Duchess, Internet sensation, is no longer with her owners

A Doberman puppy in Ft. Lauderdale may be ending her day today in a far better situation than she started. Though she was returned to her owners, with animal control saying they saw no signs of abuse, the owners were subsequently arrested on non animal abuse charges and the puppies (Duchess and a dog whose name I have not seen) were taken into custody as well.

(picture linked from Examiner.com article)

Duchess was apparently been chained out back of her family's house for hours, barking, and the neighbors report that they did not see food and water out for her. She also had no shelter, and a neighbor is quoted as having seen the puppy try to dig a hole and crawl under a porch for shelter. For reference, it's been 90 in Ft. Lauderdale. When people approached the owners and said things to the effect of "hey, can we take your dog to the vet? Hey, she needs water and food", the owner said "It's just a dog" and told them to get off his property. (We already know how I feel about "just a dog" statements)

Police had visited the home once already, and took Duchess who animal control, who determined that she was in good health and released her to the owners. I'm not a medical professional, but when I saw the picture I linked above, I thought it was of a dead puppy. Not one who had a "tub of high quality food" inside for her. I don't know how you can look at that little girl and say there are "no signs of abuse", though apparently when a vet did see her, she wasn't gaining weight because she had hookworm (according to the NBC 6 video). They were displaying vaccination records, maybe somebody should've said "hey, we shouldn't see a dog's ribs, spine, and hips" and done a fecal.  Also according to the video, straight from the owner's mouth, though a house dog Duchess was chained out back because she had a "discipline problem with barking". She's 8 weeks old, for God's sake. She's a baby. Puppies bark; do you put a baby outside for crying?

(pictures from Dogster article)

No dog deserves to be chained outside. There's a high correlation between dogs who are chained/tied up outside and bites, in fact. Obviously, this hits me hard, because I know Elka doesn't want to be outside without us. I tried to get her to go outside and potty without me once during the winter; she'll stand in the middle of the yard and bark at the house. Dobermans want to be with their people. I'd risk making the assumption that most dogs do.

Duchess does look like a sweetie (though somebody needs to clean hear ears up; they were cropped, and clearly have gluey stuff from tape all over them in the NBC 6 video.) I hope she has a good and happy life, and those nasty hookworms are taken care of.

Let's Talk About Worms

I’ve talked about many different health issues affecting dogs, and Dobermans in particular, on this blog so I thought today I might zoom in on a particular problem: worms. Not a nice thing to think about but, thankfully, something we can avoid if we do.

After some research on the topic, I’ve come up with some top tips to help keep your dog worm free.

See your vet regularly
A good vet should keep an eye out for symptoms of worms, and even check their stools once in a while. If they find evidence of a worm infection, they’ll be able to advise you on what kind of dog wormer is best for your pet.

Make your dog’s business your business
It’s not the most pleasant of jobs for us dog owners, but when you’re cleaning up after your dog look for evidence of worms. Basically, anything stringy or irregular should set off alarm bells. If your dog is having trouble going, it might mean a build-up of worms in his gut as well so get him checked out.

Monitor your dog’s behaviour
Keep an eye on your dog’s appearance and behavior. If his energy levels or appetite changes, or if you notice his belly looks bigger than usual, these could be signs he’s battling a worm infection.

Treat worms before they happen
They say prevention is better than cure. I’ve got one word for this: petmeds. It’s so important to keep your dog in good health and that includes a regular dog worming treatment. Adult dogs should be wormed every three months. After each treatment, make a note in your diary to ensure your pet is never put at risk by being unprotected.  

Fight fleas
Dogs can catch fleas easily, and fleas spread tapeworm, so if you give your dog anti-flea treatments, you’re less likely to have to deal with worms.

Keep his nose out of it
Don’t let your dog sniff around other dogs’ mess. This is one of the prime ways worms can be transmitted.

Be responsible
While you may be a responsible dog owner, unfortunately not everyone is. You can’t always know if other dogs have flea or worm infections, but when you do, keep your pet away from infected animals.

Hopefully these top tips will help keep your dog healthy and worm free, but if in doubt, speak to your vet about protecting your dog from unpleasant – and avoidable – infections.


Note: This post was sponsored by http://www.vetvits.co.uk/