Discussions

I am in awe that there are still so many new litters of puppies being advertised in Westman, knowing that hardly any vet clinics have the ability to take on new clients. Is money really more important than the lives of the little ones you just produced? I have been trying to find a vet for over a year with zero results. Recently, I called rural vets and most of them are not taking new patients, or are, but not outside their own rural area.

I see a lot of animals needing rehoming for a variety of reasons. I wonder if CoVid caused people to purchase a pet and then find out they don’t have the time or resources to look after them. Sad situation when you can’t get your pet into a vet for the care they need. I support adoption and spaying and neutering.

Totally agree to what you said. I think Brandon bilaws should be FIRMER, with consequences to people who don’t follow them. I also support spay and neuter and I feel if you have cats on a farm, rural  
Property it should be mandatory to neuter all male kittens and cats!

It’s about proper education and people providing the proper care and respect for animals for which they are responsible.  
As for vet care I’m afraid that it is the responsibility of individuals to start a vet/client relationship before taking over the care of an animal. As a livestock farmers we had to form a vet/client relationship to access care and advice and private individuals should be no different.

I moved here with a dog. I had a great relationship with your vet prior to the move. I didn't realize how hard it was going to be to secure consistent vet care. My dog is also spayed and I never have a desire to have a litter.

We moved here with three dogs from the UK and found no difficulty securing a vet/client relationship prior to our move here.

What is the point of this comment? To prove you are superior because you didn’t have any trouble finding a vet and the other poster did??

The point is obvious.  
It is the responsibility of any animal carer to secure a vet/ client relationship to care for their animals. I know it can be difficult but ultimately owners have a duty of care.  
Without a vet/client relationship I’m sorry but people should not have pets or any animals as they are left unable to provide the proper care needed or indeed required.  
Similarly people should stop dumping their animals in rural areas expecting those living rurally to take them in. It happens far more often than you think and is wholly unacceptable.  
 
Edited by Farmergeorge, 2023-07-19 14:08:51

I don't really understand your point either.  
You say you need to form a vet/client relationship  
 
How do you do that when people call literally every vet within 100km and are told they're not taking on new clients?  
 
Enlighten us with your knowledge

Without a vet/client relationship it is impossible to provide proper care for any animal especially in the event of an emergency or illness. Without a vet /client relationship you can’t access most pres:cription medications. This means that ownership of any animal in such circumstances is unethical. An owner either has to be prepared to travel wherever necessary or consider whether they are in a position to care for an animal. It’s the owner’s responsibility to provide proper care where necessary.  
If people don’t understand this then they are not suitable to care for an animal.  
 
Edited by Farmergeorge, 2023-07-19 20:09:46

And when was it you moved here and had no issue finding a vet? Because this vet shortage is very recent. I became a first time pet owner in 2020 and had my pick of vets in Brandon.  
 
Someone that has moved here recently with pets or wants to become a pet owner will not be able to find a vet clinic accepting new patients. This has happened in just 1-2 short years. It has nothing to do with “building a relationship”

I have to have a vet/client relationship to access the care when needed for my animals.  
Without a vet/client relationship (which provides easy access to care) people should not be keeping animals at all.  
People are legally required to take proper care of their animals . It is entirely their own responsibility to ensure that they can access veterinary care when needed . In a case of animals found in poor condition it would not be accepted to claim that they couldn’t find or afford a vet. The onus is on the owner, there is no excuse.  
 
Edited by Farmergeorge, 2023-07-19 22:19:56

We bought a pup in January. Had no problem getting into a vet here in Brandon for puppy shots. Got her in for spay in June and tick meds as well.

Perhaps you are having Trouble getting a vet because of the breed you have or the way you talk to people... I know for a fact 2 clinics about 30 minutes from Brandon have been taking on new dogs/cats.

I am completely respectful to all employees in vet clinics. I had one feel really bad because they could not take us and I told her it was okay. I completely understand the situations that they are in. I have friends that work in vet clinics in western Canada and they get sh*t on all the time by clients. I never want to treat anyone like that. And when it comes to the breed that I have, while I don't think it should matter, is a small breed companion dog. Prior to relocating to Brandon for personal reasons, I had my other dog into chiro/accupuncture/cold laser therapy regularly due to an injury and had a wonderful relationship with all that worked in that clinic. I have no issues paying for vet care, The older dog is a client at a local clinic but the earliest I could get the puppy in is not until September and he was born early May. It's due to the volume of pets, particularly when Covid came along, as well as the normal retiring/recruitment/retention as we are seeing in many other professions.

I just want to clarify something.  
 
You're complaining about the number of litters being born and puppies out there, and how hard it's making it to find a vet...  
 
... yet you have one of these puppies you're complaining about, for whom you've been trying to find a vet?  
 
Have I completely misunderstood either the situation or your complaint?

Yup...I have one of the puppies that I am concerned about. I didn't realize how hard it was going to be to get a puppy seen. Again...haven't been here very long and didn't know how hard it was going to be to get one seen.

So you rescued this new puppy right? If so, good for you! I hope you find a vet soon.  
 
You didn’t get it from a breeder? If you got it from a breeder then you’re question is answered. They keep breeding them because people keep buying them. In this day and age there is no reason to breed puppies other than greed. There are so many dogs at rescues/shelters.

Sadly, I agree.  
 
