HOD - Or Hypertophic Osteodystrophy is a genetically transmitted disease that affects some lines of Irish Setters. A puppy with the condition will start to show signs after 4 months of age. The condition generally becomes worse as the weeks go by and the puppy will eventually die from the disease. Puppies with this deadly disease will have joints that become swollen and inflamed. The disease was originally in
Weirmaraners but was probably transmitted to Irish Setters when
Weirmaraners were crossbred with the Irish Setter. This condition is usually always fatal and veterinarians usually euthanize dogs that have this deadly and extremely painful disease. There is no known cure for HOD, so avoiding breeders that continue to breed dogs with this deadly disorder is the only safe route to take. Before you buy an Irish Setter always ask the breeder if they have had any puppies born with HOD in their kennel. If they have, do not buy a dog from them. This condition is largely on the west coast of the United States in California, Oregon and Washington State. Breeders should not breed dogs that are carriers of HOD.
PRA - Or Progressive Retinal Atrophy is blindness in dogs. This is a very rare genetic condition. In dogs, it will show up well before the puppy is 6 weeks old. While there is a lot of hype being generated by those who make a lot of money pushing these tests, the condition is so rare that it is a waste of money having your dog tested for this condition. Most breeders do not let there puppies go before they reach 8 weeks of age anyway, by that time the condition would have manifested itself. Don't bother to have your dog tested if it over 6 weeks of age because this test is total waste of money. The best advice is to stick with such Irish Setter lines as the Wendover
Irish Setter line a British line, or the Field Bred Irish Setters line, a famous American line and you can be assured that the dogs from these bloodlines are free of this disorder. These breeders have been breeding Irish Setters for many years and their bloodlines are known to free from this genetic condition. Reports from new owners purchasing from these well established bloodlines have run tests on their dogs and found them to be free from this condition. So no need for you to worry about
PRA when dealing with these famous bloodlines.
Hip Dysplasia & OFA - This stands for
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. When someone says that their dog is
OFA, it means that they had the hips x-
rayed for arthritis. Some breeders imply that since their breeding stock was examined for arthritis and received a good rating that the offspring will in some way be free of the disorder. Because the parents of your puppy have a good
OFA rating does not guarantee that your puppy will not come down with hip
Dysplasia or arthritis of the hips. Dogs, used for breeding, that pass the
OFA standards when they are 2 years old may come down with hip
Dysplasia when they are old and no longer producing puppies.
The condition is believed to be brought on by poor health styles such as improper exercise, improper proper nutrition and improper calorie intake. There are many instances where dogs
fail the
OFA standards, but do not show any signs of hip
dysplasia and can run jump and carry on as usual. While other dogs that "pass" the
OFA standards have severe arthritis and are lame and unable to run and jump and play.
If you dog
doesn't show any signs of lameness, save yourself a few hundred dollars and don't bother with this test. With the money you save buy your dog some proper nutritious food and perhaps put up a fence in you backyard so your dog has a place to exercise since improper exercise can lead to hip problems. Also avoid having your dog do jumping feats over a height of 2 feet before the dog is 2 years of age to avoid injury to the hip joints, which can lead to hip problems when the dog gets older.
Bloat - Sometimes called
Gastric Dilation Volvulus or
GDV is a very serious medical condition in larger deep chested dogs including Irish Setters, German Shepherds, Great Danes, Doberman, Afghan Hounds, Akita, Collie, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, Dachshund, Rottweiler, Boxer, German Short haired Pointer, Bloodhounds, Pekingese, Newfoundland, Bull mastiff, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Airedale Terrier and others. Bloat can kill you pet in less than an hour. In
GVD the stomach twists and distends, often rotating 90° to 360°. This condition acutely affects key veins in the abdomen and will cause the failure of essential body systems. Symptoms include distended abdomen, unproductive attempts to vomit, extreme restlessness or anxious, hunched up appearance, heavy drooling, foamy mucous around the mouth or vomiting of foamy mucous, whining, heavy panting, collapse, weak pulse, and other symptoms may be present as well. If you feel that your dog is coming down with bloat get your dog to a veterinarian as soon as possible. A veterinarian can perform a
gastropexy, where he will stitch the stomach to the abdominal wall.
Finding An Irish Setter Puppy
Looking for a Irish Setter puppy for Sale? A good place to start would be at a Irish Setter club such as
AKC Irish Setter Breeders. This Irish Setter Club lists members with Irish Setters puppies for sale at the current time. Other clubs include clubs like Irish Setter Club of America.
Finding a good breeder with quality hunting
AKC Irish Setter Puppies for sale can be quite a task.
One of the field Irish Setter breeder is
Traditional Irish Setters. This breeder is known world wide for their excellent line of hunting dogs. They have been in business for many years and produce top quality Irish Setters. Their Irish Setters are know for their hunting ability and they also make good pets because of their mild disposition.
American Irish Setter Breeders
Below is a list of Irish Setter breeders in the United States, who will deal with the general public. These breeders have Irish Setter puppies for hunting, pets, or show. Check with individual breeders for more information on their dogs.
Sunnydale Irish Setters A California breeder. Aaron Irish Setters A Illinois breeder of field Irish Setters located at Chicago, Ill.
Pricing Irish Setters
Most Irish Setter show dogs sell for about $1200 and up, while the AKC registered hunting variety usually sell for between $800 to $1000. Prices also depend on the time of year, the age of the dogs, and its blood line.
Irish Red Setters
When you see prices of $350 to $450, these dogs usually are the Irish RED Setters, which are a crossbreed between English Setters and Irish Setters, these dogs are usually bred for hunting purposes.
Pictures of Irish Setters - How Irish Setters Appear
Irish Setters Just Playing
This world famous American breeder produces top quality hunting dogs for pets as well as for retrievers for the sportsman game bird hunter. This kennel is located in the USA.
Irish Setter Health Issues - Veterinarian Information Online
Are you having medical problems with your Irish Setter puppy and need to look for answers? Perhaps its the weekend and your Veterinarian is out of town and you have a medical problem with you dog. Now the Merck Veterinarian's Manual is on line. Here is our link to the Merck Vets manual .
The Merck Veterinarian's Manual
Other Websites with Information on Irish Setters
The Energetic Irish Setter A general site about hunting and show Irish Setters explains the two lines.
Irish Setters are often called bird dogs and are used for hunting. Irish Setters are often called bird dogs and are used for hunting. The show dog variety of Irish Setters are not usually used for hunting purposes. When you see the word "Champion Irish Setters", this usually means that the have been entered into show competitions.
We will add more information on this site about issues of health in Irish Setters sometime in the future.
Pictures on this site are copyrighted and are used by permission from the Irish Setter Breeders who own them.
