Purebred Dogs

[Woma_Wild]

Breeders breed what the judges want. Fortunately, not all countries follow the ANKC type standards.

A look back on dogs in the past will show you exactly what man has done to many breeds of dogs and cats.

The persian cats in Uk have their noses pushed so far back into their skulls that the animal had adapted by breathing through it's mouth.
What was once a stunning cat is now what I would call repulsive and extremely cruel.

The german shepherd has also suffered. Have a look at Uk GSD's - it's appalling.

The ethical breeder will test their breeders prior to mating - poodles for blindness, chis and poms for patella issues, etc. Show dogs also have their teeth/jaws checked.- missing tooth means your dog cannot go in the ring. When buying from one of these breeders, your pet's parents have been tested and clear BUT as with any animal you buy, there is no guarantee that your pet will not get some other illness.

I purchased my GSD from a reputable breeder. From the onset, he was sick. After several weeks of testing, diet change, (and a LOT of vet bills)etc, he was diagnosed with having an allergy to meat and meat by products.

He has great, solid hips though.

 

[Amelia]

Flashy colours such as Harlequin & merle, misshapen heads & muzzles like those Bull terriers & bulldogs possess are not healthy characteristics, these sort of traits do nothing for your dog, they work against it. It might suit your persona to buy a french bulldog, a dachshund, a Dane or a Scotch Collie but animals were never suppose to have these freakish exaggerated characteristics, our dogs are being ruined & most of us are supporting it, whether we realise it or not.

- - - Updated - - -

Here is a great piece on how the American Cocker came to be.

http://pedigreedogsexposed.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/how-yanks-cocked-up-cocker.html

 

[Leasdraco]

Very interesting read Amelia.
I am sad to see unhealthy traits in dogs still be seen as "desirable". That being said it is reassuring to see so many ethical breeders doing the right thing by their animals and customers by testing for hereditary illnesses. And one good thing about designer dogs( I still refer to them as mongrels) is that certain breeds benefit from being crossed,it slowly phasing out the weaknesses of both breeds for example pugs crossed with dogs that have normal noses will hopefully lead to a more healthy breed entirely

 

[Amelia]

Very interesting read Amelia.
I am sad to see unhealthy traits in dogs still be seen as "desirable". That being said it is reassuring to see so many ethical breeders doing the right thing by their animals and customers by testing for hereditary illnesses. And one good thing about designer dogs( I still refer to them as mongrels) is that certain breeds benefit from being crossed,it slowly phasing out the weaknesses of both breeds for example pugs crossed with dogs that have normal noses will hopefully lead to a more healthy breed entirely

All purebred dogs would benefit from being crossed, it's not as impossible to return a dog to it's 'desirable' phenotype once it's been crossed as most purebred snobs would have people believe.

A good example of this is the low uric acid Dalmatians being bred today that were originally crossed with Pointers, one of which competed at Crufts in 2011. It took a lot of hard work to get her there.

Fiona The Mongrel Purebred (aka What Will Crufts Think of Fiona?) « Dogs In Training

Leasdraco, you're right in saying that some of the breeds Pugs are being crossed with might be beneficial to them in bringing out the nose but tragically this has nothing to do with the Pugs own breed standard & won't affect how they're being bred within the kennel club circuit. It's very difficult to work to improve brachycephalic breed standards since their ailment is also their defining feature & unfortunately it's what makes them lovable in so many peoples eyes.

 

[Leasdraco]

Hopefully the AKC will get with the times and encourage people to breed dogs for health rather than looks but that sounds like wishful thinking...

 

[Amelia]

Introducing the 'munchkin'

http://struggling4sanity.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/munchkin_cat_by_wyvern_v-d54ovar.jpg

Peoples reaction to this breed of cat has emphasized for me how desensitized the general public is to deformities in dogs. When faced with a so called munchkin cat the usual reaction was a screwed up face even though their dog counterparts (dachshunds & other achondroplastic breeds) have the opposite effect.

 

[Jazzz]

I think its pretty selfish to buy any kind of dog from a breeder or pet shop when 50% of dogs in shelters are euthanised.

I have 2 gorgeous rescued mix breed dogs, a minature collie cross and a kelpie cross and i have never had a health concern in over 10 years.

I would much rather save the life of a dog then opt out for a 'more aesthetically pleasing' purebred and support the massive over population problem we face.

 

[Amelia]

I think its pretty selfish to buy any kind of dog from a breeder or pet shop when 50% of dogs in shelters are euthanised.

I have 2 gorgeous rescued mix breed dogs, a minature collie cross and a kelpie cross and i have never had a health concern in over 10 years.

I would much rather save the life of a dog then opt out for a 'more aesthetically pleasing' purebred and support the massive over population problem we face.

I understand why a person would choose an animal that has been carefully bred, records kept, adequately tested for known defects & diseases etc over one that hasn't, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting a sound animal, the issue here is our perception of soundness in dogs. How can anybody label an animal healthy when it's been purposely selected for dwarfism, ectropion, alopecia or brachycephalism (to name a few).

