Vet asked me what type of dog is Kira.. seriously? - Page 2

Greydusk · 12-21-2012, 01:17 PM

Eh, this wouldn't bother me that much. I don't feel knowledge of dog breeds correlates with knowledge of internal medicine.

JanaeUlva · 12-21-2012, 01:20 PM

Yep people get confused by Minka. Black and not oversized. Must be a mutt . . ,

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Lilie · 12-21-2012, 01:30 PM

OH NO! Not the dreaded Small Fluffy breed!!!!!

Questforfire · 12-21-2012, 02:27 PM

It would surprise me that a vet wouldn't recognise a GSD. I have had people asking me whether my dark sable working line male is a Malinois

or Dutch Herder

, but my vet knows exactly what breed my dogs are (without being told

)

martemchik · 12-21-2012, 02:30 PM

Why is everyone so outraged? The vet got the species right...so that's points in my book. Everything else past that is just extra credit.

TimberGSD2 · 12-21-2012, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by martemchik

Why is everyone so outraged? The vet got the species right...so that's points in my book. Everything else past that is just extra credit.

I just spit tea all over my computer.

I have a shepherd with floppy ears so she couldn't possibly be full shepherd, and a sable with a curly tail! I can make up a breed for her.

I work in a vet clinic, my vets are pretty good with breeds, but I don't discount them to much as long as they know medicine and anatomy.

Muskeg · 12-21-2012, 02:48 PM

I see both sides of this. Almost everyone knows my GSD is a GSD. They do think she is small (24.5 at whithers and 70 lbs is small), but she is always ID'd as GSD. I mean, there is no question.

A vet really should recognize the most common breeds because there are genetically associated ailments with different breeds, especially shepherds, labs or collie types (among others... there are plenty more, eg. bulldogs).

I don't care if people think my yellow husky (all sled dog) is a lab mix. He has floppy ears, is yellow, and I can understand it. I also don't care if my belgian malinois, who is long haired, is mis-ID'd. I can tell the vet what breed my dogs are, and don't expect them to guess with mixes or non-typical breeds.

But, Kira, like my GSD, really looks like the classic image of a German Shepherd. I would assume, if nothing else, that if the vet didn't know Kira's breed he can't have much experience with treating GSDs and that alone might be enough for me to look somewhere else.

Breed-specific understanding isn't a neccesity, but it is helpful. I go to a vet who specializes in sled dogs with my husky, and if I could find one with expertise in working shepherds, I'd go there with my shepherds. I've found it does make a difference. Plus, then the vet really likes your dog...

And the comment about her being "small" and "fluffy" kind of threw me off as well.

Freestep · 12-21-2012, 02:53 PM

WOW.

I know vets don't get a whole lot of training in recognizing dog breeds, but... WOW. Small and fluffy??

When you open the dictionary to "German Shepherd Dog", there is a picture of Kira. She has the most classic GSD appearance of any GSD I've ever seen. For anyone, but ESPECIALLY a vet, not to recognize her as such is alarming.

I'd find a different vet, one who has a bit more experience with GSDs.

JanaeUlva · 12-21-2012, 03:02 PM

People on the street, I can understand them being thrown by a black, small but in standard female like Minka. However, when I took her to the vets once, the Vet Tech walked me to the exam room and asked me what breed she was. Huh? OK. So I said "German Shepherd." We got into the room and she got down on a knee petted her and said, "what a nice Shepherd cross she is!" I was dumbfounded. "Ummmm no, she is a German Shepherd from European working lines." Thinking to myself "ya got to be kidding me!"

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Sunflowers · 12-21-2012, 03:12 PM

I , too, had two vets tell me they have never seen a GSD like Hans.
I wonder what the ones they had seen looked like?

