BENEFITS of dog ownership
Studies have shown that owning a dog helps lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, and decrease triglyceride levels, all of which contribute to better cardiovascular health and fewer heart attacks. What’s more, dog owners who do have heart attacks have better survival rates after the attack.
Dogs help keep you fit and active. Doctors recommend 2.5 hours of moderate exercise per week, which is less than 30 minutes per day. Dobermans need 30 minutes twice a day and will keep you moving twice as fast.
Spending just a few minutes with a pet can lower anxiety and blood pressure and increase levels of serotonin and dopamine, which play big roles in calm and wellbeing. Dogs can help reduce stress both at home and in the office.
Dogs can add meaning and purpose to life after retirement and help prevent loneliness, isolation, and cognitive decline. It is widely believed that dog owners are less prone to depression largely because of the other health benefits they provide. Therapy dogs are effective in easing depression for a variety of people.
Research has also shown that owning dogs or cats lowers children’s chances of developing pet allergies by up to 33%.
Dogs can help detect, treat, and manage a variety of illnesses. Trained dogs can sniff out skin, kidney, bladder, and prostate cancers. Service dogs can benefit people with traumatic brain injuries, autism, arthritis, various mobility issues, and emotional problems. Alzheimer’s patients are soothed by dogs, whose companionship seems to mitigate emotional flare-ups and aggression.
Now go ahead and buy pet health insurance
Dobermans are a very expensive breed to have, they have a lot of genetic health issues, the breed unfortunately is dying and if we (Doberman owners, lovers, breeders, rescuers don’t band together, work together and help science to find a solution for their health issues chances are that in 30 to 50 years time the breed will be no more.
Here is the list of health issues that plagues the breed
- DCM – Dilated Cardiomyopathy – Holter monitor and ECHO once per year as soon they are 2 years old
- Cancers – lymphoma, Osteosarcoma, etc. … – There are no test yet but yearly check up with our friendly veterinarian is a must
- Liver and Kidney Disease – Yearly blood work is a must for this breed yearly checking their numbers
- Vwb – von Willebrand’s : also known as the bleeding disease – There ae two types of test the genetic tests done at UC Davis to see if the dog carries the genetic markers and the coagulant tests that should be done at least once in the dog life time before any major surgery also called Elisa test.
- Cervical Vertebral Instability (Wobbler Syndrome) that is a catch all for many diseases that we do not know when a dog has spinal and mobility issues. – There are no tests for those besides x-ray to see what is the likelihood of hip and elbow dysplasia should be done as soon they are 2 years old
- Hypothyroidism – a full blood panel is done yearly in this breed and we need to request a T4 to be added
- Environmental and food allergies – we need to keep track of those if they happen and modify foods to minimize symptoms
- Eye diseases – not as common in our breed but becoming more so, is recommended now to have all Doberman eyes check after 2 years old.
- Hip Dysplasia (The dogs are becoming too big, too tall, too heavy for what the breed was supposed to be) – X-ray exam should be tested as soon they reach 2 years old.
Still Interested in rescuing a Doberman in need?
The first step is to fill out an adoption application and email it in to us.
If you’re interested in adopting a Doberman, we encourage you to follow us on Facebook. The rescue process moves quickly, and our Facebook group provides the most up-to-date information on dogs in need.
Submitting an application and obtaining pre-approval before finding a dog you’re interested in increases your chances of successfully adopting. Please note that applications from members are prioritized over those from non-members.