General Information
We exclusively feed our adult Rottweilers Farmina Team Builder for Professional Breeders.
An Adult Top Chicken Grain Free
Analytical compounds
Raw protein 28.00%; raw fats and oils 20.00%; raw fiber 2.00%; raw ashes 7.70%; Calcium 1.20%; Phosphorus 0.90%.
Energy value
EM Kcal/Kg 4260 – Mj/Kg 17,82
King Rottweilers only breeds to breed standards and we will require all AKC Full Registration (Breeding Rights) purchases to follow these guidelines.
These guidelines are to protect our lines but more important to protect the breed.
Effective: January 1, 2017
1. All puppies will leave with Limited AKC Registration UNLESS approved before transferred.
2. We will revoke the Limited AKC registration (making it Full AKC Registration) after all health testing has been completed.
3. All puppies for show purposes will be co-owned until they receive their AKC Grand Championship (Gold Level).
4. We will retain breeding rights (without fee) on all Full AKC Registration Stud offspring.
5. King Rottweilers’ breeding rights will expire 5 years from the date of final health clearance.
6. King Rottweilers will have the final approval for all breeding of co-owned Dames.
7. All health testing will be at buyers expense.
8. We will be responsible for all travel costs of canine only for breeding purposes outside of 150 miles.
9. King Rottweilers will NOT responsible for human travel cost (example: Human Airfare)
10. King Rottweilers will co-own ANY offspring sold with AKC Full Registration within 750 miles of our current location for the LIFETIME of the offspring.
11. Health testing will include but not limited to:
- Heart
- Hips
- Eyes
- Elbows
- JLPP
- Coat Length
- CHiC Number
Effective: January 1, 2019
1. King Rottweilers is currently NOT offering Full AKC Registration for new clients UNLESS they are a Rottweiler Professional.
2. King Rottweilers is currently NOT offering Full AKC Registration for new clients within a 750-mile radius of our current location.
Please, No Exceptions….
We raise all our Rottweilers and their off-springs in our home. Therefore we run a closed kennel at all times.
This is to ensure the safety of our family, our pack and the health of your next puppy. This also keeps us within the good graces of our insurance company.
Clients are always welcome within a 24 hour notice so long as we do not have any puppies under the age of 6 weeks and 3 days old.
To become a client you must first fill out a Puppy Application. Next you would have to put down a deposit for the pairing and pick of your choice.
Sorry there are no exceptions, we will not jeopardize the health of any of our Rottweilers for the sale of one puppy. Thank you for your understanding.
Breeder vs Puppy Mill
Ethical Rottweiler Breeders……
Here are some things to think about and consider when looking for an Ethical Rottweiler Breeder.
● THE BREEDER DOES SOMETHING WITH THEIR DOGS! A breeder should be working towards something….service animal, showing, working, obedience, herding, carting etc..
● THE BREEDER HAS AS MANY, OR MORE QUESTIONS FOR YOU THAN YOU DO FOR THEM. They work to support their dogs, not the dogs supporting the breeder.
● THE BREEDER IS ALSO VERY HAPPY TO PROVIDE REFERENCES OR POST TESTIMONIALS ON THEIR WEBSITE.
● THE BREEDER USES A SALES CONTRACT THAT PROTECTS THE PUPPY’S WELFARE, THE BREED’S WELFARE, YOUR INTERESTS, AND THEIR INTERESTS.
● BREEDER WILL POST A COPY OF THAT CONTRACT ON THEIR WEBSITE FOR YOU TO REVIEW BEFORE CONTACTING THEM.
● THE BREEDER SPEAKS MORE ABOUT THEIR ADULT DOGS, THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, BACKGROUNDS, QUALITIES, AND SHORTCOMINGS, THAN ABOUT ANY PUPPIES FOR SALE, PRESENT OR FUTURE.
● GOOD BREEDERS PERFORM THE APPROPRIATE HEALTH TESTS FOR THE BREED, SHARE THE RESULTS OPENLY, AND CAN JUSTIFY THEIR DECISIONS TO BREED EACH INDIVIDUAL DOG.
● THE BREEDER BREEDS ONE BREED OR CLASS OF DOGS.
● BREEDER BREEDS ONLY MATURE DOGS (24 MONTHS OR OLDER USA Stanards), AND EACH FEMALE IS NOT BRED EVERY HEAT CYCLE.
