Hi, I haven't purchased my Labrador Retriever until Wed when I choose which one I would like. they are only 4 weeks old at mo and can collect at 8 weeks.

My Question is they haven't been hip & eye scored as shes never seen the need being the mother as family pet. father is working dog and both dogs extremely healthy across bloodlines having problems.

Is this ok to purchase

Well it's a risk IMO.

There is a chance of health issues, how would you be able to deal with that, emotionally and financially, should it arise?

It's up to you at the end of the day, but IMO, know what you are taking on and all the potentially issues that could arise

Just she says the blood line has had no problems at all..it will be my first pup of a Lab so not sure what to do .

Could you perhaps ring a local breed club? Or have a frank chat with the owner of the dam?

Their breeder may well be correct, plenty of excellent working dogs do not have the health tests.

As said, it's a risk that you can choose to take, but IMO it's wise to be prepared just in case. Orthopedic problems can be costly to treat and need time invested in them throughout recovery.

Not meaning to be negative

I would be hesitant. Especially with a breed like the Labrador where Hip issues are not uncommon.

Thanks everyone. I just have to be 100% as the pup is not cheap and would hate to run into problems and not just for me but pup as well. I know they are KC reg and have been checked by vet to be healthy. is this all that is needed.

Labs are a breed that do suffer form hip and elbow displasia relatively commonly.

If I was paying a lot for a pup of this breed, personally I'd want the parents to be hip scored at the very least.
You could look further back in the pedigree, it may be a line of dogs with exceptional hip scores.

A 'vet check' is very different to breed specific health tests. Lots of pups look to be thriving, lots of problems do not show themselves until months later.

I'd have a chat with the breeder if I was you, if you don't feel they are approachable on the matter, then maybe consider this litter isn't for you

Absolutely not.

KC registration means nothing health wise even since introducing rules about interbreeding (I promise I won't start my usual 'The KC should operate an open stud book' rant )

It just proves who the parents are.

Puppies can be healthy, but develop problems - especially hip problems - later (eye (PRA) and elbow problems also show up later in a 'healthy' pup.

BUT

Hip scoring only gives you a guide to the likelyhood of pup developing hip dysplasia later. A pup whose parents had lower than breed average hip scores is way less likely to develop HP than one with parents with poor hip scores - but it isn't a guarantee.

Another way to tell is to be fully knowledgeable about the lines - do the pup's grand parents, uncles, aunts, cousins etc have good hips?

If you have neither of the above (hip score or history) then you are playing russian roulette. So make sure you have good insurance and a bit of cash put aside if you go ahead.

Thank you Muze, will do so tomorrow.

Reading the post above I feel you're not yet ready to become a competent pet owner. Hip and eye checks and research into family history are very important to any competent owner.

Do not buy this pet I beg of you, research a the breed for a few months become familiar with the breed then start thinking about becoming a pet owner. My concern is your lack of basic knowledge may lead to the animal suffering needlessly. I understand you wouldn't knowingly allow the animal to suffer but your unintentional ignorance may enable suffering.

The price of the pet is not the point here, the health and well-being is the primary concern.

Do you think every dog owner bought their dog with their eyes wide open? I certainly didn't. "I quite fancy getting a dog. I like the look of that breed so I'm going to buy it."

My way may not have been the most sensible way and even though my dog has never had any problems, I certainly would do a fair bit of research if I was to ever get another dog of a different breed (so maybe I'm about to contradict myself). My point is, in my experience, some pet owners on such forums tend to be too far the other way and think you need X amount of this, that and the other to look after a pet when really a lot of it simply comes down to common sense.

All this hip scoring nonsense, I've never even heard of it until now. Whether claire33 buys a puppy from this litter or not, the dog will still have hip problems, if that is indeed the case then nothing will change that; the only thing claire33 needs to ask herself is if she's willing to take that risk and is it a risk she can afford. If not, she should look for someone who has done the health checks she requires, not put off getting a dog until she's researched everything there is to know about it.

As long as the dog is taken for regular check ups, is being fed and walked, being treated as one of the family and receiving lots of love, then that's all there is to it. It's certainly worked for my dog and I can proudly say he's had a good life so far with me, as I have with him, and he couldn't be more loved; yet I walked into this with my eyes closed shut - far less knowledge than claire33 seems to have anyway!

I'm not saying people should be ignorant about the possibilities that may or may not happen, they should always try and be prepared and it's always going to help having extra knowledge, but like I said, if it was up to some people on pet forums, nobody would ever own a pet because the standards are way too high and nobody would ever pass as a "suitable" owner!

There comes a time where we just have to jump in and learn from experience instead of Google.

Bit harsh to say the OP is ready for a dog, we all have to start somewhere. Personally having a dog with hip problems, I would hesitate, she is a wonderful girl but we have had worries over the years and she cannot walk as far as she would like to do. So it has limited her life a bit. Haven't got to the point of needing much meds yet as we have had her on various suppliments over the years. But I am very aware she could have been much worse as some of her litter mates were and could have lost her life long ago if she had been as bad as the two other girls in the litter.

