Lykoi the werewolf cat breed

So I’m not going to be arguing because I’ve seen enough from enough owners over the years to have reached this conclusion, and I’m not in well enough health to come back to this. But I’m seeing the lykoi breed get more attention around tumblr lately, and I’ve gotta speak up because the breed has a dirty little secret.

I joined the Lykoi Lovers group years ago because I loved this breed, they’re super cute! I love werewolves! However, over the years, as more people got these cats, and their cats aged up (3-5+yo is when skin issues become REALLY evident) the group turned into a horror show.

This mutation really reminds me of lemon frost in leopard geckos. In the geckos, it was the desirable appearance which CAUSED the cancerous tumors. It wasn’t something that could be bred out. Similarly, it is the werewolf appearance which causes the skin issues, cysts, pimples, bleeding in the cats. You can breed away from it… and end up with a normal looking cat with fewer skin issues. You cannot seem to keep the werewolf look AND have good skin.

More below, and it IS graphic so be warned. Pus, blood, sad cats under the cut.

Keep reading

Instead of making a seperate post and linking back to this one I’m just going to add onto this as a reblog so the evidence is all in one place. I hope that’s alright.

So. I was doing some research earlier, not on this subject in particular but in my perusing I did come across a study on this exact issue.

I’d like to draw attention back to this comment from one of the screenshots:

“The gene that is specific to Lykoi that creates the semi hairless and roaning look is thought to be responsible for less hair follicles and possibly smaller pores. This in turn could be responsible for the cyst/pimple issue.”

The gene is not ‘thought’ to reduce hair follicles, we know that’s what it does.

Lykoi not only have fewer hair follicles the follicles they do have are more shallow and smaller, and they have more sebaceous glands. Check out sebsceous gland hyperplasia.

The Lykoi in this study were also observed to suffer from periocular and mural lymphocytic folliculitis.

I had a hard time finding a source that gives a straightforward explanation of what “lymphocytic folliculitis” means so here’s some case studies to give you an idea of what the condition is like.

- A case of diet-related lymphocytic mural folliculitis in a cat

- Feline cutaneous lymphocytosis: case report and summary of the literature

- Lymphocytic Mural Folliculitis Resembling Epitheliotropic Lymphoma in Tigers (Panthera tigris)

Demodicosis is mange.

Dermatophyrosis is ringworm.

That’s what these symptoms are being compared to.

We’ve known since 2016.

The Lykoi was established as a breed in 2011.

5 years into their time as a breed we knew. When the first Lykoi began to age into their prime we already knew exactly how the genere resulted in their unique appearance.

But no-one decide to call it quits.

Obligatory disclaimer if you bring cropping and docking debate to my blog I am flinging you directly into the sun

But this entire passing match between the DPCA and the DV is getting old as hell. And for what? All it does is lead to further detriment to the dogs.

Here is the problem: the AKC will not sanction protection sports, so the breed club (the DPCA) is NOT ALLOWED to host their own protection trials. Which also means that they have to have another club do it, one that works with the FCI (the UDC).

Well the FCI says the parent club in Germany (the DV) adamantly refuses to recognize any cropped and docked dog as a doberman, and so will not reward titles or allow competition in FCI events for any cropped and docked dogs. We've been given a temporary stay on this for dogs who are only competing in the US, meaning a cropped and docked dog that qualifies for worlds is automatically disqualified from competing, but they have been pushing and pushing to make that a reality on American soil as well. It already is the case that IF a World's trial was held in the US, they would not allow any stateside dog that is cropped and docked to compete.

(This also affects Mondioring in the same way btw bc it is also an FCI sport so we're still bound to DV rules, and the DV has already stated that as soon as they get enforcing piwer they are planning to make it so that you have to follow their rules regardless of what your country's laws or breed club's expectations are)

(This is also after Germany told us on no uncertain terms that the doberman breed requires crop and dock and that to do otherwise was a betrayal to the breed... so basically they're mad that we're following the rules they put in place themselves when the breed came to the US)

This would be annoying enough on its own however the DPCA is of the opinion that as the last breed that REQUIRES all dogs of the breed to be cropped and docked with no exceptions, this is the hill they're willing to die on, and so has doubled down and stated that if you want a doberman then it HAS to be cropped and docked with no questions asked and no exceptions given, and has effectively told all of its members to stop allowing buyers to ask for natural ears and tails. What few of them even existed in the first place.

So now the breed is solidly split- if you want to show your dog, it has to be cropped and docked. If you want to work your dog, it can't be. A single decision made largely not even the choice of the person who owns the damn dog and you are locked out of the other side, forever. Or at least, as long as you own that specific dog.

I cannot show Fenris in AKC. Or rather, I can, if I don't mind either getting last and wasting my entry or being dismissed from the ring the second the judge looks at him. Fenris' littermates are all cropped and docked and may be looking at very short IGP and mondio careers if the DV has their way. This has nothing to do with the quality of the dogs. It has everything to do with stupid breed club politics and their refusal to find a compromise because they won't accept anything less than full authority.

What harm would it do to allow cropped and docked dogs to show alongside natural ears and tails? To allow them to compete next to each other? The FCI was doing that for years before the DV decided to have a fit so it's not like it hasn't been done before.

