Smb091

Hip and elbow x-rays are done on all dogs in the program at approximately 12 months of age. This allows us to select dogs for breeding and working who have the best results. $$$& were done as a part of this normal process. What you can see are the notes from our vet team, before the x-rays are sent to the specialist. All x-rays from our dogs are sent to a specialist consultant as well as our normal veterinary team. The great thing about buying a dog from the program is that you know much more about them and their medical history than you would buying a Labrador pup from a breeder. While here in the program I am not aware of $$$& having any issues, she is being sold as a pet simply due to these x-ray results. I queried the medical history and this is the email that I got. It seems they are really on top of the health. FYI she is coming from a government agency. Based on your advice and the information we’ve gotten on her we think we will proceed. Very exciting times ahead!!

Hi all,We have an opportunity to adopt a 13 month old field lab. Only issue is her hip score is 8, 1 on the right and 7 on the left. The left norberg angle was 2, subluxation 4 and cranial acetabular edge 1. Right subluxation is 1 so not very balanced. Clearly an issue on the left side. The specialist indicated that she is fine for pet but not suitable for breeding or work assuming work is boarder force or police. Specialist report attached.We had our first lab pass away last year from a heart attack she was only two and had lots of health issues. We don’t want to go down that path again but also really want to take this lab if the hip scores aren’t a concern.really looking for advice. Torn as to whether we should take her. Could be a long wait though.thanks in advance.

Hi all, Looking for breeders that specialise in breeding field labs? Does anyone know any and can put me in touch?

Hi all, my sincerest apologies for not providing an update sooner. Today we had to rush Hazel to the vet as she had gotten extremely swollen in her stomach and wasn't eating. Turns out she had half a litre of fluid backed up in her stomach which is the first sign that she is going into heart failure. The fluid has been removed and she will be on x4 types of heavy medication for however long we have her with us. x2 medications are for the fluid build up and x2 to try and lower the strain on her heart. The cardiologist is expecting her to live on for another 12 or so months before he thinks her condition will deteriorate to the point where we'll need to decide if we want to keep on going. Exercise will be limited as we can't put too much stress on her heart. Prognosis from here isn't great, apparently it can be a long drawn out decline. A bit doom and gloom however that's the situation we find ourselves in. a tough day, but we love her and will do everything in our physical control to keep her with us for as long as she is comfortable.

@juice Hazel has severe Tricuspid Valve Displasia which is a very serious heart disease. Our cardiologist has put her on a non-operating list unless it is life threatening. We were originally looking to get a second dog earlier, but given how immature hazel was at the time we decided not to as we didn’t want to put any undue stress on her heart. Now that she is more mature we feel the time is right to look for another dog. @sheena I don’t have a preference it’s whatever is best for both Hazel and the new dog!

Hi All, As the heading suggests - looking for a Labrador / Golden Retriever to adopt. Preferably between the ages of 2 and 4. A bit of context, we have a 12 month old labrador girl and want a companion for her to grow up with. She is doing really well and with a lot of persistent positive reinforcement training she has grown into a very cute, calm and obedient fun loving Lab! Our preference is that the dog is a girl as our pup has not been de-sexed and will not be. We aren't sure how a male will go around her while she is in heat even if he has been de-sexed. We are located in VIC, but for the right dog we will make things work. Hopefully we'll hear from soneone soon.

Been a long time and I just realised I never replied to this post! Sorry @PANDI-GIRL Hazel is doing really well! We haven't seen any issues so far. We took some great advice and decided not to get another pup. We are looking for a dog from 12 months to 4 years. Hazel has really calmed down and feel now is the right time. Trouble is, we are really struggling to find one. One of the big problems we have is that Hazel is not de-sexed which means we can really only adopt girls. Anyways we'll wait and see!

As he title suggests, we are looking at adopting a puppy if available. Anything under 6 months is ideal however we will take under 12 months. Looking for a labrador or golden retriever. please private message if you have any available for adoption.

An update regarding Our puppies condition. The vet (and specialist) have advised that her condition is mild to moderate meaning she is not under any impending risk of having a heart attack. However, there is no direct link between the severity of the condition and the chances of Hazel having a heart attack. So basically, we still have no idea! The vet said this case is so rare, they just don't have the data to confirm without doubt how long it could be. The specialist advised that he only sees 3-4 cases per year, and they are all completely unique The vet did explain the clinical symptoms that will become obvious once it does become really serious. Once this happens, she will go on medication, and from this point she won't live any longer then 6-12 months to. The main thing we need to monitor is her breathing, any signs of a cough developing and also ensure she does not put on any excess weight. Id love to get in touch with anyone who had experienced this condition before so if you know anyone, please pass on their details. Here is a pic of our little girl, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to help us out.

Scratch looks like you are right, our pup has the very rare Tricuspid Valve disease. At this stage we aren't exactly sure how severe it is. Our vet will read the full report tomorrow and also call the top cardiac surgeon in Victoria to discuss. I have a feeling it won't be good and based on my research, I don't see our pup last much longer then a few years. Also bad news for the breeder as the vet said this disease is passed on my either one of the parents although the parents may only have a very mild case. Will need to give them a call do deliver the bad news as well. Our only hope now is that it isn't too severe and won't impact on her quality of life too badly. Thank you all for your help

Too late for that now, ultrasound is tomorrow morning. I'll go through with it and see what the outcome is. My vet is a surgeon himself, and has had a lot of experience in cardiac issues although he specialised in dental and oral care. I trust he'll do his best and if not refer me to the right place. That's all I can hope for right now. Our pup is perfectly healthy. Weight is spot on, she's normal size, highly active, very obedient. That's why this came as a shock.

Hi Tassie, our puppy is going in for the ultrasound tomorrow. So far the vet has said he will review the results and if he can determine the cause of the murmur clearly without doubt then he will, otherwise we'll be off to a cardiologist. Here in Melbourne there are several very good ones, not looking forward to the bill though!!

Scratch - you are right. My puppy is currently with me at my aunties place, harassing her 11 and 12 year old Labs who just want to chill out and relax! I better to get her!

Sorry, when I mentioned "they both", the vet also had a disease he thought it could most likely be and said it would be passed down by the parents.

Thanks. whats really interesting is that they are both diseases passed down by the parents. the breeder has already mated and has a litter on the way. After originally notifying them, they said they "checked" the dogs and they were all clear however what "checked" means to me is actually doing an ultra sound to guarantee they aren't breeding dogs with genetic issues. im assuming the information I have could potentially stuff up their entire next litter. Thoughts?