Posted by: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 10/22/1999 12:09:52 PM Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: << what i want to hear about is longevity.>> ======================= Again, I have been away for a few, but if I read the posts right....... I had a bitch on digitalis for a heart problem for almost 6 years. She actually passed away from a non-specific cancer of the ovaries at the age of 10. She lived a very happy and active life on this med. My next heart patient was on 3 different types of meds. And with an owner carefully monitoring the symptoms of their dog and "~reporting~" them back to the vet these meds can be regulated properly and give your pet a quality of life extension. Remember when a "human" gets these meds they are ~constantly~ monitored and adjustments made to find the right amount. This takes time and is very important. You simply cannot get heart meds from the vet, give them to your pet and expect everything to be just fine. ~You~ must be your dogs voice. Watch them carefully and learn how to take their pulse and rates. Monitor them and report back to the vet. I did not breed these dogs and I "too" was taken in by a breeder in the top 20 who chose not to tell any one of his condition. And continued to use him at stud. I bred to him and all of my beautiful babies died of heart disease before they turned 5. CM is most definitely hereditary. I am ~Very~ pleased to see the new age of adding not only OFA clear but thyroid and heart tests done on stud dogs. Heart disease in man and canine is a very sad thing. Twenty or more years ago we had HipDisplasia quite bad in our Danes. By getting breeders to x-ray and then adding the OFA #, many responsible breeders and puppy buyers could then make responsible decisions whether or not to use a stud dog that was not cleared OFA. We have come a long way, and we now do not see the extreme amount of Danes with HD. I would ~most~ definitely like to see more stud dogs and/or bitches with heart disease cleared letters after their names. Maybe in our lifetime we will be able to stop the breeding of dogs with heart problems, ~simply because he is in the top twenty~. I personally do not breed to "who" is winning the most, I chose my stud dogs based on what qualities my bitch needs improvement on and never breed to a dog that has the same faults as my bitch......no matter how many BOB's he's won. Rhiannon