● THE BREEDER WILL RETIRE THEIR DAMS AT AN EARLY ENOUGH AGE FOR THEM TO HAVE A PEACEFUL LIFE AS A FAMILY PET. NORMALLY 5 TO 6 YEARS OF AGE.
● ETHICAL BREEDERS DO NOT PRODUCE ENOUGH PUPPIES TO REQUIRE A USDA LICENSE.
● IF THERE IS ANY INDICATION THAT THE SALE OF PUPPIES IS PAYING THE MORTGAGE, THAT THE DOGS ARE SUPPORTING THE BREEDER, WALK AWAY.
● THE BREEDER WILL POST ALL OF THEIR BREEDING STOCK (EVEN POTENTIAL BREEDING STOCK) ON THEIR WEBSITE.
Honestly if they feel they need to hide breeding stock from the public, ask yourself what they might be hiding from their customers. Breeding dams on their second heat (18 – 20 months of age) is not ethical. Without having your breeding stock check and certified there is no way you can say your breeding stock and offspring has never had hips or elbow issues.
IN CONCLUSION: THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
● A GOOD ROTTWEILER BREEDER…
● DOES NOT sell their pups to just anyone. They inquire about your life and where their pups are going.
● DOES NOT send a puppy home before 7 weeks old. Rottweiler puppies need to be with their litter-mates for at least the first 7 weeks.
● DOES NOT let you just pick a puppy before 5 weeks old without even knowing the personality of the puppy or evaluate them for temperament.
● DOES NOT just quote prices over the phone, through social media or through email.
● ALWAYS USES a puppy application of some form. Yes it might be a hassle but how serious are you to find the right Rottweiler for you?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture REQUIRES all canines traveling crossing state lines to obtain a health certificate before doing so.
Health certificates can be obtained from just about any veterinary office.
It is the BUYERS responsibility to obtain the health certificate not the breeders.
King Rottweiler can obtain a health certificate for you before you pick up your puppy for the additional cost of the health certificate.
Arrangements must be made at least seven (7) days in advance.
Effective 1/1/2021
Due to too much stolen valor we are no longer giving individual Military / LEO / FF Discounts.
This was a PRIVILEGE we took extremely serious, discount(s) under false pretenses is no different than stolen valor in our eyes.
We tried to use the honor system and gave a discount on a first puppy purchase that was for a family pet / potential service animal.
It has come to our attention that we had several couples use married and maiden names. Claim service when they never served and have bred our pet only offspring.
Therefore In lieu of individual discounts we will be working with local Military, LEO and OR FF charities as our way to give back.
If you have a local Military / LEO / FF charity please feel free to let us know about them so we can possibly help them out.
Our Requirements for a Proven Show Home must be completed BEFORE your purchase.
1. You must have five (5) years continuous showing experience.
2. You must have completed at least one (1) Rottweilers to their Grand Championship
3. Or have at least three (3) finished to their Championship level.
4. No Hired Handlers without permission from King Rottweilers llc.
Effective 1/1/2010
By entering into any verbal agreement with King Rottweilers llc and or their agents you agree to the following.
King Rottweilers llc reserves the right to cancel any verbal contract for any reason at any time before the official written contract has been signed.
If King Rottweilers llc does invoke this clause, King Rottweilers llc will issue a refund in full minus any service fees within 30 days of written notice of cancellation to the ORIGINAL funding source.
Written notice may or may not be Electronic Mail (E-Mail). If notice is done through E-Mail the 30 days time limit starts once the former client has confirmed their mailing address.
Any threats of legal action may result in no refund being issued until ordered by the Spokane Superior Court of Spokane County.
Effective 1/1/2018
Yes it is safe to ship a Rottweiler of any age over 8 weeks old.
The airlines have perfected shipping with their state of the art climate controlled and pressurized cargo area for our animals. Along with their special terminals designed for 24/7 care and the progressive care policies it has never been safer for you to have your Rottweiler shipped.
