Complaint Review: Little Horse Great Danes - Mineral Wells Texas

Our dog had cherry eye surgery today which revealed the underlying cause. Her cartlidge in that eye is bent. Also hereditary. She will likely require additional surgery to fix the cartridge. Little horse Danes are breeding dogs with genetic issues. I would also be wary of breeders who have Little Horse in their gene pool such as Scarborough Fair and HRS Danes. There are probably others. Buy only from breeders that show their dogs And have champions. 

I am a 3rd party interested in Quality Great Danes.  Please, if you are considering a Great Dane, read the following first:

Cherry Eye Information:

canidae.com/blog/2010/06/what-causes-cherry-eye-in-dogs-and-how-to-correct-it.html 

pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/cherry-eye-in-dogs.html <--- "Theoretically, any breed or type of dog can get cherry eye, although it is thought to have hereditary causes and so usually involves a genetic predisposition to the problem."

justanswer.com/dog-health/2qhor-cherry-eye-dog-genetic-not-breed-dog.html<-- "In the ACVO-CERF (ACVO is the american college of veterinary opthalmologists) guide, breeding advice is "Breeder's Option" which means that the dog should not be bred to another dog without careful review of the pedigree to ensure that you are not doubling up on genetic predisposition."

Ask if they show their dogs:

Dogs that are not shown and Breeders that have no champions in their family name should envoke warning signs. Reputable breeders show their dogs so that there is proof of conformity to the breed standard.  In other words, showing a dog means that a group of experts have evaluated the dog based on temperment, conformity, and health.  Their "European Imports" may have had distant champions, but is there anything in the current breeder's name.  A breeder should have many champions in their name.  You will not likely pay any more for a dog with champions in thier immediately family.  

Third Eye lid showing vs Cherry Eye:

I believe that I see cherry eye in the dog's picture.  But let's say that it is just the third eye lid showing as the breeder claims. Do you really want a dog with a third eyelid showing?  This too is a defect and does not meet conformity standards.  Do not buy a puppy from a breeder whose dogs look like they have been out drinking all night.  This is not normal for a healthy dane.

I am a happy owner of a Little horse Great Dane and WILL ONLY OWN A LITTLE HORSE GREAT DANE. Melody is one of the most ethical breeders you will find. I spent 4 YEARS researching great dane breeders and chose her. I carefully looked at their breeding practices, health screenings etc. Melody is the pickiest breeder I have found and only the best dogs make it into her breeding program. She imports her dogs from Europe. All of them have full health screenings. If a dog develops a problem, they are neutered. Seizures...neutered, skin allergies...neutered. She doesn't medicate dogs and pass them off as healthy. She has the best health guarantee in the country, Believe me I've looked!

Melody takes every measure, far more than other breeders to prevent parvo. People are not allowed in her house as they might bring parvo in on her shoes. We drove 4 hours to the airport to pick our pup up. We followed her rules of bringing puppy pads and not letting the puppy out of the car, Do not put puppy on grass, Do not take puppy out of your house until they are fully vaccinated. It doesn't get stricter than that.  

My Vet still can't get over how amazing our Littlehorse Dane is, and he himself owns a Great Dane. The entire office swoons over him. The Vet was so blown away at the puppy guide that Melody wrote. He says it is the most educational and medically accurate booklet he has seen in all his years of practice.

The link shared on the post above to to VPI pet insurance is written by a vet who was paid by the insurance company to write it. This site claims that cherry eye is hereditary, which is not, but I'll tell you why they say that. 

Taken from VPI:

The Cost of Cherry Eye Treatment

According to claims filed by VPI Pet Insurance policyholders, the average national cost to treat cherry eye is $312.

Fortunately, under VPI’s Major Medical Plan, cherry eye is eligible for hereditary reimbursement benefits after one year of a pet’s active policy date. In 2011, nearly $213,000 in cherry eye claims was filed by VPI policyholders.

They Claim it is hereditary so they can exclude it from covered procedures for 1 year. You have to pay 1 year of premiums which their site say run about $35/month on the high end. So you have dished out $420 for a surgery that they state costs $312. Bottom Line: The insurance company made money!! Because they said it was hereditary and you beleived them!

Funny how Wikipedia says it is not hereditary. I'd believe them. its unbiased.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_eye

Cherry eye is not considered a genetic problem, as no proof of inheritance have been determined.^[6]

1.  Christmas, R. E. (1992).But Some breeds are considered to be more susceptible to its development than others, including the Bulldog, Boston Terrier, Bull Terrier, Lhasa Apso, Cocker Spaniel, St. Bernard, Shar-pei, Shih Tzu and Poodle "Common Ocular Problems of Shih Tzu Dogs". Canadian Veterinary Journal, Volume 33, 392.

