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Newfoundland Breeders Despair After Deaths and Deformities

Similar Problems Nationwide

Newfie Breeders Despair A ConsumerAffairs.com Investigation By Lisa Wade McCormick • Mysterious Deaths, Deformities • Similar Problems Nationwide • Missing Evidence --- • More about Pet Food

A ConsumerAffairs.com investigation reveals Newfoundland breeders across the country have experienced similar problems with their dogs.

We talked to professional breeders in Idaho, Texas, and Pennsylvania whose dogs have encountered such puzzling reproductive issues as:

• Puppies that wouldn’t grow and had to be euthanized. This same breeder’s dogs also had two mummified fetuses -- in two different litters -- and some of her females stopped getting pregnant;

• Having several “misses” -- or failed attempts -- at getting pregnant. This breeder also had a dog that delivered a deformed puppy, which had to be euthanized.

• Failing to get pregnant -- in the past two years. This breeder’s mom also raises Newfoundlands and one of those dogs delivered two dead puppies.

Likely Suspects

What’s causing these problems?

Let’s consider some of the likely suspects:

• The Newfoundlands’ health – The breeders say all their females are in excellent physical condition and have previously delivered healthy puppies. They also say they’re using the same sires and those males are in excellent health;

• The dogs’ ages -- Veterinarians say the prime age for dogs to deliver healthy litters is two to five. The breeders say all the dogs are in that age range;

• Genetic problems – The breeders say none of the dogs are related, a factor that could pose genetic issues;

• Changes in breeding protocols – The breeders say nothing in their breeding program has changed.

“This whole thing is totally, horrendously insane,” says Wendy C. of Blanchard, Idaho, who has bred Newfoundlands for seven years. “It’s just about ruined my breeding program.”

There’s another suspect in this case. One any good sleuth would follow.

It’s the dog food — the only common denominator among these Newfoundlands.

All the breeders fed their dogs Purina Pro Plan and Purina One. And they’re convinced that’s the culprit in this case.

“Why am I certain it’s the food? Because nothing else has changed in my breeding program,” says Lisa, who has 14 Newfoundlands. “These are the same dames and the same sires. They’ve all had healthy litters before.

"I keep my kennels clean, I don’t over-vaccinate, I don’t add supplements, I don’t use pesticides, I follow all the regular worming protocols ... …nothing, absolutely nothing, has changed.”

Wendy agrees.

“The food is the only thing that makes sense. It’s the only thing we all have in common.

“At first I thought it was the water, but that can’t be. There are too many us across the country having the same problems with our dogs. It just has to be the food.”

The breeders say they’ve fed their dogs Purina products for years and never had any problems. But Wendy and Lisa suspected something was wrong with the food last summer.

“We both fed our puppies Purina One large breed puppy food,” Wendy says. “And all our puppies had horrible diarrhea. They were squirting water out of their bottoms. It was awful.

“Anytime a puppy has diarrhea like that, there’s something wrong. It’s very dangerous. They can dehydrate and die.”

The breeders’ suspicions about the food heightened in March. That’s when Menu Foods recalled 60 million containers of melamine-tainted pet food.

Melamine is a chemical used to make plastics and fertilizers; it is not approved for use in pet or human food. Thousands of dogs and cats nationwide suffered kidney disease or died after eating the melamine-tainted foods.

“We panicked when we heard about the recall,” Wendy says. “The Purina we fed our dogs wasn’t on the recall list, but we were still certain something was wrong with it. Maybe that melamine from China got into the food and Purina didn’t know. That’s possible.”

Lisa says news of the melamine-tainted food confirmed her worst fears about the reproductive problems with her dogs.

“I read all about the effects melamine can have on pregnancies. And I learned that too much melamine can affect pregnancies.

“I also belong to a chat room with 2,000 subscribers and did my own research with them. That’s when I found out that so many of us who were using Purina were having problems.”

Mutant Puppies

At the Mountain Ridge Kennel in Blanchard, Idaho, Wendy fights back tears as she recalls the reproductive issues her Newfoundlands have faced in the past year and a half.

