Dog BreedingWritten by Mark Woodcock
So you have a female pedigree dog with papers, you want to make some extra cash, so you think you'll go ahead and mate her with a stud so she'll breed and have some puppies. Not so easy! Proper breeding needs time, education, experience and of course money. Dog breeding does not make you money. If you are a good dog breeder, after postnatal care costs and proper veterinary care costs, there is little money left. Inexperienced dog breeders could end up with unwanted puppies which will just contribute to growing dog overpopulation problem that exists. There are some 3 million plus unwanted dogs and cats in United States, around 25 per cent of them are purebred. Of course there has to be some breeding, as without breeding we would have no puppies to grow into dogs.Good reasons to breed your bitch is to perpetuate good qualitities of certain breeds of dog and to perpetuate a specific breed. If you breed puppies which are in demand, then you will usually be able to find them good homes. You should consider several things first if you are seriously considering breeding. Is your bitch of a good quality to be bred? Does your bitch fit her breed standard? Have your bitch examined by a veterinarian for her suitability for pregnancy and therefore avoiding inheritable abnormalities. If your bitch can match up to these things and fits her breed standard, is healthy you may want to breed her to pass on her good traits. You should start by finding a reputable breeder to mentor your, attend dog shows and educate yourself by reading about breeding. You should also develop a good relationship with your veterinarian, one who could be called upon for any pregnancy and whelping problems you may encounter.
| | Canine Joint DiseaseWritten by Mark Woodcock
Joint disease can be a problem faced by many dogs. Hip dysplasia is most common that people are familiar with as a cause of rear limb lameness. Its front limb counterpart is elbow dysplasia. Elbow dysplasia has only been recognized as a disease in dogs in last 10 to 15 years or so, whereas hip dysplasia has been diagnosed for last 30 to 40 years. Dysplasia means a developmental abnormality, it can be in size, shape, or formation. Elbow dysplasia is a combination of four developmental abnormalities: an ununited anconeal process, osteochondrodystrophy (OCD) of distal humoral condyle, a fragmented medial coronoid process, and elbow incongruity. Dogs may have just one abnormality or in some cases all four. In English, anconeal and coronoid processes are bony bumps on ulna located near elbow. The ulna is arm bone that runs from your little finger upto elbow. The humoral condyle is a bump found at end of humerus near elbow. The humorus is large arm bone extending from shoulder to elbow. Problems with humoral condyle and coronoid process are normally due to abnormal cartilage formation. Sometimes bones do not fit together properly resulting in elbow incongruity or an ununited anconeal process. Classic presentations of elbow dysplasia is an active large breed dog. Rottweilers are posterchild of this disease. Other commonly affected breeds are Bernese Mountain dogs, Laboradors, and Golden Retrievers. There is a breeder certification process available and an elbow registry. It is important for dog owners to check breeder's certification to insure that elbow dysplasia is not present somewhere in breeding line. Problems usually begin in dogs at around 6 months of age or older.
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