October 7, 2026
When people buy a pedigree puppy, especially from a responsible breeder, it is natural to want reassurance that the dog will remain healthy throughout its life.
And one of the most important questions a future owner can ask is:
“What happens if my puppy develops a health problem later?”
My answer is simple:
Do not stay alone with the problem. Contact your breeder.
But before discussing what to do in such a situation, there is something very important every future owner should understand.
At Sine Metu, we take the health of the dogs in our breeding program very seriously.
Our breeding dogs undergo the appropriate health examinations, and their results are taken into account when making breeding decisions.
For example, our breeding dogs are examined for patella, and the parents represented in our breeding program have a patella result of 0.
This is very important.
But I would never tell a future owner:
“Both parents are healthy, so your dog can never develop a health problem.”
That would simply not be honest.
Veterinary medicine cannot provide such a guarantee.
Many orthopedic and genetically influenced conditions have a complex, multifactorial basis. Their development may involve genetics as well as growth, body weight, nutrition, physical activity, trauma and other factors. Hip dysplasia, for example, is recognized as a multifactorial condition involving both hereditary and environmental influences.
That is why a responsible breeder can reduce known risks, but cannot mathematically reduce every possible future health problem to zero.
Yes, theoretically it is possible.
And this is one of the most important things a future owner should understand.
Some inherited diseases are relatively straightforward to manage when reliable DNA tests are available.
But many orthopedic conditions are more complicated and may involve multiple genes together with environmental and developmental factors.
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals explains that with polygenic conditions, even two phenotypically normal dogs can sometimes produce offspring with an undesirable condition. This is why responsible breeding looks at more than one test result and considers family history and offspring as well.
This is where a breeder's experience becomes extremely important.
Patellar luxation means that the kneecap moves out of its normal position.
In small and miniature dogs, medial patellar luxation is often associated with developmental and anatomical factors and has a hereditary component. This is one of the reasons why patella screening is important in breeding dogs.
That is why we test the dogs we use for breeding.
But even a normal result in both parents does not allow anyone to honestly say that every possible problem in their offspring is absolutely impossible.
There is another important point: patellar luxation can also occur as a result of trauma. That is a different mechanism from a hereditary predisposition.
So if a dog develops a knee problem after going to its new home, the first step is to establish what actually happened, rather than immediately concluding:
“This must be genetic, so the breeder must have done something wrong.”
It may not be that simple.
Hip dysplasia is even more complex.
It is considered a multifactorial condition. Hereditary factors can contribute to the risk, but development can also be influenced by growth, nutrition, body weight, physical activity and other environmental factors.
Therefore, it is incorrect to say:
“The parents were healthy, so hip dysplasia is impossible.”
But it is equally incorrect to say:
“If a dog develops hip dysplasia, the breeder must have done something wrong.”
The reality can be much more complicated.
That is why responsible breeding considers not only the individual breeding dogs but also information about relatives and offspring when making future breeding decisions.
This is extremely important.
A dog may develop a health problem because of:
The word “hereditary” should not be used simply because a problem appeared in a pedigree dog.
The cause needs to be investigated.
The first rule is:
The second:
And the third:
First, the dog should receive appropriate veterinary care.
If an orthopedic, genetic or other serious condition is suspected, the necessary diagnostic examinations should be performed.
It is important to have:
Only then can we begin to discuss the possible cause.
The word “could” is very important.
“Could be genetic” does not mean:
“It definitely came from the parents.”
And it certainly does not mean:
“The breeder knew about it and hid it.”
With complex, multifactorial conditions, it is often impossible to determine the precise genetic contribution simply by looking at two parents.
That is why responsible breeding uses a combination of health testing, pedigree information, family history and information from offspring rather than relying on one result alone.
Theoretically, such a situation is possible even when the parents have been examined and have normal results.
This does not mean that we expect it to happen in our puppies.
Quite the opposite.
The purpose of health testing is precisely to reduce known risks as much as possible.
But a responsible breeder should not promise something that biology cannot guarantee.
If such an unusual situation ever occurred, it would need to be evaluated individually:
Only after examining all of this information can meaningful conclusions be made.
No. Not automatically.
And this is one of the most difficult things for people to accept.
We naturally want to find a cause:
“Someone must be responsible.”
But biology is more complicated than that.
A breeder can do everything responsibly.
The parents can be tested.
The breeding decision can be carefully considered.
The pedigree can be studied.
The puppy can be raised correctly.
The owner can provide excellent care.
And an unexpected medical problem can still occur.
That is why responsible breeding is not about pretending that risk does not exist.
It is about understanding risk, reducing what can be reduced, and responding responsibly when something unexpected happens.
This distinction is extremely important.
The absence of an absolute guarantee does not mean the absence of responsibility.