It's also incredibly annoying because the problem is, from the perspective of someone who exclusively wants a fully natural dog and has always sought one out and has only been able to accomplish this by getting imports, that even the very request for a natural dog is seen as a challenge to the cropped and docked status quo.

I have had people harass me, spread rumors about me, put me on block lists, call me an animal abuser, accuse me of neglect, even dox me and contact my dogs' breeders over the fact that I have owned two dobermans who were cropped and docked. This is besides the fact that Skoll was an adult rescue whose ears and tail were already done by the time he landed in the court system and on his way to my house, and Creed was done at 6 weeks by his breeder long before I ever knew he existed and she wouldn't have given me the choice regardless. No, I had cropped and docked dogs, so it was proof enough of abuse.

Phoebe was from Sweden. While I'm not the one who imported her, the fact that she was imported was the reason for her to be natural. Fenris is from Canada. The Canadian standard allows for ears and tails (good luck showing that way but it is, at least, permitted).

Here? There's a small handful of people who will allow you to take home a fully natural dog, and I also am uninterested in buying from 90% of them due to other things I've seen with either their dogs or their ethics. Of the 7 or 8 I know, I would feel comfortable buying from 1, maybe 2, of them.

Otherwise it is largely seen as offensive to many doberman breeders to ask for the ears, let alone the tail. Considered breaking rank, to betray the breed in a way that ultimately matters very little in the true worth of the dog. Tell me genetically what difference it makes in my dog's working ability or his structure on whether or not I remove his ears and tail well after birth. If my dog is good enough to win trophies then he is good enough with or without the damn tail and the perfectest ears.

So now the breed is stuck. If you want to show, you only have so much longer to work your dog before it becomes impossible for you to do so outside of maybe PSA and American Schutzhund and whatever this new Shark Bite thing is (which are not sanctioned by FCI but are their own thing) (French ring also is its own thing but France also doesn't do the cropped/docked so 🤪) (Belgian ring doesn't exist in the US and KNPV isn't a sport and refuses to open to those who want it to be).

Meanwhile anyone who was interested in bridging the gap and merging the breed as a combination of both working and show now more than ever must choose which is actually more important to them, because of this FCI/DV decision looming over our heads. Have a nice dog that shows well and can bite like it should? Hope you have no plans on actually proving the last bit because you already automatically disqualify for worlds and may soon no longer be able to title at all.

And those with dogs they got specifically to work and left natural as a result? Well fuck you if you want to show because the best you'll get is UKC and UDC, both of which constantly derided by the DPCA crowd as being lesser conformation avenues, despite being the only avenues that will even allow our dogs to be judged at least somewhat fairly on something that isn't even the fault of the dog itself.

Making the entire fucking breed hinge on ears and tails as if that's not the most superficial thing to be caring about when the dogs can't work for piss and drop dead at 4 years old.

How is it that I've been in dobermans for 12, nearly 13 years and I'm already on doberman #4? How is it that I can't seem to get them to actually live to old age because they keep dying from some stupid genetic thing? How is it that these breed clubs are more obsessed with the thing that matters THE LEAST while continuing to do absolutely fucking nothing about our horrendous breed health and sky high COI and abysmal average lifespan?

Sure. OK. Fine. Make a hardline stance on how every single doberman needs to be cropped and docked or visa versa or else they're Not Really Dobermans. And then in 10 or 20 years when we don't have dobermans anymore you can say that you kept your stupid moral high ground you think you have while the mortality rate grew and grew until the entire breed was too incompatible with life to exist anymore. Good luck with that.

Submitted by warmblood-wanderlust. 

Those are actually the longest pasterns I’ve ever seen.

I didn’t know what the hell this was at first. Pictures are tiny, but his pasterns look really bad :\

Waking up today was a mistake

*sobs in vet tech*

lopsided

Somehow… they’re already getting worse?

Waking up today was a mistake

*sobs in vet tech*

lopsided

this thing deserves to be a gelding

If I don’t anger quite a few people with this, I’m probably not doing my job right.

I felt like making this while watching Crufts over the weekend. Specifically, the small breeds being shown in the various groups. But it’s been on my mind for a long time.

I’ve thought for a while that it’s nearly impossible to find a small companion dog breed with a sound structure, which also isn’t a terrier. Almost all of the toy breeds have either ridiculous coats that do neither the dog or owner any good, are brachycephalic, or both.

Well, impossible is an exaggeration, but hard. For the breeds here, I kept to the small-ish dogs, though I included the English bulldog as well. Small in height, at least.

I so badly want to promote - and I did a bit, in the Crufts live chat - dogs like the English toy terrier, Manchester terrier, Cirneco dell’Etna, as a replacement for the French bulldog for example. They are just as much fun to own - in fact probably more, since they’ll live longer, be able to run and have fun like a normal dog, and not need constant babying.

(Though some have theorized that that’s the exact attraction of the most crippled dogs - having to wipe noses and butts, walking slowly so they can keep up with you, waking up in the night to check their breathing, it’s like having a baby.)

Things happen to a dog’s shape when you shrink them, sure. Some change in skull proportions will naturally happen. But people seem to have forgotten that even small dogs are supposed to have long, fox-like faces. Still, the only small dogs that I can find with those faces today are maybe the Shetland sheepdog and Manchester terrier.