I too will only rehome dogs, ones that morphologically fit my criteria if I can help it but regardless it's unfair that the unforeseeing public is continuously duped into thinking their $1,200 pug is the perfect picture of health.

I do not agree with the concept of healthy purebreds as a whole, closed stud books are a completely outdated approach to breeding. Mother nature is far better at molding animals than we are.

 

[SilentPets]

Dog Breed Problems

Breeding for certain characteristics is resulting in unhealthy animals, it seems like the governing bodies do their best to uphold these characteristics & to adhere to the breed standards no matter the consequences.
Education is key in pushing for change.
And I agree
I had A chihuahua years ago it was a Registered show dog and I did show Him and He was a very nice little dog,after a year I decided to buy a Female also Registered and show Her,then I wanted to breed Them,
However,the Female was of the "Modern" style..much smaller and shorter trunk (less room for puppies,I learnt):cry:
But this was what "breed show standards" wanted in the ring,
Small compact tiny little Chihuahuas,of course My poor ***** had to have a Cesarian and only had one pup in Her.
It cost Me heaps at the vet and once there the "VET" said OH! why don't You have it desexed it's too little
Bringing My little dog home I was sad that I had desexed Her because I could no longer show Her.
And it was something that I did with My Children over a few years and We all loved it.
But then I showed the " PUP" that My 2 dogs produced and for a very short time I won with Her.
But then once the Puppy got bigger and started to look like Her father I was eventually asked to NOT show Her anymore.
I was discusted that all "THEY" the Judges wanted was (unbreedable Dogs)no matter the cost of pain to animals.
What they wanted was a dog to look just how they wanted it to look and not how it came out Naturally,
They didn't care if the poor little dogs had to have C sections over and over(as a few had told Me with theirs)
I never went back to showing and told My Children why.

 

[OldestMagician]

I think its pretty selfish to buy any kind of dog from a breeder or pet shop when 50% of dogs in shelters are euthanised.

I have 2 gorgeous rescued mix breed dogs, a minature collie cross and a kelpie cross and i have never had a health concern in over 10 years.

I would much rather save the life of a dog then opt out for a 'more aesthetically pleasing' purebred and support the massive over population problem we face.

I couldn't agree more with this. I'll never buy a dog from a pet shop or backyard breeder. I'll be looking at getting 2 rescue dogs within the next year. Even my cat is a rescue (not from a shelter, from a couple. When I got her she was covered in fleas, locked in a room, constantly scared of their dog, afraid of people and unknown to everyone - pregnant.) who is now much happier, flea free and desexed. You can't compare to seeing the happy animal slowly emerge from one that has had a bad life. I don't think you can compare that feeling to having a 'pretty' dog.

Coming from the UK where I've never seen dogs or cats for sale at pet shops (it's not illegal, but even my parents can't remember seeing any since the 80's) I find it disgusting to see them for sale in shop windows. Especially when you walk past after the shop has closed and can hear them whining and crying inside.

 

[Jazzz]

Im a foster carer for no kill rescue organisations as well so my job is to get these animals healthy and to trust humans again.

I have had 3 cases of pure bred cats up for adoption. A Norwegian forest who at 18 months old had had 3 litters of kittens. She was given to a vets to be euthanised as her kittens werent up to standard by the breeder and her shy personality meant it was hard to sell her for the high price the breeder was demanding. Luckily i knew the vet and she is now the lap cat of a vet behaviorist who has brought her out of her shell. The breeder is the most 'reputable' for a number of breeds in australia and is apparently an 'ethical' breeder.

I had a litter of 2 week old burmeses who were also given to the vets to be euthanised. The mum cat had died of an infection and the breeder didnt have the time to handraise them. Again, luckily i knew the vet and they were all snapped up by adopters! And again, this is a highly respected breeder of burmeses in australia.

The third is a Persian i have at the moment. The breeder found out she had ringworm so quickly sold her over gumtree. The new owner had never had a persian (or cat) before so thought it was a skin condition and was going to surrender her to the pound where they euthanise ring worm cats straight away. Luckily through a friend of a friend we have her and she is ringworm free and waiting to find her new home.

All im saying is that these are not back yard breeders. These are so called reputable and ethical breeders that people feel comfortable buying with. They really couldnt care less about their individual animals and the people who buy off them have no idea.

 

[Shaggydog]

My mum has two purebred Cavaliers that she brought from pet shops, one's an amazing 16 years and the other is about 7. The 16 year old one developed cherry eye and went deaf and blind when he was much younger in life. But Cujo the younger one has had no issues at all, that being said he hardly looks purebred.

Personally I have a white shepherd named Gypsy, I wanted a mixed breed rescue but my mum wouldn't allow it as I was living under her roof at the time and it was for my 21st. She was from some idiot who believed in letting the ***** have a litter before desexing. Only issue I've had from her is almost dying from being desexed and shes 2 years old so I'm pretty lucky. Most people who meet her are surprised when they find out I desexed her, but she's not breed standard she's about half the size of a normal shepherd :/

Also had purebred and domestic/ mixed cats. The domestics/ mixed definitely don't have as many issues in regards to health, and usually have better temperament too. Though you do have to be careful when purchasing male kittens if they've already been desexed as it increases the chance of Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease which can be frustrating.

