Hello,
I'm brand new here but I've been reading this forum for the past few weeks to prepare for the 7 week old husky pup we just got on Wednesday. Sorry ahead of time, because it looks like this post will be long winded.
This is Aesop:

He has been such a sweetie so far! The 2 hour drive home with him was great, and he handled the admiration of our family and friends really well.
We got him from a breeder, who was recommended to us by a guy who lives in the same apartment building as us. He has a really gorgeous husky, and highly recommended this breeder. So far all of our experiences with the breeder have been great. They have a lot of great reviews online, we went up and visited our pup at the kennel when he was a week old, and everything looked great. She could answer any questions we asked her and encouraged us to seek her advice at any time.
Yesterday I took him to his first vet appointment. This is my first dog of my own, so it was my first time at a vet appointment at a new vet clinic. He did really well during the examination, and my new vet was great. Unfortunately, she found he had two problems. The first is that his testicles have not descended. The second is something she called patellar luxation. She said that she is able to move his knee caps out of place. She said that there is the possiblity that he could grow out of both of these problems, and that she would recheck both of them each time he came in for his vaccinations. The then looked at me very seriously and said that both of these problems have the potential become serious, and although both problems could be treated with surgery, the surgeries could be expensive. Then she said that if I wanted to, this would be the time to go back to the breeder. I'm sure I looked confused, so she elaborated that this would be the time to bring my pup back and get a new one or my money back. Then I'm pretty sure I had a look of utter horror on my face, so she said that she wouldn't do that either, but just wanted to warn me. Although it is in our contract with the breeder that if the pup is diagnosed "to have a life threatening health issue that cannot be corrected or controlled by medications, a replacement puppy will be given" that was never an option to my husband and I. We went into this knowing that caring for a dog costs money. If he needs the surgery, we'll figure out how to pay for it. But he's our puppy, and he's definitely not going anywhere.
My vet told me to talk to my breeder and see if she has any expierence with either of these problems, beacuse apparently they are both genetic. She also warned me to tread carefully, so that the breeder did not become defensive. And she told me not to worry too much, because he could grow out of the problems.
But of course I was immiedately very worried. I went home and googled my heart out, trying to understand the two problems. From what I found, the undscended testicles are usually not a huge problem, especially beacuse he will just be a pet, and we planned to neuter him anyway. But it seems like the patellar lux has the potential to become very painful for the dog, and the surgery to fix it can be very expensive.
I did send the breeder an email, which I believe expressed a desire for advice, and no malice or blame. I'm really hoping that she email's me back and says that some of her pups have these problems early, but that they all grow out of them and are healthy. Until I hear back from her, has anyone here had any expierence with either of these problems? Any idea on a timeline of when I can be sure he won't grow out of if? Or any expierences with the surgery to fix these issues, costs, recovery time, etc? Anyone know of anything I can do to help him? I was looking into a vitamin supplement for joints with glucoasamine in it, as someone online had mentioned that helping their puppy that had patellar lux.
Any advice or opinions would be appreciated. I'm worried about my pup, and want to do anything I can to help him.
Thanks,
Heather

Puppies' testicles can drop from anywhere to 10 days old to 6 months old. I wouldn't worry much about that. I would be more worried about the patellar luxation and possibly get a second opinion from a different vet. There is at least one member here who has a husky puppy with that condition and another with a chihuahua with the condition. It can be painfull to the dog and is a major medical problem IMO. I would definitely talk with your breeder and see your options.

Does your breeder get the adult huskies eyes checked by CERF and hips checked by OFA?

First off, Welcome!

Secondly, This vet was expecting a 7 week old pup to have his testicles descended?!? That's funny, Kale's didn't descend till he was 3 months. I've never, personally, seen a 7-8 week old male pup with both testes descended; and that's with any breed.

Sara & Brooke: I'm relived to hear you both say that about his testicles, it is what I gathered from looking online. And I am definitely much more concerned about the patellar lux. I hope I hear back from my breeder soon. My husband and I are committed to keeping Aesop, but maybe our breeder would reimburse us for his cost to help pay for the surgery if he needs it? Our contract really only gives us the option of getting a new puppy, so I don't know.

Also, it seems like maybe my vet was kind of jumping the gun with expressing worry about his testicles not dropping, do you think that could be a possibility with the patellar lux as well? She said that as he is still growing, his ligaments may be loose currently, but that they could improve as he grows and he could end up having no problems. (At least I think that's what she said. I was, and still am, overwhelmed and emotional thinking about it.) She also tried to have me feel how his knee cap moved, but I couldn't feel anything when she did it. Maybe she just wanted to warn me up front about any possible problem she thought could arise just to give me a heads up?

