Basically it is all in the title but since this breeder only has a facebook page and have blocked us I don't know how to protect other families from this tragedy. The breeder's name is "VT Berners" on facebook.
[I hope this link will work, otherwise sort by most recent reviews on their page to see the full story.] (https://www.facebook.com/kiersten.choiniere/posts/10161665056912796)
To summarize a long story, this breeder sold us a bernese mountain dog but never had the elbows of either parent checked. After we alerted them to our dog's diagnosis of severe elbow dysplasia in BOTH legs at only 1 year of age, they ghosted us and bred the same two parents at least two additional times still without checking their elbows. This is terrible for the breed and any future potential families looking to get a bernese.
Once we left our review they have completely blocked us from their page. Thankfully facebook does not allow reviews to be removed. Is there anyone we can report this to? Any way you can help? I believe the more likes a review gets the more likely it is to show up under most helpful. I have all emails and diagnoses as pdfs for anyone who has questions.
I really worry the negative review isn't enough to deter people. Their waitlist is over 200 people long. I don't know what to do. Please any ideas will help.
Our 10 month old berner has just been diagnosed with elbow dysplasia and will need arthroscopic surgery. Has anyone else experienced something similar and what were the results? We are hoping to do surgery on him but just wanted to know how successful it can be and what type of life our puppy could live after.
Hi everyone!
I wouldn't have had enough space to list the problems the doctors found with Waffles, my 7 month old tri-color. After witnessing lameness in his front left limb that wasn't getting any better with time, I was referred to a vet surgeon.
Link for results from CT: https://imgur.com/a/BfzihT8
After a CT scan the results came back and the doctor said it's bilateral elbow dysplasia characterized by medial coronoid fragmentation with secondary elbow osteoarthritis and flexor enthesopathy. There is bilateral incongruity at the radius and ulna and humerus and ulna. There is asymmetric closure of the physis of the proximal radius being more closed not the right than the left , concerning for right-sided physical trauma.
That was a mouthful! I'm going to most likely be giving him the greenlight for the surgeries and PRP injections but I was also wondering if any of you ever had experience with this in a dwarf dog and how the outcomes usually are? Would you support me getting a second opinion (this may seem a silly question but I'm concerned)? Is there anything you can recommend to help my Waffles with this process?
I'd have to ask them for the raw data results for the CT scan, hopefully there won't be any issues and they'll support me getting a secondary evaluation. I don't want to have to put him under for a second CT scan either.
I have pet health insurance and can afford this but it's my first time dealing with something semi-serious. I obviously can go the conservative route but I have a feeling it's going to get worse, especially the osteo arthritis.
Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!
My 9-month-old Rottie has been limping on his front paw for about 6 weeks now. Despite x-rays, the vet hasn't been able to diagnose him with anything, but I'm worried about dysplasia since it's common with the breed. I have an appointment with a specialist, but was curious if anyone had experience treating elbow dysplasia and, if so, what was the outcome?
My 9 month German shepherd is going on next week for both elbows. She has puppy energy at times when we first get home or up from sleep in the morning, but she is generally not too bad.
She's not a big fan of the crate, but is in it when we are at work. I have bully sticks, frozen food in kongs ect. Ready for her.
What tips worked for you to keep your puppy or dog calm, occupied, comfortable after surgery.
Hi are 7month old boy developed a slight limp in his left leg we’ve taken him to the vet and are arranging a CT scan. They think it could be elbow dysplasia. Has anyone else had dealings with this and is it Liveable ?
I took my 5 month old Great Pyrenees to the vet because his front legs are bowing out and they have called me back expressing concern for hip and elbow dysplasia. I’m obviously devastated and waiting for the X-ray results to come back in before having a complete melt down.
I don’t actually know where to start on what to ask when we get results. I know to ask about severity and treatment options but I’m utterly lost on how to figure it out. Has anyone else had similar experiences? Any advice or questions I need to ask before making decisions?
Does anyone have experience with elbow dysplasia? My Goldendoodle is only 8 months and started showing signs and the vet confirmed with x-rays and recommends surgery ASAP(i plan to get a second opinion too). I have done some research but would like to hear first hand from people with experience. How was post surgery? Can they still hike? How are things when they are older? Tips/advice? I’m really anxious and heartbroken over the news so anything reassuring would be nice too.
Couple months ago my dog(Bernese, 2.5 yrs old) started visibly limping and, as first time dog owner family, we thought she tripped on something and will recover in due time. After few weeks of limited activities she was much better and we took her out for an usual exercise. Unfortunately in 2 days she started limping again, basically bringing us back to day 1.
At this point we felt something was off so we brought her to pet hospital and took x-ray. Vet said it is most likely Elbow Dysplasia and suggested us to talk with surgeon of his recommendation as CT scan was required for precise diagnosis which was unavailable in our town. We visited the said surgeon for diagnosis and later he gave us an estimate of $6,000 for use of CT scanner and surgery on joint.
