Bred to Death
Medical problems abound in commercial breeding dogs
Part One
Americans spent forty billion dollars this year on their pets. Anyone who opens their home to a pet knows all too well that the commitment also means opening your wallet—a lot. There are the vaccines, the routine dental care, spaying or neutering, occasional injury or bouts of illness, not to mention the food, toys and extra care such as grooming or training. Now think about that cost over the span of a dog’s life, and add up how much hard-earned cash goes into caring for a pet. We pay this because we love our pets, and it would be impossible to put a price on the love they give back.
But in the world of commercial dog breeding, the money flows the other way. Dogs are there to
make money. We have seen the results of this reality firsthand with the dogs from a commercial breeder in Virginia. Riddled with congenital defects, arthritis, infection, tumors, and advanced age, the dogs were kept breeding anyway.
As we plow through exams and spay/neuter, we’re finding multiple medical problems in the dogs that are all too common in dogs from uncaring, large-scale breeders. The worst part is, many of the problems are passed on to pups who are sold to unsuspecting buyers in pet shops or via the Internet.
Patty Hegwood, director of animal care at Best Friends said, “None of their medical needs have been met unless
not providing care would interfere with the breeding process.”
Lucky WestieEarlier this week, Murray, a female West Highland White Terrier was sent to the vet when the staff became concerned that Murray showed signs of an infected uterus, or pyometra. Janet, Best Friends medical liaison explained, “That’s an emergency. If there’s leakage it can be really dangerous. Pus can leak out into the body cavity if the uterus is punctured.” Dr. Furman, the veterinarian who has been handling the bulk of the dogs’ medical needs, took radiographs of Murray’s abdomen, and decided to spay Murray on the spot. That’s when he noticed that Murray had a fresh incision on her abdomen.
Pictured right: Patty and Murray. Murray had had a c-section within the past few weeks. Then Dr. Furman went in to perform the spay to remove Murray’s infected uterus, and saw that whoever had surgically delivered her last litter only sutured her skin back together instead of closing the muscle layer as well. Poor Murray’s abdomen was literally held together with a few stitches. It was a miracle that her skin was able to hold all her insides where they belong for those weeks. Murray came out of surgery like a champ, and is now on heavy-duty antibiotics to ensure that she stays clear of further infection.
It is always unfortunate to have to help a mother dog give birth through a c-section, but as Patty explained, Murray is extra lucky to have been kept alive after her shoddy c-section. She said, “I can tell you, people who breed for profit hate having to do a c-section because that’s five to six hundred dollars that eats into their profit.”
Pyometra is extremely dangerous to female dogs, and can quickly kill them if not treated properly. “Out of the twenty-one dogs we’ve had in for spay/neuter, we’ve found three pyometras,” Janet said. It’s a good thing we got to the dogs when we did.
An easy preventative for pyometra? Spay your female dog.
HOW YOU CAN HELPDONATE Now that these dogs and puppies are in our care, we want to give them the best life we can. They deserve nothing less. Your donations are deeply appreciated.
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By Kelli Ohrtman: Best Friends Network