Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Doc, my wolf-mix is sick....

I'm not sure why there is a small population of people who want to believe they own "wolf" hybrids; especially because the majority of them are actually just husky mixes, and not "WOLVES." Wolves are wild animals - and do NOT make for good house pets!  Would these people want a lion mix or a bobcat mix in their house?  NO!  


Below is a word for word copy of a handout given to a client (and then eventually to us, when the dog was sick) who adopted a "wolf" from a breeder. This is not made up -- I don't think I could make it this good.  It's not my bad grammar, incomplete sentences, and complete lack of understanding of biology and the natural world.


I have so many problems with the things written in this handout, starting with the fact that these dogs are NOT wolf hybrids, but that fact put aside, other important points to note: The breeder states that dogs are part of the feline family (the same as lions, tigers and BEARS), have 1 inch thick skin, that they cannot catch parvovirus, and while they must drink filtered water, they also must eat their food on dirt.  They tell their adopting owners to give their dogs CAT vaccines.  I also like the part where it states that "cannot digest fruits and vegetables; can rake the colon and make them bleed."  WHAT???!!!!

Enjoy....


------------------------------------------------- 
CARE INSTRUCTIONS FOR VETS 

Here are some helpful tips when one of our clients brings in their wolves for check ups or with problems: 

They have a very high metabolism. 
Parvo shots could kill them or make them ill. 
Wolves are prone to have diarrhea because of their metabolism. 
Can be caused by drinking too much water or not getting filtered water (as we always recommend) 
Too much moisture in their system. Wolves absorb moisture through their skin. 
Too much food, they should be eating one time per day. 
Eating the wrong types of food. They need a high protein diet, 27% or higher. Should not be eating any fruits or vegetables, can not digest them, it make rake the colon and make them bleed. 
Require dirt in their diet. This comes from years of eating a kill that gets dirty on the ground. It makes their stool solid. Food should be fed on the ground or a small amount of dirt/pebbles added to it. 

They do not get parvo or heartworm. 
Diarrhea is more than likely caused by the above mentioned items. 

No flea products. These products are made for hair not fur. It can burn the fur and cause their skin to be irritated. 

They are from the feline family, non the canine as taught. This is why they have a high metabolism. the same as lions, bears and tigers.    So no dog shots, feline shots only. 

The skin is about 1 inch thick and so a mosquito can not lay larva under the skin so they do not get heartworm. Because of this they also do not get fleas or ticks because they can not penetrate it. Meds for heartworm could cause them to become sick. 
Because of their fur coats they tend to get hotter faster than dogs. They can easily get heat stroke so if it is hot outside they need a cool area they can get to. 

Please feel free to contact us with any questions. 

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I'd like to contact them with some questions. WOW.  Where did these people become so backwards?  When did a wolf or dog with the genus Canis become a FELINE?  It's so incredibly unbelievable; I'm just not sure how any person can trust a "breeder" who writes something like the above.  

7 comments:

  1. Um, yeah I think I would fall over laughing if I was ever handed that set of advice from a breeder....

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  2. That is AWESOME. Please post that on VIN, now that you have an account. It would be uber-loved!

    I had a "nurse" who brought in her dog and told me that she had been shooting him up with penicillin for months because he was lethargic. And now, she was convinced he was dying of kidney disease because he was "edematous." The dog was fat and Cushingnoid. I told her that. She said, "Well, I'm a nurse, and he has edema." I said, "well, I'm a doctor, and he doesn't." I couldn't believe that came out of my mouth - but I am so over people (and their STUPIDITY) right now!

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  3. I wonder what the mortality rate is...I mean, according to the sheet it should be virtually nothing. ;o No heartworm, no parvo - miracle dogs there, eh!

    -snort- Doubtful. This is one of the funniest things I've read in a long time...I mean, isn't it so obvious that bears are feline? They're so...cat-like.

    I'm gonna die laughing here now.

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  4. >>Too much food, they should be eating one time per day.>>

    This part is not funny. When I was in vet school, the pathology service necropsied several wolves/hybrids for a local sanctuary. Cause of death? GDV.

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  5. None of it is funny if people actually follow it -- can you imagine a client giving their dog a feline vaccine at home? Or never treating with heartworm prevention in the south? Unbelievable!

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  6. This exact client came into my clinic a few years ago and I laughed in their face. This stupid breeder actually had them convinced that the wolf is actually a feline! Unbelievable.

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  7. All I can say is wow!!! I had my Shadow for 12 wonderful years and all of his care was the same as any other DOG. His behavior a little odd at times, but never aggressive. His grandmother was bred in Alaska as a sled dog which they bred them with wolves to make them more hearty. Shadow was one of only two generations of wolf hybrids. So they do exist. You just have to know the truth of the person you are getting them from.

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