The Chihuahua, Pomeranian and some similar breeds are brachycephalic. Sometimes extremely. You see, a dog doesn’t need a huge, wrinkly, smushed-up muzzle like a Frenchie or Pug to be brachycephalic. Look at the Chihuahua and Pomeranian above - incredibly short muzzles, domed skulls and protruding eyes. This is considered “cute” today, and it’s awarded in the show ring.

Cuter than the dogs above?

I raise you the idea that deformity isn’t cute.

And I thought quite a lot about the text I would put on the pictures.

I don’t say “deformity” lightly. People will surely get angry at this. But the definition is:

The loss of a muzzle, major skin folds around the eyes, protruding eyes, irregular teeth (common since the teeth have to try to fit into a much smaller jaw), surely apply, at least as I see it.

“Natural beauty” is probably just as controversial, as surely, no dog is natural. If we kept to that, we’d all have to own wolves or dingoes.

No, but you know what I mean. There are deviations from the natural canine form that don’t harm or impede the animal in any way, such as a feathered or short coat, slightly floppy ears, or slightly shorter legs. Even a slightly shorter face, does nothing to harm the animal.

It’s moderation we’re talking about, and keeping the dogs to a general canine-looking form.

Important note, before angry brachy-lovers verbally tear me a new one:

I have loved many of these breeds. I adored the King Charles Spaniel and Japanese Chin for years, and almost got one, had I not preferred a bigger dog at the time. I really wanted a Pug as a child. I think Petit Brabancons are so cute, I almost wanted one a few years ago.

But knowing what I know now, I can no longer support brachycephalic breeding. There are options. There are people breeding longer-faced Pugs and Frenchies, for example.

But I made this post to encourage people to look at small, beautiful companion dogs with a truly sound structure, and perhaps consider another breed.

A dog having a face and a waist doesn’t make it any less fun or loving. I keep seeing claims about brachy breeds - and only brachy breeds - that these dogs have “a sense of humor”, or that they’re “funny”. While it usually comes down to the dogs looking like cartoon characters and sounding even worse, and people think that’s funny, when the dogs are just doing what all dogs do (or trying to).

And it makes me a bit sad, that people think dogs shaped like canines aren’t “funny”. Not sad for those dogs, but sad for the brachy breeds.

Because it’s not funny.

It’s not cute.

Photo sources: Japanese Spitz   Shiba   Shetland Sheepdog Alaskan Klee Kai   Pražský Krysařik   Norwegian Lundehund Miniature Pinscher   Basenji   Manchester Terrier Papillon   Swedish Vallhund/Västgötaspets   Podengo Português Japanese Chin   Pug   King Charles Spaniel/English Toy Spaniel Petit Brabançon   English Bulldog   Chihuahua Boston Terrier   French Bulldog   Shih Tzu Griffon Bruxellois   Pekingese   Pomeranian

I purposefully only used pedigree dogs that look like the dogs that are mainstream, or win shows. I am not against pedigree dog breeding, quite the contrary. But awarding unhealthy exaggerations, and maintaining tightly closed gene pools are major issues.

Also, footnote: A dog having a sound construction does not ensure it will be healthy. ‘Internal’ diseases, as a consequence of long-term inbreeding, are just as important to consider and have crippled many otherwise sound breeds. You can have a Lundehund that is very sick from genetic illnesses, or a French bulldog with no inherited disorders, but even so, the extreme body shape is a huge welfare concern in itself, and the bulldog will not have the same quality of life as it would with a normal body.

@schitzhund did i do this right

it hurts to live

Retro German Shepherds

Anonymous said: Do you know if anyone is trying to fix German Shepherds the way the retromop breeders are doing for pugs?

Now this is a complicated mess of a question.

Dog breeders are a very political, gossipy bunch who all have very strong opinions about their breed and the ‘right’ way for those dogs to look or be handled. Some are also highly studious and detail-orientated, but some just have an ego and will come up with and justification for why they should be allowed to do what they want. And groups of German Shepherd breeders will have particularly strong egos among them, as the look of the breed itself will attract people who want this sort of ‘alpha’ image. I have not seen any breed so frequently named after gods and deities as the German Shepherd. (With the exception of Loki. Everything gets named after Loki.)

Hover about the edges of such dog breeding circles and you will find sentiments expressed along the lines of ‘vet’s know nothing about this breed’ or that ‘it’s not that bad’ with varying levels of venom. And I get that someone who has spent a lot of money on a dog and wants to breed it to sell those pups also for a lot of money will be defensive about something that is both their pet and investment. I always encourage onlookers to consider the motives behind both sides in such a conversation. Breeders want to sell you an animal and have you love it as much as they do. Vets don’t want to have to recommend expensive interventions to then be accused of being all about the money.

Even among the German Shepherd circles, there is ongoing debate about ‘show lines’ versus ‘working lines’, and sometimes you’ll see ‘Schutzhund lines’ mentioned.

Show Lines

At this stage I am pretty convinced that ‘show line’ shepherds are a lost cause, particularly the pictures coming out of North America. If we ignore whatever is going on with that chest, which I hope if just fur, he has a severely sloped back, dropped hocks, and his knee drops below the hock of the same leg when the metatarsals are vertical. There’s more photos of him here, but none are flattering.

