# Amberview Goldens



## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

I've not, but their site looks very nice. They have 3 girls available now. Are you thinking of one of them? They're very cute. The parents are gorgeous.


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## fameb (Feb 10, 2009)

I actually purchased my Golden from there (he's now 5 months old). We got him December 27th and he was born October 31st so he's still a pup.

They are very nice people and do all health testing. However, during our first vet checkup. Our pup had a heart murmur...We waited a month to see if it would dissapear however it didn't. We went to a Cardiologist and he was diagnosed with Mild Mitral Valve Dysplasia which is a defect in the Mitral Valve. It might not affect him until his senior years however.

Now, I'm not sure if it was just a fluke situation or the result of breeding. They did give a full refund which honoured there guarentee. My only gripes with them is that they didn't catch the heart murmur before we got him. It was literally found 2 days after getting him. So they basicly sold us a puppy with a heart problem. Even though they honoroured the guarentee...We still spent a lot of money in vet and cardioligist exams.

Our puppy is awesome and I wouldn't trade him in for the world. It could of just been a fluke accident, but I wouldn't go back to them just off that risk.


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## fameb (Feb 10, 2009)

I saw your other posts about the heart murmur. Is that from the pup at Amberview?

I also just looked at there website and saw that the litter you are considering has the same Sire (dad) that my puppy had. So if that is infact the one with a grade 1 heart murmur then I would worry. It could be the same situation as my puppy...It might be in corellation with Mason (the sire)


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## chloe920 (Apr 5, 2009)

thank you for your reply...actually the puppy with the heart murmur was from another breeder. But...wow..you've caused me to be concerned. I just lost my last dog a year ago and couldn't bear to loose another one so soon. 

So just to clarify, his heart problem was congenital? 

Are you able to tell me who the mother was?



thanks again, I await your reply.

L.


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## fameb (Feb 10, 2009)

No problem...They told me that none of the other puppies had this problem. And that they've never seen this problem with any of there Goldens before. So I always wondered if it was true or if the other puppies in the litter were actually affected as well.

The Sire and Dam of our puppy is Mason and Rumour.

Please don't mention me or what I told you to them, because I don't want to cause any problems. I just wanted to make sure you know everything before you purchase because I know how it feels to lose a dog.

I'll try to explain the situation a little bit better...

In there contract we must take the puppy to be checked by the vet 72 hours after purchase. So we took him after 48 hours...Our vet said that he had a Grade 1 murmur. She told us to come back again when he was 16 weeks old, and see if he grew out of it. We went back and the murmur was the same and still there. Now generally vets are not qualified to test hearts, so I asked to be referred to a board certified cardiologist.

We went to the Cardiologist, and listened and told us that it's a Grade 3-4 murmur and decided to to a chest ultrasound. According to the Ultrasound she diagnosed him with Mild Mitral Valve dysplasia. Which is a small defect in the Mitral Valve that regurgitates a little blood when it pumps through. Since this is mild, she said that it shouldn't affect him, but if it ever does it will only be when he's a senior. However there was also a mild turbulance in his Aorta...She assumed that it could be because he was all round and up and nervous, but also said that it could eventually lead to SAS.

Anyway, she said that he it is not enviromental at all. He had it since birth, and that it is congenital. However like I said, I have no idea if it was just a birth defect or if it was actually passed on in his genes. I just hope he doesn't develop the SAS.

Now I don't mean to scare you off...Maybe it was just a freak situation, but I thought you should know just in case.

Anyway if you do get the puppy. We have to arrange some playdates since they will be Half Brother and Sister


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## chloe920 (Apr 5, 2009)

Thanks again for your candor. I will not mention the info that you have provided.

I will have to do some research on this particular heart defect and see if there is any indication that it's congenital or just a random birth defect.

I have been researching the purchase of our golden for almost a year now and I'm almost at the point that I've researched it too much!  In that I all too aware of all potential health problems. I guess there's something to be said for impulse buying!

Thanks again, I'll let you know how it goes.

L.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

I do not know of Amberview other than I have heard of their kennel. If I can add my two cents on this with regard to the heart issue. When I had my first litter my vet at that time heard a "murmur" in two of the pups when they were 5 weeks old. At seven weeks just before they went home she heard nothing. After they went home one of the families called to say that thier vet heard a murmur, and this was not one of the ones that we heard one in. I told them if thier vet still heard it at 4 months to take him to a cardiologist and let me know what he said. By 4 months the murmur was no longer present and at 18 months I had all three of these dogs checked by a cardiologist at a heart clinic. All were fine. 
Now all that is to show how a pup can change literally from one day to the next and something might not there one day can be there the next. It does happen and does not mean that the breeder knowingly sold you a pup with a heart problem. I think the important part is they did stand behind thier promise and gave you a refund. And it is of course possible that one pup in a litter be afected and not any others. And lastly it is near impossible in a situation like this to know if it is congenital, whether it is due to sire, dam or the combination, unless the sire or dam has proven to produce this problem in other litters.


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## chloe920 (Apr 5, 2009)

just read an article that better explained this situation. It also stated that affected dogs and their parents should not be used for breeding .....

now I'm not sure what to do...

L.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

chloe920 said:


> just read an article that better explained this situation. It also stated that affected dogs and their parents should not be used for breeding .....
> 
> now I'm not sure what to do...
> 
> L.


 
And that is one of the reasons responsible breeders do clearances. But as stated here many times clearances are NOT guarantees but they do improve your odds. And in the situation above how do you know it is the sire that is the cause?
But regardless of any and all of this if you do not feel comfortable with this breeder (or any breeder) than go elsewhere. You need to be 100% comfortable.


