Coming back to the party....
First, I'd like to point out that the article Jim posted is directly contradicted by an article that livingdustmops posted earlier. To summarize, the proposition is that newborns of species with especially helpless young, like dogs and humans, don't feel as much pain as the adults, because their nervous systems are not fully developed. I'm not really up on this issue, so I can't say if this is definitely true or definitely false. Just wanted to point out there appears to be a debate on this issue.
Second: whelping for yorkies seems exceptionally dangerous, and if that could be made less dangerous by increasing the standard size, then I reeeeeeeally hope this is at least being considered. How could a breed club claim to support the welfare of the animal if things like this AREN'T considered??
Third: this is a good reminder to us all to do more than just talk. I'm sure many here are interested in helping more. The more it can be broken into dummy steps for those of us who are less educated in this area, the easier it is for us to start! |