the dog chew "fingernail test" I wish I'd known

In the 3+ years I've been sending out these weekly newsletters (thank you so much if you've been here since the start! 🥹), I don't think I've ever had such an incredible response to an email as I did last week.

So many of you reached out about your experiences with fractured teeth and extractions. The stories and advice you shared were invaluable and for that, I am so grateful. If you're brand new here, last week's newsletter is linked here for you to catch up on Winston's teeth drama.

Just when you think you know all there is to know about corgis and their care, something happens that shows you how much you still have to learn.

In case it's helpful for any other lovely corgi owners now or in the future, here's the advice and messages that came up again and again:

First, to assuage any owners of guilt (which I felt for giving Winston hard chews in the past): teeth fractures/breaks seem to be fairly common!
However, hard chews definitely don't help i.e. Yak chews, antlers, hooves, etc. A good rule of thumb (excuse the pun): if your fingernail doesn't leave a dent in the chew, it poses a risk to your corgi's teeth. Several readers shared this tip with me (that many of them had heard for their vet), which was totally new to me! I will be avoiding these very hard chews from now on.
If you're deciding whether a tooth extraction or cap/filling is the better option, *generally speaking* extraction seems to be the better option. (Though if you find yourself in this situation, your vet will be able to advise the best solution). This is because a cap/filling is quite likely to break off in the future (especially if your corgi is a chicken-bone-off-the-street-fiend, like mine) and so for many corgi owners, getting the broken tooth out saves (potentially) another surgery/general anaesthetic in the future.
Several readers said that having teeth pulled doesn't seem to have had any negative impact on their corgi's ability to eat or chew. As if anything would!! 😅

An update about Winston's situation: I spoke to the vet yesterday and we agreed that removing both the teeth is the best long-term solution. The teeth are quite badly fractured, which means that fillings are less likely to "stick" long-term. Not to mention the fact that the quote I received for doggy fillings was £7-£8k 😳

I don't need to tell you that when it comes to Winston's health, I really will pay whatever I need to pay, but I spoke honestly with the vet about what the best solution is and that's why we're going with extraction.

Winston is going to have both teeth pulled under GA next week. He's also getting a cleanse and polish while he's there. Total cost? £1k, which actually is covered by our insurance (contrary to what I originally thought).

So there we go! If you have any more questions or thoughts about this subject, do let us know.

And thank you again, so much, for all your lovely messages and well wishes.

Snoot boops and bunny hops,

Winston & Bella x

The gene that made your corgi short-legged also weakens their spine 🧬

In 2017, a team at UC Davis pinned down the reason corgis have short legs: a retrogene called FGF4, sitting on chromosome 12. The same mutation also degrades their spinal discs prematurely, raising the risk of Type I Intervertebral Disc Disease (Read our owner's guide to IVDD here).

Cornell's Riney Canine Health Center confirms one copy of the variant is enough to raise the risk. That variant is in nearly every Pembroke and Cardigan.

Two things help make a (positive) difference: 1) Keep your corgi lean — extra weight is the single biggest risk factor you can control and 2) Stop the jumping. No leaping off sofas, beds, or the back of the car.

*Thelma Gray, the Queen's first corgi breeder*

When one became two 🦊

In the 1920s, the UK Kennel Club began registering Pembrokes and Cardigans together as one breed — "the Welsh Corgi." Same show classes, same standard, judged head to head.

It didn't work. According to the Cardigan Welsh Corgi Club of America, "judges were known to either prefer one breed or the other, causing considerable dissatisfaction at the dog shows." Pembrokes and Cardigans have different tails, different fronts, different heads. Judging them against each other pleased no one.

In 1934, the Kennel Club made it official: Pembroke Welsh Corgi and Cardigan Welsh Corgi. Two breeds, two registries.

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