HEALTH ISSUES Within the Breed
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Degenerative myelopathy (DM), also known as chronic degenerative radiculomyelopathy (CDRM), is a disease affecting the spinal cord, resulting in slowly progressive hind limb weakness and paralysis.
Pituitary Dwarfism (DW) occurs when the pituitary gland does not secrete enough growth hormone. Unlike skeletal dwarfism, where the body grows disproportionally, dogs with pituitary dwarfism are simply smaller.
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Hip/Elbow Dysplasia (CHD) can be hereditary or environmental. The dog's hips and elbows joints function as a ball and socket. In dogs with dysplasia, the ball and socket do not fit or develop properly, and they rub and grind instead of sliding smoothly. The result is laxity of the joint followed by degenerative joint disease (DJD) or osteoarthritis (OA), which is the body’s attempt to stabilize the loose joint.
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Chronic mitral valvular insufficiency (CMVI) occurs when damaged and thickened valves develop within the heart. The disease is associated with the thickening and shortening of the valve components that separate the upper (atria) from the lower (ventricles) parts of the heart. As the disease progresses, it causes congestive heart failure (CHF) and pulmonary edema if the LA dilation cannot accommodate the volume overload by mitral regurgitation.
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The Czechoslovakian Club of America (CSVCA) requires breeders to complete health testing on DM, Dysplasia, Cardiac, and eyes through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. (Link Here) We also complete the DW test as it has been seen within the breed. All our dogs have links to their OFA health-tests page. This is a great resource to assist you in your research.
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The Klub chovatelov ceskoslovenskeho vlciaka SR has seen an increase in dog diseases and health problems within the breed. Recently, (November 2020) they have requested breeders/owners to voluntarily submit any health issues to be used by the breeding committee and thus eliminating breeding couples with the same health problems in the future. The email address to submit issues is csv.hpch@gmail.com
DireWolf Pack Health Warranty
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Although DireWolf Pack completes all health testing on our dogs and does extensive research to prevent any health issues, we also understand genetics can be tricky. We stand behind our dogs and offer 24 months of age health, hips, and elbows warranty with all our puppies.
This warranty covers any of our puppies until 24 months of age, against fatal and life-altering congenital disease, which adversely affects the health of the animal. This includes kidney, heart, pancreas, spine, and liver problems of a severe life-threatening or altering nature. A veterinary diagnosis must be submitted in writing. DireWolf Pack reserves the right to get a second opinion.
DireWolf Pack is not responsible for contagious disease or accidental death. We are not responsible for lost or stolen dogs.
DireWolf Pack will not honor any of the terms of the warranty if a dog has been mated and/or becomes pregnant before two years of age.
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Hip Dysplasia - The hips must be x-rayed by the age of 26 months and given a rating less than borderline by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), (or equal rating with Penn Hip) for replacement puppy guarantee. DireWolf Pack reserves the right to request a second set of x-rays and resubmission to OFA before a final determination is made (at our expense). Customers are welcome to submit preliminary findings, however, the guarantee applies only to dogs two years of age or older. X-rays of females must be submitted prior to pregnancy.
In the event that the guarantee is honored, DireWolf Pack will provide another dog of the same quality, gender (of choice), and value as soon as one becomes available. We do not issue cash refunds.
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The Owner agrees to participate in helping to eliminate health issues by voluntarily submitting any (cryptorchism, missing teeth, bad x-rays, etc) to the Klub chovatelov ceskoslovenskeho vlciaka SR in Slovak Republic