from the Pugs-prefer-"gaited"-communities dept.
Pug owners putting down their dogs due to common gait problems
Pugs, along with British and French bulldogs, already suffer from breathing difficulties due to their airways being obstructed. A team of Swedish researchers asked 550 owners of pugs whether their dogs had any gait problems, such as inability to jump, and abnormal wearing of the nails and the skin on their paws, and if so, how long these had been going on.
They were also asked about their dog's general health, and encouraged to send in video footage of their pet walking slowly back and forth on a leash, including a side view.
A prevalence of gait problems was found in just under 31 per cent of the dogs. On average, pugs were 2 years old when the gait abnormality first started, with front leg problems tending to show up earlier than problems with the back legs. But gait abnormalities were strongly associated with older age.
They were also associated with breathing problems and excessive scratching around the neck, ears and head. And pugs with abnormal gait were more likely to have incontinence issues.
Some 47 owners said their dogs had been put down with abnormal gait the single most frequently cited cause.
High prevalence of gait abnormalities in pugs (open, DOI: 10.1136/vr.104510) (DX)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @04:25AM (2 children)
Get a light-colored Labrador retriever. (yes, color matters)
Unless you actually need something weird, like a bloodhound for police work, you should get a nice dog. You'll probably want hair that isn't a horrible dirty tangled mess. Get the light-colored Labrador retriever.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @09:09AM
They have also problems due to inbreeding, especially the bone joints and muscles can become problematic at higher age.
My sister has one, and a medical insurance for all the costs related to these problems.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @05:20PM
All of the comments here, and I haven't seen one that has said "They are putting down dogs because their gait abnormalities were stronglt associated with older age, and so dogs are being put down because the dogs walk funny near the end of their lives? HOW HORRIBLE!"
No one has said that. I will -- this is horrible, you shouldn't put a pet down because it has a problem walking. Put it down if it killed somebody, but not because its cuteness wore out and now its a burden to you.
it's like everyone here is cool with it because they don't like pugs or don't like something about the system that made the dogs the way they are.
Putting down the dogs won't stop people from buying dogs that develop the problem later; maybe you people all could get angry at the fact it even happens and that the dogs are not to blame? but yeah ok animals are meant to serve people or something. its still cruel to kill them because they became inconvenient pets to take care of due to a design issue reinforced by repeat purchases.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by frojack on Wednesday February 07 2018, @04:31AM (8 children)
The desire for pure breed dogs is ruining some of the most desired breeds.
Generations of German Shepard with bad hips came out of the puppy mills.
Putting down a dog for non-debilitating gait problems - especially when you aren't breeding them, seems kind of callous.
The ever popular Border Collie is probably the next breed to be ruined. Smart dogs, not too big, and good tempered. It won't last.
Meanwhile the lowly animal shelter mixed breed seem to have the fewest problems, and the longest life.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @04:59AM (3 children)
That is a far nicer way to put it than what I was thinking when I read the summary. People suck.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by bob_super on Wednesday February 07 2018, @07:09AM (1 child)
People suck for liking deformed creatures which can barely breathe even when considered "healthy".
Pugs are an offence to natural selection, and an abomination onto Nuggan. My neighbour has one, and all I can think each time it's near, is how thankful it might get if someone was to finally put it out of its misery.
Think before you become a Buddhist : Fear not the cockroach nor the mayfly, a pug could be your reincarnation.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @08:43PM
Might not be too bad - my aunt has a pug, it gets half a beer whenever she opens a can.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @07:57PM
And in this case, not even in the fun, sexy way. :(
(Score: 3, Informative) by captain normal on Wednesday February 07 2018, @05:31AM (1 child)
I have to agree, mutts are probably the healthiest and usually the nicest dogs. There is way to much inbreeding in many of the popular breeds especially in puppy mills. Plus the shelters are full of wonderful dogs just wanting a home.Many of them are crosses of popular breeds.
Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts"- --Daniel Patrick Moynihan--
(Score: 4, Insightful) by NotSanguine on Wednesday February 07 2018, @05:55AM
This quite often applies to people as well, iMHO.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2, Interesting) by jelizondo on Wednesday February 07 2018, @05:48AM
Quite right. I have a pure breed Border Collie and she's a fine animal but I got a second, mixed with God-knows-what, and she's wonderful. To most people they look exactly like Collies, but a little knowledge you can tell the mixed one from the pure breed.
Now character, the pure breed is smart and easy to train, the mixed one is smarter and easier to train; the pure breed can be quite aloof and the mixed one is totally in your face all day.
So far no health problems for either one, but they are still young. The pure breed is five and the mixed one is two.
Love them both.
(Score: 3, Informative) by choose another one on Wednesday February 07 2018, @09:50AM
Border Collies are bred to work, while there is work for them to do the breed will last and there is no incentive to breed in health problems - quite the contrary.
However, because collies are built to work, you need to work them or at least exercise them, a lot, lock them up alone in a house all day while you're out at work and that "good tempered" will not last.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by idiot_king on Wednesday February 07 2018, @05:22AM (12 children)
Of all the things white people invented....
Why?
