sandgrubber

I don't have a big problem with genetic testing so long as they don't say carriers can't breed. There are now so many tests on the list that few dogs have an entirely clean slate and breeders are forced to be realistic... and it's worth avoiding breeding carriers of rare but serious diseases. It's not all that expensive, and one swab can do it. The fact that the genetic testing industry is largely unregulated does bother me. It's annual eye exams that I find unreasonable. In gun dogs most of what they examine for is extremely rare, except in mild forms, and many eye problems don't show up until 6 or 7 years of age. Not everyone has a veterinary optometrist nearby.

Bonza has had a severe and hard to diagnose limp (front left) for a couple of months now. X-rays inconclusive, but don't suggest osteosarcoma. Cartophen and Meloxicam don't help much. On my 3rd and most recent vet visit the vet gave her a couple jabs of a painkiller,which I thought she told me was codeine. She told me that it would make her drowsy. It damn near killed her. Poor girl. I found her the next morning lying outdoors with dew all over her. At first I thought she was dead cause she was unresponsive and her breathing was hard to detect and she felt cold. When she did awaken, I assumed something associated with the limp was killing her. It turns out she was given the maximum recommended dose of a synthetic opiods called Vetergesic...commonly used for post operative pain relief. The warnings that go with the stuff are dire. I am furious at the vets for 1) prescribing it at all... it's active for less than 24 hours so what's the point; 2) going for maximum dose; and 3) only telling me that it might make her drowsy. Mostly I'm just venting. I'm changing vets and getting a second opinion on the limp. Does anyone think there's any point in laying out my reasons for doing so to the practice manager?

No. Sadly IMO, the ANCK will not give papers unless both parents are registered. Some other sort of papers could be done up but they won't cut the mustard with the pedigree world.

Given high puppy prices and the popularity of Frenchies, you should be making good money on puppy sales. No need to cut corners. Go to a proper vet for advice and if that doesn't succeed, get a second opinion or consult an infectious disease expert. It sounds like something is out of control in the environment you manage. Yes, the dog version of Fenbenzadol is expensive, but is the dose/absorption etc right when you use a goat formulation? Etc.

Health testing is something of a sacred cow. My reading is that,at least in gun dogs, the required annual eye checks do not contribute a lot to health, and become a serious barrier to many would be breeders who live a long way from major cities.

Use a reputable pet transport company. The rules are so complicated that DIY doesn't work well. I hit problems because my dogs had to do a domestic flight before the international flight, and the company I worked with was so focused on the international part of the journey, no one informed me that a vet check was required within three days of the domestic flight. This caused several hours of intense anxiety waiting for vets to open and rescheduling flights, but it worked out OK. So if it's a multi-leg journey, make sure you have met requirements for every leg.

DNA analyst of ancient dog remains shows a complex history of origins and domestication https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6516/557.full

An earlier summary of the same study https://skeptvet.com/Blog/2020/01/new-evidence-about-when-to-neuter-your-dog/ Personally I would like to see the details (pay wall problem). A one percent increase may be statistically significant but still unimportant in the real world, especially when N is large. I'd also like some evidence that the dogs sampled accurately reflected their breeds. I can imagine, for example, that the difference between field and bench Labs might be greater than the difference between Labs and Goldies.

One issue that hasn't been made explicit : do you want a watch dog (will alert bark, but not threatening) or a guard dog (will scare people, may or may not be trained for protection). I personally avoid rottis, Malanois, GSDs, cattle dogs, etc because they scare people just by breed reputation. Also, dog aggression is fairly common with the guarding dog breeds. You may or may not find this a good thing.

https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/300136566/kiwi-dogs-eat-70000-possums-in-a-year-demand-for-pest-pet-food-grows Somehow I don't think Possy-yum brand will sell so well in Oz.

