GSD puppy: Is paying more for OFA-tested parents worth the cost?

Hi there, It's great to hear that the puppy's parents have good OFA certifications! This is the best predictive factor we currently have for good orthopedic health. I do not know of any direct size correlation with orthopedic disease and size. The bone density should be the same either way. The best things you can do to keep any dog from having orthopedic disease over time is appropriate exercise (swimming is great!), keeping the dog lean, and feeding a high quality diet made for large breed dogs. Royal Canin is my personal favorite brand, and they make a diet specifically for German Shepherd health. I would avoid anything marketed as "grain free" or "raw" as these are linked with many nutritional disorders, many of which can be orthopedic related. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, SV is the rGerman standard for judging German Shepherd Dogs. If you are looking for a puppy that is more German style, breeders may use this term. There is a more American style of GSDs also. I would not worry much about the style of the puppy, only the health. The parents should be certified that they had the x rays and determined to have no defects of their elbows or hips. (this is the OFA and Penn Hip certification). Elbow and hip dysplasia are very common in GSDs and can happen in any puppy but if the parents have sound structure the puppies are less likely to have defects. Good luck, i hope this helps!

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach The British Veterinary Association (BVA) uses a scoring system where each hip is evaluated and assigned points based on degree 9 criteria of hip dysplasia in each hip. Each hip is then scored independently and given a number from 0 (best) to 53 (worst). So, a dog may get a total value from 0 to 106, with lower scores being better. A "good" score is anything lower than the breed average, which can fluctuate a bit over time. The current average score for German Shepherds is 18, so anything lower than 18 is a better-than-average score. (Of course, the average is only taking into account those dogs who have been submitted to receive a score, which I would expect to be better than the population at large, since the dogs being submitted are generally those being shown or bred). If your paperwork is indicating that one of your pup's parents received a total of 6 and the other a 3, I would consider those very good scores. Alternatively, it might be indicating that one of those dogs received a 6 in one hip and a 3 in the other hip, for a total of 9...which would still be well below (and therefore better than) the breed average. Either way, I'd say those look like good scores. :-) Hope this helps!

Hi Lou! Yes, you are correct that there is a concern about getting a puppy from parents who are siblings, even half siblings. This increasing the risk of the dog having recessive genes expressed which can adversely affect their health. Siblings should never be bred to each other, and a responsible breeder would never allow that to happen. In my opinion, I would not get a puppy from this litter, and instead find a breeder who does not allow siblings to be bred to each other. Also make sure the breeder does health tests on the sire and dam to make sure that genetic diseases which are common in this breed of dog are not present, thus making the puppies as healthy as possible. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Prices of pure breeds can range from $400-2500 for the puppy depending on breeder and where they are located. After that you are looking at vaccine sand flea and heart worm prevention for regular wellness care. This can be $400-500 a year. If you can keep an open credit card or savings account Incase something comes up as an emergency then all that is left is food and accessories

I am not 100% sure what you are referring to but I am guessing DM (degenerative myelopathy). Is that correct? Yes, there is DNA testing available to see which dogs carry the gene for this disease. If two dogs bred together that both have this autosomal recessive gene then the chance of the offspring developing the disease is 1 in 4. Some dogs carry the gene but never develop symptoms. All animals should ideally be tested prior to purchase and breeding. The problem is that most breeders do not do the testing. If you buy another GSD you should only buy from a breeder that has done the testing. Hope this answers your question. Best wishes.

Thank you for your question. The cost of vaccination and surgical repair of a hernia will vary greatly between veterinarians. I recommend you call a local clinic and they should be able to give you an estimate for these procedures. At the time of Oso's first puppy exam and vaccinations, the veterinarian can decide if hernia repair should be done right away, or if it can be delayed and done at a later time with neutering. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.