A responsible breeder should:
The AKC specifically recommends that responsible breeders know the health issues relevant to their breed, perform appropriate health screening, provide health information, and remain a resource for owners throughout the dog's life.
Even when the information is unpleasant.
If a Sine Metu dog develops a serious health problem, I want to know about it.
Not because I am looking for someone to blame.
Because information about the health of our dogs is part of responsible breeding.
If a problem occurs in offspring, we can begin asking:
This is how breeders learn and make better decisions over time.
Then the situation may be completely different.
A dog can injure itself while playing, jumping, falling or during another unexpected event.
Sometimes the consequences of an injury are not immediately obvious.
This is another reason why an orthopedic problem should not automatically be labeled hereditary simply because it appeared in a dog from a particular breeding.
We need a diagnosis, not an assumption.
There can be many different factors.
For example:
Hip dysplasia is a good example because its development can involve both hereditary and environmental factors.
This is why maintaining a dog's health after it leaves the kennel becomes a shared responsibility.
The breeder is responsible for their part. The owner is responsible for theirs.
This is where the situation becomes more complicated.
If proper veterinary evaluation and available evidence suggest that a problem may have a hereditary component, a responsible breeder should not simply dismiss it.
The information should be taken seriously.
It may affect future breeding plans.
It may mean that relatives should be monitored more carefully.
It may mean additional examinations are appropriate.
Or, after proper investigation, it may become clear that the original suspicion of a genetic problem was incorrect.
That is why a responsible breeder should not be afraid of health information.
A breeder should collect it, investigate it and learn from it.
I do not want to sell you an illusion.
I do not want to tell you:
“Nothing will ever happen to your dog.”
That might sound reassuring, but it would not be honest.
I want to say something different:
We do everything within our control to reduce the risks.
We health-test breeding dogs.
We study pedigrees.
We consider available family health information.
We observe our puppies as they develop.
We follow the health of our dogs after they leave us.
And most importantly:
we do not disappear when the puppy leaves our home.
You can expect honesty.
You can expect us not to pretend that problems do not exist.
You can contact us if your dog becomes ill.
You can ask us to help you understand what is happening.
You can tell us about a problem even if you do not know whether it has anything to do with genetics.
And if the information could be important for our breeding program, we want to know about it.
It is not a reason for conflict.
It is information that can help us become better breeders.
We cannot honestly promise:
No honest breeder can guarantee that.
The AKC likewise notes that reputable breeders cannot provide a 100% guarantee that no health problems will ever occur; health guarantees and their terms vary by breeder and contract.
A responsible breeder can:
health-test breeding dogs;
avoid ignoring known problems;
study pedigrees;
consider family health information;
make thoughtful breeding decisions;
observe offspring;
collect health information from dogs after they leave the kennel;
change breeding decisions when evidence requires it;
and, most importantly,
remain available to the owner.
That is responsibility.
Do not wait.
Do not think:
“Maybe I shouldn't tell the breeder.”
Do not be afraid that you will be blamed.
Do not try to decide by yourself whether the problem is genetic.
First, see your veterinarian.
Get a proper diagnosis.
Keep the medical records and examination results.
And then contact your breeder.
Perhaps I have encountered something similar before.
Perhaps I know more about your dog's relatives.
Perhaps I can help you find an appropriate specialist.
Perhaps the information will be important for future breeding decisions.
Or perhaps together we will discover that it was an isolated problem with no connection to genetics.
Either way, it is better to know the truth.
For me, there is a very important difference.
I cannot promise you a dog that will never become ill.
But I can be responsible for the breeding decisions I make.
I can test what can be tested.
I can study.
I can analyze.
I can learn.
I can change my decisions when new information becomes available.
And I can remain there for the owner when something unexpected happens.
So when you buy a puppy, you are not buying a “guarantee of perfect health for life.”
You are choosing a breeder who does everything reasonably possible to produce healthy dogs and does not disappear once the puppy leaves the kennel.
If your Sine Metu Xoloitzcuintli ever develops a health problem, do not face it alone.
First — see your veterinarian.
Then — get an accurate diagnosis.
And after that — contact your breeder.
Not every health problem is hereditary.
Not every hereditary problem means the breeder made a mistake.
Not every orthopedic problem is caused by genetics.
And not every problem has someone to blame.
But every problem deserves to be properly investigated.
That is how I understand my responsibility to every Xoloitzcuintli born at Sine Metu.
We are responsible not only for bringing a puppy into the world.
We are responsible for treating its life, health and future with honesty and care.
Is a mono-breed Miniature Xolo kennel.
We know everything about the Xolo breeding and even more.
We choose only the best Xolo bloodlines in the world for the breeding purpose in our kennel.
Our graduates live in more than 15 countries in Europe, the USA and Canada.
All our breeding dogs get tested for genetic diseases and are in excellent health condition.
