Backyard Breeders Force RSPCA to Euthanise Deformed Puppies Amid Costs of Living Desexing Concerns. ABC News 22/6/25

[Deeds]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-22/act-rspca-desexing-problem-in-canberra/105446390

[tdierikx]

Forgive me for being a little cynical, but I wonder how many puppies they've put down due to parvovirus rather than raising them... I'm cynical about the diagnosis being used to kill them - it way or may not be 100% the case, as unfortunately we only have their word for said diagnosis, and I don't trust anything the RSPCA says.

 

Deformities are more likely when 2 dogs are chucked together with little forethought to the timing or suitability of the mating(s) between two dogs, so I'll concede that one.

 

T.

[asal]

As Richard said, considering all that can go wrong in a developing foetus, we should be more amazed how many are born normal

[Mairead]

There was a segment on this on Radio National Breakfast this morning, Monday. The person interviewed, Michelle Robertson, said most of the dogs they had were mixed breeds, mixes of working dogs, Kelpies, mastiffs and staffies.

[tdierikx]

On 23/06/2025 at 12:59 AM, asal said:

As Richard said, considering all that can go wrong in a developing foetus, we should be more amazed how many are born normal

 

As a female dog is capable of being fertilised more than once over a period of up to 10 days during her estrus cycle, it's entirely possible for a litter of pups to have more than one sire. The biggest issue is if she's impregnated early in that period, and again later in that period, ostensibly the later mating pups will be gestated for less time than the first mating ones, which can result in less developed pups being born. Timing matters so much when the gestation period is only 9weeks... just one week less gestation can result in some pretty serious defects.

 

T.

[persephone]

2 hours ago, tdierikx said:

Timing matters so much when the gestation period is only 9weeks... just one week less gestation can result in some pretty serious defects.

True! 

[Mairead]

Three puppies in one litter with cleft palate-cleft lip complex sounds like infection (lack of vaccination?) or toxins (poisons or medications) in pregnancy . Or someone accidentally bred two  brachycephalic (shortnosed) dogs without health tests that they purchased from a  eucalyptus tree site or similar. Inheritance for this complex is simple recessive or irregular dominant. Ref: Veterinary Pediatrics 3rd Edition Johnny D. Hoskins (Ed)

 

Edited 2 hours ago by Mairead
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