Envoy

I had the unfortunate luck to have 3 of 8 pups in my first litter with LAD. I looked at Lottie's photos and she looks much healthier than my pups were. I would have loved to keep them on, but at the time didn't think it was possible. Each of the three had different levels of illness. All were slow to perk up and nurse at birth, but did fine once started. The first symptom I was aware of was their eyes had a bluish tint. Had them checked and it was Persistent Pupillary Membranes. Then I started researching, as I'd been told LAD was rare, and the books I had glossed over it as though it was very rare. In fact, I distinctly remember reading a paragraph about LAD and thinking Thank God I won't have to deal with that!!
Fiver was severely affected, and by 5 weeks he had sores, fading colour, bad bloating after every feeding. Oh, but he was a sweetheart. I held him for hours every evening, and he was so brave he would go out exploring on his own. Cowgirl was able to eat well but her temperament WAS increasingly nasty. If touched on her back or butt she would attack. Devon was not as bad, and he was the reason I waited until 11 weeks before euphonizing. Just hoping he was ok.
I don't regret it, but I did second-guess whether I should have tried to keep them. But their photo clearly shows they were not doing well. You can see more pictures of them at the bottom of this page and in the gallery.

What I do know is it shaped my thinking as a breeder. I found out LAD is way more common than I ever knew, and that unfortunately the predominant thought is to just euphonize them and try again. I don't mean to cause a disagreement, but the reason for this, I believe, is that breeders won't get a phone call a year later with a puppy that's ill with something like kidney disease where the breeder will have to deal with distraught owners and compensate them in some way. LAD pups are easy to dispose of and forget about; LAD is the lesser of all the health problems breeders have to deal with. I'm not saying breeders don't feel sad about the pups, but I have yet to see a website offering information on whether a stud or bitch has produced LAD, and the only one I know of that says they will not breed known LAD producers is my own. It frustrates me that LAD just doesn't seem to be as important as Kidneys, heart, and patella's; Yet, it is 100% fatal for the affected babies. I hope the study will continue to be supported, and when there's a test there will be more awareness and progress in eliminating LAD.

About the Three Amigos

Fiver, Cowgirl and Devon were diagnosed with a disease unique to bull terriers, called Lethal Acrodermatitis. They are unable to metabolize zinc, and suffer from chronic infections of the skin and respiratory system. There is no treatment and no cure, and currently no test to determine prior to breeding if the parents are carriers of the recessive gene that causes LAD. On June 4th, my precious babies were put to rest...the only alternative would have been very short lives of pain and suffering.

I love you guys and miss you so very much! The Three Amigos

Diane

The Three Amigos
Cowgirl	Devon	Fiver
Cowgirl	Devon	Fiver
Cowgirl	Devon	Fiver
Cowgirl	Devon	Fiver
Cowgirl	Devon	Fiver
Sleep tight little bullie angels