Your+Dog++May+2019

8 Your Dog May 2019

Yorkshire-based

The Insurance

Emporium has

reported a 950

per cent rise

in claims from

owners whose

dogs have been

poisoned by

xylitol. Chewing

gum containing

the sugar

substitute was the

worst off ender

(91 per cent),

followed by mints.

DOG

DATA

A

veterinary anaesthesia expert from a leading UK animal referral hospital

has been sharing her skills in a bid to boost the knowledge of vets in

southern India.

Louise Clark, European specialist in veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia

and head of anaesthesia at Hertfordshire-based Davies Veterinary

Specialists, spent four days teaching at Worldwide Veterinary Service’s

International Training Centre in Ooty, Tamil Nadu.

Supported by the WVS team,

Louise ran an anaesthesia

special training course with

lectures, group discussions, and

demonstrations.

“Skill transfer is without doubt

the most eff ective form of

volunteering,” said Louise, who’s

volunteered for WVS previously.

”It was very rewarding seeing

participants grow in knowledge

and confi dence and I’ve had some

lovely feedback.”

A

ccording to the British Veterinary Association’s

‘Voice of the Veterinary Profession’ survey and

Dogs Trust’s latest puppy smuggling investigation,

the French Bulldog tops the list of the most illegally

imported breeds.

The BVA’s poll reveals that 54 per cent of vets who

suspected a case of illegal importation were most

concerned about the French Bulldog, followed by Pugs

(24 per cent) and designer cross-breeds such as

Cockerpoos (18 per cent).

Vets’ suspicions were aroused when they found the

puppy was too young to have been imported legally, his

age didn’t appear to match the information on the pet

passport, poorly completed documentation, suspicious

vaccination records, or poor health.

Meanwhile, Dogs Trust’s report uncovered that

63 per cent of puppies intercepted at the British

border as part of the Puppy Pilot scheme,

between 2015 and 2018, were French

Bulldogs, Pugs, English Bulldogs,

and Dachshunds.

To further add to the breed’s woes,

a series of studies carried out by

the Royal Veterinary College’s

VetCompass programme found that

French Bulldog bitches are more

likely to suff er from diffi culties

giving birth (dystocia) than

cross-breed bitches.

INDIA

● It’s thought that stray

Mera may be the fi rst dog

to conquer a 23,389ft

Himalayan peak, when she

followed climbers to the

summit of Baruntse

in Nepal. Sherpas believe

the Tibetan Mastiff

X Himalayan Sheepdog

brought luck to the

March expedition.

● A street dog, rescued

from stone-throwing

children by West Bengal

Police, has gone on to

graduate with top honours

in India’s elite bomb and

drug-sniffi ng squad — the

fi rst-ever mongrel to

do so.

Asha, which means

‘hope’ in Hindi, not only

has a keener nose than

her pedigree Labrador

and German Shepherd

counterparts, but can

run faster and jump

higher, too.

● Runners in Canada’s

Elkmont Trackless Train

Half Marathon were

surprised to be pipped

at the post — by

a Bloodhound!

Two-year-old Ludivine

was only let out for a wee,

but escaped and joined

the race, fi nishing seventh,

despite stopping en route

to sniff a dead rabbit and

play with a herd of cows!

▼

World

pupdates

UK vet takes anaesthesia

knowledge to India

Practising some skills transfer.

Frenchies UNDER FIRE

Tough times for the

French Bulldog.

Talking dogs NEWS. CHAT. INTERVIEWS. PICTURES. COMPETITIONS.

6-11 YD News CS(SW)2ok.oindd.indd 8 26/03/2019 14: