|
Be warned ......
This is the extended version of my own ramblings that became too much to put on the blog. This page is for those who have a lot a patience with me.
***********************************************************************************
Saturday, April 26th, 2008
Extension of puppy info
A few more thoughts on finding a good breeder.
I’ve spoken to so many people even this year, who have been reluctant to tell us who their breeders were. They seem to hesitate and say…”I probably shouldn’t have got it from them, but….”, or “….no we didn’t see the mom and dad…” or “ …she met us in Centralia because it was half way…”.
We fall in love with our puppies because they are cute. We always joke that that’s what saves their lives (i.e. after they’ve chewed our favorite pair of shoes or hand made rug). In many ways this is so true. Quite often puppies that are from backyard breeders or puppy brokers will not live long if someone doesn’t buy them while they are cute little puppies. Often as these pups age and become less desirable when the new puppies keep arriving, they are sent to shelters that are often already overcrowded from the exact same problem, and they are euthanized.
As consumers, which we are when we purchase a puppy, we need to see past the cute, and look at the system we want to encourage and support.
If we want cheap puppies that are expendable, we go to backyard breeders and pet stores.
If we want puppies that are healthier we will have to pay more.
If we are willing to pay more, and want to assure the puppies are healthy then we need to do our research!
Ask these questions about the breeder you are considering:
How many breeds of dogs does the breeder have for sale?
Most good breeders concentrate on one breed of dog in order to give their full attention to the requirements for the breed standard, both in appearance and temperament.
Beware of breeders who offer all the most popular breeds as they are prime suspects for breeding for money, which is nearly impossible if you are properly caring for the animals and selling them for a reasonable price. These breeders are more likely to breed unhealthy and poor temperament pups.
Does the breeder show his or her dogs?
Now this is not a necessity for good breeders, but understand that it is very hard to maintain or be accountable for keeping a breed to the standard in appearance or temperament if the breeder is not in contact with other breeders on a regular basis.
If the breeder is alternating the bloodlines he or she chooses to breed to be sure there are no negative traits (in health or temperament) he or she is regularly in contact with other breeders, and generally shows, or has his or her dogs shown.
Showing is not proof of good breeding, but of following at least the standard of appearance for the breed.
Does the breeder have dogs on site that you can meet?
If you can meet the parent bitch and dog, you have a better idea of not only what the puppies will look like, but what their personalities will be like. Puppies often take on the traits of the mother if she is fearful or protective during her nursing period. This can cause stress on the pups that is then turned into anxiety or aggression.
Does the breeder have older non-breeding (retired) dogs on site?
A good breeder will usually only breed a bitch (un-spayed female) once every one or two years, or only as new stock is required to continue the breeder’s line. A good breeder will also retire any bitch that has had problems with delivery, has been bred four or five times, or has had puppies that do not meet the standard for appearance, health or temperament. A dog (male un-neutered) will be retired if his temperament or health, no longer meet the same standards.
A good breeder loves his or her dogs, and will not send away, or euthanize those that can no longer produce. A good breeder will keep older bitches and dogs as the legacy of generations they have nurtured into their breeding line.
Good questions to ask include those regarding the lifespans of those who have passed away, and what their cause of death was.
This can tell you a lot about the health of the line the breeder is selling to you (if those that have passed are in that line).
Does the breeder temperament test the puppies?
Puppies have definite emerging personalities by the time they are five weeks old. Good breeders will test the puppies for how they respond to people compared to their siblings or other dogs, how shy, fearful, brave, or independent they are. They put them in various situations inside and outside the home and watch to see how the puppy responds. This helps the breeder place a puppy in the home that best fits its personality.
Does the breeder have an extensive application process?
Good breeders will screen the prospective puppy parents thoroughly.
If the breeder you are working with does not require you to fill out an application and talk to you about your ability to provide for the puppy RUN AWAY! That breeder does not care about the puppies and is hoping to never hear from you again.
A good breeder will want to know what kind of home the puppy is going to, and ask questions about who lives in your household, if you rent or own your home, if it is a home or apartment, and many other personal questions. That is how the breeder finds the right puppy and the right home. The breeder will know if the breed is appropriate for you, and will want to know if you have researched the breed yourself.
Does the breeder have a specific age at which he or she sends puppies home?
A good breeder will not let a larger puppy go home prior to eight (8) weeks. A breeder of small and miniature dogs will not let them go home until between 9 and 12 weeks, as these dogs mature at a different rate and are fragile when young. Any breeder who sends a puppy home before it is 8 weeks old is ignoring the important social development puppies go through when preparing to leave their siblings.
Does the breeder encourage taking two puppies home at the same time?
This falls under my own personal caution. I have not actually checked with many breeders, although I do have many customers who have siblings that came home at the same time.
A good breeder should know a bit about training, and realize that no puppy will get the attention it needs from one person if that training time is divided between two puppies. (If two people are taking on the training I think you can make it work. That’s another subject.) The downfall of two puppies coming home together is the puppies are typically not separated, but are left together as “company” for each other. Anyone considering this should contact a GOOD trainer who will explain the “30/30/30 Rule” of dog training. I recommend talking to Riverdog Canine Coaching in Issaquah. I can talk to you about it to when you come into the store.
Most trainers will recommend waiting two to four years between puppies or additional dogs to be sure the training patterns and family habits with a dog in the house are well established.
Most people who get two puppies at the same time will tell you that they are generally “better behaved” when they are apart.
More later.....
**************************************************************************
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
A further word about Brodie.
Brodie is a perfect example of an animal that got caught up in the machine of the pet industry that simply says it has to have puppies to sell in a store so people will come buy more. He was very fortunate to find Cassandra. Many who find themselves with a puppy who got as much veterinary attention, and requires as much maintenance as Brodie, would have “put him down” or given him up to a shelter.
This happens far more often than we like to admit. Many of these animals don’t ever leave the shelters.
The fact is there are still people who will buy puppies from the lowest bidder, taking them in at much too young an age, and vaccinating them as if it was a positive selling point. (hopefully you’ve read my other blogs to know about the risks involved in vaccinating young puppies.)(Hopefully you’ve also read my blog that tells you no good breeder will sell to a pet store.)
There are also far too many of us who get caught up in the incredible draw of an adorable puppy, without knowing we are supporting deplorable breeding conditions, along with the impossible socialization mishaps that can happen in a confined store situation.
Brodie was an extreme case as he was vaccinated at an age when he should have been nursing from his mother. His eyes would not have been open very long, and the place he knew was a pet store. His comfort was a heat light. Due to the abrupt departure from his mother, the incredible amount of vaccines he received, and the lack of socialization in his life, Brodie’s immune issues are those that have to be managed. They cannot be corrected as far as we know.
Cassandra mentioned Brodie had seizures, was throwing up and wouldn’t eat. She also mentioned he had numerous tests, which provided no answers for her. This speaks so much to our choice of veterinarians. It is our job to find someone who is current in his or her industry. There are changes in veterinary medicine just like our own- every day. No vet can be expected to know everything, but they can be expected to keep up with information that has been discussed for the last 25 years!
When we tried the Positive Health enzymes and immune booster on Brodie, it became obvious that he had an auto-immune reaction to the stimulant. When a dog that is given an immune booster has an adverse reaction we can assume the immune system over-reacts. That means it needs to be maintained rather than stimulated. So, we backed-off with Brodie and gave him a simple enzyme and probiotic supplement without any other additions. This seems to work well for him. Cass has to change the brand she uses periodically to avoid a reaction from Brodie. Fortunately there are many brands available that can be rotated.
