Pets

[Dmart]

So cute.

End of July we have another small surgery on Baileys elbows he suffers from elbow dysplasia and already had surgery when he was a puppy. We now try it with stem cells and hope we can avoid a prosthesis for a couple more years while he is still young.
Anyone has experience with stem cells or elbow dysplasia?

[mclaincausey]

@Nkwkfld what a cutie–those inflatable doughnuts are the way to go versus a cone.

Otis chewed a hole in his side trying to get at a cyst so he’s wearing one. And a Triple Works tee that’s a mite short for me

[Nik]

Yeah @mclaincausey much better. Didn’t end up using it though, decided there’s no rush to neuter. Might not ever do it. He seems good the way he is.

[motojobobo]

Chicken is infinitely more handsome without the doughnut! Nice pic @Nkwkfld .

[sabergirl]

I encourage you to neuter him, [mention]Nkwkfld [/mention] ! I used to work for a vet, and partnered with rescue organizations. Not only is it our most important tool to control populations of unwanted pets that have to be euthanized, there are some correlations with health issues including cancer that should be considered. Please consult your vet about this, as I’m almost positive they will agree.

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[Nik]

Thanks @sabergirl I always thought that was the case but my partner and I have talked to multiple vets in UK and France (Chicken is registered in both countries) and they actually said there was no rush. I'm sure Chicken is not going to become a father because of how we carefully manage his interactions with other dogs and he won't be at risk of the cancers until later in life. We won't hesitate when it's necessary but there seems to be no reason to do it now. One of the arguments in favour of waiting is that the hormones help with growth and development, especially in terms of confidence. For a small dog if he gets scared he might become aggressive. With more hormones he actually ends up calmer because he feels confident.

[JDelage]

We're currently applying for a golden retriever puppy and the breeder we're working with is requesting that the dog not be spayed/neutered before sexual maturity…

[sabergirl]

Breeders always have that opinion as it is in their best interest for their progeny to sire more dogs.

As for the rest, I suppose I just knew vets who strongly hold the opposite view.

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[Oaktavia]

Goldies

[Bfd70]

Big tongues car ride and doggles training

[Nik]

Sometimes Chicken is up, sometimes he is down.

[JDelage]

@sabergirl:

Breeders always have that opinion as it is in their best interest for their progeny to sire more dogs.

As for the rest, I suppose I just knew vets who strongly hold the opposite view.

No, in our case it has nothing to do with more progeny and everything to do with health. Breeders actually do not want the puppies they sell to breed, unless they are the rare show quality specimens. Most breeders will have you sign a contract saying you will not breed the dog. Just for kicks & giggles, here's the article the breeder asked us to read on the subject:
https://grca.org/about-the-breed/health-research/effects-of-early-spay-or-neuter-in-golden-retrievers/

It might be specific to GR.

[Graeme]

I've been chatting with a sighthound breeder about the Azawakh and Sloughi, and she recommends not neutering them before 12 to 18 months. Her concerns were about ligament damage, much as the PDF said, especially as her dogs often run in coursing competitions. But I think that it's a fairly generic recommendation for larger breeds.

Then again, a breeder of the Xoloitzcuintli in Western Australia often has her puppies neutered at ten or twelve weeks, before they travel to their new homes.

(Yeah, I like all the weird, obscure, and rare breeds!)

[Giles]

It's a hard life…..

[JDelage]

This is clearly a cat who works too hard.

[Ian72]

Aren’t all pets pampered

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[ROman]

Great shot. Ian.

[EdH]

When it’s too hot for playing fetch, I like to tire him out by getting him to use his brain. And with so much of a dog’s brain being dedicated to scent, there’s no better way to do that than by getting them to find things with their noses.

Here he’s locating a penny that I throw into the garden. When he locates it he goes into a down. I wind him up by asking him to ‘show me’ where it is again to reinforce the association with the penny even more. I also deliver the food to the penny, rather than his mouth, so that he thinks it’s a little miniature dinner plate and turbo charges his desire to find it.

He’s getting too good at this. So next step is figuring out how to train him to distinguish different scents and find specific items when multiple objects are hidden.

[EdH]

Now the weather’s cooler, it’s back to games of fetch!

[Sage954]

This old man won’t fetch. All about belly rubs.