Looking to get a NI General Chat

Small pround mum boast, look at my little girl sitting in the sun this afternoon . . .



With regard to Merlin i think its a prime example of how some one put money before the dogs welfare . . But thats a whole other thread.

Hi Liz, I did say there are some health issues and now when I really think about it the only health issue I know as FACT is the epilepsy that has come from one line.

Yes I agree, the Mahlek line. trouble is its in every single NI there is! What about hip dysplasia?

It was infact me who said a close male friend had told me that Merlin had mauled a child and I did also say that perhaps mauled was too strong a word, he did break skin and there was bruising.

It was too strong a word, however it would be a more appropriate word for what he did to his owners I think.

Obviously affected dogs should not be bred from. Yes I know certain breeders have gone against this (I know of two) but lets us hope this is now going to stop! And Dawn don't say ' all NIDs have health issues as most stem from Mahlek ', as we all know there are many fine dogs out there with no health issues, just like in the human populations there are those that are the pillar of health and those that are not. Same principles apply in the dog world, and the cat world and the .... well all animals.

ps I was talking about epilepsy, ref hips I know one person who has deliberately bred from a high scroring male but don't know how the pups hips are

Although the Mahlek line is in alot of NI pedigrees not all mahlek dogs are related to each other.

Hip dysplasia I have read about one but don't know the owner personally and I also heard that the dog was allowed up and down stairs daily and was over exercised so yes hip dysplasia but perhaps the other factors contributed to his condition I dont really know the facts about this one so thats why I didn't mention it.

ps HD is present in many dog breeds, (as is epilepsy) so lets not blow things out of proportion, as tends to happen on these NID threads!!

Oh my God, that must prove it all them.

Tell you what, why don't you ring your vet up and ask him how many puppies he's seen in the last month, and then ask him how many are wolfy dogs.

High scoring dogs have been bred from though havent they? There are some that have also been bred BEFORE scoring, disgrace! These are NIS registered breeders, (and no doubt others too) not a very good example to set.

Please show me where I said "all" NI's have health issues. Dont think I did!

The bit I highlighted, please prove that to me. Are you going on the many differing pedigrees for the same dogs that appear over and over?

Yes, however a new breed shouldnt have such a large incidence of several diseases, such as the ones you mention. Careful breeding and health testing of original stock and ALL breeding stock thereafter would of helped to eliminate some of the isssues these dogs suffer from.

Sorry if this has been covered before (been away for a couple of days).

There is an owner on a site you are a member of whos dog has epilepsy and his brother has been diagnosed with Addisons. So there is evidence of at least one dog you know of.

And GSD breeders are such a good example when it comes to HD!

Maybe not all but you certainly infer most.

No-one can, the same as you can't prove they are

And can you prove large. You know sometimes you really get my goat. One rule for you, another for everyone else.

Thank you Efes, appreciated.

My thoughts and heart go out to Bailey and his foster carer - and owner. xxx

But who the hell do you trust now?

Good point Corrie.

Lovely idea but there are problems that, IMO, will never be overcome. One body would only have acccess to a small gene pool and would need to work with others to gain access to other dogs. This is fraught with problems, including the health and inbreeding of the dogs. Others include differences in direction of the breed(s), politics, personalities and, in some cases, total disgust at the lack of ethics and morals, lack of health concerns, etc. of some.

I always tell interested people about the health problems in Utes and in Loki. We get loads of people interested in him and as well as telling them how lovely he is (they can see that ) I want them to be aware of the problems too in case they end up buying a dog from dodgy lines that develops health problems. I'd never forgive myself, especially if they couldn't afford treatment or couldn't be bothered to care for the sick dog, which then ended up suffering.

Idiopathic epilepsy typically manifests itself roughly after around 15 months up to around 5 years old. Addison's around 4 years old.

If that is me, my dog is epileptic and his sister has Addison's. Much of his family has not been disclosed to me, despite my request for information.

No it isn't, I was just pointing out to Razcox that she knows of someone on another forum whos dog is epileptic and the brother has Addisons. She seemed to have forgotten and I was just reminding her

Thank Lionhound - I missed that one.
Another one then. :-( Would be interesting to compare pedigrees.

Just thought I would say i have a couple coming over from glasgow tomorrow with a ni x husky they have to rehome because they have changed working hours and he is left along for too long while they are at work.
He is a whole dog so I hope Fido gets on well with him (he has been know to have an issue with whole dogs in the past). They have sent me some pictures and he looks amazing so i hope everything goes well.

Great news. Fingers crossed all works out well xxxx

Best of luck, will keep my fingers crossed

Hope it works out for you and Fido gets a pal to play with!