Any advice would be appreciated:

Our labrador bitch has just been diagnosed 'Atopic Dermatitis' - being significantly allergic to house dust mites and storage mites in dried food. We know this after a series of ear infections that let to us having a blood test to determine the causes. She has just come into season and we had always planned to breed from her this (her 4th) year. The vet told us tonight that we should not breed from her as it will be passed on and potentially intensified in her offspring.

We have read conflicting opinions on the net, and even been told by a local reputable breeder that it is not a reason not to breed - we just don't know what to do!

She is from good stock with a very good pedigree... apparently this doesnt mean anything in the vet's eyes.

My gut instinct is to go with the vet's advice, for the welfare of the dogs, but then again, should I not have children because I have a nut allergy?

> My gut instinct is to go with the vet's advice, for the welfare of the dogs

Go with your gut instinct.

> but then again, should I not have children because I have a nut allergy?

Not really for discussion on a dogs forum, but makes you think doesn't it ?

Welcome to Champdogs btw.

> My gut instinct is to go with the vet's advice

That is the best way.

At the moment there is 70 litters registered on Champdogs alone!!! Don't forget all the health tests that need doing for this breed & that's not just a vet check over.

> We have read conflicting opinions on the net, and even been told by a local reputable breeder that it is not a reason not to breed - we just don't know what to do!

Have you considered that the stress of pregnancy and lactation could make her allergies significantly worse?
Add to that, many drugs or medications which could alleviate her symptoms will not be safe for use during this time. It's not just the health of her puppies that is in question, but I would consider it unfair to risk the chance of her suffering as well.

Many allergies are indeed heritable - but the root cause could be a poor immune system, which is definitely not something worth passing on.

How very refreshing to read of a vet, that much maligned 'breed' giving such sensible advice!

Please take your vet's advice if only for the wellbeing of your girl. Sadly, Labs are one of the most over produced breeds.

Best wishes.

but then again, should I not have children because I have a nut allergy?

Would you sell your children for other people to have to deal with their inherited allergies? Would you have to pay for your children to see the doctor? NO, and that's the difference. If you produced a litter of 12 pups all with allergies, could you with a clear conscience sell them? Or could you keep them all? How would you feel if you sold them they developed allergies and the new owners could not afford their vet care? Years ago I worked as a vet nurse. One case I will never forget. Two puppies, littermates, with two different owners that were friends, came in. Both puppies had allergies. They were 4 months old. When the owners were told what they had to do to help their pups, and what costs it involved, they requested for both pups to be put to sleep. They paid their money and left. I will never forget having to cuddle those two beautiful pups as they were put to sleep.  And that's a true story.

If I got a puppy from a breeder who knew there was a problem and knowingly bred the bitch and my puppy developed said issue and required life time care/ medication then Id ask for a refund and be a bit miffed as the dog in my eyes isn't fit for purpose and the breeder should have known better.

If a breeder did health test the parents passed but the puppy developed an issue the parents didn't have then I'd not expect a refund as the breeder didn't knowingly produce it and did everything in their power to have a healthy puppy.

Canine 'Atopic Dermatitis' takes on many forms as this link shows. You say that you are getting conflicting advice but surely the ‘risk’ alone should be enough to stop you passing it on.

Thanks for all your comments, having learned a lot more about it over the last 24 hours I have decided to go with my instinct and NOT breed. This would have been our first time, and we only just found out about this Atopic Dermatitis through blood test results last week so it has all been a bit stressful, especially as she came into season on saturday and we had the stud dog arranged, etc.

Knowing what I know now I would not even consider breeding from her - it goes against everything I believe in as I am ever-critical of poor breeding. My frustration now lies with supposed 'reputable breeders'. I paid £700 for my bitch, did my homework prior, gained an insight into the bloodline, etc. Although I appreciate that it may not have been a known issue by the breeder. Also, having been told by a couple of 'reputable breeders' to "just get on with it" is very worrying...

Thanks again for all your advice.

Chrisdella

Glad to hear you have made a decision, although it is a shame it is probably not the one you originally wanted to make. It seems from the little we know about you that you would have been, and might still be, a good breeder.

I also understand your frustration as, having run this site for 15 years, I have come across plenty of people who believe themselves to be "reputable" and who are, quite frankly, anything but.

Anyway why not stick around as you will have had experiences with your dogs which I am sure will be of help to other dog owners.

It's really, really nice to see people being so sensible -well done. You've done the right thing. I can well understand that it must have been a difficult decision to take so late in the day. I too have come across some breeders wishing to ignore certain conditions. One urged me to breed from a bitch with a heart murmur -it was only a mild one but in a breed without heart problems, it certainly would not be something I'd ever consider doing. As for your girl and her breeder -it is of course entirely possible that they have never come across the problem before. Have you had a word with them and explained what has happened? A good breeder will want to know about any problems. Of course, everyone can get the odd dog with a problem and never again see the same problem in other dogs, but the important point is to make sure it is known about and that the affected dog isn't bred from.

As a breeder if an owner reported an unexpected negative result, then I woud use it to re-evaluate my breeding program.

Firstly I would not repeat the same combination that produced the health issue, though generally I would not do repeat matings anyway (have done it just once, when first litter was small).

I would then tend not to breed similar combinations and with the parent or littermate would tend to go for an outcross in the next generation.

All living things carry good and bad traits, and certain combinations will bring out the ones you don't want.

This is why anyone breeding needs to have as much information about their dogs relatives as possible and keep in touch with puppy buyers to get feedback good and bad on health and longevity so that future breeding decisions can best utilise the genetic material available avoiding increasing/doubling up on potential health issues.

This particular issue has been fo0udn to be common in some breeds (inherited) and may be rare in others, so that breeders advice in a breed where it's a one off may be that it's not an issue, but erring on the side of caution, especially as you haven't even started your breeding line is best advice.

Certainly it is unwise to breed from a dog that actual is affected by some health issue that may turn out to have a strong hereditary component.