I never thought or wanted to think that I would ever say anything bad about another breeder.  Live and let live, right?  Well...sad to say,

it ain't all that pretty out there!

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So, kindly read this page - my rant.

 

Then, decide how much $$ you want to gamble with if you choose "cheaper."  Then, decide how much $$ pain and suffering is worth and include that in your

gambling bet on a puppy purchase.  That's what a "cheaper" choice is - you're making a bet that the cheaper puppy you choose will be fine without:

Thoroughly and annually health tested Cavalier lines who are fed an optimum diet and have been raised as family members.  (Please see "Epigenetics.")

PLUS, you'll be supporting breeders who take short cuts!

  Good luck! 

That's exactly what you'll need if you choose cheaper.

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I want to start with one of my pet peeves - breeders who are on the AKC "Bred With Heart" and/or "Breeder of Merit" programs and they do not test for hip dysplasia.  No, no, no!  That is wrong, wrong, wrong!  They are not qualified to be members of either program if they're not doing hip x-rays, however, AKC does not check for health clearances!  So many breeders assuring the public that THEIR lines are healthy, and that "you don't need to pay that much for a puppy," when they don't deserve to be in these AKC programs!

BLUE ROSE DOES ALL REQUIRED TESTING TO BE IN THE BWH PROGRAM!

 

Side note:  Per OFA, hip ratings of Excellent, Good, and Fair are perfectly acceptable.  Borderline, Mild, Moderate, and Severe are not acceptable.

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Next:  Breeders who have the hearts checked and knees checked by their personal vets, then claim they have, "OFA clearances."  This is dishonest due to deception through vagueness (but any health clearances are better than none...just don't pay as though all health exams have been done properly - if these puppies are cheaper it's because of short-cuts!). 

 

Per the parent AKC Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breed club, this breed should have 2 health clearances annually:  Heart (cleared by a cardiologist), and eyes (Ophthalmologist required); hips are required at approximately 2 years of age; knees must be examined sometime after 1 year of age. 

ALL BLUE ROSE CAVALIERS GET THIS DONE!

 

So, when a breeder simply states that they have "OFA clearances," IMHO (In My Humble Opinion), this infers that they get all of the recommended clearances.  Instead, it generally means the "breeder" just gets a couple of clearances from their veterinary practitioner, only.  

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Then there are those breeders who claim, upfront, that their Cavaliers have OFA heart clearances (probably not done by a specialist) and make no other claims.  Of course, this is far, far better than nothing, but still greatly inadequate for Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breeding dogs.

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Side note:  Due to the hormone cycles of females, it is sometimes fine to get heart clearances by a general practitioner.  This should be uncommon, but it is acceptable on rare occasions.

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Then there are those breeders who claim they have health clearances but won't tell you where they had their Cavaliers examined nor do they register these clearances with OFA.  I want to say, it is not difficult to alter paperwork, say, by changing the last number of the year.  This way, outdated clearances can appear to be current.  You should either be allowed to verify the accuracy of the paperwork by checking with the clinic that performed the exams, or by checking the OFA website, just as Blue Rose allows!

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Another gripe is regarding breeders who feed foods such as Royal Canin or Purina, per AKC's sponsorship!  A mama Cavalier can only give her babies what she has been fed, both before and after birth.  Feeding junk food affects the Cavaliers' long-term health, and the problems created by junk food can't always be found

through health clearances. 

 

Think about the filtering organs; the skin, kidneys, and liver.  How many Cavaliers with full, current health clearances have their filtering organs checked out?  Generally, any problem with these organs is relatively significant

BEFORE it's even found out.  :(  BLUE ROSE FEEDS NO JUNK FOOD!

 

Sure, you can get one of the puppies from these Cavalier lines and feed this baby an excellent diet, but do you really want to support breeders who give this type of care? The same thing applies to Cavaliers who are given annual booster shots plus have all kinds of pesticides administer both internally and externally.  They may be following their vet's advice, but they truly need to be educated by holistic vets.  JMHO  (Just My Humble Opinion)

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We thank the Good Lord for veterinary medicine!  It saves countless lives!  However, at Blue Rose we believe cutting and/or chemicals are for the very ill and/or for emergency situations, not for routine care.  This is why we utilize homeopathic and/or herbal medications as our first line of defense plus routine preventative care.

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Now you know what bugs us here at Blue Rose.  Why are we complaining?  Because we want you, the potential new family, to be able to make an educated decision before you purchase your new family member!

 

Has Blue Rose ever done anything wrong?  You bet'cha!  We are not at all perfect.  Still, we are doing our utmost to "walk the line."  As we tell our precious fur family, "Because you're mine, I walk the line!"

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Thank you very much for tolerating my rant.  :-P

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