Great Lake Danes Health Guarantee

We guarantee hips on your puppy as well. You can read more on how to prevent bad hips below.  

 We guarantee hips against any genetic defects for 26 months of the puppy’s life.  This guarantee means that the hips will be classified with ratings of Mild or better by the O.F.A (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) up to 26 months. Hip x-rays are required to be done at 24 months when OFA will give the hips a certified rating, and not earlier.  Dogs who receive a report of moderate or severe dysplasia will be considered for a refund/or a replacement puppy for the full amount paid for the puppy (excludes flight cost).   You must have an official written documentation from O.F.A of dysplasia rates of moderate or severe, before a replacement pup/or refund is given.  We will not honor a written statement or exam from your licensed veterinarian.  It must be documented by O.F.A.   Also a written statement from your veterinarian verifying that this dog is not nor has ever been overweight for its bone structure, and no evidence that this dog was overstressed, overfed, or over exercised during the first year which is an important growth phase, is required. 

 

Some important hip information is stated below:

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Hip dysplasia has four major causes:

·        genetics                                       

·         diet                                               

·        over feeding                                  

·         too much exercise at a young age

 

Research has found that genetics play between a 25% and 30% role in a dog having hip dysplasia according to a study done by the German Shepherd Dog Club of Germany. This means that new owners can assume a great deal of responsibility (70% to 75%) in their dog developing good hips.

 

What you can do to help prevent bad hips during the growth phase of the first year

1- Keep your dog thin – be able to see a definition between the ribs and loins of your dog.  The more weight a dog carries the more pressure is on the hips. This is extremely important when the dog is growing (between 8 weeks and 18 months) too much weight at a young age is going to add stress on soft puppy                                                                                                                                       bones.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

2- Do not over exercise your young dog. Over exercise (jogging/running with a puppy, pulling weights, running with owner on a bike etc.) will casue problems, as well as allowing it to jump   from SUV's or trucks etc.  DO NOT TAKE A PUPPY JOGGING!!  Not until it's older than one year of age.  Over exercise is the fastest way to destroy hips.   Do not exercise to the point  of exaustion, or take the pup for long long walks. A walk round the block is fine; a 2 mile walk is notfine.  

                                                                                                                                          

3-    Feed a quality puppy food.  Feeding a controlled balanced diet increases the opportunity for muscle, connective tissue, and the hip joint bones to develop congruently.

 

4- SWIM the dog!! Take the dog swimming every day for 3 or 4 months before you have x-rays taken. Swimming is the best exercise you can do for a dog. It is way better than jogging the dog.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

 

One of the most common myths about hip dysplasia is that it equals to a death sentence, or a life of crippling pain for the dog.  This is rarely the case.  OFA classifies poor hips in categories of mild, moderate and severe.  Most dogs with Mild ratings and a good percentage of those diagnosed with Moderate ratings, lead perfectly normal, active, healthy lives with few, if any symptoms. Many dogs even with ratings of mild or moderate are used as agility dogs, working dogs for the law enforcement and as search dogs. They likely will develop some arthritis in the joints as they age, but then most dogs even with ratings of fair, good and excellent will suffer from some form of arthritis in their later years.  Proper exercise and nutrition, along with joint  supplements such as Nuvet Joint, glucosamine, chondritin and vitamins can help slow the development of arthritis.  According to Dog Health Report “A lot of pain may be caused, in cases of   hip dysplasia, to the dog due to the malformation of the hip joint and femur bones and in the some cases, will need immediate surgery, or in the worst case, will need to be put to sleep. Mild     cases are easier to deal with, they mainly need a good diet and exercise routine.

 

  We also guarantee  up to one year of age against any severe and/or life-threatening genetic disorders.