Hello everyone, I'm back! My old username was workingcocker and my name is mary.
Some of you will know that I have a little red working cocker bitch called Bella. She has turned into a fine young lady and is a real pleasure to take shooting, she's 2 and a half. I am planning on a litter and the pups will need docking and dew clawing. However, I cannot find a london based vet who will do the procedure. I think that they all assume that london based dogs aren't used for working, which is completely untrue. I would hate to see the pups left undocked and dew clawed because my Bella is very waggy and dives into hard cover very fast, I feel if she hadn't been docked as a pup then her tail would most definitely have been broken many times by now. Also working cockers turn at such speed and so tightly that again, if the dew claws were left intact they'd be sure to tear down the back of the leg and cause a lot of suffering and lameness to the dog.
If anyone knows a London based vet who is experienced and understanding about docking and dew clawing for working dogs, please contact me with their details. This is very important to me because the pups will be top class, driven working cockers. If I can't find a London based vet then I will have to take Bella to whelp up in Cumbria were we have an experienced vet who is happy to do the docking and D/C, however this will be very inconvienient for me and also will be very stressful for bella when she's heavily pregnant.
I have tried to contact the London cockers club working section but have recieved no reply concerning docking friendly vets.
Any advice welcomed
Best wishes Mary
PS: I am only looking so late to find a London based pro docking vet because my usual London vet after having said he'd be happy to dock and dew claw working pups, has now decided that he doesn't want to risk it because he said he finds the docking law so confusing and un clear. I don't blame him, I think it's a terribly confusing and badly written bill.
PPS: This will be our first litter, but we are very well researched, and have other experienced breeders supporting us. Bella has also been eye tested and has had a thorough MOT by our local vet, she is also in her prime and is very toned and fit.