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Bad Breath: Periodontal disease in dogs is a serious condition that threatens all breeds, and is among the most common pet complaints in veterinary medicine. If not treated, periodontal disease in dogs is a progressive condition which can give much pain.
Regularly giving your pet, dog chews, which are enthusiastically eaten by your pet is a great way to avoid, not only the bad breath in dogs which deters many non-dog owners, but is ighly unpleasant for the dog owner as well.
Even if you, as dog owner, and your family become accustomed to a dog’s bad breath, you can be certain that your visitors won’t!
Bad Breath in Dogs – Avoidance: Try C.E.T. Enzymatic Oral Hygiene Chews for Petite Dogs
Combines natural antiseptic activity with abrasive action for clinically proven plaque control
Exclusive Dual-Enzyme System eliminates plaque-forming bacteria
Made using select beefhide
Give your dog at least 1 chew daily to reduce plaque and calculus
It’s the hottest trend in the pet world today. Hybrid, or designer dogs are not only hot – they’re irresistible. And, genetically, they’re a sound investment. They were designed that way.
It wasn’t that long ago crossbreeds were just plain old mutts. But today those same pups might be prized for their genetically mixed characteristics. They might have a special name – Colliedors or Labracolls. And they certainly would cost a small fortune (anywhere from $1000 to $1500 and up, way up).
The popularity of these dogs is, in part, a response to purebred inbreeding and irresponsible puppy mills. There’s growing demand for healthier, more rugged pets that don’t require costly surgeries two or three years down the road, and whose temperament isn’t in overdrive.
“A ‘designer’ or hybrid dog is a cross between two purebred dogs,” said a representative from For Love of the Breed in Brewster. “And a purebred dog is one that has been bred over many generations so that the lineage is true, which means that each purebred puppy has a predictable DNA and comes from a predictable gene pool in terms of temperament and other characteristics, according to a set of standards.” The American Kennel Club sets those standards for each breed. “But of course no such standards exists for crossbreeds, who are not admitted into the AKC. So there’s no such thing as hybrid predictability.” This is true, but good breeders are working on it.
The primary identifying mark of a hybrid is its made-up “breed” name, consisting of syllables (or sounds) from the breed names of the two purebred parents, such as Schnoodle (Schnauzer and poodle cross), Labradoodle (cross between a poodle and a lab), Goldendoodle (cross between a golden retreiver and a poodle) etc. According to www.dogbreedinfo.com, other purebred breeds are being designed with an endless range of created labels, such as the ShiChi (shiitzu and Chihuahua cross), the Chiweenie (Chihuahua and Dachshund cross), the Afador (Afghan Hound-Labrador Retriever cross), to name just a few.
Lottie Austin of Paw Prints in Eastham finds that the Cape’s most popular crossbreeds are the Labradoodle and Goldendoodle. “These dogs are in great demand. People want the allergy-friendly, non-shedding coat and overall intelligence of a poodle along with the ruggedness and fun-loving quality of a lab or golden,” she said. “Plus, believe it or not, some men don’t want to walk a poodle without a bit of lab or golden thrown into the mix.” Also, some people want a pet that offers them the same cache as other “designer” goods, with the bonus of a longer and healthier life expectancy.
“The negative effect of adopting these very expensive hybrids is that by breeding two different purebred dogs, you can never be sure which combination of characteristics will come together in your puppy. Unless the breeder can show you how they have consistently bred out undesirable characteristics for each parent in succeeding generations, and how the parents have been thoroughly health-tested for all the genetically inherited conditions of the pure breed, you really take your chances,” said Austin.
“Fortunately there are some highly professional cross breeders out there who are setting demanding standards for hybrids,” said Austin. These breeders strictly document their pups’ ancestries and conduct the necessary health testing that will increase the chances of a disease-free pup.
A helpful website with insight into all hybrids is www.dogbreedinfo.com .