As far as I can tell the breeder is in the process of getting her adults checked by CERF and OFA, but it looks like Aesop's mom and dad have not been yet. I really felt like I had done a lot of research on finding a good breeder, now I feel like I had no clue what I was doing.

Don't feel bad. Most people don't know what to look for in a breeder. Live and learn! Honestly I wouldn't know what health tests a reputable yorkie breeder would do. lol. I only know sibes. But a quick look at the breed club (siberian husky club of america...for huskies) would tell you the required testing.

I don't know a lot about patellar lux and not sure if you can tell much at only 7 weeks. I would just wait to hear what the breeder says (and caution some not so reputable breeders will go nuts if you try to say one of their puppies has a problem or just totally ignore you like Siku's breeder did to me) and go from there. If you are still worried, go to a different vet for a second opinion. Hopefully those who know more about this condition will jump in soon!

Welcome
You're pup is beautiful and I too would agree with getting a second opinion! Like the two previous ladies posted, the testicles will drop and shouldn't be an issue.

My Yorkie's knee caps pop out of place and my vet also recommended we get the surgery. I was hesitant on getting it, because she is only 2 lbs and ignored it since it didn't seem to bother her when she was younger. Now that she is 7, I'm noticing it bothering her more often and thinking about getting it done now. My friend has two min pin's and both had the operation when they were puppies and had no complications. The surgery was $1,200-$1,800 from what I can remember and the healing time is a few weeks.

Sara - Thanks, that sounds like a good plan. I really, really hope I get an good response from the breeder. I was planning relying on her as a resource to go to with any questions about Aesop throughout his life (as she encouraged us to,) and it would be very disappointing to have that opportunity ruined within two day of getting him.

Kelly- Thanks for the welcome, it's very much appreciated. And I do agree that if the vet says there's no improvement, and he needs treatment, I will definitely be getting a second opinion. She said it would be a while before she would be able to decide if he needed treatment, since she believes it could improve as he grows. To be honest I don't even know if I can wait that long, I may just have him checked out by another vet in the meantime to see if they agree.

I'll be sure to update if I get an email back from our breeder.

Welcome!! I have absolutely no experience with the patellar lux but I can continue to reassure you that the testicles will drop in due time. Kota's dad's testicles didn't drop until he was close to 6 months. But it may be true that your vet was jumping the gun with such concerns right off the bat.
One of Kota's siblings had a mild lung problem that was easily solved at home. Don't take my word for this though because I'm new too, but I look forward to seeing what your breeder has to say! Again, welcome

I asked on FB and a vet in my local kennel club said he can usually tell if a puppy has the condition during the 8 to 12 week exams.

Please get another Vet's opinion! If the Vet is questioning the Testicles dropping at that early of an age then maybe they could be wrong about the Patella Lux. I would 100% get a second or third opinion!

Beautiful pup!!! And Good luck!

Thanks for the link to that post, it seems like it may be a good idea to try some vitamin supplements for joints. He has an appointment for shots two weeks from yesterday, he'll be 9 weeks old then, and they will be rechecking his knees, so I will definitely be asking more questions then. It seems like the patellar lux thing has varying degrees of severity, and there seems to be various therapies that could potentially help. Also there is an orthopedic vet in my area that seems to specialize in patellar lux. I think if my vet doesn't see improvement I'll try to get an appointment with him. Thanks again for all the help from everyone!

Welcome to the forum and I am sorry to hear your start with your puppy is on a not so positive note. I hope for both of your sakes that it is something Aesop will grow out of. He is absolutely georgeous by-the-way!

Hi there and welcome! I'd get a 2nd opinion just to be sure but try and find a vet who specializes in that sort of thing. My Border Collie had knee issues and we got advice from a doggy chiropractor that was recommended to us by our Agility team.

My male pomeranian has LP. He is normally ok, but he did not grow out of it. It CAN be painful for them, but our vet told us that most dogs can be on anti-inflammitory meds if the pain is bad. Our pom can not because he is too little (under 6 lbs).

I would just watch him mostly, and if he is favoring one leg or the other, you can pop it back in place with ease. Our vet taught us how to do it.