So we have multiple orthopedic issues which are selected for. Hips and elbows are the best known, but there will be stifle and hock instabilities, and we’re seeing more lumbosacral disease diagnosed in German Shepherds, which are independent to hips.

Working Lines

You would expect ‘working lines’ to not have gone down the path of madness afflicting the show shepherds, and that more or less seems to be true, but there’s no real regulation out there in regards to who can call their dogs working line, so a bunch of backyard breeders sneak in here. Structurally these dogs look better but there’s a lot of variability in the group.

Even if you compare posed dogs, their stifles remain above the hock, the back is not as sloped and you never see their hock touch the ground when moving.

That is not to say these dogs are problem-free, because they’re not, and a true working line dog will have a personality for that work, but an effort is being made. They still have reduced genetic diversity and a predisposition to assorted immune mediated conditions, but it’s better than a deliberate disaster.

Schutzhund 

A variation or subgroup of the working line shepherds is the Schutzhund dogs. Schutzhund is a sport, and only dogs that pass it can be counted here. The sport consists of field tracking, obedience and ‘protection’, which consists of both biting and releasing an assailant.

This sport has both physical and psychological demands and if you are selecting stock that only pass these tests in addition to regular health screening, you would expect athletic dogs that are structurally sound with a high degree of drive, however not all pet homes would be suitable for such a creature.

I’m intrigued to see how the Schutzhund dogs go, because it’s not just German Shepherds that can compete in this sport. I would, personally, like to see outcrossing permitted to other individuals from breeds that compete well in those tests in order to increase the gene pool, so that the German Shepherd becomes “Dogs that look like X and can accomplish Y” instead of a bloodline purity thing.

Genetically unhealthy reptiles

So there are quite a few unhealthy reptile morphs out there and I only discovered most of them by fluke, so I thought I’d make a masterpost. There are likely many more which I haven’t heard of yet, so feel free to expand on this post with others.

Enigma Leopard Geckos

The Enigma morph is one that covers the Geckos body in little spots that look like freckles, very cute but it comes with a devastating condition known as “Enigma syndrome” This disorder affects a Geckos fine motor control and results in many secondary symptoms such as stargazing (looking upwards frequently), walking around in circles frequently, wobbly and difficult walking, seizures, and an inability to catch prey due to their aim being affected from this condition. Overall it significantly decreases their quality of life. An animal may not demonstrate this condition for many years, it can come on years into their life. This is a dominant genetic disorder meaning any animal which is an enigma will pass this onto offspring. Even ‘healthy’ appearing animals will carry this gene and pass it along to offspring. The Enigma morph needs to be phased out completely since all who are Enigma have the potential to develop this disorder.

Sunkissed Corn Snakes

The Sunkissed morph is pictured above, rather striking in its vivid colouration. However the price for it is something known as “Stargazing Syndrome” which is pictured in the right side photograph. Stargazing syndrome is a vestibular syndrome (balance affecting condition) which prevents normal functionality of the central nervous system and causes these snakes to twist their necks and heads upwards towards the sky. Basically put, these snakes can’t work out which way is up and are often found upside down on their backs. It affects these snakes by causing difficulty moving, disorientation, inability to right themselves into a normal position if on their backs, and sometimes even tremors and seizures. Once again a genetic disorder, however since its recessive you often won’t know if the snake is a carrier or not. The only way to tell if a snake carries the stargazing trait is to breed them; any who prove to carry this trait should never be bred again.

Spider Ball Pythons

The Spider morph is absolutely stunning, characteristic of that ‘drippy’ black patterning on the body and a rather unique head stamp/pattern. It can come in many varieties since it’s commonly bred into other morphs such as pied, banana, etc. However it causes something called “Wobble Syndrome” which is a severe neurological disorder. This is hypothesised to be caused by an error in the neural crest during embryonic development. The neural crest is responsible for arranging neurons in the correct positions and depositing pigmentation. This morph alters where pigment is usually placed in the body, giving them the gorgeous appearance, however it consequently prevents neurons from reaching their correct positions, hence the neurological disorder. Wobble Syndrome causes many severe and debilitating issues to the snake. The most noticeable being ‘corkscrewing’ which is where the snake will flip it’s head and neck upside down, right way up, and upside down again in quick succession. However they are also affected by head tremors, difficulty moving, lack of coordination, inability to right itself if upside down, torticollis (neck spasms), poor muscle tone, and difficulty eating due to head wobbling and missed strikes. Wobble Syndrome is a dominant genetic disorder meaning any snake which expresses the spider phenotype will suffer from and pass on this disorder to offspring. It can range from barely noticeable to severe, and an animal may not suffer at first, but can develop the disorder after several years of being ‘healthy’. The Spider morph needs to be phased out completely since all who are Spider have the potential to develop this disorder.

