5 Common myth Breeders know best?

Getting a new puppy or kitten is one of the most exciting and terrifying journeys one can em-bark 🐶 (yep, I did that). These little rascals bring so much joy to a home and family, but there can also be a lot of anxiety over where to start to ensure your new furry family member gets off on the right paw. Sometimes it seems like your breeder and vet are never on the same page. Here are some reasons why, when it comes to health, your vet knows best and challenging our knowledge with what your breeder demands is not a good way to start a healthy, respectful relationship with your veterinarian. 

Key Takeaways

• Your breeder likely didn't attend 8yrs of veterinary school. Trust your local vet and give them their space to practice great medicine.
• Grain free diets are extremely harmful to a dogs cardiovascular health.

Opinions expressed by FDWL - From DVM, with Love contributors, are their own.

Is your breeder smarter than your veterinarian?

Let me start by saying that this article is in no way meant to insult or question the intelligence or experience of a breeder, but rather to provide clarity and context for pet owners. There are many fantastic breeders whose primary goal is to breed exceptional individuals that best represent the qualities, characteristics, and health of the breed he or she chooses. While breeding may be a business, these breeders are invested in promoting the overall health and excellence of that breed. With that said, unless your breeder is also a veterinarian, they do not have the same knowledge and understanding about immunology, epidemiology, parasitology, and all of the other “ologies” that we studied tirelessly to become the doctors we are today.

Let’s start by busting some common myths that may be perpetuated by inexperienced breeders.

Myth:Vaccines are not necessary unless your pet is going to be boarding or going to puppy training classes.

Fact:A puppy or kitten’s maternal antibodies start to decline around 6-8 weeks of age, meaning that their immune system is becoming more responsible for protecting them from viruses and bacteria. Maternal antibodies have typically disappeared by 16 weeks of age. Incidentally, it is around this time where our puppies and kittens are starting to get out into the world more and this increases the chances of being exposed to many of the diseases we vaccinate against. These diseases are deemed extremely dangerous if contracted or very contagious and therefore vaccinating against them are considered the highest priority. These are called Core vaccines. Your veterinarian may recommend vaccinating against other viruses and bacterias known as “non-core” vaccines depending on what your pet’s lifestyle may be. 

Myth:Small puppies and kittens do not require the “full dose” of the vaccine and you should ask your veterinarian to only give ½ of the dose as it could be dangerous to the pet. 

Fact:The “dose” of the vaccine is irrelevant to the size of the pet. When we give a vaccine we are not injecting a medication that’s dose is dependent on weight like most other medications we administer. These vaccines have been tested in large numbers of dogs and cats of varying sizes and deemed to be the appropriate amount to induce immunity with the lowest likelihood of causing a reaction. Just like in humans, vaccine reactions do exist but in most cases, the low reaction rates make vaccinating a pet safer than the alternative of avoiding vaccines and that pet contracting a severe illness. It is also important to note that there are some breeds (we’re looking at you frenchies and dachshunds) that are considered more likely to have a vaccine reaction than other breeds and therefore your vet may recommend limiting the number of vaccines at a given visit to reduce the risk of a reaction. It is always best to discuss your concerns with your vet so you can be educated about what is best for your particular pet and situation. Just remember, asking your vet to give ½  the dose of a vaccine is against the manufacturer's recommendations based on countless studies and field trials, and many of us are just not comfortable doing that..

Myth:Heartworm prevention is poison and should not be given unless your pet lives or spends most of their life outdoors. 

Fact:Heartworm disease is a potentially fatal disease spread by infected mosquitoes. Chances are if you live in a climate that has mosquitos at some part of the year, your pet is at risk of contracting heartworm disease. In some places of the US, heartworm disease is endemic (occurring regularly within a geographic location). Unless your dog plans to live its life confined to walls where no screens or open windows exist, they are at risk. The notion that heartworm prevention is a "poison" to pets is simply untrue. Just ask Animal Poison Control how many calls a year they get of dogs getting into their entire year supply of those tasty little chews…very few lead to any serious side effects.

We are by no means recommending you give more than the labeled dose of your monthly  heartworm prevention, and there are a few breeds that carry a gene that makes them more sensitive to the main ingredient in the prevention. As always, your vet will recommend the best option for your pet. Now if you want to talk about poisoning your pet, let's talk about heartworm treatment. If your pet does contract heartworm disease because you elected not to protect them with a preventative, we will have to inject your pet with a medication called Immiticide that carries substantially more risk.  It is one of my least favorite treatments to give as I always fear this dog will be the one to have a serious or possibly fatal anaphylactic reaction. Most of the time heartworm treatment is successful without any complications, but do you really want to risk it. JUST GIVE THE DAMN CHEW and make your pet and your vet happy!

Myth:Feed your puppy a grain-free dog food to reduce the amount of unnecessary "fillers" in their diet.

Fact:Just like you wouldn't take financial advice from a broke college student, let's leave the medical advice to the experts. PUT DOWN THE GRAIN FREE FOOD, for the love of all things cute and furry! Stop assuming that every diet fad that exists in humans should be translated to animals. Grains are good, they are awesome, they are amazing, and withholding them can lead to a serious condition known as Dilated Cardiomyopathy or DCM. While the complete mechanism of why this happens is not entirely known, we believe there is an effect on how that animal utilizes taurine, which is essential for heart muscle health. It is also believed that peas and potatoes that are commonly used to replace grains in these diets, may contain a compound toxic to the heart. And before you get all creative on me, no you cannot just sprinkle in some Taurine supplement and call it a day. It doesn't work that way. So just feed your dogs the diets your vet recommends or at least consult with them before choosing some food because of a shiny bag and the promise it will bring out your pet's wild ancestral instincts…or whatever.

Just like you wouldn't take financial advice from a broke college student, let's leave the medical advice to the experts. Come with a list of questions, and we are all ears, but requesting practices against the science we research and implement is just annoying and downright inappropriate. Find a vet you trust and have confidence in, and they will care for your puppy or kitten as their own, because nothing brings us more joy than watching them grow up and live long, healthy lives full of love!