Mules are hybrid animals of the equine family that result from the mating of a donkey stallion (called a jack) with a horse mare. In genetic terms, this is classified as an F1 hybrid between.Equus caballus X Equus asinus. Male mules are called mules or Johns, and are unable to reproduce. However, although they are genetically sterile, they are still affected by the same male hormones as any other stallion and they can become dangerous if not castrated. An uncastrated male mule cannot participate in shows and it is useless to keep them as a stallion. Since no male mule has ever sired a foal, you cannot mate two mules and expect offspring. In fact, there appears to be no authenticated instances of mules breeding among themselves even when the stallion has not been castrated. Interestingly, jack donkeys appear to be reluctant to mate with horse mares and many have to be trained to do so, though in these more modern times, artificial insemination can be attempted if all else fails.

In contrast, a fertile female mule (called a molly) can sometimes occur from this breeding combination. But this is so rare that the Romans had a saying, “cum mula peperit,” meaning “when a mule foals” which is similar to saying “when hell freezes over.” In some regions, a mule giving birth can trigger fear and superstition. When a mule produced a foal in Albania in 1994, it was thought to have unleashed the spawn of the devil on the small village; and when a mule in Morocco produced a foal in 2002, the locals feared it signaled the end of the world.

But it is true that a molly can be mated to either a horse or a donkey stallion; sometimes with very interesting results. It has been reported that a mare mule in Brazil has produced two 100% horse sons sired by a horse stallion. In the 1920s, when a molly at Texas A&M named “Old Beck” was bred to a horse stallion, she produced a horse son and when bred to a donkey, she produced mule offspring, including a mule daughter. And according to the American Donkey and Mule Society, there is an unverified case of a mare mule that produced a mule daughter. The daughter was also a fertile mule and produced a horse-like foal with some mule traits which was called a “hule”. However, there are no reports as to whether the hule was fertile since it may have been castrated. It has also been reported that female hules may be fertile, but their offspring are usually feeble and die at birth. In another case, a molly gave birth to 2 foals in Nebraska in the mid-1980 and this was the first genetic testing of a mule’s offspring. Tests showed no evidence that the mother had passed along any genetic markers from her donkey father, who was also the father of the foals. This is called “hemiclonal transmission”. It is now known that in most fertile mule mares, they only pass on their maternal horse DNA.

However, even if sterile, mollies still have the female hormones coursing through their veins, which give them a strong maternal drive. They have been known to kidnap the foals of other equines sharing the same paddock.

The hinny is also a hybrid equine, but it is the result of the opposite mating: a horse stallion crossed with a donkey mare (called a jenny) but it is much less common. They are harder to produce because a stallion/jenny mating is less likely to result in pregnancy. This was once believed to be due to the donkey mare having a smaller womb, but the difficulty in impregnation suggests that it is largely a genetic issue. Donkeys (Equus asinus) have 62 chromosomes while horses (Equus caballus) have 64 chromosomes; infertile mules and hinnies have 63 chromosomes that are a mixture of one from each parent. The chromosomes have different structures and with the difference in number, too, this usually prevents the chromosomes from pairing up properly and creating successful embryos. In attempts among other species to create hybrids, the hybrid is much less likely to occur when the male has more chromosomes than the female, than when it is the other way around. It is almost like the female egg does not recognize sperm that has too many chromosomes, but does not seem to mind if the sperm has too few. Hinnies are also sterile, but a fertile female hinny in China is believed to be a unique case.

Hinnies and mules look slightly different from each other, yet for all practical purposes, hinnies, mollies and mules are classified and shown together under the general term of Mule.

The rarer hinnies are often said to be more horse-like than the mule, but more often it is difficult to tell them apart. The mule has a large head that is more donkey-like than horse-like, while the hinny has a smaller head that is more horse-like. The tail of the hinny is much more like that of the horse than is the tail of the mule. Generally, this is accounted for by the males of both species transmitting with greater power these parts of their structure. Hinnies are smaller and finer boned than mules, simply because of the fact that most donkeys are smaller than horses.

Mules come in every size and shape imaginable and all colors except overo (again due to genetics). Miniature mules under 36″ can be seen all the way up to 17 hand Percheron draft mules (by Mammoth Jacks). The Poitou donkey was used exclusively for breeding huge draft mules from a breed of draft horse called the Mullasier – the Mule producer.