12-21-2012, 01:20 PM	#12 (permalink)
JanaeUlva Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 499	Yep people get confused by Minka. Black and not oversized. Must be a mutt . . , Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App __________________ Dominika z Diehlomov O.G. Edgerton

12-21-2012, 01:30 PM	#13 (permalink)
Lilie Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: South Texas Posts: 8,937	OH NO! Not the dreaded Small Fluffy breed!!!!! __________________ Hondo Von Dopplet L Bauernhof "Hondo"- GSD Lilie's Tug McGraw "Tug" - Golden Retriever Maggie - Mini Dachshund (Rescue) Lonestar - Texas Blue Lacy Funyon, Ashe, Soot - Barn Cats Scooter /1/2 Arabian, Shadow, Katie / APHA

12-21-2012, 02:30 PM	#15 (permalink)
martemchik Knighted Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,455	Why is everyone so outraged? The vet got the species right...so that's points in my book. Everything else past that is just extra credit. __________________ Rooney CD RE TC HIC 7/10

12-21-2012, 03:02 PM	#19 (permalink)
JanaeUlva Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 499	People on the street, I can understand them being thrown by a black, small but in standard female like Minka. However, when I took her to the vets once, the Vet Tech walked me to the exam room and asked me what breed she was. Huh? OK. So I said "German Shepherd." We got into the room and she got down on a knee petted her and said, "what a nice Shepherd cross she is!" I was dumbfounded. "Ummmm no, she is a German Shepherd from European working lines." Thinking to myself "ya got to be kidding me!" Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App __________________ Dominika z Diehlomov O.G. Edgerton

12-21-2012, 03:12 PM	#20 (permalink)
Sunflowers Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Central Florida Posts: 4,661	I , too, had two vets tell me they have never seen a GSD like Hans. I wonder what the ones they had seen looked like? __________________ Norden von Narnia--Hans, dob 1-15-2012 http://pdgf.pitapata.com/uC6lm4.png

12-21-2012, 01:17 PM	#11 (permalink)
Greydusk Master Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 552	Eh, this wouldn't bother me that much. I don't feel knowledge of dog breeds correlates with knowledge of internal medicine.

12-21-2012, 02:27 PM	#14 (permalink)
Questforfire Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Scotland Posts: 161	It would surprise me that a vet wouldn't recognise a GSD. I have had people asking me whether my dark sable working line male is a Malinois or Dutch Herder , but my vet knows exactly what breed my dogs are (without being told )

12-21-2012, 02:48 PM	#17 (permalink)
Muskeg Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Igloo Posts: 108	I see both sides of this. Almost everyone knows my GSD is a GSD. They do think she is small (24.5 at whithers and 70 lbs is small), but she is always ID'd as GSD. I mean, there is no question. A vet really should recognize the most common breeds because there are genetically associated ailments with different breeds, especially shepherds, labs or collie types (among others... there are plenty more, eg. bulldogs). I don't care if people think my yellow husky (all sled dog) is a lab mix. He has floppy ears, is yellow, and I can understand it. I also don't care if my belgian malinois, who is long haired, is mis-ID'd. I can tell the vet what breed my dogs are, and don't expect them to guess with mixes or non-typical breeds. But, Kira, like my GSD, really looks like the classic image of a German Shepherd. I would assume, if nothing else, that if the vet didn't know Kira's breed he can't have much experience with treating GSDs and that alone might be enough for me to look somewhere else. Breed-specific understanding isn't a neccesity, but it is helpful. I go to a vet who specializes in sled dogs with my husky, and if I could find one with expertise in working shepherds, I'd go there with my shepherds. I've found it does make a difference. Plus, then the vet really likes your dog... And the comment about her being "small" and "fluffy" kind of threw me off as well.

12-21-2012, 02:53 PM	#18 (permalink)
Freestep Crowned Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Northern California Posts: 5,152	WOW. I know vets don't get a whole lot of training in recognizing dog breeds, but... WOW. Small and fluffy?? When you open the dictionary to "German Shepherd Dog", there is a picture of Kira. She has the most classic GSD appearance of any GSD I've ever seen. For anyone, but ESPECIALLY a vet, not to recognize her as such is alarming. I'd find a different vet, one who has a bit more experience with GSDs.

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