(Score: 2, Informative) by Captival on Wednesday February 07 2018, @05:38AM (7 children)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogs_in_ancient_China [wikipedia.org]
They had tiny dogs in China for tens of thousands of years, you astounding moron.
(Score: 1, Redundant) by NotSanguine on Wednesday February 07 2018, @05:50AM (5 children)
And tiny dogs are only good for punting, regardless of how long they've been bred.
What does Idiot_King's (and mine, for that matter) antipathy for tiny dogs have to do with who has been breeding them and for how long?
Or are we all supposed to just say, "well, they've been doing it for a long time, so my personal preference is irrelevant"?
I won't call you a moron, as that's quite rude. However, your rudeness, especially when accompanied by a non-sequitur, is quite astounding to me.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 3, Funny) by NotSanguine on Wednesday February 07 2018, @05:52AM (4 children)
Oops. Missed the "white people" thing.
My apologies. Carry on.
But tiny dogs are useless for anything but the grill, IMHO. MMMM...Dogs.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @06:17PM (3 children)
Pffft, maybe try doing some research on tiny dogs and why they were bred. Not every breed was cultivated out of vanity, and that aside it is only in the last 50 years that the general public has started to actually understand genetics and even then most people still don't beyond the couple of months they spend on it in high school biology. To be clear, after those few months most people purge all but the most basic knowledge.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Wednesday February 07 2018, @06:37PM (2 children)
Given that you didn't actually purvey any information except your lack of a sense of humor and your (apparent) ignorance of Mendelian Genetics* [wikipedia.org], I'm not exactly sure what point you're trying to make.
Perhaps a little elucidation on your part would be useful.
*While understanding of DNA is relatively recent, the concepts of selective breeding [wikipedia.org] and inheritance are both directly relevant and much, much older (on the order of millenia) than DNA research. Perhaps it's you who need to brush up on your genetics, friend?
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @07:40PM (1 child)
He said the "general public", not that no one understood anything even remotely related to genetics before about 50 years ago.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Wednesday February 07 2018, @07:51PM
Given how many more folks were farmers, ranchers and the like, with numbers getting significantly larger as we go back in time, I suspect that the "general public" knew much more about selective breeding and inheritance than you (or other AC) say.
Selective breeding and knowledge of inheritance goes back millenia and given that most societies were primarily agrarian up until the last 100 years or so, that makes little, if any, sense.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 3, Funny) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday February 07 2018, @09:04PM
You missed a chance to say "I Shi Tzu not."
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Wednesday February 07 2018, @05:53AM
Note that non-white people (since skin color is irrelevant to cognition) invent (or in this case, breed) stupid things too.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @06:44AM
I'd like to speak to the two idiots who bred you.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @02:20PM
White people invented most things.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @06:41PM
Hard to blame the pug on white people:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pug#Chinese_origins [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Wednesday February 07 2018, @06:45AM (1 child)
Add it to the list..
https://www.healthline.com/health/dog-breeds-and-health-issues [healthline.com]
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @09:42AM
And this [rashondenwijzer.nl] (in Dutch). It shows over 250 genetic issues in over 100 dog breeds.
(Score: 3, Funny) by aristarchus on Wednesday February 07 2018, @09:22AM (4 children)
SoylentNews is really going to the dogs. No, really. To the dogs. Dogs with anti-rape pants.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @06:19PM
Hmm, actually I feel like some of the more extreme users have been drifting a little more towards the center and more people are speaking out on the travesties that pass for "discussion" most days.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday February 07 2018, @06:37PM
Dogs with anti-rape pants.
Brings new meaning to "I moved on her like a bitch."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @08:22PM (1 child)
No comment on Nazi Pugs? [spiked-online.com] You disappoint us.
(Score: 1, Redundant) by aristarchus on Wednesday February 07 2018, @08:50PM
It's fake Nazi pugs. The alt-pugs are the real threat! Expect a submission momentarily.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @12:37PM (2 children)
You too can be our customer. -- The animal slave industry
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @06:25PM (1 child)
There is a little bit of truth to your snark, but I would guess that 90%+ of all pets live pretty good lives compared to what they'd get on their own. The trade off is less autonomy for more security and comfort. It is hard to say without being psychic, but most dogs I meet are incredibly happy. Most cats also seem pretty happy and many get to roam around outdoors anyway.
Maybe you should create an account? I have a suggestion for a username: PETA.
(Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @08:18PM
She screamed. Oh, she screamed. In response, the sound of little boys cheering was heard. Chairs. A tile floor. A chalk board. It was a classroom.
The man was vigorously moving his hips and slamming his fist into the woman's face. It might be more accurate to say that he could stop neither his fists nor his hips. The woman screamed for help. However, the children only cheered. Rather than caring about the woman's well-being, it would be more accurate to say that the boys were actively cheering for her demise.
Every time the fist collided with the woman, mankind took a microscopic step forward towards a future where men's rights were respected. The children knew this, which is why they were so excited. A bright future awaited them.
When silence finally descended upon the woman, the children could no longer contain their excitement. Endless cheers and clapping were heard from within the classroom. The woman's motion had been completely replaced by the children's desire for freedom.