The sacrum is of great importance concerning the hind limb assembly. It is attached to the pelvis by the sacral articulating cartilage at the hip joint. The two fused sacral cartilages, including the three sacrum, form the roof of the pelvic cradle. The number of sacral vertebrae that enter into the forming of the sacrum differs in various breeds. It is three in dogs; the first is the largest, the second and third join together with the largest. (Figure 1)
On November 7th a group of Veterinary students from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine attended the Space Coast Kennel Club of Palm Bay Dog Show held in Ocala, Florida. For most, this was their first introduction to conformation shows and an opportunity meet and greet members of our fancy. The students spent time learning about breeds that interested them from breeders and exhibitors and were given a quick lesson in how a dog show works.
Dr. Dot Izmirlian’s Mini Bull Sky is ready to step in if Rudolph can’t make it! Do you have a holiday photo of the day you would like to share? Send it to GregM@caninechronicle.com
It would have been good television. Genre: Crime Thriller, Comedy, Success Story. Setting: About 30 miles north of San Francisco where a Contra Costa Kennel Club meeting is convened to clean up a mess. Time: 2008, the Financial Crisis rocks the Stock Market, and the former Contra Costa treasurer takes the club’s money and runs. Antagonist: An empty till. Protagonist: A wild idea.
“The heartwarming stories of these five ACE Award honorees demonstrate the many ways that our canine companions uplift humankind each and every day,” said Doug Ljungren, President of the AKC Humane Fund. “We are grateful to everyone who shared their story by nominating a dog for an ACE award this year. We are pleased to be able to pay tribute to these five canines with the 2021 ACE awards.”
Now that everyone has lined up, received their Covid jabs, and the next round is underway, probably the last thing you want to hear about is another shot. But here we are, debating the need to vaccinate dogs against Covid.
Actually, quite a few members of the animal kingdom have been receiving Covid vaccinations for the past year. Couple that with the conventional wisdom of ensuring that your dogs’ shots are up to date, the ongoing worry is obvious. You may recall early in the pandemic, when documented cases of crossover transmission confirmed the existence of Covid antibodies in dogs and cats owned by infected individuals led to mass panic. Ultimately, none of the dogs developed any serious illness.
The problem with a virus is that what’s true today won’t necessarily hold true tomorrow. Alpha, delta, well, you get the point. Viruses mutate constantly and quickly. Zoonotic transmission is also nothing new, it accounts for most of viral diseases humans contend with. Viruses constantly recombine and eventually jump the species barrier. However, that doesn’t automatically translate into something like rabies. Most of these viral one off mutations fall under the radar. They never lead to illness and never get noticed unless we start hunting them.
Preference in bed partners is normally not a topic for general conversation except in our little sector of the universe. When we get down to those “open and honest” confessions, it’s never a question of yes or no to allowing dogs in the bed. Usually, it’s how many.
After all those years of didactic advice about how to prevent dogs from developing that terrible habit, we don’t need to pretend anymore. Actually, we gave up a long time ago. Chihuahuas or Great Danes, they invariably hog the covers and we find ourselves clinging to a sliver of the mattress by morning. We complain but it goes on, nonetheless.
