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The #1 killer of the Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso, and Wheaton Terrier younger puppies, up to 2-years-old, is Juvenile Renal Dysphasia.
It is an hereditary kidney disease that is carried by one or both of the parents, usually both.
If a puppy has this disease, it is always fatal. A single marker is considered a carrier, and a double marker is considered affected.
The problem with this disease it that the affected should all die but that does not appear to be true.
Forty to fifty percent of these puppies survive, and the disease will be passed on. There seems to be another factor,
unknown to scientists at this time, as to why these puppies live. An incomplete gene maybe, who knows.
DNA testing by a lab in Detroit have singled out these markers to let you know what the puppies are:
Clear (no genetics of the disease), Carrier or Affected.
My first darling black/white female puppy had the disease, and I found out when she was 6 months old.
I swore that whenever a test came about to stop this disease, I would go to any lengths to save the families who come to me for puppies
not to have to go through the sadness of losing them. That was 25 years ago. The test did not become available for over 15 years.
When I first tested my kennel nine years ago, of 17 dogs, 9 were affected and the rest were carriers.
I had no clear dogs. I spayed/neuter the 9 dogs that were affected, one being a Champion of the breed.
After 9 years, starting by testing every puppy at the cost of $100 each, I now have a kennel that is completely clear of the JRD disease.
It took thousands of dollars and almost a decade to rid my kennel of this deadly disease.
These puppies are like my babies, and their health and welfare are far more important to me than any monetary expense.
I am trying to do my part to preserve this wonderful, delightful, loving breed.
Feel free to email me with any questions.
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