HEALTH RISKS OF LOCKDOWN DOGS
COCKAPOO, puggle, pomsky, goldendoodle, maltipoo, peekapoo, cavapoo – the list of ‘designer dogs’ exploded during the pandemic and continues to grow.
But mixing breeds with different genetics, temperaments and instincts can have serious health and behavioural issues for the animal – and many are bred for money with little or no regard to their wellbeing.
Indeed many celebs are fond of parading their crossbreed pups on social media, driving the general public in their droves to puppy farms where they end up spending a crazy amount of money on a pup without doing a scrap of research. And when these dogs exhibit behavioural issues, very common in cockapoos, they are often surrendered to rescues when their owners can’t cope.
Dog food producer Purina documents health problems that can affect cockapoos, including mobility problems due to dislocated kneecaps, hip dysplasia, cataracts, allergies and ‘rage syndrome’, a genetic condition that causes aggressive behaviour.
A new study by the UK Royal Veterinary College (RVC) found so-called ‘fad breeds’ are farmed indiscriminately and buyers are unintentionally supporting puppy farming. It says labradoodles (labrador crossed with a poodle) have higher levels of debilitating conditions such as hip dysplasia.
Increased levels of aggression in the crossbreed offspring compared with the parent breed are evident in so-called goldendoodles (golden retriever crossed with a poodle).
Dr Rowena Packer demolished the claim by puppy farmers that certain breeds such as cockapoos are hypoallergenic, saying there is little evidence to support these claims. These dogs and their owners face difficulties with unexpected health problems, bite risks and poor re-homing outcomes.
Dr Dan O’Neill, Associate Professor at the RVC, said these dogs do not come from ‘designer breeding programmes’ but are farmed indiscriminately to meet the current craze for breed crosses such as Frug (French bulldog crossed with pug) and Jackalier (Jack Russell crossed with cavalier).
A pomsky, a cross between a pomeranian and a husky, is a mismatch between a herding dog and small companion dog bred by artificial insemination.
Leading Irish vet Tim Kirby says this is causing huge behavioural issues due to cross breeding ‘totally unsuitable varieties’.
He said: ‘These breeds are already being surrendered because of behavioural problems. In a pomsky you are mixing a small sedentary house dog with a huge strong outdoor dog.’
Mr Kirby said he set up ‘Petbond’, a verified platform for approved ethical breeders, because he was ‘repeatedly seeing sick and dying puppies being brought into me after being bought from advertising sites’.