We ship Rottweiler puppies safely by air using Delta Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and United Airlines within the United States to the following states: Alabama, AL, Alaska, AK, Arizona, AZ, Arkansas, AR, California, CA, Colorado, CO, Connecticut, CT, Delaware, DE, Florida, FL, Georgia, GA, Hawaii, HI, Idaho, ID, Illinois, IL, Indiana, IN, Iowa, IA, Kansas, KS, Kentucky, KY, Louisiana, LA, Maine, ME, Maryland, MD, Massachusetts, MA, Michigan, MI, Minnesota, MN, Mississippi, MS, Missouri, MO, Montana, MT, Nebraska, NE, Nevada, NV, New Hampshire, NH, New Jersey, NJ, New Mexico, NM, New York, NY, North Carolina, NC, North Dakota, ND, Ohio, OH, Oklahoma, OK, Oregon, OR, Pennsylvania, PA, Rhode Island, RI, South Carolina, SC, South Dakota, SD, Tennessee, TN, Texas, TX, Utah, UT, Vermont, VT, Virginia, VA, Washington, WA, West Virginia, WV, Wisconsin, WI, and Wyoming, WY.
Cost of shipping is
Under the age of 12 weeks $480.00
Over the age of 12 weeks $750.00
This includes:
Airline Ticket
Food for Traveling
Airline Approved Travel Crate
Bedding for Airline Approved Travel Crate
Health Exam and Certificate by licensed Veterinarian
Travel Cost to Veterinarian and Airport
So, this is a flat fee as we do not charge for our time. The only exception to this price is IF your local airport only accepts Delta Dash due to flight schedules. This normally raised the price about $500.00 / $800.00. It is it always best to have two different airports we can ship to as a just in case.
Do you dock tails?
Yes, we follow the American Kennel Club Standard and dock tails.
HOWEVER:
If you would like to keep the tail on your puppy that is possible so long as the following conditions are meant.
1. You are pick of the litter or the reservation above you also reserves a tailed puppy
2. Your First deposit is $500.00
3. Final Payment is due BEFORE we dock tails on the litter
It is YOUR responsibility to send YOUR payments in on time. Failure to do so will result in your puppy having their tail docked. This serves as a reminder for us as well as ensuring you still want your puppy with a tail.
Things to be aware of with a tailed puppy:
Your pick is that tailed puppy and you get what you get at 8 weeks. There is no way to test temperament, pick for size or rule out defects (markings, eyes, bites, etc.) on a tailed puppy. Your puppy will be covered under our health guarantee of any hereditary disease or defect that causes a loss of life.
Tailed puppies tend to get a little bit more attention as they are different so people in general are drawn to them. Therefore your puppy will most likely be outgoing and social with the want of attention.
You are NOT paying any extra for a tailed puppy, it is the same price as all our other puppies. You are paying for the picking order, the pedigree and everything else that every one else is paying for.
Again it is YOUR responsibility to send YOUR payments in on time. Failure to do so will result in your puppy having their tail docked.
Puppy
We follow traditional German naming of our puppies where the first letter of their name is the letter of the litter. This would then be followed by our kennel name (Von Kinghaus).
Names can be up to 36 characters long INCLUDING our Kennel name (Von Kinghaus)
No other names are allowed in he official names.
Examples:
Say we produce an “A” litter.
Your puppies official name would look something like this (Acceptable):
Abbie Von Kinghaus
Arthur Von Kinghaus
Aaros Von Kinghaus
What is NOT approved is a name something like this (NOT Acceptable):
Aaros Max Von Kinghaus
Abbie Maxine L. Von Kinghaus
Abbie av Ylva Von Kinghaus
May’s AceVon Kinghaus Smith
Smith’s Alpha Von Kinghaus
And Yes, it has to be an actual name not “A” and then a name (NOT Acceptable).
aMax Von Kinghaus
aQueen Von Kinghaus
This is only for their Official AKC Name, their call name maybe anything you choose to call them in every day life.
We here at King Rottweilers produce the best possible puppies to please all of our clients. Unfortunately, we literally can not afford to give our puppies away at rock bottom prices. We are NOT your $300.00 to $800.00 rottweiler breeder. Face it to produce anything of quality requires a good investment and rottweiler puppies are not an exception.
Factors
The price of our rottweiler puppies are due to several factors to include, but not limited to, the cost of Rottweiler Sire, Rottweiler Dam, Stud fees, import costs, showing costs, training costs, and medical costs. We require all of our Rottweiler breeding stock to have a complete health check with certification for OFAA.org. While we are small enough to be exempt from USDA licensing we do breed to their guidelines and AKC standards. We will not breed any of our Rottweiler dames before 24 months of age. They must have a rating of Good or better on her hips and elbows to be normal from OFA. All of this makes it possible for us to offer our 2 year health guarantee on every rottweiler puppy we sell. On top of that all rottweiler puppies are up to date on their shots, tails docked, and dew claws removed.