Without dumping on the OP, because I believe that she (along with everyone else who buys puppies) are getting these animals in good faith and with good intentions, this is exactly why backyard breeders continue to thrive.  
 
I'm a big proponent of mixed breed animals, but unless you are looking for a specific breed for a specific reason (allergies, temperment, working breed, etc), the only way we're going to stop this vicious cycle is if we, collectively, stop buying puppies like this. I've always adopted adult animals and I wouldn't consider anything else (I also specifically try to adopt black animals, as they tend to be the hardest to adopt out for some reason).  
 
And while I get there are good reasons to get a puppy specifically (adopting adult animals isn't for everyone), so many people are doing it still and it's keeping the industry thriving. Everyone who does it thinks that they are somehow different and the exception to the rule, but the unfortunate reality is that a not insignificant number of these animals end up as adults needing homes, for both avoidable and unavoidable reasons.  
 
Again, I want to be clear I put no blame on the OP because she clearly cares about her existing pet and her new addition and wants what's best for them and is expressing a general concern about the whole situation. But this isn't a new problem either, it's a long-standing issue that is being acutely exasperated by the shortage of vets.

If a person got a dog from a local rescue, would the rescue not have set up the vetting (vaccines, spay/ neuter) at a local clinic? I only adopt adult dogs and cats (so they were fixed before I got them), and the booster shots were arranged by the rescue.

It's this small companion dog a pit bull or variety of? I find it odd how you don't mention the actual breed.

The average lifespan of a dog is about 12 years. If no one bred them, there would be no dogs within 20 years.

Pretty sure you have been here longer than 3 years? If so, you need to lose the smug superiority! Up until the pandemic started, finding a vet for small animals won't much of a problem for anyone. Up until about that same time we weren't hurting so badly for large animal vets either. Things have changed drastically in the last 3 years and if you were just moving here now you wouldn't find it quite so easy to get in with a Brandon vet clinic. I think you live outside Brandon? So perhaps you deal with a vet in a different town? If so then yes, that is still easier. I have gotten in to a rural vet clinic in 24 hours where a clinic in Brandon would have been a 6 week wait. I have gotten into that Brandon clinic almost immediately when I had a pet with an emergency, but routine appointments are a long wait.

It’s entirely irrelevant how long I have been here. I’m not superior to anyone but people need to think about consequences before they act.  
Any responsible pet owner would secure care with a vet clinic before taking possession of a new pet. Animals should be regularly seen by a vet for routine inspections and vaccinations.  
It all comes down to owners not being prepared to accept responsibility for another life which leaves a wide open question over their suitability to care for any animal.  
When I got our last dog I spoke to the vet clinic first to ensure a place was available to get proper routine care for her.  
It amazes me that people think of farmers as cruel people. The reality is that most of us care far more deeply for our animals and their welfare then the public thinks and take our responsibility to properly care for our animals very seriously.  
I wouldn’t even consider taking care of any animal without having a great long term relationship with an excellent veterinary clinic. It’s just the right thing to do.  
Vet clinic places are available in westman , maybe owners have to travel, that’s their responsibility. There is absolutely no excuse and people need to act responsibly or not keep animals.  
 
Edited by Farmergeorge, 2023-07-21 00:27:21

If you really must know...it's a chihuahua.

My two pitbulls go to Grand Valley, because they don't discriminate, and I hope other vets wouldn't either. While it's not hard to call and make an appt, I do think lots of vets are booking weeks into the future.

Let’s just clear something up, a legit Breeder breeds to better the breed and because they have a list of potential homes that have gone through extensive checks before being approved. Dogs being sold on E-Brandon are not from reputable breeders, they are doing it for selfish reasons and those are the main dogs that are flooding the rescues.  
It does not mean that there are not purebred dogs in rescues, but most reputable breeders make you sign an agreement that you are not allowed to release the dog to a rescue as they always have a home with the breeders. Legit breeders are registered with the CKC or AKC and there is NO money in breeding if it’s done properly, you actually lose money and time.

Yes, this is correct. Reputable breeders also do genetic testing on their dogs for any diseases/ conditions that can be tested for, and certify their breeding dogs!

While rescues are fantastic and I think they do great things they have left a bad taste in my mouth. We tried adopting and we were shot down very quickly for silly reasons that I won’t go into.  
 
We ended up getting a dog for $50 from a backyard breeder and she is the best dog. Fast forward a year and we bought a purebred for $800 (prior to Covid). Both dogs are happy, healthy, spoiled, fully vetted, fur babies who go with us every where are live an amazing life. We were turned away from a rescue and I personally would not recommend. So there is a place for everyone even backyard breeding imo and it’s not because they are greedy.

Not saying that a dog from a rescue or from a backyard breeder can’t be a good dog….it’s saying that the reason why rescues are over full is the amount of irresponsible backyard breeders that are greedy and breeding dogs that have zero purpose in being bred! Your $50.00 dog may be a great dog, but with that 1 $50.00 dog there were between 4-9+ more and how many of those were purchased for $50.00 and thrown into a shelter cause they were bought by people that thought they wanted a dog.  
If you don’t want a registered purebred dog and you want a mutt from somewhere, contact the groups that rescue from reservations, rather than spending $50.00 on a irresponsible backyard breeder.  
 
Edited by BigDaddy 2, 2023-07-23 18:04:43