Mules’ ears are usually somewhat smaller than a donkey’s, but longer than the ears of the horse parent, and are roughly the same shape. Every mule will have a unique bray that is a combination of the horse’s whinny and the grunting of the donkey’s bray. And they show a natural resistance to disease and insects.

Mules are used in the same sports as horses; under saddle, in harness, for cutting, roping or dressage. They have more stamina and can carry more weight than a horse of equal size. This is due to what geneticists call “hybrid vigor”. There is one aspect where the mule outshines the horse: high-jumping. Mules only 50 inches tall at the withers have been known to clear jumps of up to 72 inches. Amazingly, these jumps are from a standing start inside a marked area, not from a galloping approach.

Mules are not really stubborn, they simply will not put themselves in danger. A horse can be worked until it drops, but not a mule. That stubborn streak is the mule’s way of telling humans that something is not right. It is not a good idea to abuse a mule, for they are clever and seem intelligent enough to plot revenge. However, treated kindly, they will do their best for their owner and with the utmost patience.

Crystal Eikanger is a writer for www.HorseClicks.com, classifieds of Mules for sale and other horse breeds, farms and ranches and Florida land for sale.Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/the-myth-of-the-mysterious-mule-and-molly-1728933.html

We get a lot of phone calls from people looking for a “mini” doodle.  The problem?  Goldendoodles don’t come in size categories.  Because the Goldendoodle dog is a hybrid,  each individual puppy in any given litter will be a different size.  It doesn’t even matter what size the parent dogs are.  To date,  we’ve never seen a doodle puppy become the same exact size as either parent.  They have always been larger or smaller.

When asking a breeder if they have any “miniature” Goldendoodles,  you must first understand what constitutes a Miniature sized dog.  If you visit any kennel club website and read specifics about miniature sized dogs,  you will come away knowing that a canine is decidedly considered a Miniature providing both parents weigh no more than 15-25 pounds; their ancestors weighed no more than 15-25 pounds each and all of the offspring in the entire litter will, as adult dogs, weigh no more than 15-25 pounds each.  Then, and only then, will a Goldendoodle be considered a true Miniature Goldendoodle dog.   When a Golden Retriever is bred even with a Toy Poodle,  not all of the offspring will turn out to be under twenty five pounds as adults.

How do we know this?

In 2005, we deliberately used a Toy Poodle male sire to our female, purebred Golden Retriever dam.  It was a natural breeding as I held down the rear of my female Golden Retriever so that my Toy Poodle sire could mount her naturally.  I also had to sit with both dogs, waiting for them to naturally untie so that when the female Golden Retriever stood up,  she did not injury the much smaller male Toy Poodle.  In the natural world,  this pairing more than likely would have never occurred for the simple reason,  a Toy Poodle would find it quite difficult to naturally mount such a large dog on his own.  But with human assistance,  this type of pairing is very easy with a successful, willing and ready little sire.

So what happened?

When the puppies were born,  we did lose one of them.  The largest doodle was stillborn for whatever reason.  Many things can go wrong within the uterus beyond anyone’s control.  Our Golden Retriever dam was 48 pounds and extremely healthy. There was no reason that we could determine visually that the puppy should be born stillborn.  The remainder of the puppies were very small.  Like tiny mice.  My main concern was that the mother would accidentally lay on puppies so small, so a constant vigil was important.  As the puppies grew, we were not sure just what their size would turn out to be.  One can only guessimate given such a huge size difference between the parent dogs.  We kept two of the Goldendoodles in the litter and as of this date,  12-12-09,  the little male that we kept weighs approx.  15 pounds and has much longer legs than the female we had kept, who weighs approx. 18 pounds.  She has much shorter, stockier legs.   Out of the five Goldendoodle puppies born from this mixture,  one worked out for a family who had older children; two of them came back to us after having placed them with families who had kids and they had to be rehomed with families who had absolutely no children.  The dogs were not aggressive toward children,  they just had no tolerance for the antics of children.   My own children are grown,  so the two that we kept didn’t have this issue to worry about.  However,  neither are stranger friendly.  The other doodle we haven’t heard anything from the owners in New Jersey, so I have no idea how that one has worked out for their family.  Unless we receive feedback from those who purchase,  we do not know how the doodle has turned out.

So what’s the over all perception of a Miniature Goldendoodle? 

