The Dog Thread: Our Furry Family and Friends

[rhubarbodendron]

that sucks For German Shepherds an individual test for HD (usually an x-ray) is mandatory over here. It might be a good idea to introduce it for all other big breeds, too.
We've had a few dogs wit arthrosis. If yours has a very bad day, try a hot water bottle (not too hot, only nicely warm) It helps a bit. You might also want to talk with your vet about a mild pain killer. It doesn't heal arthritis/arthrosis but it takes the pain away and allows the dog to move. That's important because otherwise the joints will stiffen.
Our dog gets a special greenish powder in his food, containing vitamins and minerals and god knows what else. It stinks like rotting algae and it takes him hours to eat it, but the vet says it does slow the illness down a little bit.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

^^ I am not sure about the kennels outside of Germany, particularly escribethose in the US, but over here, the hip dysplasia problem is under control now. For about 30 years, dogs inflicted with that problem have been strictly forbidden from breeding and the frame of the dogs has been altered as well: no more falling backs but straight ones now. It takes some weight off the hips and prevents the development of joint problems in very young dogs.
Arthrosis and spine problems due to old age are the main problems now. And there's still a certain tendency towards intestinal cancer.

It's a real shame how lax breeding standards are in the US. That includes for the kinds of problems you describe, and the tolerance for brachycephlic breeds of cat and dog (such as Pekes and Persians), which is IMHO cruel breeding because you are deliberately breeding a deformity that will detrimentally impact the animal's quality of life.

And then there's stuff like the legality of declawing and tail-docking, both procedures that should be banned but in the US are still allowed. (Don't like your cat clawing up the furniture? Too bad, IMHO. Either train your animal, cover vulnerable surfaces, use humane claw covers, or don't get a cat.)

It's funny...I'm a lot more scared of small dogs than I am of big ones.

In my experience, small dogs are more aggressive than big ones. I can only guess at the reason but I think they propably believe they must make up for their lack of size and impress possible opponents with their aggression rather than an impressive look (like larger dogs can)

Yeah, I've always suspected they have a Napoleon complex, and know instinctively that they are NOT supposed to be that small.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

Emma's predecessor, Annabelle would have made it to thirteen if she hadn't had a stroke that caused the heart murmur she'd had since she was a puppy to become catastrophic.

 

[cooleddie74]

My childhood dog made it to 15 so I have hopes that my current pooch will last just as long if nothing else. Beagles' average life expectancy seems to be in the fourteen or fifteen-year range so I won't expect anything beyond that....I'll just be pleasantly surprised if she does make it a crotchety, ancient old age.

 

[Shanndee]

I think that's a fair assumption cooleddie. Muffy (once again...I'm so very sorry for that name old friend!) made it to 14 and most of my friends small to mid sized dogs averaged 14 to 15 years.

It's so sad we lose them so soon. I don't know how people who love giant breeds cope. I have a friend who always adopts Irish Wolfhounds. I would be gutted losing a friend after only about 8 years...

 

[scotpens]

In my experience, small dogs are more aggressive than big ones. I can only guess at the reason but I think they probably believe they must make up for their lack of size and impress possible opponents with their aggression rather than an impressive look (like larger dogs can)

In my experience, the loudness of a dog's bark is in inverse proportion to its size. Just ask anyone who's had a Chihuahua.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

LOL good point. I never thought of it before but you're absolutely right.

Nerys Ghemor, I couldn't agree more. We call such things "torture breeding". They really ought to get forbidden. So many dogs with hanging lips or drooping eye lids suffer all their lives from painful inflammations. Dogs with shortened noses like Pekinese or Boxers have breathing trouble. Bull Terriers with their contorted legs have to endure horrible joint pains, Dachshunds regularly suffer from slipping discs and the list goes on and on.
Btw, the cutting of ears and tails or de-clawing is illegal in Germany unless it's for medical reasons. We have pretty much the strictest pet-protection laws in the world, I believe.

 

[cooleddie74]

I've never been comfortable with declawing cats or dogs.