Our world class Rottweiler pedigrees speak for themselves and the quality of our Rottweiler breeding stock provides our clientss with the best possible well rounded temperament rottweiler puppy for their needs possible. The average price range for one of our rottweiler puppies is between $2500.00 to $3500.00 depending on our clients requirements, the litter and Rottweiler parents. This once again is set due to the cost of the rottweiler breeding stock; rottweiler training, medical, import and other fees in the process to produce the best possible puppy.
***Effective 01/01/2019
King Rottweilers – Rottweiler Puppy Deposit Policy
Before the litter is born:
King Rottweiler will only reserve a rottweiler puppy with at LEAST a $500.00 deposit.
After the litter is born:
King Rottweilers will only reserve a rottweiler puppy for you with at LEAST a $500.00 deposit AFTER the puppy is born.
King Rottweilers understands things come up in our lives that would prevent you from getting your new puppy. Unfortunately, we do not hold deposits or payments until your puppy goes home; we use the incoming deposits to take care of our kennel expenses and care of our Rottweilers.
For this reason, any and all payments made to King Rottweilers are NON REFUNDABLE; but can transfer to upcoming litters as long as you give notice before the puppy born, not announced. Deposits may NOT be transferred to a lower price point unless the reserved puppy is unavailable. Deposits are valid for one year from the date of the original invoice. Deposits may be transferred between litters at the breeders need in the event; the puppy of your sex is not available on the litter you reserved for.
Due to our ethical breeding practices to produce the best possible rottweiler puppy, most of our litters are reserved before they are even whelped by ethical owners and repeat clients. To ensure you receive the rottweiler puppy you desire from one of our rottweiler pairings reservations with a $500.00 deposit is required to guarantee your place in line on our list.
We take this process very seriously as reserving a puppy and not following through with the deposit could cause loss of other sales. Reservations can only be secured with a deposit. For that reason, WE DO NOT chase puppy buyers. It is your responsibility to make sure your deposit reaches us within the time requested, not implied. Failure to request a hold time will result in the first deposit gets the reservation.
By submitting a deposit, you understand you will be required to sign a puppy contract before receiving your puppy. Refusal to sign the said contract for ANY reason, making threats of legal action or unprofessional behavior will result in a forfeiture for any and all payments made on your purchase.
*** Transfer between litters by client request is limited to one (1) time only. If transfer is required due to Mother Nature said client will be transferred to the NEXT AVAILABLE litter.
***Effective 01/01/2019
King Rottweilers will do everything within their power to ensure you receive your puppy in a timely manner. However due to mother nature and / or reason beyond our control we do reserve the right to transfer your deposit to the next available litter as needed.
All offers and requests must be confirmed within 24 hours of original request of transfer / offer by breeder. Failure to confirm may result in the transfer not being granted due.
If a client needs to make a transfer request they may do so one time.
This includes from litter to litter and sex to sex.
Examples:
1. A client can request to change from a male to female puppy and this counts as one transfer. Once they transfer they cannot go back to the original sex.
2. A client can request to change from one litter to another and this counts as one transfer. Once they transfer they cannot go back to the original litter.
3. A client can request both sex and to a new litter at the same time in order to fulfill the changing from one sex to another, this counts as their one transfer. Once they transfer they cannot go back to the original sex or litter.
4. Absolutely no changing from a female to a male puppy
Effective February 7th, 2018
All OFFICIAL puppy announcements will be done seven (7) days after birth via EMAIL.
Please do NOT email / call asking if the dame gave birth, a puppy count or ask for pictures before the 7th day.
Q: Why?
A: The first seven days are the hardest of a newborn puppy’s life. We need to focus on each and every puppy at this time. Also we would hate to fill your family with the great news only to break your hearts days later.
Q: How will I know if she gave birth?
A: On the litter page you will see EXPECTED by the dates if your litter is NOT born. Once they are born we will update the page to show the actual birth dates.
We will update the “Go Home” date as soon as we announce the litter.
Q: When can we see pictures of the puppies?
A: We will be taking pictures of the puppies the first few days and will post them once we announce the litter at seven days. After that we will resume our normal schedule of posting pictures. Please see “Puppy Buyers Timeline”
We know you are excited for your new puppy and that is a great thing. However for us to deliver the healthiest possible puppy we need time to make sure everything goes smooth as possible. Thank you in advance for being patient while we are focusing on your puppy’s health.