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## fameb (Feb 10, 2009)

Of course AmbikaGR I am not completely blaming them for the problem, nor am I suggesting not to get a dog from them. I did say that they honoured there guarentee and that they were very nice people. I also said that I have no idea if it was a freak accident or the product of breeding. I was just going on what my cardiologist said about it being congenital.

Anyway I just thought Chloe should know my experience. Since she/he obviously was looking for more information and past experiences with this breeder.

Chloe Ambika is absolutley right...Go with whatever you are comfortable with. They DO do all health testing, and if you like them and the Dam. Then it's worth it for you. I have met Brinkley (the dam of the pups) and she is a wonderful dog for whatever that is worth.

I researched for a year as well, and wanted to make sure that I would get the healthiest most well bred pup possible. Unfortunatly anything can happen, and sometimes the luck of the draw isn't on your side.

If it doesn't work out with them...I know 2 other breeders that are VERY good. Who are not too far from Toronto. I can PM you there names


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

fameb said:


> Of course AmbikaGR I am not completely blaming them for the problem, nor am I suggesting not to get a dog from them.


 
And I never felt you were either. If it came accross differently forgive me, it was not my intent. I think you were absolutely correct in sharing your experience with this breeder.


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## fameb (Feb 10, 2009)

AmbikaGR said:


> And I never felt you were either. If it came accross differently forgive me, it was not my intent. I think you were absolutely correct in sharing your experience with this breeder.


No need to apologize what so ever...I was just agreeing with you, while also trying to point out to Chloe not to base the decision solely on my opinion.


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## chloe920 (Apr 5, 2009)

Thank you to everyone for all your insight. This is my first time getting a dog from a breeder (I've always gone the pound route in the past). We are definitely going to look at the pups and are hopeful and optimistic that we will bring one home with us! 

I'll let you know.
L.


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## rrcust (Nov 16, 2009)

*Amberview Kennels*

My sister has a Amberview golden, and he is one of the most beautiful goldens I have ever seen.

He has such a great personality, well adjusted and easily trained.

He is also bred to the standard of the breed, and the compliments my sister receives from people are unending.

Being his aunt, I could be prejudice.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

fameb said:


> We went to the Cardiologist, and listened and told us that it's a Grade 3-4 murmur and decided to to a chest ultrasound. According to the Ultrasound she diagnosed him with Mild Mitral Valve dysplasia. Which is a small defect in the Mitral Valve that regurgitates a little blood when it pumps through. Since this is mild, she said that it shouldn't affect him, but if it ever does it will only be when he's a senior. However there was also a mild turbulance in his Aorta...She assumed that it could be because he was all round and up and nervous, but also said that it could eventually lead to SAS.
> 
> Anyway, she said that he it is not enviromental at all. He had it since birth, and that it is congenital. However like I said, I have no idea if it was just a birth defect or if it was actually passed on in his genes. I just hope he doesn't develop the SAS.


I'm so sorry to hear you've been through all this with your pup. Our beloved goldens have so many health problems to battle. It's really so saddening when the baby you looked forward to for so long turns out to have a medical struggle- I have been there twice. What confuses me most is that sometimes breeders do absolutely everything right in terms of health clearances, and still one of the 4 main genetic problems for goldens appears in the pup. We had a puppy with a grade 4/5 murmur from two clear parents and 4 clear grandparents that the cardioligist said had a very poor prognosis for living past 3 years old; ditto elbow dysplasia in a different dog. It's so very hard to tell where breeder responsibility leaves off and Mother Nature takes over. I guess the big question here is if all the grandparents and both parents have clear hearts, and if there's some hidden knowledge the breeder possesses about heart problems running in the line- or if your baby has received a fluke courtesy of polygenetics.


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## Gwen (Aug 9, 2007)

Bruce & Colleen appear to take the utmost care of their goldens. I've seen them at many dog shows & I'm impressed by both their dogs and their care of them. I understand that Colleen works in a vet clinic & would have access to the most recent/up to date information. Both Bruce & Colleen have a high reputation to maintain & I seriously doubt that they would jeopardize this by selling a "damaged" puppy. 

I further question if pet insurance was ever discussed or considered as it sure would have helped in the situation with a heart murmur diagnosis.

For curiosity, were original heart testing done on the sire/dam done by a cardiologist? I understand that many breeders don't take their dogs to a cardiologist but just a listen by their regular vet. I do know that Nygel just received his final clearances and his heart clearance was done by a cardiologist & his eyes by an opthamologist. There are differences.


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## timberwolf (Apr 1, 2009)

chloe920, did you get an Amberview pup?

Both of Timber's grandmother's were co-bred by Kim (Timber's breeder) and Colleen from Amberview.
The Sire of Colleen's current litter is Timber's uncle, Noah.
Beautiful dogs!!!


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## Amberview (Apr 11, 2009)

fameb said:


> No problem...They told me that none of the other puppies had this problem. And that they've never seen this problem with any of there Goldens before. So I always wondered if it was true or if the other puppies in the litter were actually affected as well.
> 
> The Sire and Dam of our puppy is Mason and Rumour.
> 
> ...


Reply; As we are new to the list, our response is delayed. At the time of your purchase, your puppy had been examined by our veterinarian and a folder was provided to you. We were as surprised by these findings as you were. And yes both parents were screened and clear for heart abnormalities. Unfortunately things can present themselves that we don't expect though we do our very best to screen for them. At the time we did offer to take back the puppy, and you wished to keep him. Therefore we gave you a full refund and asked to be kept up to date with all events. When our puppies leave our home, we feel they are still very much a part of our family for life.
Regards,
Colleen


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