FAQ

Animals that are ideal candidates for breeding are those that will contribute both the right temperament and confirmation for desirable future offspring.  We are unfortunately all too familiar with puppies and kittens or young animals that have inherited a congenital defect from their parents.  Some of these defects include heart valves that do not close properly, hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and eye abnormalities to name a few.  Ethical breeders will screen their animals for their particular breed’s common faults – ie Labrador retrievers and hip dysplasia or King Charles Spaniels and mitral valve insufficiency.  Many breeds have associated problems that they should be screened for.  If your breeder is not familiar with their breed’s particular issues or if they are breeding crossbred puppies that they are also not screening for genetic defects from both sides, there is cause for concern.  Red flags regarding breeders should include ;

• Breeding multiple breeds at the same time
• Breeding the same bitch more than once a year
• Unfamiliarity with their breeds and congenital defects
• Not having veterinary certificates that these animals have been certified free from the common congenital defects.
  • Examples :
    • CERF – eyes
    • OFA Hip xrays
    • OFA Elbow xrays
    • Heart certification by a veterinary specialist
• Not registering their animals
• Not caring about where their animals are going to – ie interested in a “quick sale”
• Not offering you to view where the puppies are raised or if there is a vague history to where the puppies come from.
• Do not offer a written health guarantee for your animal
• Do not provide adequate socialization of puppies with humans prior to leaving the dam.

 

Selecting a new four-legged addition is a very exciting adventure for the whole family - whether it is a family of one or a family of eight. Some important considerations are:

 

Your family’s commitment level to care of the animal

 

Questions to ask yourselves

• How often do you want to groom an animal?

  It isn’t fair to buy an animal that requires daily grooming if you don’t have the time or patience to deal with fluffys excessive shedding or matting.

• How much exercise do you perceive fluffy to require?

  Please please please consider the breeds temperment before looks. A border collie is a beautiful dog but requires extensive training and exercise to keep it happy. Don’t buy a Labrador retriever and expect it to be content lying around 14 hours a day. They will require 1-2 hours of walking a day.

• How much time do you have for fluffy?

  Some breeds are very prone to separation anxiety. Some breeds are designed to be closely interactive with your family. Don’t get a Doberman Pinscher and expect it to be happy living outside with little family interaction. They are highly social and bond deeply to their owners. Also – ask yourself how much will you be away? Some breeds will be okay with frequent kenneling. Others will suffer immensely and develop diarrhea and vomiting just from the stress of going back to the kennel.

• How much will you be travelling and can fluffy go with you?

  Some pets really don’t adjust well to changes. Pick a breed that is suited to your lifestyle.

How clean do you like your house? Some cats will claw the furniture to pieces – what will you do about this? Some dogs and cats will leave dust bunnies in their wake as they move from room to room. Some dogs will leave mini-lakes from their drool around the house. You should decide on this before your purchase as it is often difficult for you and your pet to have to rehome in the event your decision was crass based on the “look” of a certain animal.   Please go to the Canadian Kennel Clubs website for further information on breed temperaments, exercise, grooming and size.

 

Other Animals in the house

It takes a minimum of 2-3 weeks to adequately assess the adjustment phase of your new pet. If you have a fifteen year old cat, it is highly likely that they will not be “pleased” with your new addition. Remember – this is akin to an 85 year old human adjusting to a strange teenager in the house. The teenager can be loud, disruptive, and rude – so can a new puppy or kitten. Give them time to get used to it with plenty of patience.

 

Rules

• Don’t overly shower the new pet with affection. This can cause undue aggression by the older animal towards its new family member. If you want this to be as peaceful transition as possible try to be sensitive towards what the older pet is dealing with – without condoning aggressive behavior.
• Don’t let the new pet get away with things the old one doesn’t get away with no matter how cotton picking cute they are!

 

 

There are many benefits to selecting an adult pet for companionship including:

• They are likely to have some training (including house trained)
• You know what they are going to look and behave like immediately without having to wait out the “puppy phase”
• You may be rescuing an animal that has limited options in life through one of the rescue organizations such as the SPCA, Street Cat, or New Hope Dog Rescue
• They may already be spayed or neutered
• They may already have all of their shots

Select an animal that you have visited several times and/or taken home for a day or two to try out your compatibility.  You may not want to make a commitment without a trial phase.  It is really gut-wrenching to have to send an animal back after you have already committed 2 or 3 months to rescuing it.  Remember that many animals take 3 weeks to “adjust” to the new environment.  Animals that have been rescued often exhibit behaviors initially that may be difficult to assess the long-term consequences of.  For instance, many rescued animals have a fear of not getting enough food and may voraciously their meals.  This is their survival instinct, and is not likely to disappear even after years in your home.  However, fearful animals with appropriate socialization opportunities often become very loving and energetically meet new people.  It is important to not over compensate for their past experiences and develop boundaries for proper behavior.  Do not accept inappropriate growling, begging from the table or pulling on the leash because you feel bad for their past.  They still need to know the rules and follow them.  This will make them the happiest as it is often stressful for animals to have conflicting sets of “alpha” dominance rules – ie sometimes it is okay to beg for food and be on the furniture and sometimes it is not.  They are not able to decipher “when and where”, such as humans.  Set your pet up for success by developing rules that are strictly adhered to. 

