdogs yet. You should probably talk to them for a good solid base if you want to start doing this work.
Here's their info: Tracie & Pete DiPasquale 610-670-7190 dipasqua@nosc.mil TracieDiPasquale@CTS-USA.com They are extremely knowledgeable and helpful, very nice and they have a great house and barn! |
| I didn't know anyone so close to me was a rescue! Reading is maybe an hour away. I'm keeping this info on file! Thanks, Mandy!
Chris |
| I ditto everything Chris and Daisie said. Why would you breed 2 dogs, that could have very serious health problems of their own, not to mention that the health problems are in the lines? I have no doubt of your love of your dogs, or the excitement of thinking of having puppies. I almost bred my 2 dogs, and like Daisie said, I was waiting until they were 2, I was going to make sure they passed numerous health tests, but there were problems found in the 4th and 5th generation of my dogs lines. I speutered them both, and they are still loved and spoiled rotten.
What if the pups you produce have hip displaysia. Is it fair to the dog to have mild to crippling displaysia? Is it fair to parents that adopt this puppy, that may be in for heart break, not to mention the expensive vet bills. What if, despite your caring nature, they decide that the pup or now 4 year old dog's vet bills are too high, or the care is too big, and they decide to take the dog to a shelter, or worse euthanize. Let's say that your dogs parents or their parents had aggression problems, thyroid problems, heart, hearing, or sight problems, or numerous other things, is it worth to put yourself, the dogs, or future parents through this. You mentioned rescue, believe me, rescue is going to cost you much less than raising dogs. Once you add in everything that really goes into breeding, you are really lucky to break even. If you are really interested in breeding, begin research into canine genetics, then move into Old English Sheepdog breed specific genetics. Find a reputable breeder through the OESCA, and ask for mentoring. They will have had the parents tested prior to breeding, and I would almost bet at least a few generations back will have also been tested. You may still run into problems, that you have to deal with, but it will be much less likely. I also want to mention that certain state's have laws set up now to protect the buyer. If someone wants to sue for medical expenses, they can, even despite a contract you may have had them sign. New Jersey, I believe is one of these states with stricter laws, I am not sure exactly of which states are and aren't. Please don't take offense to this message, I am being sincere, just think about the big picture, before breeding your beautiful sheepies. Sincerely, Stormi  |
| Hi there! I too am in south central PA, close to Hershey. You are
right, there are not many OES in our area. I sort of wish there was Pamprin or some such I could suggest. I know you don't want to hear someone telling you to spay or neuter your dogs. I also know the desire to pass on what we believe are lovely personalities in our dogs. I wonder if the parents and the grandparents of your dogs were tested on eyes, hips, heart, thyroid. If you can't contact the breeder how will you ever know if these were done? I don't think there are any on the OESCA list in our area - so it may be that the breeder isn't involved in any of the breed groups. Please don't feel that we are attacking you, and please take to heart what has been said in this thread. Breeding is not something you can walk into, but something you should plan years in advance. I want more than anything to breed OES, and have for a very long time. But I know the dogs I have now should not be bred. I have seen what irresponsible breeding can do and I will not take the chance that one of 'my' puppies could suffer or get sick - if I could have prevented it. These are wonderful dogs, please please please think about this very carefully before you do it. Do your dogs have something to contribute to the breed? What would that thing be? We all think our OES are really the cutest, sweetest personalities. If you still feel you will breed anyway -certainly have your own testing done at a good vet, eyes, hips (I think certs only start at 2 yrs), thyroid, at the very least. You will not be making any money if you are a responsible breeder. Now, all that said... Poor girl! Just remember heat doesn't last all that long, and she probably isn't a miserable as you might think. She probably never once pitied herself!!
Good luck Shellie |
| Hi Guys-
You've just described our sheepie-girl... PANDAmonium became part of our herd in September. She is about 11 months old and has severe hip dysplasia http://www.pomeroys.com/EmmaDarby/MadisonXray.jpg . The difference is that we knew she had HD BEFORE we adopted her... her other families probably didn't and this is why she ended up at a shelter at 5 months of age and then a second time with a rescue at about 10 months. Panda will eventually be subjected to two surgeries to correct this debilitating problem. We are Panda/Madison/Panda's 3rd family even though she's a great girl. Someone brings home an adorable sheepie pup and they're thrilled. But then he/she unexpectedly developes hip dysplasia and the owner cannot afford the surgeries. So the dog ends up in a shelter, a rescue or being put down when the pain cannot be controlled or if the owner simply wanted a "perfect" sheepie. 
And you mentioned other hereditary problems... I didn't know that low-thyroid was also one. We have 3 (yes, three!) dogs with low-thyroid and one more in the "gray-zone" that will be tested again in December. So we expect to have 4 of our 6 dogs (2 sheepies and 2 mixes) on thyroid meds for life. And Panda hasn't even been tested yet. We also have a sheepie that has a birth defect... a cleft palate, hare lip and nose deformity. Pups born with birth defects or health issues will have financial consequences to either the breeder, the buyer or the family that eventually rescues them. Unfortunately, it's the dog that suffers. Why not try to prevent this heartache and suffering? Responsible breeding by pre-testing and research into the heritage of the dogs to be bred can make a world of difference in the future of this breed. It no longer needs to be left simply to luck. Jaclin ~ Meesha, Maggie, Emma, Darby, Kaytee & Panda |
| LOL... My baby's name is Pandemonium....Panda for short.. A soon to be 2 year old female.....Welcome! |
| "Pandemonium"
Does your Panda live up to her name? Our's has her moments!
Jaclin |
Michigan must be the Sheepie Capital of the US. 
Welcome to the forum! |
| She is pandemonium!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| As far as the heat nesting and other behaviour, there's not much to do except provide extra care and attention to make sure she's OK, and keeping your stud away as she's too young to have puppies.
I was about to say you should talk to Stormi, then I read her comments. I also back the comments against breeding if you suspect that any of the parents has a history that could be a potential problem for your pups, as many OES end up in shelters because of behaviour or medical problems (Or just their normal personality, they are a handful!!) I also tought about having Lennon breed, then we adopted Sofa and Frida and decided we were not going to do that after seeing the state of neglect we received them in. If you've done your breeding homework, performed all the tests that assure that your offspring will be healthy and you're ready to take the commitment breeding means, the I'll say go ahead and do it, because puppies are fun, and it must be nice to have lots of babie sheepies at home. If you suspect there could be trouble ahead, please don't breed! |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|