Bottom Line, Cherry eye is as hereditary as bloat is. It just happens. Next you will see this lady suing over her dog bloating and demanding $3000 for emergency surgery. Dogs are like kids, they get injured. Thats life. If my dog developed cherry eye I would have it fixed like any other person would do. The breeder has nothing to do with this. 

This is becoming a pissing contest because Mrs. Fordham doesn't know what she is talking about.  An owner of one Great Dane does not an expert make.  I've been breeding healthy dogs since 1987 and if you knew what cherry eye was you would recognize the dogs in the photos have the third eye lid showing not cherry eye. 

I do believe there is something about using someone else's imagine without their permission.  You do not have my permission to use my photos.

This is a spoiled woman who was told "NO" and now is showing her butt to the entire world.  Fortunately I have many satisfied owners and many have multiple Littlehorse Great Danes.

Good luck with your rant.

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I have just know realized that picture the author used is also a picture of my dogs sister. Although I have never raised the sister, I have raised the mantle in the picture and as you can see, no cherry eye. And also no cherry eye on her sister. I will attach a better picture of the sisters on this post so viewer's can see the images clearly. I returned my mantle due to my health issues. My girl is 100% healthy. My vet raves about them.

I have also owned Danes for a good amount of years as well and my knowledge in the breed isn't dense. I know the breed as much as the next person. The cause of your dogs cherry eye is in your vet report that clearly states how she got it. And it was in no fault of the breeder. If not, please show us your vet statement along with his name and number so we can contact him if you keep saying it is melody's fault. I'd like to see proof. Bet you don't have any.

Asking for money for any health issue that arises is wrong. Yes, Melody has a guarantee, but it is not monetary. It is for a pup back from a different breeding. If you aren't satisfied with this, then I am sorry. Get over it. In no way does a breeder reimburse any monetary funds for your dog. Especially knowing what guarantee there is. If you didn't like the guarantee, you shouldn't have bought the dog from the breeder.

Now about parvo. It sucks. Worst thing a dog can catch. It just happens and just so you know, parvo is tracked in from anywhere. Heck, A simple run to the store to get dog food and back could have tracked it in.The wild animals around her area could have tracked it in, there are numerous ways it could have happened. To blame it on the breeder is shameful. She did not purposely do anything to any of the dogs. Melody loves her pups and has bent over backwords to help me and many others. I will forever be in her debt.

You keep smearing a Great woman's name to make you feel better about yourself. Such a shameful thing to do. True Christians do not conduct themselves in the manner you have. All you have done is Lie, Lie, Lie.

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I own two Great Danes from Littlehorse and am COMPLETELY satisfied.  We have a harlequin femaie that is almost 5 years old and a mantle male that is 11 months.  The female is "small" and sturdy at 110 lbs. and the male is 150 lbs.  Our dogs have been very healthy, and our vet has been very impressed with them.  

Mrs. Rainwater and her husband are phenomenal people and love the breed.  They literally put everything they have into their dogs and their breeding program.  And their help does not just stop once you pick up your puppy.  Any time I have a question, Mrs. Rainwater is always willing to help.  Some of my questions have probably been really dumb, but she helps me nonetheless.  

Littlehorse requires a deposit and then payment in full before you pick up your puppy.  I used Paypal with our second dog.  I am not sure what the author of the original post was complaining about by mentioning this.

I also do not understand what Parvo has to do with the original poster's dog having cherry eye.  I guess the author of the original post is trying to smear mud by saying that Littlehorse has had a Parvo incident.  Parvo is a devastating illness, but sometimes it just happens.  Littlehorse is very careful - they have a "closed kennel" when they have new puppies - but no matter how careful you are, you cannot prevent everything.  Loving their dogs the way that they do, I am sure that the Rainwaters were heartbroken as they tried to nurse those puppies back to health.  

Littlehorse does guarantee general health, but no where does anything say "especially genetic defects."  They do however specifically guarantee against hip dysplasia for life and enlarged heart for seven years - wow!!  Perhaps that is what the author of the original post is referring to.  And the guarantee is a replacement guarantee - they replace the dog, not give refunds.  It is all very clearly displayed on the Littlehorse website.

