Pedigree versus mutt

Many of my clients would come into the clinic with a beautiful looking animal and say that they do not want to spend much on her because the animal is not pure-bred. I am always shocked at this approach. As far as I am concerned, there is absolutely no difference whether the animal is pedigree or not.{{more}} Actually, in most cases, a dog or cat that is mixed makes a better pet than the pure-bred that invariably are prone to all sorts of illness and conditions, like hip dysplasia.

I have even had people calling in and trying to describe the symptoms of their mixed breed pets, wanting a diagnosis over the telephone, because they do not think the pet should be seen by a vet, because it is not of any particular pedigree.

Only last week, a client called me and tried to explain that his dog was not eating and was vomiting. He wanted me to make a diagnosis based on these two clinical manifestations.

I tried to explain that one of the first things that a dog does when it is not feeling well was to stop eating; further, that vomiting is also one of the first things a dog does when it is feeling unwell.

Most dogs even go on to the lawn or garden and eat a few blades of grass and would vomit soon after. Some people think that they eat grass in an effort to try to self-medicate.

This is just what dogs do. I myself have no rational explanation why this is so.

So, I tried to convince the caller that I could not make a diagnosis based on the fact that the dog is vomiting and not eating.

He still continued to insist that I prescribe something.

I finally asked him if he had any kids. This he affirmed. I went on to ask “if one of them fell ill, would call the doctor and ask for a prescription over the phone?”

Well, he calmly answered and said that it was different. This was just a local mutt.

I then realized that I had wasted about 10 valuable minutes talking to him.

Believe it or not, this was not the first time I got a call like that.

It should be understood, that the anatomy and physiology of all dogs are basically the same, irrespective of whether or not they are “a mutt” as they are commonly called, or a pure-bred. Same argument goes for cats.

It is our duty as pet owners, to give serious thought before acquiring a pet. I would imagine that if someone pays $1,000 for a pure-bred Rottweiler, as compared to a cross-bred dog that was given to him by a neighbour, the impulse would be to protect the $1,000 investment, making sure that the animal has all of its shots and taking it to the vet if she shows the slightest sign of being sick.

On the other hand, the cross-bred one that was acquired free of cost is usually neglected. They are not even given the initial puppy shots. Granted, pure bred animals are more susceptible to coming down with diseases than the cross-bred dogs, which will be more likely fight off the same disease with relative ease. That does not mean that basic things like puppy shots should be ignored.

Now, on the other side of the spectrum are the animal owners who treat their “mutts” like family, always preoccupied with their welfare. There are some longstanding clients who refuse to get a pedigree dog. They insist that the local crossbred dogs are much more intelligent than the so-called pure bred dogs. And while enjoying their mutts, they are conscious that they are providing a loving home for an animal that would otherwise be roaming the streets.

Now, there is the other category of animal owners that are convinced that their “mutt” is pedigree.

A few weeks ago a client came into the clinic with a beautiful looking dog, about 60 lbs in weight and brown in colour. At first glance it looked like a mixture of German Shepherd, Labrador and a local cross-bred dog.

She told me that she wanted her Rottweiler spayed. My first instinct was to ask: What? Where is the Rottweiler? On second thought, I realized that she was convinced that her beautiful pet was a pure bred Rottweiler. I also realized that if I explained to her that I did not think that the animal even had any Rottweiler in her, it may not be in the best interest of the patient.

I graciously accepted her word and spayed her, although my assistant was suppressing a giggle each and every time the client mentioned the word Rottweiler. Sometimes it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.

Of course, this is quite a regular occurrence and it happens oftentimes when someone sells a pup to someone who does not know to differentiate between the various breeds, as a scam to sell the pup at an exorbitant price, or because another bull mated with their slut without them realizing it, as it is very difficult to determine what breed a puppy is at a young age. Of course, there are other explanations for this.

Dr Collin Boyle

Unique Animal Care Co Ltd Tel: 456-4981

Website: www.uniqueanimalcare.com