Jaguar Carpet Pythons

The Jaguar morph has to be one of the most visually stunning morphs out there, it’s characterised by it’s gorgeous spots which resemble a jaguars. However the price they pay for their beauty is once again, “Wobble Syndrome”. Jaguars are identical to Spider Ball Pythons in their suffering, and it’s even thought that the Neural Crest deformity is the cause for these guys too. It is important to note that there are several species who can carry the jaguar gene. The gene originated in Jungle Carpet Pythons but has since been bred into other Carpet Pythons (CP for short) species such as the Irian Jaya CP, Darwin CP, Coastal CP, and Diamond CP. Pretty much the only difference with the Jaguar morph is that it is not a dominant gene like the spider morph, and it’s not a recessive gene like the sunkissed morph. The Jaguar gene is a co-dominant mutation. What that means is that the Jaguar gene is visible along with whatever other gene the snake carries. You almost always have two genes for something, and in codominance neither of those genes are recessive to the other, and neither are dominating to the other either. This means both genes express, so to put that into a visual sense (but not genetically accurate!) if you bred a black and a white cat together, the offspring would be black and white if they were co-dominant. This just like the spider and enigma morph means any snake which expresses the Jaguar phenotype has the ability to develop Wobble Syndrome and will pass it along to offspring. The Jaguar morph needs to be phased out completely since all who are Jaguar have the potential to develop this disorder.

Silkback Bearded Dragons and Scaleless Snakes

Silkback bearded dragons and Scaleless snakes are exactly what they sound like, they are completely devoid of any and all scales and instead only have the layer of skin present beneath reptile scales. I admit I do not know much about Scaleless snakes, but assume they suffer the same affects as the silkback bearded dragons so have included them here. Silkback bearded dragons are produced when two leatherback bearded dragons are bred together. The leatherback gene is co-dominant (it can also be recessive) and if a dragon receives two copies of this co-dominant gene then they are a silkback. Co-dominance means two genes are working together, so one copy of leatherback and one copy of normal scales means together these genes create a dragon who has reduced spikes and scales but they still have scales! Two copies of the leatherback gene means the co-dominance has nothing to partner with, so the dragon we get is completely devoid of scales. Now, for an animal which is supposed to have scales, having no scales comes with many severe issues. The main being that they suffer extreme shedding difficulty and have no protection from sharp objects or other dragons. Scalesless animals can easily be cut or punctured from ornaments in a tank which are safe for their scaled or leatherback counterparts. Even a basking log, brick, or rock can cut them if they run against it wrong. This means their tank needs to be almost empty or only have soft, pliable decor which provides no risk of injury. This can be severely damaging to the animals mental wellbeing as there is no enrichment opportunities for the animal. Shedding wise, these animals need to be soaked in baths almost daily to maintain skin hydration, and when it comes time to shed their shed will shrink to their skin and it’s often for them to lose toes, bits of tail, or even get pieces stuck around their heads and necks which can cause severe damage. You can also not breed silkback bearded dragons (am unsure about Scaleless snakes?) pairing another dragon with a silkback will cause extreme injury. If the silkback is female, the male bearded dragon will cut her open with his claws as he mounts her and he will tear her shoulders and neck open where he holds her with his mouth. These injuries can be life threatening. Furthermore, if the silkback is male he may receive lacerations and cuts to his stomach upon mounting the female or he may be critically injured if she rejects him and bites or scratches in retaliation. If all of that isn’t bad enough these scaleless animals also have an increased risk of illness due to decreased immunity (immunity decreased due to unknown reason) and suffer extremely reduced lifespans. Scalesless animals are an incredibly unnatural and disgusting morph which needs to be completely phased out.

That’s all for my masterpost currently. There are likely many more unhealthy morphs I have yet to hear of, so please inform me if you know of any others I’ve neglected to mention and I shall research and add them here. Please do not ever support or purchase one of these animals as it encourages the breeding of severely unhealthy animals with significantly reduced quality of life. With so many healthy and wonderful morphs and species available there is absolutely no reason to ever purchase one of these.

I’d like to suggest adding lemon frost leopard geckos to this list.  I’ve discussed their cancer problem here, and here is a link to two necropsies and histology of said cancer.  I go into some detail here about the eye deformities often seen in LFxLF leopard geckos as well.

It’s really unlikely that someone would accidentally buy one of these animals since they still sell for 500-800 USD (a far cry from the original 3,000 USD that was common pre-cancer study), but I fully expect the price to fall even further.  It may be within the reach of the average hobbyist in just a few years.

Every year I think I can watch the GSDs at Westminster. Every year I am wrong. 😢

I got 20 minutes in before I snapped these screenshots.

This dogs jock is entirely on the ground. The camera was at a bad angle so I could t tell if he moved this way but he definitely shouldn’t stand like that, even in an extreme show stack.

Here you can see the dog on the left standing how he stands normally (not stacked) this is why GSDs are stacked in a three point stack. Their hips and hind legs are so angulated that they can’t stand normally. You can also see on the dog in the middle that their legs are angled out from their bodies at an uncomfortable degree.

The fact that anyone thinks this is normal appalls me. Before anyone says that GSDs were meant to be like that, here’s a picture from 1915. *gasp* It looks like a dog!

100% agree!

“Manx Syndrome”

So we’ve talked about Scottish folds and Persians (and other brachy breeds), but I haven’t seen a lot of talk about manx cats. 

oh my gosh, isn’t she cute? :D  Just look at that little tuft of fur on her butt!  She doesn’t have a tail!  Who else wants to go out and get like a million little bunny cats?

Stop.  It’s time to talk about Manx Syndrome.  The name itself is a bit of a misnomer, since it doesn’t just affect manx cats (or even EVERY manx kitty; Nala exhibited only very mild symptoms).  Cymrics are also affected. For simplicity’s sake, it’s often just called Manx Syndrome. What it IS, is a form of spina bifida.

