happypawspetkiosk.com

Excerpt from SPCA Bulletin November 2007Now that you have decided to get a dog after serious consideration, the next step will be to choose the right one.While most people tend to head straight for a pet shop, there are many advantages to adopting a dog from the SPCA. Firstly, you are giving a precious home to a stray or abandoned dog. You will be playing a role in reducing the number of unwanted pets in the city and thirdly, you will be rewarded with undying, unconditional love from a happy, well-adjusted dog. Even if you would rather have a puppy to bring up yourself, the SPCA also has puppies for adoption, so do visit the shelter before you decide to buy a puppy from a commercial pet shop. However, do bear in mind that as the pet trade becomes increasingly commercialised, there are more unhealthy puppies being sold than healthy ones. Many pedigree dogs are inbred, and as a result may develop chronic health, skin and behavioural problems as they get older. So, how do you avoid the pitfalls? It will not be entirely possible, but some common sense guidelines will help you to narrow the possibility of getting a sickly dog. First, choose a reputable breeder or pet shop. AVA has started a grading scheme for pet shops so it would be a good idea to check its website to find out which are the most reputable shops. A good pet shop keeps the animals in clean surroundings, avoids too much handling by prospective buyers and provides veterinary care to the animal. A good pet shop will also give you a seven-day guarantee for the puppies. More often than not, puppies that seem well at the pet shop can fall seriously ill within the first few days after they are brought home. This can be attributed mostly to diseases that were incubating inside the puppy prior to purchase. Here’s a checklist of other things to look out for: • Always look for an active puppy. Do not choose the one that looks tired and is not responsive to human handling. They could be harbouring life-threatening diseases. • Check the eyes and nose for discharge. There should never be greenish mucoid discharge, as they can be indications of life-threatening illnesses. Always check with the staff whether the puppy is being treated by a veterinarian and the causes of the discharge. • Check the poo. That can be difficult but if possible, look out for diarrhoea, bloody poo and even white strands or eggs in the poo. The whitish strands are usually indicative of intestinal worms. This can be solved easily with dewormers. Diarrhoea can also be cause by flagylettes and need to be treated. Also check to make sure that there is no undigested food in the poo. This is a bad sign as it means the puppy does not have a good digestive system and could be the cause of other diseases. • Check that the puppy is not coughing. Kennel cough is common in pet farms. This can usually be treated with antibiotics. However untreated kennel cough that has been persistent can lead to death. • Check the fur of the puppy. Make sure that it is healthy and shiny. Take care to note that there are no fleas or ticks. This can however be easily treated with anti-flea products. Pimples or thickened skin patches with hair loss can be signs of other severe skin diseases. Skin mites – mainly mange and demodex – can cause severe itch and hair loss with the latter involving a long treatment time, sometimes lasting a few years. • Check the body condition of the puppy. The puppy should not be overly thin such that the ribs of that puppy can be seen even from afar as this can be an indication not only of inadequate diet but also of hereditary diseases or life threatening diseases. • Check the vaccination schedule. Pups can be vaccinated as early as six weeks. According to the AVA website, pet shops can only sell puppies after they have had two vaccinations after which there is a waiting period of two weeks before they can be sold. In Singapore, the most common viruses that pups are vaccinated against are distemper, parvovirus and canine infectious hepatitis. Generally, a puppy that was vaccinated earlier than eight weeks will need two boosters i.e. three vaccinations, preferably four weeks apart early on in life. Vaccination is a good safeguard against viruses but sometimes there is vaccination failure. Now that you have an idea of what to look out in a puppy, happy hunting!