Rescuing breed specific

[Amazetl]

Curious whether you would ever rescue a specific breed knowing that they most likely were backyard bred without the proper health testing. What if that dog ended up having breed specific health issues that ended up costing a lot? Would you still do it?

 

I’m considering this in the next so years once my older ones have crossed over. I know that there are many adult dogs with papers looking for homes too but I’m talking about with rescue organisations where you have no idea where the dog has come from. 

 

What are your thoughts? 

[Diva]

I know my breed pretty well and they don’t have a lot of specific health issues. The common things they do get more of aren’t testable anyway. I would be taking a bigger risk as those things (osteosarcoma, bloat) concentrate more in some lines than others but any dog can get them so it’s not black and white. I’d probably run the one dna test we have so I know if that disease, a disease of old dogs,  is coming, but it wouldn’t influence my decision.

 

so yes, I would get a rescue of my breed without health testing IF the temperament was what I wanted and I had room. I’d get a cross bred of my breed too if it needed a home and its temperament was good. This assumes I have the $$ to cope with any health surprises that do pop up. 

 

(It’s not likely though, I’m throughly hooked on the lines I have. And most rescues in my breed are because a breeder or owner died or got sick so history is known. True rescues happen, there was a horrible one a year or so ago, but are fortunately rare)

Edited July 11, 2023 by Diva

[Mairead]

On the one hand you are rewarding and supporting the worst breeders and using up a home that ethical breeders are in desperate need of, on the other it is not the dog's fault. 

The questions might need to be: will this dog be a good ambassador for the breed? And, is a dog with many health issues the best use of limited resources?

There are people who seem attracted to the worst cruelty, health and disabled cases. Some odd psychology or emotional need going on there.

Edited July 11, 2023 by Mairead

[_PL_]

Not knowing comes with the territory, breed specific or not. Rescue is what it is.   

 

DNA tests are pretty limited as far as things that can go wrong health-wise. Like, you can't DNA test a SWF for a guaranteed dental on arrival.  Every. Single. Time.

(Ok maybe not every, just very very often). But you factor that into predicted vetwork expenses when you rescue one.   

 

Expense is a genuine concern, try starting small while you're getting your fundraising approval. Or I'd join an established rescue as their breed specific person while you learn and grow. There's always the breed clubs too.   

[coneye]

Current dog i got from rspca ,  i knew little white fluffy dogs are prone to problems   and he is , (ear infections )  But Heh , i walked in to buy a big bullmastiff they had , i'd seen it earlier , brought the wife back to meet it ,   and it was coming home with me ,  but this little  fella with   the cone on his neck spotted me ,   HE picked me ,   and that was it  he was ours , and  vets bills just come with the territory ,  . dog prior young girl owned him  , was desperate for a home  i answered the ad to give away , went around , seen this beut 10 month old stumpy tail heeler ,  girl was told by landlord  dog goes or her she had only a few days left  and could'nt find a home  for him so was gonna put him down ,  poor girl was  heart broke ,, i took one look at that dog  on the floor with a 4-5 month old baby crawlng all over him , seen how gentle he was at that was it  , he  had a home , 10  years later     and my grandaughters have grew up with him  , the 3 year old is  his best mate  , ,

 

Both times i did'nt give a thought to expense ,    they were healthy when i got them so its my job to ensure they stay that way ,,  ,be like having kids and saying no docs of food for them i can't afford it

[Amazetl]

That’s how I feel. I just have the urge to rescue in the future and I realise I most likely won’t know all the history. Best tip seems to be make sure as with any time getting a dog, to have funds available dedicated to that dog. 

 

I just know with retrievers, if I went that way, that they might need some very costly surgery on their hips etc. But I just want to give them a loving home because they didn’t deserve any of the consequences of poor breeding (not to say that health tested pups are completely free of getting that too). 

[~Anne~]

Dogs are dogs. There’s good and bad in all types and breeds. 
 

The biggest issue with not knowing the genetic history of the dog is not with health, as pointed out above. All dogs come with health concerns and lifestyle is also a major contributing factor.
 

Its temperament that isn’t always guaranteed with an unknown. 
 

You might, for example, buy a pug from a rescue and it could look like a pug but it could have Jack Russell in there and so it might be higher energy, and smart. It might be quicker to think and a tad fussier with food. Meanwhile you’re expecting a snuffling, laid back and almost lazy dog who is a canine vacuum.

[sparkycat]

I have and I would again but my breed is uncommon so we all know the dogs in Australia.

 

[DogsAndTheMob]

It depends. I would be very cautious about rescuing a puppy from unscreened parents. I would want to know other indicators of risk, such as the incidence of the disorders of concern in the breed and the apparent health of related dogs. A puppy from an oops mating between dogs that compete successfully in agility or retrieving trials might be less risky than one from a mating between two screened dogs whose hips were okay but not excellent. I would also want to know why the puppy was in rescue. Were there known but undisclosed health problems? I would want to be sure that I was not supporting deliberate unethical practices.

 

With an adult rescue, I think the fact that the dog had reached maturity in good health might offset the lack of screening in the parents, because low hip scores reduce but do not eliminate the risk of orthopaedic disease in offspring.

 

You may find this interesting, in particular the table showing the risk of hip dysplasia for matings of dogs with different hip scores. It would also be worth seeking out the referenced research paper on weight and hip dysplasia in Labrador Retrievers. I found it a real eye opener. I’m less convinced by the tables of breeds with high and low incidences of hip dysplasia. So much would depend on which dogs were being hip scored in each breed.

https://www.instituteofcaninebiology.org/blog/citizen-scientists-lets-do-something-about-hip-dysplasia

Edited July 12, 2023 by DogsAndTheMob