Tail development is highly linked to spine and spinal cord development.  When a cat is bred to lack a tail, they’re being bred for abnormal development of coccygeal (tail) and sacral vertebrae (the spinal cord just in front of the tail).  It can also affect vertebrae further up the spine in particularly severe cases.

This can cause some pretty serious issues including urinary incontinence, chronic diarrhea, constipation, and their hind limbs may not function properly.  We also see megacolon or rectal prolapse in these cats—- the fact that they lack the tail muscle also means they lack certain colon muscles, resulting in a failure to push poop out.  The more serious symptoms are generally present by the time a kitten is 6 months old.  They’re usually euthanized at that stage.  If they aren’t, they will usually end up wearing diapers their whole lives (or require manual manipulation to poop, if they’re constantly constipated; this is, needless to say, extremely unpleasant for everyone involved) and require very frequent bathing.

In manx cats, there are varying tail lengths:

As you get shorter and shorter, the likelihood of spina bifida increases.  I still see cats with tails affected by manx syndrome.  A study done in 1979 (warning: study includes pictures of internal organs and dissections) produced nine rumpy cats, three rumpy risers, fourteen stumpies and eighteen longy Manxes.  All of the rumpies had MS, two of the rumpy risers did, and only one of the stumpies had it.  The longies were almost unaffected— they still presented with more arthritis in their tail than typical cats, though.  So having just a few vertebrae protected these cats from the worst effects of MS.

Taillessness is caused by the M gene.  It’s an autosomal dominant gene, so a cat needs only one to present with tail-abnormalities; this means a cat with Mm will not have a tail, while a cat with mm will HAVE a tail.  A cat who develops with MM dies in utero.  They simply don’t develop.  Honestly, the fact that it’s a lethal combo is pretty telling, so let’s get into detail EXACTLY WHY IT’S LETHAL.

And this is because the M gene punches holes in some pretty important codes.  So think of a vertebrae like a pizza pocket: you got the bone on the outside, then there’s a membrane (meninges), and finally there’s bundles of nerves on the inside. But the M gene can cause holes in the bone, exposing the meninges.  The meninges can be squeezed through the holes (called “Meningoceles”), which puts a lot of pressure on the nerves inside.  You know, kinda like when you squeeze a stress toy. 

So a cat with MM would develop with LOTS of these holes, exposing the meninges, while a cat with Mm only develops SOME holes exposing the meninges.  That’s… that’s still pretty bad.  The ideal number of holes is zero.  Now, these meningoceles CAN naturally heal over time, but the cats often still exhibit urinary incontinence and other issues associated with Manx Syndrome (see the 1979 study linked above).

“Ok, but could we just… breed Manx cats to have longer tails?”

Unfortunately, we can’t.  The M gene is highly penetrating and inconsistent.  Even if it’s not causing a visible abnormality (ie, lack of tail), it’s still frequently present.  This means that even a long-tailed manx still presents issues such as tail kinks.  Stumpy cats also tend to develop arthritis at a higher rate than typical cats— you can even feel it in their tails sometimes.  They’re so stiff, it’s like grasping a stick.  Vets may even opt for amputation to reduce the pain.  Considering phantom limb syndrome, even this may not help.

Now, the good news is that there are short-tailed cats WITHOUT Manx Syndrome.  The Japanese and American bobtail breeds both get their little cute tails from a completely separate mutation and, as far as I can tell, it’s harmless.  I’m not certain about the Kurilian bobtail.

If you have your heart set on a manx kitty, please, PLEASE go to a rescue and be aware of what to ask.  Be sure to ask if the cat has any symptoms and be prepared to handle them if they develop later in life.  Even if your breeder-produced kitten turns out just fine, there could be many more that didn’t make it.  One healthy kitten isn’t worth the price of suffering.  Breeding should be done to improve a breed, including their health, not merely to stick to the standard perfectly.  If the breed includes an inherent amount of suffering, it should not be reproduced further.

You know what really pisses me off about that “it’s all in how you raise them” mindset though? It makes good owners feel like fucking shit.

I’ve owned Diego since he was four months. I did everything with him, socialized the hell out of him, he loved other dogs when he was young. We went to training classes, etc.

And then one day when he was about eight months old he jumped a dog. He no longer tolerated strange dogs.

And I felt like fucking hell. I believed that “it’s all how you raise them” shit. Here I am doing my best with this dog, and he turns out like this! I seriously considered rehoming him.

It took a lot for me to get out of that stupid mindset. I took him to behaviorists and trainers who all pretty much said the same thing - that’s his personality.

I don’t know where I’m going with this post. It just ticks me off.