“It’s just been devastating. I’ve been having beautiful litters for seven years. I’ve always had huge, healthy puppies.”

But that changed last summer.

“I had two back-to-back litters and had to destroy 14 of those puppies,” Wendy says. “They wouldn’t grow. They looked like mutants; it was hideous. They only weighed six to 10 pounds instead of 25 to 30 pounds at eight weeks. They were so thin. They looked like skeletons with fur.”

The gruesome problems didn’t stop there.

Wendy’s dogs also had two mummified fetuses — in two different litters.

“Plus I’ve had females who have had four narrow puppies. Those are puppies that die. Somewhere along the way (during gestation) they were depleted. They weren’t what they should be at full-term. I believe it’s because of the poisonous food I unknowingly fed them.”

Some of Wendy’s other dogs also stopped getting pregnant.

“I bred three of my dogs (to deliver) at the end of February. I didn’t have one litter. How unusual is that for me? I’ve always gotten everything I’ve bred. I’m a full-time breeder. This is what I do.”

Wendy’s not only grappled with the emotional toll these problems have taken on her dogs. And her family.

She also struggled with the financial repercussions they’ve created.

“I’ve only had four healthy puppies since December 2005. Normally, I have 40 healthy puppies a year. This has just about bankrupted me.”

Her voice cracks and tears fill her eyes.

“I’ve buried at least 20 dogs in the past year,” says Wendy, whose puppies sell for $1,200 to $1,500 each. “This has cost me more than $25,000. I couldn’t sleep because there was no money to pay the bills. My long distance has been cut. I’ve lost my insurance. I’m facing foreclosure and will probably lose my house.

“This just about killed me. Purina doesn’t understand how much all this has devastated fulltime breeders like me.”

Puppy Born Without Tail or Rectum

In Texas, another Newfoundland breeder wonders why her dogs have experienced so many unusual medical problems.

“I’ve had several missed breedings in last few years,” says Brenda M. of Blanco, Texas, “These are all females that should not have missed.”

Brenda has raised Newfoundlands since 1995. And for the first time in her career, she had a dog deliver a deformed puppy.

It happened 18 months ago to her dog, Ramona.

“The puppy was born without a tail or rectum. It was awful. It was alive when it was born, but I had to euthanize it.

“I’ve had litters before with stillborn puppies. But in all the years I’ve done this that was my first deformed puppy. It was freaky and unpleasant.”

Ramona also faced another inexplicable medical problem — one not related to her reproductive system.

She unexpectedly died last month of cirrhosis of the liver.

“Our vet could not find any reason for her to have such a severe case of cirrhosis of the liver. She was only five. She was too young to die from liver disease.

“I don’t know if her death was related to the food,” Brenda says, referring to Purina One she’d fed Ramona for years. “But I don’t trust dog food companies. There’s a huge doubt in my mind about the safety of pet food and that it might have contributed to Ramona’s death.”

Could it also have caused her dogs’ reproductive problems?

“I am very suspicious of Purina. Everything that’s happened is suspicious.”

No Litters in Two Years

Across the country, two Newfoundland breeders in Pennsylvania say their dogs have also experienced bizarre reproductive problems.

“I haven’t had a litter in two years,” says one of the breeders, who didn’t want to be identified because she was afraid of legal action by Purina. “That’s real uncommon for me. These are proven breeders.”

Her mom also raises Newfoundlands.

“And one of her dogs recently had a litter with two dead puppies,” the daughter says. “They were stillborns; they didn’t have fur on them and had been dead a while.

“That dog was a repeat breeder who had two healthy litters before. I took her in for a culture two days after delivery (of the deceased puppies) and everything was negative. The dog was absolutely clean.”

These breeders fed their dogs Purina One – wet and dry food – for more than 20 years.

“And we’ve had excellent results up until last year. But now, we really think there’s problem with the food. Otherwise, we’d still be feeding it to our dogs.”

Next: Missing Evidence

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