Puppy Mill Awareness Day
We all see the adopt a pet promotions, the shelters setting up adoption locations, and many of us have been lured by big round puppy eyes. Adoption is one of the best ways to save the life of an animal. It gives the pet a good loving home and reduces our stray pet population. Though we all love rescues, sometimes people want to get a purebred dog. When buying purebred dogs, you have to be careful that you are getting them from a reputable breeder and not a puppy mill.
A puppy mill is a breeding facility that breeds their dogs back to back and without a break. As soon as the female is able to get pregnant again, she is bred. This is incredibly unhealthy for the dog. The dogs are usually kept in small and overcrowded quarters. When the female is no longer able to breed, she is often killed. Because of the conditions at the puppy mills, many of the puppies do not live.
Most puppy mill breeders do not follow proper animal husbandry practices, so they do not remove sick pets from the breeding rotation. This leads to an increase in health issues with the puppies. Common health problems are:
- Epilepsy
- Heart disease
- Kidney disease
- Musculoskeletal disorders (hip dysplasia, luxating patellas, etc.)
- Endocrine disorders (diabetes, hyperthyroidism)
- Blood disorders (anemia, Von Willebrand disease)
- Deafness
- Eye problems (cataracts, glaucoma, progressive retinal atrophy, etc.)
- Respiratory disorders
- Giardia
- Parvovirus
- Distemper
- Upper respiratory infections
- Kennel cough
- Pneumonia
- Mange
- Fleas
- Ticks
- Intestinal parasites
- Heartworm
- Chronic diarrhea
This Saturday is Puppy Mill Awareness day. It is a good day to adopt a pet or support an honest and good breeder.
If you suspect your puppy came from a puppy mill, you should get them to a vet for a check up to make sure they do not have any health complications.