This was my biggest downfall with Daedra. Daedra was aggressive from day one. He was a shit. I remember before he turned 2, I called up a local trainer, and I was pretty straightforward: “He tries to kill other dogs. Can we still be in a class?” She let us, and guess what. It was hard. People gave me looks. My aggressive dog wanted to take out dogs twice his size. We were given lots of space. We went to class, it didn’t get better. I got help from other trainers. I did a lot of punishment based shit with him. I did stuff that hurt me - my dog lost trust in me, still wanted to kill other dogs. I didn’t know what to do, because clearly, somehow, I was fucking up because it is “how you raise them” and border collies are SO well known for being “dog friendly.” Clearly, the issue was me. I stopped doing anything public with him. He was a time bomb, he had bitten me once when he was like.. four? I should have gotten stitches - I was SO certain he was going to be taken from me and put down, I didn’t go. Still have scars now. I couldn’t trust him, he didn’t trust me, so I stopped everything with him. My sport dog became just a pet, I turned to Vivec, and it stayed like that for a few years. When he turned 6, I found out a trainer I had been following on Livejournal lived in the same town I had moved to. I went to her, one on ones, for two fucking years. Daedra got a bit better. I got better. I mentored under her. Still some aversives, but nothing harsh. I went to another trainer. We trained for agility. We competed. He still wanted to kill other dogs. He just loved me more and I was hell of a lot more likely to be careful with him. I got to where I’d defend him, block off dogs, tell people to back off with their “friendly dogs.” My dog isn’t. Mine will try to kill your dog. Give us space. And in the end, you know what I learned? It’s genetic. I talked to someone else that had a sibling of his and she had aggression issues as well - not to Dae’s extent, but her dog did. She knows someone else with a sibling.. same thing. While Dae is definitely an aggressive dog, there’s more going on with him than “just” aggression. It’s clear something is wrong in his head, but still - it isn’t “how he was raised,” it’s the fact I obtained a dog that just happened to be a lot on the aggressive side of the scale. It isn’t something I’d do again, as now in his old age, Daedra is a LOT to handle, but it just goes to prove sometimes dogs are aggressive and that’s okay. I still can never understand how people can believe dogs can be bred to have herding instinct (which is modified prey drive) or be from hunting lines but not believe they can be bred to be aggressive.

I always think of this the other way around with Mango.

She’s a rottweiler, so a breed prone to being aggressive. And she was neglected as a pup, when I got her she was skinny, half bald with mange and jumpy if you moved to fast around her head. And she was the wriggliest, friendlisest pup you could ever imagine (if a little shy, which she still is). If it were all in how you raise them, she’d be a mess.

She’s been home about 3 days in this picture:

All she wants to do is play. She wasn’t raised well, I can’t take any credit for her there, it’s just her.

This.

 *pulls out a large scattered pile of handwritten notes stuffed into various textbooks and notepads* 

LET’S HAVE A TALK ABOUT SOME MOTHERFUCKING REACTION RANGES, KIDS. 

A reaction range (or range of reaction) is the intersection of nature and nurture in terms of traits which are variable, complex, and (in some way) quantitative. Things like wariness and intellect are not ‘quantitative’ in the same way that jelly beans in a jar are but they are called so in this instance with the understanding that ‘qualitative’ means things like, spotted or drop earred. With quality you either are or your aren’t. With quantity there is a possibility to be more or less of a trait. (Please hold comments on how dogs can be more spotted or less spotted, etc… This is how these things are defined in this setting, just bear with me)

So, with this in mind, friendliness, or it’s converse, aggression, are both defined as quantitative traits. You can be more friendly or less friendly, more aggressive or less aggressive. It is a spectrum. In a simplified imagining of this you have one side which is an imaginary dog who never knew a stranger, absolutely loves everyone and everything and would never snap or growl under any circumstances, on the other sides is another, equally imaginary dog who is aggressive towards everything and everyone, knows no ally and never has accepted a kind hand in its life. 

These are extremes. In the grey area in the middle lies every dog you have likely ever met in your whole life and every dog you are likely to meet ever. These are also specific. The spectrum for dog-agression is not the same as human-agression, not the same as prey-drive, and in real life is often separated between sexes and sizes and personalities of other dogs. (ie; same-sex-dog-aggression, larger-dog-aggression)

This is where the nature comes in. Each dog (and creature) is born with a set range of possible outcomes for these quantifiable traits, in this case dog-friendliness (we will ignore the narrower categories for now and try to put them in this simpler umbrella). If we set this spectra on a scale of 1-150, higher numbers being friendlier dogs, then a sample dog, must fall on this number scale.

So, we have a litter of puppies and pick one at random, we name him Tom. Tom is a Shepherd mix who we know, though our all-powerful hypothetical powers) is born with a reaction range from about 80-111. As he matures Tom can land anywhere on this spectrum of friendliness from 80-111. 

This is where nurture comes in. If we clone Tom twice and give Tom1 to a deprived home with no training and almost no socialization and that will abuse him, Tom2 to an average home that is well-meaning and offers some training and socialization and treats him pretty well otherwise, and then we give Tom3 to an enriched home, a dog expert who trains him well, socializes him from the first day, and loves on him as often is appropriate, each Tom will grow up to fall on different parts of the reaction range. Tom1 ends up on the lower end of the spectrum, around 83, Tom2 is mid-range, around 92, and Tom3 is on the high end of the spectrum, around 108. The more enriched environments give the best possible outcomes. 

Now we introduce another dog, Miguel, a hearty little Lab mix who was recently rescued from an abusive home. We know that Miguel has a friendliness range from 97-125, higher than Tom. So, we compare him to the three Toms. (pretend this is friendliness not IQ)

Miguel is more friendly than the equally deprived Tom, and just as friendly as the average Tom, despite having a poorer quality of life. If given to a home which is patient with him, Miguel may have a chance of rising higher on his scale and, one day, may be even friendlier than the enriched Tom. 

