Lethal Acradermititis (LAD) – An unexpected encounter

LAD is a condition that my partner and I had never encountered whilst breeding dogs.  We had met dogs suffering from the condition but had never had a puppy of our own with it.

We were gifted with a beautiful puppy whom with a beautiful head and super construction was fit and healthy or so we thought!!  She grew stronger with each feed and was a lovely chunky puppy.  She fed well from her mother and did all functions as a ‘normal’ puppy would.  So far we saw no signs.

By the time the puppy was approximately 3 weeks old we noticed that its little feet seemed weak and that they turned inwards,  after gaining advise from numerous people we put this down to it being a ‘heavy baby’, ‘Its feet will come its only young’ is what we heard.  We also noticed that the pup would ‘grumble’ when having its nails cut and could be quite ‘bad tempered’ on occasions.  Still we did not recognise the signs……….

As time went on we decided we would not sell the puppy as it was not really ‘as good’ as we hoped it would be.  When it had reached 5 weeks old and was ready for its hearing test we noticed that it still had the ‘puppy haze’ on its eyes,  so whilst at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket we were lucky enough to see the resident ophthalmologist who thought the haze was just delayed and would disappear as the pup grew older.

By 8 weeks, inoculation time,  the vet commented on its feet and told us again ‘it was probably because it needed to be exercised and that its feet would come’.  By 10 weeks the pups feet had not improved so we were advised by the vet to ‘massage’ them as the tendons felt a little tight.  The pups eyes had still not cleared,  and its temperament was very worrying as it would throw ‘temper tantrums’ on a regular basis.  By this point the puppy was still eating and drinking well but would also suffer from intermittent diarrhoea which we put down to her complete dried food diet.  By this point cutting toe nails was IMPOSSIBLE.   Still we did not recognise the signs……..

As time continued we started to realise that maybe this puppy was not quite right and put it down to a ‘poor mating’ and that it was just unlucky that on paper the mating was promising however the puppy was not.  We were still encountering intermittent diarrhoea,  hazy eyes, twisted feet and a foul temperament, slight skin staining and the odd sore on her pads.  We were now starting to worry that maybe we had a problem but still did not imagine LAD!

When the pup was approximately 14 weeks old we had a visit from our close friends who were also longstanding reputable breeders,  unfortunately it was those who had to break the news to us that our beautiful, chunky puppy looked like it was suffering from LAD something I did not envy them.  They pointed out that she had an arched back, and would not interact with our other dogs as well as ‘normal’ puppies. 

It also had an exaggerated gait and didn’t ‘mix’ well.  We then worked through the symptoms, High Palate, Short Tongue, Arched Back, Splayed Feet, Head Nodding, Sores and Scabs on feet and around face and ears, Slower than litter mates, Faded Coat Colour and Small Size.  The puppy did not have a high palate, Faded Coat Colour, Head Nodding, Scabs or Sores on Face or Ears.  Our friend then rang Juliet Shaw (Badelsmere Bull Terriers) who knew of other traits that LAD sufferers displayed.  It was confirmed our puppy had LAD!!   Devastation!  What would we do now?

Tears were shed,  and shed, and shed, how could we look after a puppy that would have stunted growth, that would be prone to Pneumonia, needed constant care and medication,  what would we do??  This was a time when our friends were of most importance to use.  They worked through the pro’s and con’s of living with a bullie with LAD, advise ranged from ‘Put the Dog to Sleep’  to ‘re-home it with someone who knows how to care for it’.  What would we do??

When watching this puppy running around in the garden, sunbathing, playing with old slippers and nipping other dogs noses we thought how can we put this puppy to sleep??  Why should we put this puppy to sleep?  We couldn’t do it.  So what would we do????

We made the joint decision to have this puppy looked after by someone who had cared for LAD sufferers in the past and who loved their funny little traits,  the way they throw temper tantrums,  the way they attempt to do bullie runs and the cute little clothes they wear to keep them warm and to keep the pneumonia infection away.   We also needed someone who would know when the time was right to ‘do the right thing’  I would not have the puppy suffering from this condition and wanted it Put To Sleep as soon as it stopped living a happy comfortable life.

We were fortunate enough to find the ‘ideal’ home for this puppy,  and it is still doing well only requiring medication occasionally,  it still throws temper tantrums, and hasn’t grown a great deal,  the pup has also now developed a heart murmur,  something LAD sufferers are also prone to developing but is still going strong. 

We have regular contact with ‘our baby’ who likes nothing more than to give you a massive snog and then tell you off in the same breath!!

We have made the decision not to breed from this particular bitch again in the future as we would hate anyone else to encounter what we encountered,  we are available for advise for anyone who thinks they may have a LAD baby (also known as Zincers).

We would also like to thank all of our close friends (they know who they are) for their support through this heartbreaking time.   Mostly we would like to thank Juliet and the puppies new Mum for giving our baby a happy time whilst still on this earth.

Thank You