|
|||||
| QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS | May 02, 2008 |
||||
|
We recently realized that when we had the computer problems a couple of months ago, we hadn’t put one of my email addresses back on the computer. When Mike put it back on, 480 emails zipped down, and a number were questions from the website. Here are a few. I will put my responses or notes all in capital letters: Hi Susie I found your writings on spot flea treatments very interesting. I cannot use Frontline on my guys. The last time I did those hairless burn marks appeared where the stuff had been put and a friend who had also used it had much larger areas, bright red and hairless appear on her 2. I have found since that Advantage is a far kinder product that has so far not caused my any worries at all not that it gets used much as I dont have a flea problem but periodically we show in Tick area. I have a friend who had a nasty experience with a flea collar though. His daughter had brought her Lab to his place and decided to bath it while she was there.She took the flea collar off and put it on the washing macine and at some stage his Shar Pei got hold of it. The dog collapsed and stopped breathing so he administered CPR and Mouth to nose to get the heart and respiration going again which thankfully he did but moments later collapsed himself from the poison he had taken in from his dogs skin. This fellow was a fairly large man and this stuff dropped him like a stone. When he recovered he read the packaging and all it said was ' do not get wet' no warning whatsoever about the toxicity of this thing and the only help line printed on the package was one belonging to a major hospital. When he phoned the number he was told that there was no known antidote to this thing and he should not let children put it in their mouths.I believe that this is very irresponsible to be marketing such a toxic product to which there is no antidote...makes one wonder about some of the seemingly unexplained deaths in the animal world. The manufacturer of the collar was Virbac a division of Rhone-Poulenc a company who in the past had been mentioned in conjuntion with environmental vandalism... THIS ABOVE IS FROM A FRIEND IN AUSTRALIA Susie, I was reading your article and researching the drug that a vet gave me for one of pets, which is diphendydramine for his allergies. Is this drug something that I can just pick up at a drug store that would normally be used for humans or is this a brand that is specific to dog usage. If I read your article correctly, it is just a generic for Benedryl like humans would consume. If so, this would be great. Vet bills get expensive and this medicine works well for our pet. They've tried steriods but I don't those to be used for long term purposes. IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, FOR A VET TO SELL BENEDRYL TO A CLIENT WHEN THE VET COULD JUST TELL THE CLIENT TO GET BENEDRYL AT A DRUG STORE FOR A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE PRICE, IS COMPLETELY UNETHICAL. THE FIRST THING I WOULD DO IS GET A NEW VET. Hello- How do you treat a sharpei that gets mucin bubbles on their legs or belly? Does the dog need antibiotics also? Is there anything topical to put on it? MUCIN IS THE FLUID THAT FILLS A SHAR-PEI’S FACE AND GIVES THEM THE SHAR-PEI LOOK. IF IT LEAKS OUT OF A CUT, IT LOOKS LIKE THE JUICE FROM COOKING OKRA ALL DAY, VERY STICKY. MUCIN BUBBLES WILL RECEDE IF YOU PUT 1% HYDROCORTISONE CREAM ON THEM, AVAILABLE OF COURSE AT WALMART. THE SAME THEORY IS WHY WE DON’T WANT TO GIVE ANY STEROIDS TO SHAR-PEI BY MOUTH OR INJECTION, THEY WILL TAKE DOWN THE MUZZLE. OF COURSE, SOMETIMES STEROIDS ARE NECESSARY, SUCH AS IN A HEAT STROKE AND SOME OTHER CONDITIONS. Hi. I am owned by a shar-pei named Ching Chang. He adopted us when he was 1 1/2 years old. I wanted to know if you had any info on oral cancer in them. He was recently diagnosed and given a poor outlook. Any help