King Rottweilers Puppy Buyers Timeline.
Once you put your $500.00 deposit down we wait for the litter to be born. If they are already born the deposit is still $500.00.
Guidelines that I ask of you.
1. Please do not ask for puppy pictures, we will post them as time permits.
2. Please do not ask for individual pictures of the “males” or “females”.
3. If you have questions make a list and give us a call (10 am to 8pm PST).
4. If you would rather email, put all your questions in one email. One line emails over and over are very time-consuming.
5. Sorry, no visiting the puppies until they are 6 Weeks + 3 Days old and have their shots (As Time Permits).
6. Please be aware of Puppy Pictures and Updates after the first week is normally every 2 to 3 weeks, as time permits.
Once the puppies are born:
Now we start the 8-week process, here is a timeline that I try to stick to.
Puppy deposits are no longer transferable.
Puppy Pictures posted to Facebook (Group)
Week 1
Vet check, tails docked, dewclaws removed
Puppy Pictures posted to Facebook (Group)
Litter is announced via E-Mail
Tailed puppy reservation(s) payment in full is due, failure to send this will result in your puppy’s tail docked.
Week 2 to 3 (about)
Puppies are de-wormed
Puppy Pictures posted to Facebook (Group)
Week 4 to 5 (about)
Puppies are de-wormed
Start the weaning process
4 Week Update and Official Name Requested Via E-Mail
Puppy Pictures posted to Facebook (Group)
Week 6 to 7
Puppies are de-wormed (if needed)
Puppies receive Color collars, first shots, and microchip
Puppy Pictures posted to Facebook (Individual & Group)
King Rottweilers “Pick-list” is created and emailed to clients that have a reservation for this litter.
No extra pictures will be provided of your puppy for any reason, please do not ask.
Final Payment including shipping is due for clients that require shipping
(Accepted Forms: Personal or Cashier Checks and wire transfer only).
Scheduling of Puppy Pick up times requests accepted – After Puppy Choices are completed via E-Mail.
Information E-Mail is sent out (Food, Vet visits, etc.).
Week 8
Paperwork is finished and Puppies are ready to be picked up.
Final Payment is due for all puppies.
GO HOME SCHEDULE the weekend after they turn 8 weeks UNLESS otherwise stated.
Pick Up – Normally only Saturday but check the litter page to confirm
Shipping – Friday’s Only
Any puppy requiring shipping will be shipped the Friday before the pick ups, unless other arrangements have made at least 4 weeks in advance.
*All puppies need to paid in full by end of the pick-up weekend.
**Any puppy not picked up, shipped, or paid in full by 8 weeks old will be subject to sell.
***Any puppy not picked up or shipped by the end of the pick-up weekend will be subject to a $10.00 per day / $70.00 per week boarding fee for the first week and $20 per day / $140.00 per week thereafter, NO EXCEPTIONS.
Arrangements or “Gray area” in this timeline is at King Rottweilers LLC discretion. All arrangements are subject to the approval of King Rottweilers LLC, and is on a case by case basis.
Q: Will I be required to sign a puppy contract.
A: Yes, everyone is required to sing a basic puppy contract before receiving their puppy.
Q: What if I have my puppy shipped?
A: We will email you your contract, in PDF format, you must return the contract before we ship your puppy.
Q: Can I see a copy of your contract?
A: Yes, we have it posted online Click Here
All our puppies are weaned off their mother and placed on Dry Kibble of their choice. If you are currently waiting for your puppy to come home please do not buy any food until we know which food we are feeding that litter. Normally this is announced at week 7 (a week before they go home).
King Rottweilers llc has a hybrid picking process, we welcome your input.
In order to protect the ethics of our breeding program King Rottweilers will have the final say in the pick of your puppy. With that said we do everything we can to make sure you have input in choosing your new family member. Our hybrid picking process is as follows:
King Rottweilers will discuss your needs and wants of your family when it comes to your new rottweiler puppy. We normally take notes as we are talking to you and we do save just about every email you send to us. Over the first 6 weeks of the puppies life we observe how each puppy interacts with the other puppies, adult dogs (momma) and humans. At 6 weeks we do temperament testing and in most cases we ask other experts their input before making the “King Rottweilers Pick List”. These experts are proven show kennel owners, professional dog trainers and veterinarians. We also know our bloodlines of our breeding stock better than anyone else.
