Yaris v Ferrari ?
People often ask me why certain breeds of dogs advertised on pedigreedogs.ie are offered at €250 and the same breed bred by somebody else ,then offered for sale at €500
I always say you have to compare apples with apples.
A lot of time,effort and expense goes into producing a strong and healthy litter.
One of the most popular breeds in Ireland is the Labrador, and you will see them offered price wise at both ends of the scale.
Whilst promoting our site at last years Pet Expo in the RDS I was asked this on quite a few occasions.
Some of it has to do with what you require the dog for in the first place. Now if you want it for it’s original function then the amount of field trial winners in it’s pedigree will be of concern to you, and as the saying goes you get what you pay for. It’s like comparing a Toyota Yaris (Fine car in my opinion) to a Ferrari. Both will get you from A to B, but a bit more engineering has gone into the high end model.
Having said that, health screening of the breeding stock should be paramount, and it’s pups that result from such matings that are considered the high end model, or Ferrari if you like.
Labradors should be hip and elbow scored, and correct me if I’m wrong have their eye’s tested.
Hip and elbow dysplasia can affect up to one in five Labradors and there is currently no cure for it.
A welcome development in testing for the above has been announced by scientists.They are hoping to create a diagnostic DNA test to assess the genetic risk for hip and elbow dysplasia in Labradors.
The current procedure requires dogs of a minimum age of 1 year going under aesthetic to be tested for these ailments, which if develop in the older dog, apart from causing unnecessary pain to the animal, will cost the unsuspecting owner, a lot more than the initial saving in medication and veterinary visits going forward.
So is it going to be the Yaris or the Ferrari ?
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