Examining a chow for skin condition may require parting the coat.
The fluffy, cute chow chow puppy makes impulse buying easy. Taking time to select the right breed and breeder helps improve the chance for a good fit, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC). Genetic health problems in chow chows make researching very important. Chows rank second among breeds for elbow dysplasia, 10th for patella problems, and almost 20 percent have hip dysplasia, according to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFFA). Knowing what to look for when examining a puppy will help you select a puppy from an individual litter. However, getting a puppy with improved odds of staying healthy requires research.
Instructions
1. Create a list of things to obtain from the breeder, including sire and dam registration numbers and health guarantees for genetic conditions, such as hip and elbow dysplasia. Include a checklist for the sire and dam health certifications for eyes, hips, elbows, heart, patella and thyroid.
2. Contact the AKC or the Chow Chow Club Inc. (CCCI) for a list of breeders. Attend local dog shows to meet breeders. Call the breeders on your list for information on their own litters and ask for contact information for other breeders with puppies or planned litters.
3. Avoid puppies from unregistered litters, because these typically come from lower-quality dogs, advises the CCCI. Eliminate any breeder from your list if the sire and dam do not have all of the health certifications.
4. Ask the breeder for the address of her website with the litter pedigree and health clearances or for a copy of the pedigree. Check the AKC or the CCCI for a copy of the pedigree if the breeder does not provide one.
5. Use the AKC registration numbers for each dog to verify all health clearances. OFFA provides free verification of hips, elbows, heart, thyroid and eyes. Check eye health clearances under the "CERF" category, which stands for the Canine Eye Registration Foundation.
6. Ask the breeder about stomach cancer in his line, because chow chows develop this cancer at more than 10 times the rate of most other breeds, indicating a genetic relationship, according to Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Rule out litters with stomach cancer in the last two generations.
7. Rank the available litters by health clearances proven for each generation. Place litters with at least three generations of eyes, hips and elbows on your preferred list and those with only the sire and dam tested on the bottom, because more generations generally indicate a better chance of healthy puppies.
8. Arrange to visit the litters of any breeder that meets your qualifications. Examine the living condition of the dogs and the health of the litter and dam. Eliminate any litter where the dam or puppies have skin issues, diarrhea or excessively watery eyes, advises the CCCI.
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