Dogs on chains, bad for thier health???

[Countrygal]

My dad always puts my dogs on chains and stuff, sometimes even in front of the house in a half yard fence thing. Anyhow I heard it can be bad for a dogs health is that true?

[Traci]

Please, do NOT use all bold print when you post. See my post to you in the feline health forum also, it is not necessary to post the same subject in multiple forums. See the Support Forum for all tips and help with posting.

Instead of posting, you need to get your kitty to an ER vet NOW, get off the net and go ASAP!

[davet]

come up with a reason?????if it s choking, they can choke on clothes lines, leather straps etc.,..

[TheSkeptic]

The main harm comes from the dog's psyche. Dogs are pack animals and your family is its pack. Forcebly removing it from interaction with the rest of its pack by chaining it away from the family, is not good.

If he is trying to use the dog as a watch dog, tell him that the dog cannot protect the family chained outside!

[jdf]

agree with Skeptic... plus, I've seen people chain a dog using a choke collar. If this is done and the dog lunges and strains at the chain, it's conceivable that damage might be done to the trachea/throat.

[k9Karen]

How long is the dog chained? Is it there all the time or just because your Dad doesn't have a fenced yard and it needs to go out? We used to let our family dog out on a long chain when we lived in Base housing (I'm an Air Force "brat") because there was no fence and my parents weren't allowed to add one. The dog was out only as long as she wanted to be - which could be an hour or 5 minutes, and she did fine. We let her back in as soon as she barked to "come in". She was never left out when we weren't home or in bad weather. It's not good to leave a dog chained all the time, and, in fact, I don't believe in "yard dogs",and I think most, if not all, of the other posters on this board agree with me that a dog is a family member and should be in the house with the family. And yes, it can be dangerous. As mentioned by others, they can strain at the chain and it can hurt them. A choke chain can be especially dangerous.

[davet]

citing the statistics of dog and cats that vets see whose pets have either been seriously injured or actuall killed by the use of collars...musing back i can remember sever from yorkies to boxers who came in completly cyanotic...they caught themselves on furniaturea or bushes etc...i don't thinnk this is a major epidemic problem but it is something to consider when your pet is tied up out side...don't have an answer but it can happen