Esophagus problems in Danes?

Morganhorse2003 · 10-14-2009, 07:41 PM

I was told tonight that my Great Dane breeder's first litter from my pups parents had lots of esophagus problems. We were never informed by the breeder that Bella's parents had a littler with these problems at all. The other three litters after that were fine, but the first had lots of problems.

So...
What would these problems entail? Do I need to have Bella checked for it or would it be noticeable? If she were to ever have puppies (which is HIGHLY, HIGHLY unlikely) could she potentially pass them to her puppies even if the male had no history of it?

**I have no interest in breeding Bella whatsoever. However, I would really like to learn more about the breed and this potential problem because I had never heard of it until tonight**

I'm a little peeved that I was not informed of this ahead of time, but the breeders are getting out of breeding and I *think* they were desperate to home their last few dogs and were afraid of scaring off potential buyers.

THanks! (Sorry for the novel)

Dog_Shrink · 10-14-2009, 11:32 PM

First you should have researched the Dane breed BEFORE getting one... second I would take her back to the breeder... or third make sure you have a good clause in your contract regarding health guarantees. Lastly I know in PA we have a "puppy lemon law" I'd see if you ahve something similar in SC.. It would be through your local attorney generals office under consumer rights and protection. Where'd you hear from that this breeder had this problem with her first litter? And the chances that it wasn't produced in subsequent breedings from the same pair is HIGHLY unlikely. This would present as a gongenital defect in EVERY litter betweenthese 2 dogs. I breed show rabbits and I KNOW my french lop buck is blind (now), but my doe is perfect but they had produced blind kits in their litter (one and only breeding) and I will NEVER use him again. That's my reputation on the line and it would unethical. I'm just lucky that only 1 buyer had reported this as a problem and thankfully she was a pet buyer and didn't care because she loved the bun but just wanted me to know.

cshellenberger · 10-15-2009, 09:26 AM

Before jumping to conclusions, I'd TALK to the breeder, it may be that it wasn't he EXACT pairing that produced the esophgus problems (perhaps they used a different sire for your litter).

IF it was the exact pairing, and the problem was known, I'd have an exam done on your pups Esophogus to determine iF the problem is present and I'd ask the breeder what would happen if the problem were to occur (it's considered a congenital defect, which is usually covered in any decent health contract).

This is the reason I do TONS of research before purchasing a adog including getting on a breed specific forum and asking around about the breeder. Breed specific boards have tons of info and members that are in the know about which breeders to steer clear of and what problems are known in the breed.

Morganhorse2003 · 10-15-2009, 07:34 PM

Firstly, I did TONS of research before getting one, but the most common problems with danes are bloat, hip/elbow dysplasia, and heart problems. Not once did I see anything regarding esophageal problems. We had been told by quite a few ppl in the area that these were good breeders, etc.

We were told from a trainer/dog handler who is very close to the couple about this first litter. The trainer (who is very honest) said as far as she knows it was just in the first litter. It was the same combination of bitch and sire used every time.

I will be taking her to the vet to have her checked just in case. She hasn't acted like she's had any problems, and has been very healthy since we've had her, but I want to be 100% sure. Also going to check the contract.