Since the lineup was really long, I had few weeks to look for resources online and monitor my dog. I've noticed that there are differing information on whether surgery is necessary. Some say it is absolutely required, and others say Elbow Dysplasia is a ticking bomb that surgery cannot fix and proper treatment will go long way to prevent bomb from exploding.
Our family is not doing too well financially since COVID, but we can still afford $6,000 for our precious dog. But if we are spending that much for non permanent fix and we will be faced with same dilemma in couple years, I am not sure if we can take it. Is surgery absolutely necessary?
As for my dog, I am taking more care of her foods/supplements and I am taking her out again for light exercise - on leash, no wild dashing -. She seems pretty happy so far, but I am really worried about her. I would appreciate any input from those who had same issue. Thank you.
My beautiful 10 month old smooth collie, Wally has been diagnosed with bilateral elbow dysplasia and my heart is broken for him. He’s an amazing dog, easy to train, gentle, playful, and cuddly. I’m wondering if anyone has any advice for his recovery or even just positive stories of other dogs recovering and being okay I would appreciate it. He is currently seeing a physio and is on light exercise while we wait for his surgery date. His prognosis is “likely good” but the vets say elbow dysplasia is very hard to treat. Thanks in advance 🐶
Hi Collie friends. My beautiful Smooth collie pup, Wally, has been diagnosed with elbow dysplasia. He is otherwise the BEST dog, happy, caring, gentle, smart, trainable (all the good collie things!) but my heart is breaking for him. He’s only 10 months old so we’ve caught it early. If anyone has any experience with this I would greatly appreciate some positive stories or advice on recovery etc.
My second conundrum is that the breeder has offered me my money back (or a replacement dog but that is a straight up hell no). She offers a health guarantee with all her pups and will pay us back the full purchase price of the dog. However I feel guilty accepting this as I bought a dog to be a part of the family. I also don’t want to cause her unnecessary hardship. It would cover just under a third of the cost of the surgery, though we can afford it without. Should I feel guilty about this? What would you do?
Btw I have a 1:07 on 100fly 2:13 on 200free 27 on 50free 27 on 50fly 6:23 500free 40min on a 3k.
Currently trying to get a dog and after seeing all the great info on this sub, I narrowed my choice down to golden retrievers (was considering a "doodle" before). We're in an area without a lot of breeders, and I read through the whole "finding a reputable breeder" guide (thanks, r/dogs.) When I finally found one that matched a lot of the criteria I was ecstatic.
The breeder has been very forthcoming and transparent about OFA health testing, certificates, registration, DNA genetics etc. She sent the OFA certificate that the mother dog has been evaluated with Grade 1 elbow dysplasia in one of her elbows (the other one's Normal). and that the sire dog has been evaluated for Grade 2 dysplasia in one of his elbows also.
For the sire dog, she re-evaluated through an IDEXX CT vet consult and the resulting report (which she also sent) says there is no evidence of elbow dysplasia besides a "minimal amount of new bone formation" of "uncertain clinical significance." It also "did not completely rule out chrondromalacia" since that condition is not always detected via CT. She only decided to breed him after these results came through.
I'm just wondering if these criteria might be enough to establish the health of the dogs and the reputability of the breeder. There's a lot of conflicting information on whether Grade I OFA results is still acceptable for breeding, and I'd love any insights or advice. Thanks!
Basically it is all in the title but since this breeder only has a facebook page and have blocked us I don't know how to protect other families from this tragedy. The breeder's name is "VT Berners" on facebook.
[I hope this link will work, otherwise sort by most recent reviews on their page to see the full story.] (https://www.facebook.com/kiersten.choiniere/posts/10161665056912796)
To summarize a long story, this breeder sold us a bernese mountain dog but never had the elbows of either parent checked. After we alerted them to our dog's diagnosis of severe elbow dysplasia in BOTH legs at only 1 year of age, they ghosted us and bred the same two parents at least two additional times still without checking their elbows. This is terrible for the breed and any future potential families looking to get a bernese.
Once we left our review they have completely blocked us from their page. Thankfully facebook does not allow reviews to be removed. Is there anyone we can report this to? Any way you can help? I believe the more likes a review gets the more likely it is to show up under most helpful. I have all emails and diagnoses as pdfs for anyone who has questions.
I really worry the negative review isn't enough to deter people. Their waitlist is over 200 people long. I don't know what to do. Please any ideas will help.
Does anyone have experience with elbow dysplasia in their Goldendoodle. Mine is only 8 months and started showing signs and the vet confirmed with x-rays and recommends surgery ASAP(i plan to get a second opinion too). I have done some research but would like to hear first hand from people with experience. How was post surgery? Can they still hike? How are things when they are older? Tips/advice? I’m really anxious and heartbroken over the news so anything reassuring would be nice too.
