Questions and Answers -
3
Question:
I have a beautiful German Shepherd, he is 8 months old and recently
started to walk with a limp in his back legs. The vets informed me that he
had
Hip Dysplasia, and that he might have to have an operation when he is two.
He
has excellent pedigree papers, how did he get this the breeder said the
parents
were healthy?
Answer: Hip Dysplasia (HD) is a
condition causing great concern to
professional breeders. Most large breeds are affected and it is seen
mostly
in the larger breeds. HD is hereditary and the blame must be placed on the
breeders lap. I do not think a week goes by without one of my clients
finding
they have purchased a pet with HD. While most pet dogs can lead a
fairly
normal life with HD the breeder is the key to prevention.
A good breeder will ensure that the
breeding pair have full blood tests and X
Rays which must be scrutinized by experts who will classify the animal as
fit,
or not fit. No one should ever breed a dog with HD however justified they
may
feel. I term people that produce puppies and sell them with HD criminal.
Dogs which have HD, must have quite lives,
must never be overweight, and if
children are about, do watch they do not pull the dogs legs. Expect your
pet to
have arthritic problems as it grows older.
In Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany all
registered breeders have to take their
pets for full examinations before breeding. All dogs are fitted with
microchips for
identification. All Kennel Club papers and puppies are then guaranteed by
the
Government and at the time of this book going to press the official
statistics are
not available, but I am assured by reliable sources that they have reduced
HD by
more than seventy per cent.
Question:
My cross Terrier is terrified when I take him to the vet, he sometimes
gets aggressive and to be very honest I am also very frightened. My vet
cannot
even stroke him. I pray for my dogs health so that we do not have to go to
the
vet.
Answer: I am so sorry that your vet
allowed this situation to develop. Most vets
recognize a nervous dog and a number of them are now giving treats so that
the
dog associates that this is the place for goodies.
On the other hand lets take a look at this
from the dogs point of view! The car,
"The only time I go in the car is to the vets for an injection and
rough handling "
wow, bad behavior in the car. Mum now gets annoyed" Be Quite"
"Shut Up" and
so on, so the behavior patterns starts way before the vets clinic.
At the clinic, you are anxious, and so is
your dog, and maybe so are the other
dogs, so here are some guidelines that should assist you.
Every day you should brush your dog, and if
possible on a table or stool. Touch
his ears and have a look inside talking to him all the time. Touch the
side of his
mouth and rub his gums gently, he will love that. Pick up his paws and
have a
look at his nails, and of course touch his tail and make a good game of it
but be
firm.
Your pet will now be used to you handling
him, and that is most important. Next
time you take him in the car, do not go to the vet, go to the park, or to
a friend.
Should you go to a friend, show your friend how you can touch his ears,
mouth,
paws and tail, that's good practice, and maybe let your friend touch his
mouth,
paws and generally pretend to be the vet.
After a while this will all be a good bit
of fun to both you and the dog. We now
move to the next step which is to take your dog to the vet for a social
visit out
of surgery hours, to be petted by the staff and given some of his favorite
treats.
Over a period of a few weeks he will just love to go and be handled.
Although house visits are very popular, I
think this might be more of a problem
to overcome, since you are now bringing the vet onto the dogs territory.
One
final piece of advice, when visiting a dog which is not under complete
control,
it might be an idea to leave the dog outside in the car and report in to
the
receptionist. When it is your turn the receptionist will come out and
inform you.
This way you can walk straight into the surgery, maybe avoiding that
little bunny
rabbit or pussycat.
Question:
Whenever my friends come to our home my Jack Russell "Joe"
keeps jumping up at them, how can I stop him?
Answer: I do not like dogs jumping
up at visitors either. The best way to deal
with this is to put him away, and not allow him to "greet" your
guests. He is
acting like an Alpha, a Top Dog. Best whenever the bell rings, put him
away,
after a few days he will automatically be ready to be put away. When
your
friends arrive and have settled, he can then be brought into the room, on
your
terms. By bringing him into the room, he now has to try to establish his
status.
Best not to look at him or talk to him for a few minutes, I bet he will
settle down
within a few minutes !
Question:
I am having a lot of problems getting tablets down my dogs throat.
He just will not swallow them, and he is so clever he pretends then spits
them
out, and advice?
Answer: I have found that the best
way to give medication, is to place the tablet
into a piece of cheese, Cut up a few cubes and just watch how quick the
tablets
get swallowed, try it, it works.
Question:
My dog is a cross Labrador/Collie and has never been in Kennels
before. Can you give me any tips about kennels?
Answer: The best advice I can ever
give is "Do not book, unless you can look".
Most vets have lists of local kennel facilities, but cannot really
recommend a
kennel for a number of ethical reasons. I would ask a few friends first if
they
know of a good kennel. Once you have found a suitable kennel that is
staffed
24 hours, that has a vet on 24 hour call, you should prepare yourself and
your
dog.
You should now start to feed your dog on a
regular premium dried dog food,
after all you cannot expect a kennel to give him his chocolate biscuit, at
11
o'clock! By feeding dried food the kennel will be able to continue so
there is
no breakdown in feeding routine. It would be better for both of you to put
him
into the kennel for an odd day before you go away, this way he will get
used
to the place.
The kennels will want sight of your
vaccination book, supply a list of his
"Mummies" special names. Do not forget his toys and let him have
an old
sweater of yours to sniff at.
Whenever anyone complains to me about a
kennel, I always ask what food was
fed, the wrong diet will cause scratching, licking and a very dull coat.
If your dog
comes out of a kennel and you are happy, then tell your friends and your
vet,
and if he does not come out in good condition, also tell your friends and
your vet.
Commitment, Firmness, but kindness.
|