DO NOT DO IT WITHOUT VET TRAINING THO! you can really hurt them if you do it wrong.

I hope he does grow out of it. It's no fun at all. They offer a surgery for it, but for our little guy it was about 800 with no guarantees, so I'd be afraid to find out what it is for a big dog

Welcome! We're also from Wisconsin! She looks like a puppy from Painted Dreams Michelle is a really good breeder, I'm sure she'll email you back and help you guys through it.


Also we have a facebook group for WI Husky owners! https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/groups/174458369271335/ And we have a meet up April 29th in Eau Claire

I'm sorry Jennet, but why are they a really good breeder in your opinion? Looks like they've been breeding for a while with no health checks. Their dogs aren't that close to the breed standard and they don't show, but like to show off that there are champions 4, 5, 6, etc. generations back in the pedigree. Will they take their dogs back if ever need be? Do they raise their puppies in the house or just out in those little kennels?

I'm just sick of people trying to claim that sub-par and pretty terrible breeders are great and A+ breeders. It's not that hard to just get your dogs hips and eyes checked, go to some shows, raise the puppies in a good environment, and always be willing to take them back if need be.

SaraB wrote:

I'm sorry Jennet, but why are they a really good breeder in your opinion? Looks like they've been breeding for a while with no health checks. Their dogs aren't that close to the breed standard and they don't show, but like to show off that there are champions 4, 5, 6, etc. generations back in the pedigree. Will they take their dogs back if ever need be? Do they raise their puppies in the house or just out in those little kennels?

I'm just sick of people trying to claim that sub-par and pretty terrible breeders are great and A+ breeders. It's not that hard to just get your dogs hips and eyes checked, go to some shows, raise the puppies in a good environment, and always be willing to take them back if need be.

She does show. She's at a show right now actually where her male shanook took 2 firsts and her female aspen took 2 seconds. She did just start doing ofa testing and cerf testing..yes.she. does take her dogs back

Maybe I was looking at the wrong site.

There is a clause about taking the puppies back but I just can't see how someone should be considered reputable if the majority of litters are not from health tested or proven stock. I'm no "show snob" by any means but the way the website comes off is very unprofessional and sloppy. Breeding dogs before 2 years of age... I just don't understand. While this person may be very nice I wouldn't consider them reputable or someone I would recommend. No offence Jennet, just my observation of what they put on the website.

You didn't get him from Maxhaven Kennels did you? I would stay far away from them in the future. The breed SO many dogs each year, it like a little puppy factory. I'm just moved away from the central WI area, and I know many people that got dogs from Maxhaven and many of these dogs had genetic conditions. Painted Dream use to look kind of shady to me, but I think she is in the process of trying to become a better breeder. There website has changes (for the better) in the last year.

However, he is a super cute puppy and I can tell why you fell in love with him! I really hope everything turns out ok for your guys.

We did get him from Painted Dreams. I didn't intend to tell which breeder it was, but I guess it's too late now. I have not received a reply from the email I sent Michelle on Friday, which is very disheartening. I am pretty sure she got it, because she has been updating Painted Dreams facebook page and therefore has been online since she got back from her dog show, but as of yet, no email.

And yes, she does take her dogs back, but like I said that's not an option for us, we want to keep Aesop. All I want from her is some advice, and honesty. I would like to know if she has had other puppies with LP, and if they had to have treatment, or out grew it. I do agree that she is very nice. Prior to this, she answered any questions I had, and encouraged us to contact her with anything. But I also agree that just because she is nice, does not necessarily make her reputable. I wish I would have realized that before. I really, really hope I get an email back soon, and she proves me wrong!

If she does not email me back soon what should I do? Call? Send another email? What can I say to not offend her and make her defensive. Like I said, we just want her help in the form of advice, we don't want to exchange our puppy.

Are you friends with her on her personal facebook? If youre not i can message you it..

Welcome, I also am from wisconsin and I am only about an hour from you. First off your pup is gorgeous and I totally understand not wanting to get another one. We fall in love at first site, and I dont know much about the issues, but would recommend getting another opinion as well.
Keep us all posted and cant wait to see more pictures.

Geeze, I can't get over how she keeps calling the males sirs! It's sire! Not sir! I thought it was just a typo on their FB page, but nope it's on their website too.

If they don't get back to you, just e-mail them again or call again. If still no response, just look to your vet for advice and ask questions on here and figure you'll never talk to the breeder again unfortunately. That's just like what Siku's breeder did to me.