| Riley is a male Rhodesian Ridgeback. He is a wonderful, loving, goofy dog.. but... he came from a backyard breeder. He has a severe case of bilateral hip dysplasia, and consequently had to have surgery on both hips at only one and a half years old. My vet said point blank that Riley has the worst set of hips he's EVER seen. In addition to hip dysplasia, Riley has a problem with demodex mange, which is the non-contagious kind that manifests itself whenever a dog's immune system is weakened. Before his surgery, from the age of six months, Riley was on pain meds twice a day in addition to joint supplements. It is incredibly heartbreaking to see your dog go through so much pain that could have been prevented. Riley's breeder has an OFA certified bitch, but her male did not pass. (Of course she didn't tell me this, I got it from her vet, who she sent me to after my vet made the diagnosis.) BUT her male is a livernose, which is rare in the world of ridgebacks, so she bred him anyway. Thus my Riley ended up with the short end of the genetic stick, so to speak. This so-called breeder is still active in Northwest Florida, and I have heard of at least a couple of other dysplastic dogs from her lineage. If you have any input or questions as to where or from whom I got Riley, please don't hesitate to contact me. I urge you to do your homework when purchasing any pet, but in the case of large breed dogs, do yourself a favor and physically look at the OFA certifications of BOTH parents and preferably grandparents. Don't make the same mistake I did- my heart overruled my head when I was searching for a puppy, and unfortunately both the dog and I had to go through a terrible ordeal as a result of the irresponsible behavior of the breeder. Listen to your brain when picking a pup- if anything about the situation doesn't seem quite right, from the breeder's attitude to the living situation, don't hesitate to say NO. If there is no one to buy the puppies, there is no reason for backyard breeders to breed. |