To give you an example:
The client requests a puppy for a potential therapy dog. We will know better than anyone else in the world which litter that puppy should come from. We are not going to recommend you get a potential therapy rottweiler from a litter that was bred based on their working lines (protection / schutzhund). At the same time if you reserve First Pick we will not allow you to pick a puppy that as a fault.
First pick and Second pick puppies should have NO FAULTS. At this price point you are paying for the perfect rottweiler puppy at that point and time for your needs. It is our ethical duty to make sure you get what you pay for and provide a puppy based on your needs. It would not be ethical to allow the First pick puppy buyer to choose a puppy based solely off the look of the puppy at that point in time. This is one case where King Rottweilers llc will have the final decision for the puppies you are allowed to pick from.
We ask all our clients to pick within 2 puppies of their picking order from King Rottweilers Pick List.
Example:
You have reserved First Pick – You may choose from First or Second Pick ONLY.
You have reserved Second Pick – You may choose from the puppy that is not picked from the pick above you and the puppy below you.
First pick chooses the 2nd puppy on King Rottweilers list. Now You as the Second Pick may choose between King Rottweilers 1st pick and King Rottweilers 3rd pick.
This process will continue until all puppies have been picked.
ALL PICKS MUST BE COMPLETED BY 7 WEEKS OF AGE AND ARE FINAL.
Failure to select your pick will result in your pick defaulting to King Rottweilers Pick List.
It is YOUR responsibility to contact King Rottweilers with your pick once we email our Pick List out.
Normally we like to see First Pick to contact us within 24 hours; Second pick to contact us within the next 24 hours; third pick to contact us within the new 24 hours, etc etc.
Example:
We email our list out on a Friday:
First pick should contact us by Saturday Evening
Second Pick should contact us by Sunday Evening
Third pick should contact us by Monday Evening and so forth.
Finally as King Rottweilers llc will work with you in every way possible; however King Rottweiler Reserves the Right to pick your puppy for you based on what you have stated your needs are.
*** Disclaimer: As with any breeder, King Rottweilers llc has the right to reserve one puppy per sex from each litter known as the Breeders Reserve. You as a client that is interested in Breeding or Showing have the right to buy us out of this selection if we do offer this selection for sale. As Breeders Reserve your puppy will be picked by the Breeder as the one puppy they would keep as a Potential Show / Breeding Prospect.
A full list of our pricing is in our puppy application
Pricing in the Puppy Application does not include AKC transfer fees, shipping or any discounts.
Puppies sold with the intent to breed or show must pay First Reservation Pricing unless otherwise stated.
We do NOT quote puppy pricing over the phone. Again pricing is in the Puppy Application.
Please do not call and ask, as we will refer you to our rottweiler puppy application.
Rottweiler Health Testing
at Locus (DNA marker – ASIP reference: Schmutz S and DL Dreger. A SINE Insertion Causes the Black-and-Tan and Saddle Tan Phenotypes in Domestic Dogs. Journal of Heredity 2011, 102(S1):S11-S18.) This color allele is associated with generating the commonly known phenotypes known as “tan points”, “phantom” and “tri-color” among several breeds. The inheritance and expression can vary depending on the breed.
Associated with the presence of chocolate (also commonly referred to as liver or brown). The bb genotype usually results in a chocolate coat phenotype and liver noses among yellow dogs.
The Canine Health Information Center, also known as CHIC, is a centralized canine health database sponsored by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). CHIC, working with participating parent clubs, provides a resource for breeders and owners of purebred dogs to research and maintain information on the health issues prevalent in specific breeds by establishing a recommended protocol for breed specific health screening and recognizing dogs tested in accordance with that protocol.
Congenital heart diseases in dogs are malformations of the heart or great vessels. The lesions characterizing congenital heart defects are present at birth and may develop more fully during perinatal and growth periods. Many congenital heart defects are thought to be genetically transmitted from parents to offspring; however, the exact modes of inheritance have not been precisely determined for all cardiovascular malformations.
At this time, developmental cardiac diseases like subaortic stenosis and cardiomyopathies are difficult to monitor since there is no clear cut distinction between normal and abnormal. The OFA will modify the congenital cardiac database when a proven diagnostic modality and normal parameters by breed are established. However at this time, the OFA cardiac database should not be considered as a screening tool for these diseases.