 

[viciousred]

If anyone wants to see the level of abusive breeding going on look up footage of GSD show winners in the UK and America. These poor dogs can barely walk.
http://m.youtube.com/results?q=germ...levance&search_type=search_all&uploaded=&sm=3

 

[Jazzz]

Also had purebred and domestic/ mixed cats. The domestics/ mixed definitely don't have as many issues in regards to health, and usually have better temperament too. Though you do have to be careful when purchasing male kittens if they've already been desexed as it increases the chance of Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease which can be frustrating.

As a foster carer for a no kill, all of our kittens are desexed at 10 weeks old (over 1kg) before they go to their new homes. Personally ive had about 70 male kittens and have never had an issue with any kind of urinary tract infection or disease.

What would you suggest would be a better solution to this rare disease?

 

[viciousred]

Its actually not rare and becoming much more common. As a vet nurse I see this week in and week out. There has been some thoerys on it being more common in male cats de-sexed before 12 weeks do to there penis not being entirely matured. Increasing the chance of stones (struvites)being caught in the penis and causing a fatal blockage.

BUT there is a lot of evidence that supports diet as a cause. It usually occurs After 2- 3 yrs of age. I have two male cats with it, both de-sexed at 1kg it didn't present until 4 and 5yrs of age. And I manage it by keeping them on a special diet. Having only delt with them as kittens you wouldn't see this.

There has been no significant study done on this in my knowledge but I believe early de-sexing is considered a predisposing factor and being fed a mainly dry supermarket diet. But we have also have seen Entire male cats with this problem although less common.

 

[Shaggydog]

Its actually not rare and becoming much more common. As a vet nurse I see this week in and week out. There has been some thoerys on it being more common in male cats de-sexed before 12 weeks do to there penis not being entirely matured. Increasing the chance of stones (struvites)being caught in the penis and causing a fatal blockage.

BUT there is a lot of evidence that supports diet as a cause. It usually occurs After 2- 3 yrs of age. I have two male cats with it, both de-sexed at 1kg it didn't present until 4 and 5yrs of age. And I manage it by keeping them on a special diet. Having only delt with them as kittens you wouldn't see this.

There has been no significant study done on this in my knowledge but I believe early de-sexing is considered a predisposing factor and being fed a mainly dry supermarket diet. But we have also have seen Entire male cats with this problem although less common.

I just think my boy is unlucky, I got him as a dumpee from the vets and hes always been fed well in my care. Yet he goes through such numerous attacks every couple of months that he now gets a fair few of his vet trips discounted by the vets -.-

 

[viciousred]

Is he on a prescription diet such as royal canin S/O? If not I strongly recommend it. It has both a kibble and a wet food, dissolves the struvites and acidifies the urine to prevent there formation and he can be on it for the rest of his life. There is also the Nuetured Male formula but I would go straight onto S/O.

Anything supermarket or even pet store bought is not a suitable food for a cat with Chronic FLUTD.

If the bouts continue on the S/O you may need to consider surgery to shorten and widen his urethra

 

[Shaggydog]

Hahaha, I'd hardly call it rare. In no way am I saying desexing shouldn't be done, just saying it can be a double edged sword. I know it's not as if rescues can not desex and give people vouchers etc, because lets be honest a fair amount of people are idiots and wouldn't do it. In my head there is no alternative to desexing.

I grew up fostering kittens and it is unbelievable work, actually one of my cats even the rescues wouldn't touch. Deemed too wild as a 5 week old kitten, she's the biggest sook now.

 

[saintanger]

urinary problems are common in cats, years ago i adopted 2 cats both were desexed. the female mix breed had nothing wrong with her but the male pure bred blue russian had to have surgery to remove stones that had blocked up and he nearly died, he also jumped off the roof and broke his leg in multiple places. he spent his whole life on a special diet and that leg played up.

 

[Shaggydog]

Is he on a prescription diet such as royal canin S/O? If not I strongly recommend it. It has both a kibble and a wet food, dissolves the struvites and acidifies the urine to prevent there formation and he can be on it for the rest of his life. There is also the Nuetured Male formula but I would go straight onto S/O.

Anything supermarket or even pet store bought is not a suitable food for a cat with Chronic FLUTD.

If the bouts continue on the S/O you may need to consider surgery to shorten and widen his urethra

The vet put him onto the C/D Wet by hills, but I've been considering swapping to Royal Canin as I much prefer the brand. I've discussed the surgery with my vet but as an animal studies student I lack the money and the employment to afford it. If I remember he quoted around 1000 - 1500 for it. I think it's the environment that flares it up as I have 2 cats but have been looking after my mums 3. Making 5 cats at my house.