| If you've owned a Great Pyr for a while, hopefully
you have a veterinarian who is familiar with your dog and knows the
special needs of Great Pyrenees. If you don't have a vet
familiar with Great Pyrenees, you need to get one before an
emergency arises. If you are about to acquire your first Great
Pyrenees, it only makes sense to select a vet that knows the
breed. We have read some really strange statements on various
lists that have been credited to various veterinarians so we thought
we'd develop a list of questions that would give you some material
to help you decide if this vet was the one for you and your Pyr or
if you'd better keep looking.
1. Is it OK
to leave on these double dew claws or should we have them removed
for safety's sake?
Desired response: No, you need to leave them on. Click
on Double Dew Claws
to see all the reasons they need to be left on.
2. Does our
Great Pyrenees need any special consideration when being given
a general anesthetic.
Desired Response: Yes, the administration of general
anesthetic appropriate to dogs of the size and weight of your Pyr can be lethal
to Great Pyrenees. If your vet is unfamiliar with this
aspect of Great Pyrenees, or large/giant breeds of dogs in general, ensure
s/he is willing to do some homework
before he/she works on your dog.
3. Are you familiar with
working Livestock Guardian Dogs?
Desired Response: Yes, Livestock Guardians lead a very
different life from companion or sporting dogs. This can
affect their health in a variety of different ways. If your
vet is not familiar with what Livestock Guardians are or how they
live, check to see if he or she is open minded or suggests
your concern is irrelevant.
4. Do I need to know
anything special to use a castrating band on my dog (if you have a
female dog, you may wish to rephrase this question so as to appear
somewhat more knowledgeable).
Desired Response: You certainly can band your own dog and
here are a few points you need to pay attention to. (Click on
Banding Your Dog) It is true that dogs have a different
anatomy than do goats (or sheep) and require more careful attention
when banding, but a vet that tells you you cannot band is
either ignorant or greedy.
5. Do you practice
early spay and neuter?
Desired Response: Yes. There is an overwhelming and
scientific amount of data showing that early spay and neuter has no
negative effects on the dog. Vets who claim that it retards
their growth or development simply have not kept up with current
studies. Click on
for a wealth of information. By the way, as an extra
benefit veterinarians usually charge to spay or neuter by the weight
of the dog, earlier is cheaper.
6. What kind
of shelter do I need to get for my working Pyr?
Desired Answer: Your Pyrenees will shelter with the stock
it is guarding. Your Pyr needs no special additional
shelter.
7. Is
heartworm a threat in this area? If it is, what do you
recommend as a preventative?
Desired Answer: The vet will either recommend high dollar
pills to prevent heartworm or will tell you that Ivermectin
Injectable given orally at the rate of 1 cc/100 pounds is an effective Heartworm preventative for
Pyrenees. Both choices are effective; the difference is
$9.73 a month for Interceptor versus $ 00.45 a month for Ivomec
for a 75 pound dog
Once again, we remind you that we are not veterinarians and,
therefore, cannot dispense medical advice. Specific items
mentioned in these questions and answers are for comparison purposes
only. Do not administer medications without first consulting
your veterinarian.
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