This is part two of a four part article on canine digestive issues written by Fred Lanting. Please visit Fred’s site to read the rest of the article.
Commonly called bloat, sometimes described as gastric dilation/volvulus (GDV), this is a terrifying and frequently fatal disorder that German Shepherds and many other deep?chested dogs experience. A twisting of the entrance and exit to the stomach traps the food and gas. As the stomach swells, the twist is more unlikely to be relieved without veterinary help. Great strides in surgical treatment have been made, but the key to reducing the high mortality is still time. Recognize the symptoms and get the dog to a veterinary surgeon, preferably an emergency or trauma-oriented hospital. Simple dilation (swelling due to gas) may not be serious as long as the dog is able to pass food into the duodenum, but it has been estimated that 80 percent of all dogs that experience simple dilation will someday also have torsion. Continue Reading »
Breeders’ responses to early puppy deaths vary. Some expend a great deal of effort, while others “let nature take its course” and stoically hope the next breeding will be more successful. Many have discovered that neonatal puppy mortality is preventable or call be reduced through scrupulous attention to prenatal and postnatal care. These breeders, who in the past may have accepted 20 to 25 percent mortality before weaning, have learned that such losses can be reduced dramatically by simple changes in management, including veterinary checkups. Continue Reading »
Degenerative myelopathy (commonly referred to as “DM“) is a degenerative muscle disorder that can strike dogs (frequently in the German shepherd and this article is specific for the GSD version of DM). I’ve personally seen what it can do to a German shepherd - Zion Van De Hildewaerde SchH3 was worked and trained by a good friend of ours and retired to another good friend of ours where Zion stole the hearts of everyone he met. Zion was able to quickly obtain his SchH3 title (scoring SchH1 - 291, SchH2 - 294, ScnH3 - 288) as well as ranking #25 in the Schutzhund world finals October 2005 - scoring 278 points (full stats available on his site). He was received by our friend early to mid 2006. Roughly 6 months later he started to develop a little twitch in his right rear foot. DM struck him so quickly and fiercely (even UofFL agreed they’ve never seen a case attack this quickly) - he ended up being put to sleep on June 18, 2007. If you’d like to read more about DM, The University of Florida has a great and informative (even if technical) article on the disease. Continue Reading »
Finding the dog that is right for your family can be very time consuming and after each day you can end up with more questions than answers. Does the dog shed? Will it get along with my cats? Will it be OK with children? Will it bark at strangers? Will it protect me? Can I work it? Can I show it? And what the heck is a schipperke ??? Continue Reading »
There is no one “secret to a long and healthy life”, although many make money by selling books, products, and programs based on such a title and concept. But there certainly is a combination of ignorance and lack of will that inhibits most of us from reaching toward that goal.
As one trained in “the scientific method”, I am perhaps luckier than the average bear in finding a path through the forest of misinformation and pseudo-science. The heart of true science is clear observation of facts and their repeatable verification, which includes testing of the hypotheses under many conditions. I have been asked by several editors at various times, to write my “formula” for health and vigor. As soon as I do, however, there is still a chance that I could be suddenly diagnosed with fatal pancreatic cancer or have a piano fall on me from a third-story balcony because I couldn’t make out the lettering on the detour sign warning “keep clear”. Continue Reading »