 

This is a very stressful time for your new animal, as well as for other pets that already exist in the home.  Sometimes, it can be beneficial to do a “weekend visit” or “overnight” visit, or even a couple of walks together to see how everyone gets along.  Here are some guidelines to making this adjustment easier;

1. Pick up some of the same food that the animal has already been on.  Changing food can cause diarrhea in an already stressed animal.  If you want to change the food, you can do so in a couple of weeks over a slow period (typically 2 weeks of slowly increasing the new food and decreasing the old food).
2. Don’t overload the new pet with new people (ie kids mauling it too much).  This can overwhelm even the calmest of pets and cause some future anxiety over meeting new people.  It is best to quietly introduce the pet to the home and allow it to explore its new surroundings so that it can get sense of safety and security in its new environment.  Show the pet the food and water source and if you will be crate training it (recommended) where the crate is.

 

Travelling can be fun or harrowing with your pet.  For some, the idea of a pacing pooch in the back seat or a meowing cat makes the decision to call a kennel easy.  However, some pets love to go on trips and hike or be carted off to different locals.   In Saskatchewan, we are quite fortunate in that we have much less disease than other places in Canada and the United States let alone Tropical Countries.  It is really important to check with your veterinarian to make sure that where you are going is safe for your pet based on the vaccine and parasite control they are currently on.  For instance, Eastern Canada, Manitoba and parts of BC all have heartworm disease, which if undiagnosed and untreated is fatal.  If you are going to these regions, or to the United States a heartworm preventative can save you heartache!  Additionally, Lyme disease, spread by ticks is common in some areas of Canada and the United States.  A flea prevention medication should be given before travelling to the lower mainland of British Columbia.  Finally, wherever you are going to, make sure you have a listing for a veterinary clinic in case of emergency.

 

1. If it has been more than 24 hours without eating or drinking normally
2. If it has swallowed a harmful chemical, plant or toxin
3. If it has sustained an injury resulting in cuts or limping
4. If it has vomiting or diarrhea that lasts more than 12 hours
5. If your pet is listless, lethargic, or has not been defecating or urinating
6. If your pet ever has a seizure or faints
7. Your pet has been sprayed with porcupine quills.

 

1. All human over the counter medications (Tylenol, Asparin, Ibuprofen)
2. Chocolate
3. Lillies
4. Grapes
5. Onions
6. Rodent killing items
7. Alcohol or narcotics
8. Cigarettes
9. Antifreeze

For new puppies and kittens, you may not be feeding what they have previously been fed. It is important to remember a few key points in feeding the newly weaned puppy or kitten.

• Slowly transition them to a food of your choosing by decreasing their old food and increasing their new food. Sudden changes in diet can result in a bout of diarrhea. Their liver and pancreas “pre-packages” enzymes that they are used to requiring for the diet they are continuously exposed to. If they get something new suddenly, it can cause a major gastro-intestinal upset, including bloat, colic, and diarrhea. We suggest introducing a 25:75 rule of thumb to start, meaning 25 percent of the new diet to 75 percent of the old diet for a few days. Then decrease the old and increase the new gradually. By the time 2 weeks are up, the puppy or kitten should be on 100 percent new. If this is not possible because you have adopted the youngster from a source that doesn’t know past feeding history, well, its okay, just feed a little bit of cooked brown rice and the new diet in a 50:50 ratio.

Feed high quality food if possible. High quality foods may not be what you think. There are currently 4 main commercial companies that package 95% of todays dog foods. There are some smaller companies that don’t get the recognition they should for producing a high quality food, as they often cant afford the commercialization aspect. Many of these products are very affordable, and some are highly priced. Keep in mind that you will likely prevent a nutritionally related disease in your pet, such as diabetes or feline lower urinary tract disease by feeding a high quality food. The vet bills for these types of diseases are often unmanageable for the average family. Some companies that we are in favor include; Acana Pet Foods, Horizon Pet Foods, Orijen Pet Foods, Innova Pet Foods, Evo Pet Foods, Summit Pet Foods, Healthy Start Pet Foods. We have included a sample bag for your pet to try out. Ask us for further recommendations if you have any questions!

• Stick to one protein source foods. Protein sources should remain the same for the first 6 months. We are seeing more and more food related allergies in dogs and if you happen to be an unlucky pet owner with an allergic dog, we feel for you! Choosing a pet food with only one source of protein allows more options if your pet develops an allergy to that protein in the first 6 months of life. For example, if you are feeding a chicken-based diet, stick to chicken diets and treats.

We strongly encourage the full set of vaccinations prior to exposing your new pet to fun activities with other animals to protect them from having a disease outbreak.

 

In the same breath, we really encourage socialization of new puppies to a variety of things, including children, crowds, traffic and other pets. This will teach them not to freak out as adults when they are exposed as they often are much more accepting of new things as puppies and kittens.

 

There are many places that offer puppy socialization classes and obedience classes. These can be fun and help you teach your pet good behavior skills. Remember, that as cute as your baby is right now, it is learning what behaviors are acceptable or not so it is important that they understand the rules. This includes:

• begging for food
• barking at people
• growling at people
• jumping on people
• rushing at people
• going on furniture
• house training -be consistent and use positive training (rewards)

These are undesirable traits as adults and it is really hard to “untrain them”. Everything you do is teaching your new pet something. That includes leaving the house and coming back excited. This can be very confusing to puppies as in the wolf pack (their primordial instinctive behaviors) when excitement arises, activity ensues. That means when you get excited and leave and they stay behind, ….well, you may be creating separation anxiety unwittingly. Consistency and patience are key elements in house training, and behavior training.