If it were me I would want the hip scores etc before deciding, I have to wonder why the breeder doesn't want to test, if I were breeding I would want as many assurances I was producing healthy pups as I could get.

any breeder worth their salt will let you take the puppy away and get it checked over at your own vets; then, if the vet highlights anything you can return the puppy and get your money back.

Most reputable breeders will give you 7 days to do this from date of purchase.

The breeder should pay though as hip scoring costs upwards of £200, not something the new owner should have to pay.

Can't get the hips scored until at least 12 months though.

Which is why the breeder should pay, they should get the parents hip scored.

Ahh - see what you mean!!

Seriously?!

Nonsense that can leave dogs in horrible pain, cost owners thousands of pounds in surgery etc.

Wow

Sincerely hope Enter is troll or never ever has to nurse a dog following major, preventable orthopedic surgery!

I am a little taken aback by some of the comments on this thread - perhaps the OP is too. I feel that the comments about her not ready to become a dog owner is rather harsh. By posting here, she is showing her concerns and asking for advice, not condemnation.

But it has also been an eye opener for me. I knew alsations were prone to hip problems, but had no idea that labs were also a risk. As a lab owner -that got landed with me at the age of three, would that have made a difference? Not for a moment. He is loving, healthy and a wonderful companion and if he has problems later in life, then I will give him the best possible medical attention - as I have all my dogs over the last 30 years.

Being a bit long winded here - sorry. But surely - the point here should be targeting the breeders, not potential owners?
By the time the puppies are born - they need to find homes.

The problem here is indiscriminate breeding of pedigree dogs, without proper records at the stud stage. If any dog has a history in its line of hip or other problems, then it should be discarded from the breeding line. I have no idea what the answer is - and others here are far more knowledgeable than I am - but surely this ought to begin before a potential buyer is confronted with a litter of adorable pups?

I don't think anyone is having a go at the potential owner at all.

I've had a dog that suffered with severe orthopedic issues and I assure you it's no walk in the park, it cost over £4k (excluding hydrotherapy and supplements), and took up nearly 2 years of my life, at 4 y/o he already suffers with arthritis.

This is why people need to do their research, labradors, spaniels, rotties, large breed crosses etc can all commonly suffer hip and elbow problem as well as other breed specific issues.
Terriers and toy breeds, includings JRTs, pugs, chis and staffords can suffer with luxating patellas.

Everyone should be encouraged to research the breed they are planning on spending the next decade and a half with.

We are not trying to put anyone off buying a pup, just equipping them with the info. Some people get lucky with their dogs, or maybe miss the symptoms of chronic joint pain, others spend the lifetime of their pet trying to keep them pain free.

I have no quarrel with any of this. But my point is - that any legislation (and there ought to be) is the the breeders. Sadly -this is a big profit earner. Dogs and bitches are put to stud and then their pups sold on with a high profit margin. Cute pups and very high vet bills in the future. What do we really know about their bloodlines?

If I was going to spend a fortune on a breed pup -then I want to know far more than is currently available.

I would agree that where there is legislation it should be aimed at breeders, but for the average owner Education is as important and I like to think - one or two replies aside - this thread has been largely educational. I think the majority have explained the benefit of hip scoring in order to allow the OP (who admittedly hasn't been back) to make an informed choice - buy with your eyes open and a good insurance policy.

most experienced dog owners and good breeders would agree with you we would love the Kennel Club to start being so strict with registering only pups whose parents have had the appropriate health tests, i would like temperament tests too, microchipping before homing also lifetime support for the new owners and will always take back the dog if any problems but no-one is forcing them to take responsibility. Having seen pedigree cat breeding and cat shows the GCCF are so stringent where cats are concerned the contrast between the two is amazing.

This in turn would mean new owners would know KC registered meant something, i would also advocate a proper breeding licence to stop people breeding from their family pets and harsh fines as it is quite the non taxable earner

Completely agree. There should be a complete ban on people breeding from domestic pets, only registered people should be allowed to breed, pups should be neutered (at a suitable age) as there is no reason for a non breeder to have an 'entire' dog and all dogs microchipped. There should also be more stringent checks on breeders to cut out 'puppy farms' There are far too many unwanted dogs in rescue centres or being destroyed unnecessarily because of unregulated breeding.

Having said all that, we got out two from a rescue centre, no Hip score or history so you can't always have that information even if you want it.

I can't agree with stopping people breeding from their family pet, several people I know breed sound decent animals from their family pets. Just because people are not prolific kennel club member breeders doesn't necessarily mean they will skimp on health testing. And personally I would rather have a great temperament puppy from a family home than from a breeder with so many dogs that they cannot keep them in their homes but do all the testing possible.