Patella luxation and breeders

[Rocky]

Hi everyone,

as we bought Rocky we didnt really ask whether the breeders breed only with Chis that are free of Patella Luxation, as I expected that it was a normal thing (as it is in my country of origin). Rocky does have PL now though and I told myself that for the next Chi, I will watch out for it much more.

So my question now is whether breeders in the UK that are KC registered, actually have to get their breeding dogs knees checked or not? Or can they just choose to by themselves, so some do and others dont? I really have no idea about any regulations KC breeders have here. Hope you can give me an answer

[Sarah]

The KC do not recommend any health testing in chihuahuas!

Any reputable breeder will happily tell you theirs don't and won't even as why or what or get annoyed .

What grade is rockys PL?

[Hollie]

No there are no requirements by the KC or any other body. You really just have to check out with every possible potential breeder. My first dog Feo has it too

[Kristi]

There are no requirements for tests here in the US either, only recommendations per se. Sorry about Rocky's knees.

[Rocky]

Luckily he only has PL grade 1-2 in his right knee. But I just wanted to make sure for the next Chi, simply as I am not sure whether Rocky might need a surgery later on in life and I would preferably save my dog (dogs) from needing surgery. Do you know of any UK breeder who do get all the health checks done? (Could PM me if not allowed to name breeders here). Or do you know whether it is actually possible to bring in a puppy from a european country or does the Pet Travel Scheme not allow puppies at all?

[Sarah]

Honestly I think you're jumping the gun a bit. I don't mean to be rude but I can name a whole bunch of breeders who don't have PL in their lines.

Most (and I say most as not all) of the breeders who show will not have PL in their lines they wouldn't do that as we are breeding to better the breed.

You can import dogs but it's very expensive and you could easily find yourself a nice dog for a lot cheaper with no problems.

Call the British chihuahua club they will put you in touch with members who have puppies and ask them. Going to a breeder who KC registers their pups means nothing neither does someone on the accredited breeder scheme you need to go to someone who knows what they're doing.

Let us know what you're looking for, sex, coat, puppy or older puppy and we may know people oh and where you are too

[london12]

It is amazing that the KC do no checks - I was expecting a lot more scrutiny when I got 'accredited' status. Only been breeding for a short while.
The best way to assess breeders is to look how long they have been breeding and how well their dogs have done - as far as I know not too many champs have major health problems - but who knows! Although there are decent breeders who are not in the ring too. I just let my heart rule my head anyway as you have to fall in love with the pup. Not sure about bringing pups in...........probably a long quarantine.

[Sarah]

The only health problem that I know of in the ring is deerus flashmoon (is that his name?? Graham footes dog) who has syringomyelia but he's not breeding him because of this (thank goodness)

And there was a dog hopping around the ring at crufts 2010 isaw the video on YouTube!!

The accredited breeder thing is BS I think, there's puppy farmers on it really upsets me we should health test for knees at the minimum all it is is an X-ray eyes should prob be tested too!

I think just ask a lot of questions check the dogs over see the parents move if the parents skip then move on but honestly you just need to know where to look