It's surgically removing the first bone of every digit on a domesticated animal's paws just because someone doesn't want their furniture and other household objects scratched up, and my view has pretty much always been: if you're so overly concerned about your sofa or carpet in the first place that you're willing to perform surgery on a pet to remove a natural defense that evolution has given them then maybe it wasn't a good idea to get a cat or dog in the first place.

Pick one or the other....or take the risk with your favorite recliner. But don't punish the pet when he or she hasn't done anything wrong.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

100% agreement!
(which is why I have a hamster - Working fullime, I have not enough time for a dog and I value my furniture too much to have cats)

 

[Squiggy]

I reject your conversation and substitute my own.

This is how she wakes me up some mornings.

 

[SmoothieX]

Mine woke me up this morning by running across me and puking on the carpet. Yay.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Nerys Ghemor, I couldn't agree more. We call such things "torture breeding". They really ought to get forbidden. So many dogs with hanging lips or drooping eye lids suffer all their lives from painful inflammations. Dogs with shortened noses like Pekinese or Boxers have breathing trouble. Bull Terriers with their contorted legs have to endure horrible joint pains, Dachshunds regularly suffer from slipping discs and the list goes on and on.

Yeah. And the sad part with dogs is, unlike with cats, I'm not sure the true breeds--without those deformities--still exist. With cats, for example, if you're lucky you can still find what's called a doll-faced Persian, which is bred in a much healthier manner than the Peke-faced Persian.

It gave me hope when recently the Crufts dog show in the UK rejected some dogs due to torture breeding (GREAT term for it!). I hope that someday public opinion really and truly turns against that sort of thing.

Btw, the cutting of ears and tails or de-clawing is illegal in Germany unless it's for medical reasons. We have pretty much the strictest pet-protection laws in the world, I believe.

That's very fortunate...I hope the US will someday follow suit.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

I just looked it up in the dictionary: the term has several possible translations as the English language is richer in facets than German is.
The range includes: agony, anguish, bale, distress, dolour, excruciation, ordeal, pain, tantalisation, torment and torture. I am not sure which one is the official translation (if there's one at all). The original term is "Qualzucht".

In vertebrates (mammals birds and fish), any breeding of features that tolerate or cause an animal pain, suffering, physical or emotional damage or behavioural disturbances are strictly forbidden by German law. There are exceptions for scientific purposes, such as hairless mice required for certain medical tests.

 

[SmoothieX]

^Great term for it. That shit bothers me too. I own a breed prone to hip and knee issues, but at least it wasn't bred into her like those brachycephalic breeds.

I visited my mom over the weekend and caught this shot of my dog being camera shy the other morning.

 

[cooleddie74]

My dog hides under sheets and blankets all the time. I'm not sure if it's shyness or playfulness, because she seems to want me to come find her when she's covered in several layers of cotton and rayon.

 

[Finn]

^my mom almost sat on the dog because he was sleathy hidden under a blanket on the love seat once

 

[Sigokat]

I posted some pictures of my cats in the feline thread and then found out there was one for dogs too!

Here is a picture of Sally with her favorite of ALL her toys (and she has alot of them), Tigerbot.

 

[Sigokat]

Another pic of Sally, this was when we first brought her home. Umm, how do I not make these pictures so huge? Sorry about that!

 

[Captain Ice]

^Sites like photobucket have image editing capability. Also, programs like Gimp or Photoshop. For Photobucket or Gimp, both of which I use, all you have to do is to find the "resize" function. I don't recall where it is in Gimp at the moment, but for Photobucket it is pretty easy to locate.

 

[Mary Ann]

Mine woke me up this morning by running across me and puking on the carpet. Yay.

Heh, our dog did pretty much the same thing to my husband this morning. Yay.

My husband was a postman for several years, and as a rule he was far more wary of small dogs than big dogs. He was lucky in that he was never bitten while on duty, but his colleagues who were not so lucky were more often bitten by little yappy dogs than the larger breeds.

On the topic of poor breeding standards, one of the most shocking stories I've come across is that of Rosie the chihuahua. The poor little thing barely looks like a dog at all, but she's a highly inbred purebred. Thankfully her new owners are giving her the best care possible.