Latest update April 20th, 2024 12:59 AM
Apr 15, 2018 News
By Dr. Steve Surujbally
Let us this week look at some specific considerations associated with choosing a dog as your companion animal. After all, we don’t want the animal to make a round-trip back to the previous owner – or worse, that you get rid of your pet in a way that, shall we say, is inimical to its interests; you know — like straying (abandoning) or drowning.
Consideration #1: SIZE
Should you choose a large dog or a small dog? Well, firstly, all puppies are small and you may not know if it will grow into a huge dog. There is a conventional wisdom that dictates that you look at the dog’s paws. If they are big, the dog will be big. That may be true in many instances; however, that method is not always reliable.
I tend to advise that you look at the parents of the pup. When that pup grows up, it is hardly likely that it will be much larger than its father if it’s a male, or larger than the mother, if it is a female. (Of course, when in doubt, ask your veterinarian or a bona fide breeder). If the dog is a pure-breed, then your job is simple. The dog will grow (all things being equal – health, nutrition, etc.) to the size that is standard for that breed.
Size is also an important consideration according to the home in which you live. It would not make too much sense under our local conditions to keep a large dog indoors. (One wonders whether this would be sensible under any condition). If we are going to keep a canine companion animal indoors in a small house, then let’s look for a small dog. Large dogs would need yard space with sturdy and high fences. Males, scenting females in heat, would go over, under, around and through weak symbolic fences.
Consideration #2: TIME
Do you have enough time to exercise your dog? Do you have the time (and patience) to groom your canine ward, and perhaps manually extract ticks and fleas from its coat? What about the time needed to take your pet to the vet for its vaccinations and de-wormings? Will you spend some time daily playing with and training your pet dog?
Consideration #3: COST
In choosing a dog as your pet, you should think of the costs associated with its care. Feed costs can be high, especially with large dogs. A very large and active dog may require between 8 and 10 pounds of feed daily. Then there are the veterinary costs – vaccinations and de-wormings and incidentals. If it is a female, you may wish to spay (removal of the ovaries and womb) her, so that she does not continue to present you, during the mating season, with her amorous beaus and resultant litters after unwanted litters.
You may wish to consider castrating (neutering) your male canine pet. That too may entail a monetary outlay. N.B. : The Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) has an Animal Clinic and Shelter which performs free spay and neutering services, which you may wish to exploit.
Consideration #4: TEMPERAMENT
By this, I mean both your (and your family’s) temperament and the dog’s. If you have a lot (or even one) of young children in the home, can you condition them away from the belief that their new furry friend is not a bouncing ball?
Have you chosen a puppy that can tolerate some rough play? And if you have chosen an adorable fur-ball, can you accept with equanimity it’s not-so-adorable bad habits and general mischief?
You must know whether you should choose a vivacious ball of energy or a dog with a more relaxed temperament.
Consideration #5: HEALTH
When you are choosing your puppy from the litter, it would be advisable to select a puppy that has clear alert eyes and a cool moist nose. Preferably, the puppy must be active, effervescent, friendly, curious and exhibiting great vitality. It must not show signs of lethargy, slinking away from approaching humans and tending to hide itself in a secluded spot.
The coat must be soft, smooth and glossy. In the area of the anus, there should be no signs of diarrhoea (pasted hair, discoluoration, etc.). Bones (ribs, back bones, hip bones) should not be visible, and the legs should not show signs of rickets (bowed or X-shaped legs, etc). There should be no watery or purulent (pus) discharge from the nostrils or eyes.
A good rule-of-thumb is to throw a bundle of keys (or anything that makes some unaccustomed noise) into the middle of the litter. When given the option of choosing from a group/litter, consider taking home one of those puppies that immediately investigates the keys and not one of those, which shrieks and runs away in fear.
Consideration #6: BREED
A colleague of mine, Dr. Azaye Dodson, wrote a wonderfully instructive piece in the Kaieteur News (August 14, 2017) recently. One should avail oneself of Dr. Dodson’s treatise. I will return to this important consideration at a later date.
Next week, we will deal with considerations as they apply to acquiring cats as pets.
Please implement disease preventative measures (vaccinations, routine de-wormings, monthly anti-Heartworm medication, etc) and adopt-a-pet from the GSPCA’s Animal Clinic and Shelter at Robb Street and Orange Walk, if you have the wherewithal to care well for the animals. Do not stray your unwanted pets; take them to the GSPCA’s Clinic and Shelter instead.
If you do not wish your pet to have puppies or kittens, you may exploit the GSPCA’s free spay and neutering programme. If you see anyone being cruel to an animal, or if you need any technical information, please get in touch with the Clinic and Shelter by calling 226-4237.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
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