I am new on this site, and I am a breeder of Golden Retrievers. Has anybody ever heard of Puppy Face, it is a genetic problem that is carried from the Male or Female. Has anybody got any information on this, anything would be appreciated.

Don't know what you mean! Do you mean Puppy Head Gland? This is generally recognised as being hereditory and is in a number of breeds including Goldens. A puppy in a litter bred by a friend suffered from this.

Regards, John

Do u mean Hydrocephalus - Accumulation of excess fluid in the brain and spinal cord causing enlarged head or Enopthalmos - sinking of the eyeball into the socket or Micropthalmos - failure of the eye globe to grow to normal size, may lead to blindness ?

This is all I could find with anything to do with the head or face.
Hope ur pups r o.k. Wasn't quit sure on what u were asking.
ttfn :)

I dont think this is the one she means Dollface. My guess is Juvenile Cellutlitis otherwise known as Puppy Head Gland or Puppy Strangles. It can be quite nasty!

Regards, John

What exactly is that and what does it mean?
ttfn :)

It can affect almost any breed but is more common in the various Retriever breeds and Great Danes. The onset is very young, often before 4 weeks. My Friends Golden developed it at around 2 ½ weeks. They start off just looking ill. Jake had difficulty standing but how much of that was just feeling so bad he really did not want to stand I don’t know. As it develops the face and ears swell and give the impression of being painful or at least tender. Abscesses can later form on the face, bursting and making the whole head of the puppy look a mess.

Treatment is usually with cortisone and although taking quite a time, in most cases to all intents and purposes recovery is complete. So much so that Jake has since won a Field Trial and has been shown at Crufts in the Golden Retriever Field Trials Class. The trouble is that after a dog has had it then it is quite likely it would pass it on to any offspring and should not be mated. It brought an end to my friend’s line!

Regards, John

PS, I hope this person posts again, I'm interested to know just what she means. I'd hazard a guess he or she is your side of the pond judging by the time of the post so maybe they will be on later. :)

:) Glad to hear ur pup did good, boy that is terrible to have happen, poor puppy. :(
I have never heard of that, thanks for explaining.
Sure hope they do post again am curious.
ttfn :)

I had a boy from my first litter that had this 'Puppy strangles' is the right word for it, it was awful. It started off with one spot on his muzzle after a visit to the Vets at 3 weeks old, what followed was just awful his face,neck, ears, mouth were swollen, he looked a sorry sight, my Vet wanted to pts but I said NO, I sat up with him at night, carried him around with me because he was in pain, he was on cortisoid tablets until he was 5 months, he lost his fur where the spots were, the Vet bill was astronomical, but he was a survivor and he is the best Dog we have ever had. He is now 7 years old and with this bad start he has suffered also with Lymes Disease had a Mast cell tumour(removed sucessfully when he was 2) He never regained all of his fur around his muzzle and was also left with a lot of scaring, especially his ears. I couldn't have wished for a more wonderful dog. :D :D

Sweep x

Forgot to say he was castrated too!! Bless him

Sweep x

It does look like puppy strangles. I will get in touch with the vet to see if there are any tests that can be carried out to see if it has come from Holly. This is why it is so important to make sure that you get your pup from a respectable breeder. When we got Holly, we got her from Wales, and looking back now, it could of been a puppy farm, even though her pedigree is excellent, this woman had to litters on the go, 1 litter of 8, 1 litter of 7, and she had another 4 Golden Retrievers (bitches) that were hers.

When I asked her the same question, had any of her pups had the problem (meaning Holly's mum's litters) she also said no, and she has had 4 litters up to now. I am worried about breeding again incase this happens, without being 100% sure it has not come from Holly.

Thanks for your reply
Regards Angie

Hi Treasure,
I'm sorry to hear about your problem but I too have got a 9 month old puppy from a breeder in Wales who had two litters on the go and in total 7 bitches of her own. I was vetted very well before I was considered suitable for one of the puppies this breeder had, and when I went to see the litters the hygene of the room they were kept in was excellent. My puppy is in excellent health and I know she came from a very caring responsible breeder who also successfully shows their dogs too. I don't think it is fair to say that because your breeder had a few bitches and two litters that it is necessarily a puppy farm. I have had dealings in the past with a puppy farm and one quite recently as I was looking for the Retriever puppy I have now. Correct me if I am wrong, but in my experience puppy farms do not usually specialise in one breed they seem to have a variety of breeds and the pups are kept in terrible conditions and often without the mum. They don't seem to care who they sell their puppies to either.

Debbie

John

All I know about it, is that it has a long name to it, but is commonly known as PUPPY FACE.

It is only found on the face,ears, and what happens is that the fur comes off, and the skin is scabby. My dog had 10 pups but had 2 that came out with this problem. The Vet told me that it could be from either the Mother or Father, or it could go back even further through the generations.

The pups are not bad with this, they just need a mixture of anti biotics and steroids, as steroids alone will not clear the problem, it will lie dormant in the pup.

I am worried wether or not to let Holly have another litter this year due to this happening before, that is if it has come from the Mother, but I have spoken to the Fathers owners, and as far as they know, no other litters that he has sired have not had this problem.

I think I will get on to the vet to see if there is any blood tests that can be done to prove if it has come from Holly.
I think this name is also called Puppy Strangles as you have said.

Your views will be most appreciated.

Regards Angie

P.S the pups, they are now 14 months old and are doing fine. The fur has grown back but this problem can lead to scar tissue being visable around the eyes,ears and mouth.

In the UK it is commonly called called Puppy Strangles, or puppy head gland disease.