Culling pups from the litter - Page 9

I have only culled puppies if they had no hope for a good quality life .  I have had one like WP stated, the abdomen wasn't completely closed and the pups intestines were visible, so I had her euthanized instead of risking infection after we closed her hope.

I will not cull for coat color, coat length, crooked tails, ect.  and if some need help with feeding due to mom not producing enough milk, or too many puppies versus nipples. , I will supplement feed them to help the mother.  but I can tell the difference between a pup who just needs a little help to get going, and one who isn't supposed to make it.

I think it's been mentioned, and I agree, one method to "cull" a pup with non-desirable traits is to place the pup with a spay/neuter contract in place.   

It is interesting to read the synonyms though as "cull" can be picking the best also.

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cull

 But UL, what do you do with the ones who "need a little help to get going"?

I'm one of those women who has bird with broken wing syndrome.  I save every dog , bird, calf etc.  But the bottom line is that every time I have saved a weak pup it has come back to bite me in the butt.  Often in the form of some hidden defect.  Mommas know best.  if they are pushing pups off let them pass or have a vet put them down.  We have decided no more pup saving ( my husband will Kill me), the mothers really do know.  As for culling we cull HARD ( not kill, CULL) Most pups leave here spayed or neutered.  ( our vet will spay/neuter at 9 weeks) Problem of limited reg and accidental breedings gone :)  Oh and a buddy of mine had a Dobe with 14 pups .  she raised every one without an issue fat healthy little buggers.  Great bitch!  Pirates Lair  Dr. Douglas (Newton Animal Clinic) will do early neuters for you ( or at least he used to when I  live in Van)

"I will NOT GIVE HER A HAMMER TO FIX HER MISTAKE."
 
It was your mistake, not the childs.

"To me, it says they shouldn't exist, period.

Now, I know everyone's gonna jump all over me and try to bring human c-sections into this, but a breed that as a whole, cannot reproduce naturally, is plagued with a myriad of health problems it's entire short life of 7-9 years (or however long those miserable "bulldogs" live) should not exist. I honestly don't think it's fair to the dog and I think the people creating and perpetuating this horribly deformed breed really need psychiatric help."
 
I agree 100%.

 Not to derail, but any vet who will do early spay and neuters, espcecially at NINE WEEKS!!!!  is not a vet I would go to. It has been proven again and again how horrible that is to the animal. 

Brynjulf, you sound like me when I was a kid. I used to drag everything home to fix it. It sometimes worked. I see a big difference saving a hurt animal than I do letting a pup destined to die live, and then selling it as a working dog. You are correct in the dam always knowing best. 

Since almost all the interesting threads have been silenced........

I want to know why vets think like they do. I know they were taught most of this in vet school but I believe the reason is much deeper. We can back and forth about whether to do whats beest for the individual and what is best for the breed or what is best for alkl dogs everywhere in the world. I guess vets think they are doing what is best for all dogs in the world since they are not promoting any one breed and they usually wont have any attachments for any individual dog. Breeders of working dogs have a responsibilty to the breed or the type first and then the individual dogs come second if the two cannot be combined. (sometimes it can...sometimes it cant). Pet owners and end buyers of dogs have responsibility to their individual dogs and we all have somee responsibility to all dogs in the world. Just something to think about. 

Jenni,
  What do you feel is wrong with early S & N? (curious i am always learning)  We have done about 20 now.  We see larger dogs and they do have a tendancy to become overweight.  However no hip problems or temp issues.  I've read alot of info on the net about Goldens getting a higher incedence of HD.  However the dogs chosen for the study did not come from parent with OFA certs.  As for me and mine we will keep doing them, if at some point we see a negative issue with it we would stop but so far so great!!!  And no limited registrations to worry about.

who cares what another breeder does?  think early spay neuter is the way to "cull" genes from a gene pool, fine, do it.  If you don't think it is, don't do it.  Personally I can see why some would cull, as in kill.  Limited resources, money, space, and energy taken from the bitch.  I can see how and why a better option is limiting the size of the litter. 

I can see why a breeder would make that tough decision to ensure they are doing what they think is right and  limiting over population.  Dogs usually have large litters cause in nature, a lot won't make it thru that first year.  They don't have much to worry about living in our homes. 

some breeders will take every dog back, some don't.  Some never know where their dogs go after they're sold.  You can't control everything someone does after they buy a puppy.  how is finding homes for all these puppies "good" when a good number of them are going to be taken to the vet and put to sleep anyway?  why is taken measures and responsibility into your own hands rather than passing the buck onto someone else so "bad"?

as long as breeders aren't torturing them for fun, ala mike Vick and have a real interest and desire to do is what's best, then why is it anyone else's business?  don't like their breeding practices?  don't buy from them.