Happy Healthy Puppy

Why do Puppy Mills Still Exist?

In the United States, and most other countries, there are laws that prevent cruelty to animals. Given these laws, why do puppy mills still exist? Sadly, its’ a question of lack of enforcement, and an overburdeneded system.

In the United States, Congress passed the Animal Welfare act nearly 35 years ago to, in part, ensure that animal breeders gave their animals humane treatment.

The Animal Welfare Act requires that animals have basic prevention of disease, adequate ventilation and sanitation, ample food and water, adequate housing, and reasonable handling.

Puppy Mills vs. Reputable Breeders

What’s the difference between a puppy mill and a breeder?

Puppy mills exist solely to sell puppies for profit. To make a profit, puppy mill owners often subject puppies and breeding dogs to terrible conditions. Puppy mill owners scrimp on proper care, nutrition, and attention just to make more money. Puppy mills will sell puppies to anyone with enough cash.

Reputable breeders ensure that their puppies, and their puppies’ parents, are well looked after. They’ll spend money and time to get the best veterinary care, the most nutritious food, and they make sure their dogs are well socialized. Reputable breeders will only sell puppies to good homes. Reputable breeders do not sell their puppies to pet stores.

Choosing a Healthy Puppy before you Fall in Love

One of the most common questions I’m asked is how to choose a healthy puppy. I’ve always responded by giving people the same list of things to look for. My book even talks about signs of bad health in puppy, discharge from the eyes, dry, matted fur, irregular breathing, and so on. Despite this, the same people would come and talk to me a month later, after they’d gotten their puppy, telling me about the puppy’s health problems.

What went wrong? I’d gone to a lot of trouble to help them in choosing a healthy puppy, but they’d still ended up with a little puppy with health issues.

They fell in love. That’s what went wrong.

Why I Started Happy Healthy Puppy

I started this site because I know exactly what it feels like to choose the wrong dog and to have to give it away. It’s absolutely heartbreaking, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

I’d wanted a puppy for a long time, and after a lot of convincing, my ex. finally agreed. On a whim, the next day I went to pick out a chocolate Lab puppy from a local breeder.

All went well, and I picked an adorable, active puppy from the litter. Sam was a chocolate and yellow lab mix, and the most gorgeous dark golden color, with matching eyes.

Genetic Blood and Lymphatic Disorders in Mixed Breed Dogs

Genetic disorders, including disorders of the blood and lymphatic system, in dogs are well linked to specific breeds. If your dog is a purebred, it is relatively easy for your vet to determine if the dog is at risk of a specific genetic disorder.

In the past, owners of mixed breed dogs had had a harder time determining if their dog was at risk for an inherited genetic disorder. That’s changed now that mixed breed Dog DNA tests have come on the market. These tests can help you determine if your dog has a parent or grandparent that was a purebred. Understanding the purebred makeup of your mixed breed dog can help your vet determine if your dog is at risk of inheritied genetic disorders.

Genetic Eye Disorders in Mixed Breed Dogs

nherited eye disorders are common in many purebreds. Some disorders can be predicted with genetic testing, but others can only be diagnosed with health testing, which will tell you if the dog has the disorder at a specific point in time.

Knowing if your dog is at risk for genetic eye disorders is relatively easy for purebreds, since some diseases are well known to exist within certain breeds. However, it’s much harder to determine if a mixed breed dog is at risk of a genetic eye disorder, since most owners don’t know the exact breeds that make up their mixed breed dog.

Genetic Endocrine, Immune and Respiratory Genetic Disorders in Mixed Breed Dogs

Today, vets know with a great deal of certainty if a purebred dog is at risk of developing a genetic disorder. However, determining the risk to a mixed breed is much more difficult. Most of the time, owners of mixed breed dogs don’t know with any certainty if their dog has purebred parents or grandparents.

Mixed breed Dog DNA tests have changed all that. These tests can tell owners and their vets if a mixed breed dog has a parent or grandparent that was a purebred. By knowing a dog’s purebred ancestry, a vet can then help determine if the dog is at risk of developing genetic disorders.

Genetic Skin, Urinary and Reproductive Disorders in Mixed Breed Dogs

Veterinarians today are armed with a great deal of knowledge about the genetic risks of disease for purebred dogs. Unfortunately, the risk of developing a genetic disorder for mixed breed dogs is much more difficult to determine. To know a dog’s risk of getting a genetic disorder, a vet must know the breeds of any of the dog’s purebred ancestors. In the past, this was almost impossible to determine.

Mixed breed Dog DNA tests now offer a relatively quick, at home method of determining if a mixed breed dog has a purebred parent of grandparent. Once this information is known, a vet can determine if a mixed breed is at risk of specific genetic disorders.

Choosing Your Perfect Dog

Choosing a Happy, Healthy Puppy Have you thought about getting a dog and don’t know where to begin? Choosing the perfect dog is simple once you know the expert’s tricks. This book teaches you everything you need to know about