One side of a debate versus another can
be a most uncomfortable position and one that can seem personal even
when it is not. Differences of opinion should be a pathway to a
better understanding or a highway to the truth but, often are not and
that seems to often happen when discussion areas of pet care or pet
health, more precisely when discussing canine hip dysplasia.
Such a situation could exist or has the
opportunity to exist between the principals of a particular
discussion
in the Cornell Chronicle
and the sermons of a miniscule web site known to a very few as
Build
A Better Dog. Carly
Hodes penned a most interesting article that appeared in the
Cornell Chronicle under the title of “New
site helps predict dog breeds' hip/elbow health”.
In
the article, Carly cites the words of Dr.
Rory Todhunter who
is quoted with this statement:
“When
people breed cattle, pigs, poultry and plants, they do so based on
the same statistical methodology we’re using. Gathering and using
genetic information this way will benefit breeds in the long run.
This tool puts us one step closer to making healthier individuals.”
What
I believe Dr. Todhunter failed to take into consideration is
subsequent health and livlihood of the animal. Those animals that
are included in the species of cattle, pigs, and poultry are, when
they reach maturity, eaten and the soundness of their skeletal
structure becomes irrelevant and is not measured nor studied for
practical reasons.
If
genetics is truly the vehicle that controls and affects hip
dysplasia, then the last 80 years of breeding has shown that very
little improvement has been accomplished and ergo, little improvement
is to be expected in the future.
There
is only nutrition and supplementation left in the tool box to work on
this frustrating and devastating problem.
Jerry
Pardue
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