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Posted by JMM on September 22, 2008, 11:30 am, in reply to "By the way . . . . "
68.114.132.156
First off, I assume you are talking about Chrisman Maltese. I do know them personally and they are good people. Yes, most of their dogs do not have tear stain due to having proper facial conformation. There's no gimmic about it. Smushy, incorrect faces and dogs with eyelash abnormalities stain. Most puppies do stain while teething and that is to be expected. Their prices for the area (NY City/NJ) are reasonable.
Anywhere you look, male pets start around $1500+ and females $2500+. That is normal pet price. Maltese are extremely expensive to show and keep. They also have very small litters. The price has to get passed along somewhere. I recommend males as they are excellent pets and tend to be less independent than the females. That's a generalization, but I find it fairly accurate. They are also more readily available because everybody wants a girl and breeders keep more b###hes for their programs than dogs.
The Maltese breed has a LOT of health problems and very, very few breeders do any testing.
1. Liver shunt/MVD. The parents should have been bile acid tested. Mild elevations in asymptomatic dogs do not exclude dogs from breeding. A pup with mild elevations and no symptoms will make an excellent pet. Asymptomatic MVD requires no treatment.
2. Luxating patella. Almost nobody OFAs their dogs' patellas. Ask about the parent's knees and be aware that hereditary LP and those from injury are common in the breed and may require surgery. It is important not to let your pup jump on and off of furniture and run up and down flights of stairs to help prevent traumatic LP from injuries.
3. Eyes. Pretty much nobody tests eyes. Eyelash abnormalities are very common in the breed and can require surgical correction.
4. PDA. This is a whole in a puppy's heart and requires risky surgery to repair. Your breeder's vet would note a murmur on puppy exam if this was an issue.
5. GME. This is an often fatal form of encephalitis that the breed is prone to. Genetics are not known, however, it is not recommended to breed the parents of an affected dog. Ask if the breeder has experienced this and if so what they did with the parents.
6. Inflammatory bowel disease. No test or anything, but it is common in the breed. It can be connected with an inflammatory disease of the liver that can go along with MVD.
7. Allergies. Inhalent allergies are very common. Some dogs require antihistamines or even allergy injections. Ask the breeder if they've ever experience allergies that need more than an occasional treatment.
I would insist (even at my expense) the pup have bile acids before going home. Remember, asymptomatic MVD numbers are fine for a pet. They do not mean the dog is sick.
Consider having a puppy shipped to you.
Josymir is in PA and worth looking at.
I would avoid MD breeders.
You've got some good folks in the midwest.
I had a puppy shipped from Ta Jon Maltese in OK (to D.C.) and could not be happier with my experience. I've also purchased from Jacob Maltese and we love our kid from them. I would go back to either one.
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