But, you may ask, can Tom ever be as friendly as an enriched Miguel that is at the tom of his reaction range? No. The absolute answer is no. Each dog is born with their own innate range, woven into their very core by the wonders of genetics. You can make a dog as high on it’s range as it can go- but it can never go higher. Tom will never be able to be as friendly as Miguel, but the Tom raised in the enriched home will be much friendlier than the Miguel who was raised by the deprived home and received no help, too little help, or help too late. 

How does this influence how we look at our own dogs?

The reaction range warns us to all heed the over-arching themes within each breed type- they exist for a reason. Chows were bred to guard and will be more wary of strangers, Hounds were bred to track and will follow their noses, and fighting breeds were bred to be dog aggressive and will be more likely to not get along well with others. You may have the most dog friendly, well bred and trained Cane Corso in the world, but realize that it will never be as friendly and amiable as most any decently bred Golden raised to it’s full potential, and getting it there will involve your hard work and diligence. 

But it sets that breed is not always destiny. The lines a dog comes from are important too and there are poorly bred Lab can be born with a lower than expected reaction range & visa versa. Other times neurological issues, hormone imbalances, or psychopathology, along with other possible issues do play a role.

It also encourages us to train the dog that we have- not the dog we wish we had. If you have an aggressive and reactive dog but wish to play flyball… you are going to have to think realistically. If you can’t even walk on the opposite side of the street as another dog without having to pull all the stops to keep your dog under the control of it’s training (leave it!! watch me! watch me! good boy! sit. good boy! watch me!) and keep it from snarling and lunging- then congrats, you have taken your reactive dog and made the best of it’s genetics by bringing it to the top of it’s reaction range. BUT you would be making a mistake to try and get this dog to do more than it can, or at least to try after getting strong feedback that it would be unfruitful to try again.

It does not make you a failure of a owner or trainer that your dog can not do the things that the dogs of others can. Read that again. It does not make you a failure of a owner or trainer that your dog can not do the things that the dogs of others can. If anything it makes you a wonderful owner and trainer to recognize what your dog is capable of and strive to bring it to the best of it’s ability without pushing it to an impossible goal.

So, do your research when choosing a breed, talk to the shelter or breeder extensively, gauge what your dog is capable of, and accept the roof of possibility when you hit it. Every dog is unique. Your dog is your dog and no one else’s- all you are expected to do is make it the best dog it can be with the genetic code it was born with. 

Your dog is special, remember that. *closes notes*

Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome and Stenotic Nares

Okay, so we can all agree that dogs having a muzzle that’s too short is bad for their welfare and we shouldn’t be doing it, but how short is too short?

Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome is a collection of conditions associated with the shortening of the muzzle (flat faces) that make it difficult for the dog to breathe. Elongates soft palate, everted laryngeal saccules and hypoplastic tracheas need an Xray or anaesthetic to diagnose, so how can you tell whether a puppy you’re considering purchasing might be affected? And consequently make judgements about that breeder and whether you want to give them your hard earned money.

You look at the nostrils. If the dog has stenotic nares, it almost certainly has the other conditions too.

Stenotic nares are a narrowing of the nostrils. They’re apparent by a few weeks of age and easy to spot once you’re looking for them. Compare these couple of dog noses…

You can see there is a spectrum to how pinched closed or ‘stenotic’ they are. The more closed they are, the worse that dog will breathe. And now you’ve seen it, I encourage you to go and look at all the bulldogs, pugs and pekingese you see and judge their noses. Even just crawl through the tags for those breeds on tumblr. Go look, see how many are affected and how severe they are.

Breeders of brachycephalic dogs should be selecting for longer muzzles and more open nostrils to minimize Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome so be consumer aware.

(Note, some dogs will have little scars where they’ve had corrective surgery on their nostrils to open them up more. This is great for the dog, but the trait will still be passed on to any of their offspring.)

Thanks to @guiltypleasurethreader @holdthewrittenline and @dinosnaurs for allowing me to use their nose photos.

The tiny little guinea pig I loved more than anything I had ever met before is gone. Mortimer passed away today in Jason’s arms while I was with him via video calling. He was one and a half years old having been born on December 1, 2017.

Mortimer was a lethal white guinea pig. He was born blind, deaf, with only 1 tooth, and with a head tilt. When we got him at nearly 7 weeks old he weighed only 59 grams and he had already had a brush with death that we brought him back from. He grew and thrived once he made it to our home and he captured the hearts of so many.

Despite his numerous challenges he was the happiest guinea pig I have ever met and I loved him with every bit of my heart. He was happy when he got food. He was happy when I held him. He was happy to be petted.

Mortimer taught me a lot about how to live a full and happy life, but without him I am truly at a loss for how to continue on. Mortimer made me smile. Mortimer made me laugh. Mortimer taught me about the depths of love that one could feel.

I’m not okay. I’m not sure when I will be okay again or if I ever will, but I know Mortimer wouldn’t want me to let this loss consume me. I have to believe that he would want me to continue to save others like him. For that reason I am asking that you donate to gofundme.com/thepipsqueakerydentalfund or paypal.me/thepipsqueakery in his honor.

I don’t know how to be okay today, but I do know that I have to do something good with this grief. Something good in his memory.

Mortimer, I love you more than I knew I could love. I will never stop missing you and I will never stop loving you.