Another species of tradescantia... As bad as wandering J/dew, but purple striped

I was going to suggest a Springer. Mine is gentle, affectionate, trainable, highly athletic, and hair trigger alert, including waking up when there are sounds in the small hours of the night. I suspect a pointer will be much the same, but larger.

I'm a Labrador person,but I used to run a boarding kennel and have met quite a few BCs. Many (most?) Labs love to run until they start feeling old age (say 9 or 10 years) and are happy staying fit along with their people. The biggest difference I think you are likely to see is that BCs tend to be busy dogs and are not into cuddling and not big on playing, while most Labs are pretty mellow and are warm and playful with both family and strangers (including dogs). In the kennel I found it amusing that most of the compulsive fetch dogs were herding dogs, not retrievers.

The bird was leading the chase. Floating down and flying back up a river isn't much stress for a bird (Paradise duck... very common around here). They can fly a hundred km a day. And no, I had no hope of catching her; she was not listening at all. No way to catch her until she was pretty tired.

Yoli (2 yr ESS) has been getting pretty good at recall under distraction. That was until we went to the Awatere River and encountered a drake doing the wounded bird act to draw her away from the nest. He practically dive bombed her flying low, landed in the shallows, then headed for the swift and deep. She almost caught up and he did a one wing flapping thing that drove her crazy. Before I knew it they were out of sight... I'd guess around a km. Then he flew perfectly normal, back upstream, she chasing behind. This repeated with variations five or six times. The current is very strong. I ueventually got worried that he would get her so tired and worked up that she'd be in danger of drowning, and was able to catch her and put her on leash. She's sleeping soundly.

I don't know Jaime. Interested. How do I get information. Does she have a website?

Bonza (Labrador) has been limping on her right front leg. She be 11 in a few months. Her elbow scores were excellent. I can't find a sensitive place, so I took her to the vet. The vet couldn't find anything either, and prescribed nupentin and carpreve (and weight loss... which I'm working on). These don't seem to be doing anything. I'm fairly new to the area and I'm not sure I trust my vet. I think I'll rest her for a week or two and if that doesn't help, go in for further diagnostics (X-rays, probably). Worried that it might be osteosarcoma... but she doesn't seem to be in that much pain and there's no swelling. Any ideas?

You'd have to expose a few hundred puppies to parvo to get a solid answer, and even then, its possible that what you find for one breed isn't true for some other breed. No one does the research. They do titres, but titres carry some uncertainty. And you may need to repeat for each of several vaccines. Bottom line : The later the last jab the safer, but 14 vs 16 weeks may be 99 vs 99.5% safe. It comes down to a judgment call.

Better slow than fast. It's a lot easier to put weight on than take it off for most dogs. And there aren't a lot of health risks to being a bit bony.

Some people are more responsive if you phone... oldies especially

One exception. If sire and dam have tested clear, it may be possible to have a dog declared clear by inheritance. IMO this is not a good practice. There is almost no quality control in genetic testing, and I and other breeders have encountered testing errors in places like color genetics, where errors tend to be obvious.

Fresh, clean chicken frame mince is bone rich and a great food for weaning puppies (in my experience, they love it, and it's a help when a large litter is taking too much out of their dam). From what I have read, adding Ca++ will unbalance the minerals, so not so good. Mixing chook frame mince and kibble is fine. I have yet to hear of any benefit from potato as opposed to grain in kibble. Danes eat a lot. The priciest food isn't necessarily the best.

I agree with Rebanne, but if it would give you peace of mind you can always do up a sales contract that states that you make no guarantee that the adult dog/bitch that the pup grows up to be will be fit for showing or breeding.

This has been going on for years. It has proven hard to verify. The quote above looks like the 2011 version. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/herky-jerky/?fbclid=IwAR3YGPOvTWpwLM9qiBptCOxeoCCToUuYuQv86blvfLhNMOgnGF_Ne__qH44

BBC News - Coronavirus: Helsinki airport trials sniffer dogs as Covid-19 detectors https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54288067