My dog was a Yorkie. They can have overgrown palettes so can need them trimmed, otherwise they have breathing problems. Our veterinary surgery is part of a local group and they do most ops on site or at one of their other centres but they take the animials to and fro if necessary.
Yorkies are lovely dogs, but I prefer pets to be as natural as possible and not too artificially bred. Many breeds of dog or cat come with too many congenital problems for my liking.
We have two cats. They are tabby moggies without an ounce of pedigree in them. They are as fit and healthy now at 12 years old as when they were kittens and have rarely needed the vet. Our neighbour has a lovely silver tabby, but she is prone to all sorts of problems and costs hundreds of pounds every year in vet bills.
A friend of ours saw our moggies when we got them and decided she wanted cats. She bought two beautiful Maine Coons. They are lovely long haired cats but are prone to breathing problems. One of them was never out of the vet’s surgery because of that and she always seemed to be struggling for breath.
Don’t get me started on abominations like rag doll cats or the furless variety. My blood boils at the thought of the people who breed such poor little things. They are a symptom of human vanity in wanting an unusual pet regardless of the suffering of the poor little mutated creature. :mad:
She's a Cavalier King Charles, and it's quite a common problem with them apparently, the tongue is too big for the size of their mouth and blocks the airway when they relax or panic - hence she could snore for Wales! My vets don't have the expertise for this, I had to take her to Bristol to a specialist which was a journey of 120 each way. I had to take her for the initial consultation, then take her back a few weeks later for the op, leave her for two days and then fetch her back. Thankfully she is okay now, so it was well worth the money, I thought she was going to die a few times when she had the attacks and couldn't breathe, so horrible to watch, and have to stick your fingers down her throat to clear the airway. :eek:
We had the same problem with our old dog (he was a collie cross). The attacks were absolutely awful - his panicking made things worse, and he'd try to fight us off when we tried to open his mouth enough to clear his airway . He lived for another six years after the op, and it was amazing how quiet his breathing was!
Don’t get me started on abominations like rag doll cats or the furless variety. My blood boils at the thought of the people who breed such poor little things. They are a symptom of human vanity in wanting an unusual pet regardless of the suffering of the poor little mutated creature. :mad:
Agree totally. I'm not that keen on people whose pets must have a pedigree - everyone I've ever known with pedigree dogs has had endless problems with them: skin problems, liver problems, behavioural problems, bad eyesight etc. A friend of mine spent £1000 (at least) on one dog who had to be put down before his first birthday because he had so many medical complications.
Dogs that are lifestyle accessories really upset me - Paris Hilton & Britney Spears with their "toy dogs", picked because they have a cute range of bags and jewellery to dress them up in :mad: Why don't they just buy a doll and carry that around instead?
My family have only ever had mutts - all collies for some reason (not by choice) - all rescue dogs, or dogs that have needed a new home. The first one lived to be 18, the second was 15, and my dog's ten and a half although most people think she's about six. They've all had their problems over the years, but in the main they've been fit and healthy.
Yorkies are lovely dogs, but I prefer pets to be as natural as possible and not too artificially bred. Many breeds of dog or cat come with too many congenital problems for my liking.
I totally agree with you. Our preference initially was for a rescue dog of any kind but as we had two young children, we had to be careful. My brother then had problems with his Yorkie bitch and the vet suggested she be allowed to have a litter of pups. (It seems bizarre thinking about it now but it must have made sense at the time). As we were looking for a dog and Yorkie litters are usually small, he decided to follow the vet's advice. She had four pups and we took two of them. They used a breeder they knew for the sire so we weren't too worried about congential problems and indeed, apart from our little one having the palette problem (in fact of the litter, he was the only one to have any problems and he was the runt of the litter) they did very well. As well has knowing the background of both parents, we were also in a position to ensure that their tails weren't docked, another practice I find particularly abhorrent.
Having any kind of pet involves cost, which you should always consider before buying one.
I have always had dogs, and have always paid for the pet insurance. I had one dog with a cronic illness which lasted about 6 years, and had to got to the vets every three weeks for injestions, and another had cancer - the cost for the treatment for that was over £7000. paid for by the insurance company minus the excess that I had to pay.
Her treatment was first class and she lived for a further two years,cancer free. She eventually died of a different cause.
For all the unconditional love and loyalty she gave me, it was money well spent,, and I would never begruge a single penny.
If you are not prepared to pay - don't have an animal. Its as simple as that.
Comments
We have two cats. They are tabby moggies without an ounce of pedigree in them. They are as fit and healthy now at 12 years old as when they were kittens and have rarely needed the vet.
A friend of ours saw our moggies when we got them and decided she wanted cats. She bought two beautiful Maine Coons. They are lovely long haired cats but are prone to breathing problems. One of them was never out of the vet’s surgery because of that and she always seemed to be struggling for breath.
Don’t get me started on abominations like rag doll cats or the furless variety. My blood boils at the thought of the people who breed such poor little things. They are a symptom of human vanity in wanting an unusual pet regardless of the suffering of the poor little mutated creature. :mad:
We had the same problem with our old dog (he was a collie cross). The attacks were absolutely awful - his panicking made things worse, and he'd try to fight us off when we tried to open his mouth enough to clear his airway
Agree totally. I'm not that keen on people whose pets must have a pedigree - everyone I've ever known with pedigree dogs has had endless problems with them: skin problems, liver problems, behavioural problems, bad eyesight etc. A friend of mine spent £1000 (at least) on one dog who had to be put down before his first birthday because he had so many medical complications.
Dogs that are lifestyle accessories really upset me - Paris Hilton & Britney Spears with their "toy dogs", picked because they have a cute range of bags and jewellery to dress them up in :mad: Why don't they just buy a doll and carry that around instead?
My family have only ever had mutts - all collies for some reason (not by choice) - all rescue dogs, or dogs that have needed a new home. The first one lived to be 18, the second was 15, and my dog's ten and a half although most people think she's about six. They've all had their problems over the years, but in the main they've been fit and healthy.
I totally agree with you. Our preference initially was for a rescue dog of any kind but as we had two young children, we had to be careful. My brother then had problems with his Yorkie bitch and the vet suggested she be allowed to have a litter of pups. (It seems bizarre thinking about it now but it must have made sense at the time). As we were looking for a dog and Yorkie litters are usually small, he decided to follow the vet's advice. She had four pups and we took two of them. They used a breeder they knew for the sire so we weren't too worried about congential problems and indeed, apart from our little one having the palette problem (in fact of the litter, he was the only one to have any problems and he was the runt of the litter) they did very well. As well has knowing the background of both parents, we were also in a position to ensure that their tails weren't docked, another practice I find particularly abhorrent.
I have always had dogs, and have always paid for the pet insurance. I had one dog with a cronic illness which lasted about 6 years, and had to got to the vets every three weeks for injestions, and another had cancer - the cost for the treatment for that was over £7000. paid for by the insurance company minus the excess that I had to pay.
Her treatment was first class and she lived for a further two years,cancer free. She eventually died of a different cause.
For all the unconditional love and loyalty she gave me, it was money well spent,, and I would never begruge a single penny.
If you are not prepared to pay - don't have an animal. Its as simple as that.