Canine Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) is a devastating degenerative disease of the spinal cord that can progress rapidly and cause weakness in the hind limbs and eventually paraplegia among genotypically affected dogs.
The Three Faces of Elbow Dysplasia
Elbow dysplasia is a general term used to identify an inherited polygenic disease in the elbow of dogs. Three specific etiologies make up this disease and they can occur independently or in conjunction with one another. These etiologies include:
1. Pathology involving the medial coronoid of the ulna (FCP)
2. Osteochondritis of the medial humeral condyle in the elbow joint (OCD)
3. Ununited anconeal process (UAP)
Studies have shown the inherited polygenic traits causing these etiologies are independent of one another. Clinical signs involve lameness which may remain subtle for long periods of time. No one can predict at what age lameness will occur in a dog due to a large number of genetic and environmental factors such as degree of severity of changes, rate of weight gain, amount of exercise, etc. Subtle changes in gait may be characterized by excessive inward deviation of the paw which raises the outside of the paw so that it receives less weight and distributes more mechanical weight on the outside (lateral) aspect of the elbow joint away from the lesions located on the inside of the joint. Range of motion in the elbow is also decreased.
Grading Elbows
For elbow evaluations, there are no grades for a radiographically normal elbow. The only grades involved are for abnormal elbows with radiographic changes associated with secondary degenerative joint disease. Like the hip certification, the OFA will not certify a normal elbow until the dog is 2 years of age. The OFA also accepts preliminary elbow radiographs. To date, there are no long term studies for preliminary elbow examinations like there are for hips, however, preliminary screening for elbows along with hips can also provide valuable information to the breeder.
1. Grade I Elbow Dysplasia: Minimal bone change along anconeal process of ulna (less than 2mm).
2. Grade II Elbow Dysplasia: Additional bone proliferation along anconeal process (2-5 mm) and subchondral bone changes (trochlear notch sclerosis).
3. Grade III Elbow Dysplasia: Well developed degenerative joint disease with bone proliferation along anconeal process being greater than than 5 mm.
This allele allows the agouti protein to bind some of the time and cause fawn/red pigment to be made on the body and the melanocyte stimulating hormone to bind on the face instead. Dogs that are black, brown or blue do not show their mask against their similar body color. The mask is inherited as a dominant trait.
The purpose of the OFA Eye Certification Registry (CAER) is to provide breeders with information regarding canine eye diseases so that they may make informed breeding decisions in an effort to produce healthier dogs. CAER certifications will be performed by board certified (ACVO) veterinary ophthalmologists. Regardless of whether owners submit their CAER exam forms to the OFA for “certification,” all CAER exam data is collected for aggregate statistical purposes to provide information on trends in eye disease and breed susceptibility. Clinicians and students of ophthalmology as well as interested breed clubs and individual breeders and owners of specific breeds will find this useful.
Long-haired coat length is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. Therefore, dogs that are carriers of the long-hair mutation usually appear to be normal (short hair) but will likely pass on the long-hair allele 50% of the time.
The phenotypic evaluation of hips done by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals falls into seven different categories. Those categories are Normal (Excellent, Good, Fair), Borderline, and Dysplastic (Mild, Moderate, Severe). Once each of the radiologists classifies the hip into one of the 7 phenotypes above, the final hip grade is decided by a consensus of the 3 independent outside evaluations. Examples would be:
1. Two radiologists reported Excellent, one Good—the final grade would be Excellent
2. One radiologist reported Excellent, one Good, one Fair—the final grade would be Good
3. One radiologist reported Fair, two radiologists reported Mild—the final grade would be Mild
The hip grades of Excellent, Good and Fair are within normal limits and are given OFA numbers. This information is accepted by AKC on dogs with permanent identification (tattoo, microchip) and is in the public domain. Radiographs of Borderline, Mild, Moderate and Severely dysplastic hip grades are reviewed by the OFA radiologist and a radiographic report is generated documenting the abnormal radiographic findings.
We feel so strongly about testing for JLPP and want to educated and encourage ALL breeders to test, we have dedicated an entire post on JLPP. This post contains videos so you know what to look for.
Hyperuricosuria, or elevated uric acid level in the urine, is inherited as an autosomal recessive disorder and is characterized by the formation of bladder stones and occasional kidney stones.
