Dr. Nancy Kay graduated from Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine and is the author of Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life. She is a specialist in small animal internal medicine at Upstate Veterinary Specialists, with offices in Asheville, N.C., and Greenville, S.C. This post originally appeared on Vetstreet.com.
Chloe quickly became part of the family, but Joe and Cindy noticed from the start that she drank lots of water and had many accidents in the house. A few months later, when she began vomiting and refusing her food, they brought her in to me and I diagnosed kidney failure caused by a birth defect.
By the time she was 11 months old, the once-playful puppy had become profoundly weak and lethargic and, unfortunately, I had no reasonable way to offer her long-term improvement. Joe and Cindy held their little girl as I ended her life.
Where Healthy Dogs Are the Exception, Not the Rule
This couple didn't have to have their hearts broken this way. Though any pet can have unexpected medical issues, Chloe's life likely began at a puppy mill, a veritable factory in which huge numbers of puppies are produced for profit.
Puppy millers have no significant interest in the health histories of their breeding stock, so it's no surprise that birth defects run rampant. The millers' sole objective is the mass production of purebred pups and the designer hybrids that are all the rage these days. Pups not used to fill pet store inventory are offered to the highest bidder at auction or sold online via websites that dupe naive buyers into believing they are doing business with a reputable breeder. Manufacturing puppies is big business.
Unlike a pet-store puppy, Ranger in Texas is getting great health care at Rockwall Animal Adoption Center.
Joe and Cindy first laid eyes on Chloe when they passed through a pet store on their way to a movie. They never saw the weekend blockbuster -- they'd fallen in love with the little blond Cocker Spaniel puppy with big brown eyes and bought her on the spot.
Chloe quickly became part of the family, but Joe and Cindy noticed from the start that she drank lots of water and had many accidents in the house. A few months later, when she began vomiting and refusing her food, they brought her in to me and I diagnosed kidney failure caused by a birth defect.
By the time she was 11 months old, the once-playful puppy had become profoundly weak and lethargic and, unfortunately, I had no reasonable way to offer her long-term improvement. Joe and Cindy held their little girl as I ended her life.
Where Healthy Dogs Are the Exception, Not the Rule
This couple didn't have to have their hearts broken this way. Though any pet can have unexpected medical issues, Chloe's life likely began at a puppy mill, a veritable factory in which huge numbers of puppies are produced for profit.
Puppy millers have no significant interest in the health histories of their breeding stock, so it's no surprise that birth defects run rampant. The millers' sole objective is the mass production of purebred pups and the designer hybrids that are all the rage these days. Pups not used to fill pet store inventory are offered to the highest bidder at auction or sold online via websites that dupe naive buyers into believing they are doing business with a reputable breeder. Manufacturing puppies is big business.
Continue reading Where that pet store puppy came from.