This speaks to those who find a food or supplement that works for their dog and don’t want to change. If we feed the same foods day after day to an immune deficient dog, the dog’s body is likely to begin rejecting the ingredients in that food over time. That not only creates more symptoms, it also results in the loss of balanced nutrition. The key is finding as many things that an immune compromised animal CAN eat, and rotating those items for nutrition and reception.
*********************************************************************************
To continue where we left off-
Let’s say we have a dog with itchy skin that has licked his paws raw and has chronic ear infections.
What do we do?
First we look at the breed of the dog. BREEDING
Then we look at the food the dog is eating. NUTRITION
Then we look at the last time the dog was vaccinated. VACCINES
Then we look at the environment the dog lives in. ENVIRONMENT/LIFESTYLE
When we look at the breed we are trying to determine if it is one that more commonly has immune system issues. Those breeds might include: Golden Retrievers, Wheaton Terriers, or Bulldogs (among others). We may start this dog with a diet change, but expect to add more as we continue the conversation.
Many options are available for nutritional changes for dogs with immune sensitivities. The base we want to establish is a food that doesn’t make the problem worse. In fact, we’d like to see the symptoms start to go away.
If we start to see improvement in 2 to 3 weeks, we recommend remaining on the new diet for 3 to 4 months. This will give some time to see the results that appear to be happening within the dog to actually show up on the outside skin, hair, weight management and overall appearance of health.
If the results appear to be good after the extended use of the new diet, we move on to introducing additional proteins which will give alternating diets the dog can safely use. We try each additional protein one at a time.
For example: The dog began with a grain-free fish protein diet as the base.
We are now going to feed him strips of dried duck treats. These are made of only one ingredient and it is meat only.
If the dog does well on the new protein, we move to the next- maybe venison, rabbit or beef treats. This begins to give us alternative proteins we can try in other no-grain foods.
Alternating the foods is important for overall nutritional balance as well as avoiding the possibility the body will begin to reject the new diet. In extreme cases, such as a dog with auto-immune disease, changing foods regularly may be the only way to avoid constant battles with reoccurring symptoms.
Since what we put in the body has to be assimilated to be effective, we need to be sure the dog is able to process the foods we recommend. If someone says his dog has immune issues, there is a high likelihood that dog has been on, or is still on, antibiotics. As mentioned before, antibiotics and other medications, along with stress, can deplete the digestive tract of positive bacteria that make it possible to actually absorb the nutrition being put in.
That is why we will almost 100% of the time, recommend the addition of a combination of digestive enzymes and beneficial bacteria (probiotics like lactobacillus or acidophilus, and others). The digestive enzymes assist the dog in breaking the food down. The probiotics will assist with assimilating the nutrients so the body can use it.
As you may have guessed I will ask people “when was the last time your dog was vaccinated?”
So many do not realize what a great affect vaccines have on the dog’s immune system. We just don’t think about it. When we put it in the perspective of having our doctor tell us we need to come in to get a measles, mumps, and polio vaccine every year, we pause a bit. What would this due to our immune system? Do you really think it would “boost” it?
Well, there’s no guessing for dogs and cats. They are at great risk if they receive repeated vaccines. It is a heavily researched and agreed upon fact in the veterinary industry.
I will say again what I said before- a dog with symptoms of a compromised immune system should not be considered “healthy” and thus should not receive vaccines. AND any ethical veterinarian will not give a vaccine to an immune compromised dog.
Now, we can’t assume that all veterinarians will consider a dog with “allergy” symptoms to be immune compromised. Most veterinarians treating symptoms are looking at antibiotics or topical solutions. The ones that choose to recognize the immune system is involved, are often treating with immune suppressers like Prednisone. With that they enter a whole new way to ignore the symptoms (or alarms) set off by the immune system. Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and place for such drastic action, but using it wisely to bridge into a….say…..change in diet, or the use of vaccines and chemicals.
That leads to the subject of environment and lifestyle which affect our immune compromised dogs.
I’ll get to that on the next “Extended Version”
Thanks for your interest.
|