And speaking of "genetic defects," the author of the original post links to an article in comment #3.  This article states that cherry eye is a condition that "some dog breeds may be predisposed" to.  The article says nothing about it being a result of poor breeding, just a genetic predisposition of some breeds.  Maybe the author of the original post should have read the article a bit closer.  And as for the picture that the author posted of Mrs. Rainwater's dog which "shows cherry eye in both eyes" - if you look at the Littlehorse website and see the full-size photo, you will see that it is the color of the dog's eyes below and a shadow above.  Perhaps the author of the orginal post should have looked at that a bit closer, too.

Littlehorse Danes are AKC registered.  They offer a limited registration, meaning you must first have your dog spayed/neutered before you can receive the registration documents.  The Rainwaters are upfront about this from the beginning.  You know going into it that you will have to have your dog fixed if you want the AKC registration.  They do this to protect the breed.  Great Danes are a breed prone to health problems due to irresponsible breeders.  Littlehorse makes it more difficult for irresponsible breeding to be perpetuated with one of their dogs by requiring you to have your dog fixed.  If you do not want to have your dog fixed, that is fine, you just will not get the AKC registration for your dog.

I believe that the author of the original post is being completely unreasonable by expecting the Rainwaters to pay for the dog's vet bills due to cherry eye.  I also believe that there are some half-truths going on here, and that if we had the full story, we would see who the real victims are.  It is a shame that the author of the original post was ripped off by her vet, but it is more of a shame to be stirring up trouble for good people.

I own and have owned 2  very healthy and registered great Danes from melody at littlehorse great Danes.  I recently became pregnant and have to be put on bed rest, so melody offered to help me out.  She is nothing but a kind, caring woman.  I have been to her place and have met all her dogs and all the puppies.  No, I didn't touch the puppies, I was there to pick up my pup.  The pups are all cared for and her Danes have the sweetest temperaments.  I will always recommend and buy from melody.  

Ms.  Fordham is nothing but a greedy lady who thinks just because she is extremely religious that she has more self entitlement that others.  Melody has been breeding since 1987 and I have heard nothing but good things about her.  She has many other puppy owners, such as myself,  that are completely satisfied with her breeding  program.  Ms. Fordham needs to realize that when you buy a any pup you pay for your own bills.  If it is not a life threatening genetic defect, move along.  Anything could have caused the pups cherry eye.  Such as damage from a stick poking the eye, can cause damage to the 3rd eyelid causing a cherry eye.  I have no reason to believe this ms Fordham.  She's just a money hungry, loathing woman who doesn't count her blessings.  She could be sued for defamation of character and libel! 

I've had to deal with this crazy woman for sometime now.  Everytime the dog gets diarrhea or eats rocks "which is by her neglect in watching her" she would contact me and say how much surgery is going to be.  I never cursed her.  That is a figment of her overactive imagination.  She is one of those people that uses her "Christianity" to sell terribly written books.

What she wants is full registration on a pet dog for nothing.  She wants to breed her.  The contract states that she is to recieve AKC limited registration after proof of spaying.  Contract also states that at no time do we agree to pay any expensenses caused by said dog. Her title says the dog is sick.  No, she is not sick.  She developed cherry eye after the stress of trying to pass the rocks that she let her eat.  I even have a statement from her vet to that effect.  Whether or not cherry eye is hereditary or not is unproved and at any case none of mine have it.  It is a minor surgery of which the repair can be $100. And up depending on the vet.

Therefore what we have here is a spoiled woman that told me she WANTED HER PAPERS RIGHT NOW or threatened me with this website.  Anyone who wants more information on me or referrences just contact me and I can provide very many satisfied owners.  I think we should take up a collection for this woman to recieve help.  Since 1987 I've run into two such nut jobs.  She is the second.

Believe what you want.  I'm not going to waste another minute on this crazy woman. 

From the author of the original complaint:  

It should be noted that this is not the first Great Dane that I have owned.  My first Dane lived to be a few months shy of 15 years old (which is ancient for a Great Dane since their life span is usually 8-10 years on average) and died in the early summer 2014.  We loved her dearly!  We bought her in Denmark and she had no health issues until the very end when she developed lung cancer in her 14th year.

The puppy that Melody sold us with Cherry Eye is only 23 weeks so she is not old enough to be spayed according to our vet.  She will be spayed at 6 months after her eye has healed from surgery - infact, the appointment is already scheduled.  I am not a breeder nor do I wish to breed.  If I were a breeder, I would not breed dogs that had Cherry Eye or in an environment where parvo likely lives in the soil.

For more information about Cherry Eye:  http://www.petinsurance.com/healthzone/pet-articles/pet-health/Cherry-Eye-and-Pets.aspx