If a buyer has small children,  my personal opinion is to not purchase any Goldendoodle that is 25 pounds or under.  For some reason the small Goldendoodle has a tendency to pick up the quirky temperament of the Toy Poodle, in an exaggerated manner that may not be suitable for young children.  Yes, they are cuddly.  Yes they are cute.  Yes, everyone wants one.  But not everyone has had successful adoptions of doodles this small when small children were a part of the family.   Because we know that small Goldendoodles do not work out for young children,  we no longer create them any smaller than 25 pounds.  As a breeder of thirteen years,  our desire is to achieve Goldendoodles with an outgoing personality and family oriented temperament. This doesn’t happen most of the time with little Goldendoodles.

Why do breeders call Goldendoodles Miniatures?

As a breeder who has made it our  deliberate business to know every single thing there is to know about a Goldendoodle dog,  not only do we create these dogs,  but with each litter,  we also research many other aspects to this hybrid that most breeders fail to notice.  Since 1999,  I’ve made it my business to photograph, research and document the coat changes;  the coat type;  shedding phases; sizes; temperament and the over all bodily structure of these dogs.  They are certainly fascinating from a breeder’s perspective and for the most part,  fantastic dogs from buyers’ perspective.   I have yet to understand why any breeder would post inside of their dog advertisements,  their articles and their websites that they breed “Miniature” Goldendoodles.   Perhaps they do not mean they actually breed Miniature sized dogs,  but that one of the parent dogs is a Miniature sized Poodle?  It is beyond my understanding what exactly they are claiming because they certainly will not provide a buyer a size guarantee.  It has been a fact that some breeders have made the claim they breed for miniature sized Goldendoodles and then when a customer complains that their doodle turned out to be a fifty pound dog at one year of age,  they tell them…oopsy daisy..too bad!  What will the buyer do after they’ve become attached to the now pony sized Goldendoodle?  Give it back?  I don’t think so.  Good luck in getting your money refunded as well.  As a breeder,  even we do not refund just because a Goldendoodle turned out to be smaller or larger than anticipated.  These dogs are hybrids,  so it is quite difficult to tell what size a puppy will turn out to be as an adult dog.  A breeder should never call their Goldendoodles a “miniature” sized dog simply because one of the parent dogs was a miniature sized Poodle or a Toy Poodle.  The only way a breeder can rightfully call their Goldendoodle litter “miniature” doodles is if both parent dogs are no more than 25 pounds each;  the grandparent dogs are no more than 25 pounds each and their ancestors are no more than 25 pounds.  The dogs themselves would have to have an entire lineage of ancestors that weigh no more than 25 pounds.  The maximum weight (genetic weight) for a dog considered by kennel standards to be a true miniature sized dog.

If each individual puppy will turn out to be different sizes and only one parent dog is 25 pounds or under,  the breeder should not make the statement that their litter of doodle puppies are miniature sized dogs.  The statement alone confuses people who are seeking a small Goldendoodle and it also deceives the buyer into believing their dog will become no larger than 25 pounds as an adult.  To date,  I have never understood why someone would believe that any dog…doodle or not…larger than 25 pounds is a “miniature” sized dog.  How is a 35-40 pound dog a miniature sized dog?  It isn’t.  So please do not be fooled by advertisements that proclaim there are miniature Goldendoodles available for sale.  Unless the breeder will provide you a size guarantee in writing and that they will accept the dog back should the dog become larger than 25 pounds at one year of age (genetic weight), then I would say that more than likely your simply buying a notion your doodle will stay small and taking the chance that it will not be.  If you reside in a condo situation or an apartment situation and there are size restrictions, then this can be a problem for the buyer.

So what’s the solution? Can a breeder determine what size a Goldendoodle dog will be?

The answer is a conditional yes.  If a Goldendoodle breeder is experienced and they are using the same two parent dogs who have produced doodle pups that remained 25 pounds or less as adults and they know from past experience what size all of the puppies turned out to be as an adult,  then chances are the same thing will happen again.  Maybe.  You have to take into consideration the entire lineage that comes along the genetic strand of DNA.  Does the breeder also know what sizes the ancestors were as adult dogs?  Unless the breeder owns the entire lineage of ancestors,  a pedigree will not supply this information to the breeder.  9 times out of 10,  second litters will turn out to be very much like the first if the same parent dogs are used again.  However,  that 1 percent still remains iffy.  As a breeder who began our Goldendoodle program in 1999,  it has been my experience that the larger the doodle at 8 weeks of age,  the larger adult dog it will be and vice versa.

Conclusion

In order to know whether or not a Goldendoodle will stay around 25-28 pounds as an adult,  the doodle would have to weigh between 2-4 pounds at eight weeks of age and no more.  The best way to know what size a Goldendoodle dog will be as an adult is to purchase one when they are six months of age,  if size is your number one priority.  The closer a Goldendoodle is to one year of age,  the easier it is to know what size it will be as an adult.  All Goldendoodles are fully mature at one year of age.It is absurd at best that breeders deceive the general public with false hopes when it comes to size in the world of Goldendoodles.  It is deceptive advertising practice or it is complete ignorance on the breeders’ part.  I haven’t yet decided which direction some of these breeders lean.  It does a huge disservice to the general public at large for doodle breeders to make false claims.  In my personal opinion,  if a breeder is going to make a claim that they are creating Goldendoodles in specific size categories such as toy, miniature, standard,  then the breeder needs to pony up and sign a size warranty contract with the buyer.  Otherwise,  state the facts as they are.  Goldendoodles come in all sizes in any given litter regardless of the size of the parent dogs…….but they do not come in specific size categories and as such,  should never be advertised in size categories. 

Dee Gerrish has been a private, professional breeder for 13 years as of Jan. 2008; She was a respite and foster care provider in Mannheim, Germany and won many community awards for her dedicated service. Dee has written very popular Goldendoodle articles that are listed across the internet.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/what-is-a-miniature-goldendoodle-1574330.html

Canine heartworms, also known as dirofilariasis disease, can be extremely dangerous or fatal if left untreated. Heartworms are spawned from mosquitoes, which carry the parasite and infect other dogs. A veterinarian can prescribe heartworm preventatives to decrease the chances of your pet getting this disease. To restrict mosquito contact, natural methods can be used to keep these insects at bay.

Canine heartworms are dangerous parasites that live in the lung arteries and the right side of the heart in dogs. If left untreated, these long, thin parasitic worms can cause lung or heart damage, or death. Microfilaria immitis (heartworm) parasites are carried by mosquitoes. The life cycle begins by a mosquito biting an infected dog. The offspring of the heartworm, called microfilariae, begin to molt inside the mosquito, maturing into infective larvae. When the mosquito bites another dog, the microfilariae are injected under the skin, and will molt again in about 10 days. Sixty days later, the microfilariae will molt once more and begin their journey to the heart and lungs of the animal. Four months later, the parasites become adult heartworms.

Heartworms cases have been reported all around the world, including the United States. In the U.S., the heaviest concentration of heartworm reports has been in southeastern states. Dogs may show no sign of heartworm disease until the infection has become severe. Weight loss, vomiting, respiratory distress, and lethargy are classic symptoms of this disease.

Canine heartworm treatment is the best route in preventing heartworms. These preventative treatments will impede larvae from becoming adult worms. Some heartworm preventatives available from a veterinarian include daily or monthly tablets or chewables, injections every six months, or monthly topicals.

Keeping your dog indoors more will minimize mosquito contact, but is not always enough to prevent heartworms. Using non-toxic sprays or essential oils, such as geranium oil, can cut down on mosquito contact. All-natural tea tree, lavender or garlic can also be used as a mosquito repellent. Maintaining a healthy diet and immune system, and keeping regular vet checkups, can also help keep heartworms at bay.

If a dog has already been infected with heartworms, the treatment can be costly, dangerous, and painful to the animal. In advanced stages of heartworm disease, there is no guarantee that the treatment will be effective. Dogs that are already infected can receive treatments at home. But, it is best that your dog be hospitalized during canine heartworm treatment, in case caval syndrome (cardiovascular collapse) or heart failure occurs. The animal may be injected with a drug called adulticide and may need to have several treatments. During this period, heartworm preventatives should be administered to prevent re-infection.

Canine heartworm disease can be prevented. Veterinarians can prescribe medicines to avoid heartworm infection–preventing long-term damage to the heart or lungs. If your dog exhibits signs of heartworms, such as lethargy or vomiting, take them to a vet immediately. They may need special tretments to kill worms in the heart or lungs. Heartworm treatment is imperative in helping your dog live a long, healthy life.

Discover the best and safest canine heartworm treatment available in the market today, including alternative heartworm treatment for dogs. Learn all about heartworm signs and heartworm symptoms to help you how to tell if a dog has heartworms and extensive heartworm treatment recovery to keep your pet in the best health possible. Go to: http://www.canineheartwormcure.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/canine-heartworm-treatment-1420509.html