would be appreciated. WHEN ANDREW GOT MELANOMA AND I STARTED READING UP ON IT, THE USUAL PLACES FOR MELANOMA TO START IN A DOG IS IN THE MOUTH OR ON THE TIPS OF THE FRONT TOES. HIS WAS ON THE SIDE, BUT THAT’S UNUSUAL. BY THE WAY, MELANOMA IN DOGS IS NOT RELATED TO SUN EXPOSURE. THE TOP PLACE FOR TREATMENT FOR MELANOMA, IF THAT IS WHAT IT IS, IS ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER IN NEW YORK CITY. THEY HAVE A DNA VACCINE FOR IT, WHICH HAS LATELY BEEN APPROVED BY THE FDA FOR VETERINARY ONCOLOGISTS TO GIVE. WE HAD TO GO TO NEW YORK CITY FOR IT, SO THIS NEW APPROVAL IS A GREAT HELP TO PREVENT ALL THAT TRAVEL. I want to ask a question that one of my buyers has ask me,and You have never so far miss directed me.As always I trust your advise. Can you inbreed Father to Daughter in Sharpeis or any breed dog as far as that goes.I have heard you can,and if both are healthy you have nothing to worry about.I have never done it and I just dont want to direct one of my most trusted buyers the wrong way.Could you help me out on this subject. THERE ARE REALLY TWO ANSWERS TO THIS QUESTION. FIRST, MOST PEOPLE ARE HORRIFIED BY THE THOUGHT OF BREEDING A DOG TO IT’S PARENT, CHILD, SIBLING, HALF SIBLING, UNCLE, AUNT, GRANDPARENT, GRANDCHILD. THE REASON FOR THE HORROR IS THAT WE THINK OF DOGS AS ALMOST PEOPLE. AND THOSE SEXUAL BEHAVIOURS ARE COMPLETELY NOT ALLOWED IN PEOPLE. BUT IF YOU THINK FOR A MOMENT OF CATTLE AND HORSES, THE BREEDERS OF THESE DO A LOT OF VERY CLOSE BREEDINGS, CALLED LINE-BREEDINGS IF IT IS GRANDPARENT TO GRANDCHILD, FOR EXAMPLE, AND IN-BREEDING IF IT IS PARENT TO CHILD, BROTHER TO SISER, HALF BROTHER TO SISTER. BUT THE BREEDERS OF LARGE ANIMALS DO THIS TO SOLIDIFY A TRAIT. FOR EXAMPLE, IF THEY HAD A COW WHO PRODUCED PHENOMINAL AMOUNT OR QUALITY OF MILK, THEY WOULD BREED TO THIS TRAIT, SAY TAKE THE COW BACK TO HER FATHER AND SEE IF A DAUGHTER OF THIS BREEDING HAD THE SAME QUALITY OR MAYBE EVEN MORE OF THAT QUALITY. THE OTHER FACTOR TO CONSIDER IS THAT YOU WILL DOUBLE UP ON ANY FACTORS, NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE. IF THERE IS A DISEASE, A TENDENCY TOWARD BAD BITES, AGGRESSION, TIMIDITY, ANYTHING, YOU WILL GET MORE OF IT. THIS OF COURSE APPLIES TO GOOD QUALITIES AS WELL. I HAD AN ACCIDENTAL FATHER-DAUGHTER BREEDING IN 2002, AND I WAS VERY WORRIED. I THOUGHT I MIGHT GET EXTRA TOES, CLEFT PALATES, LORD KNOWS WHAT. INSTEAD, I GOT 7 GORGEOUS PUPPIES, NO EYE TACKS, NO COAT PROBLEMS, NO PROBLEMS AT ALL. LATER I BRED ANDREW TO HIS VERY BEST DAUGHTER, AND THOSE PUPPIES ARE THE ONES WE ARE SHOWING NOW. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO DO THIS, IS TO KNOW YOUR LINES EXTREMELY WELL. WE HAVE 11 GENERATIONS IN HOUSE, AND 20 YEARS WITH THIS SAME BREED, SO I HAVE MORE EXPERIENCE THAN MOST. I HAVE DONE GRANDMOTHER TO GRANDSON, HALF BROTHER TO HALF SISTER, UNCLE TO NEICE, AUNT TO NEPHEW. I HAVE NEVER DONE FULL BROTHER TO FULL SISTER. I have a 7 year old Shar-Pei bitch. She has been sterilized but since the operation 4 years ago, she has no bladder control. Urine leaks all the time. Please can you give me advise on this problem Thank you THIS IS ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE VERY COMMON PROBLEMS THAT RARELY WILL A VET ADMIT TO. THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS AND THE URINARY ORGANS IN A FEMALE ARE VERY CLOSE IN THE SAME AREA, AND REMOVING THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS CAN CAUSE URINARY DRIBBLING. THIS IS THE 2ND CAUSE OF DOGS BEING TURNED IN TO POUNDS, AND RESCUE, RIGHT AFTER AGGRESSION WHICH IS THE NUMBER ONE REASON DOGS ARE GIVEN UP. THERE IS MEDICINE FOR THIS, IT IS CALLED PHENYLPROPANALAMINE, HOPEFULLY I HAVE SPELLED THIS RIGHT, AND IS THE INGREDIENT THAT WAS IN OVER THE COUNTER DIET PILLS AND SOME COLD PILLS, BUT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE OVER THE COUNTER. ASK YOUR VET FOR A PRESCRIPTION FOR THIS. I’m looking to purchase a Shar-pei puppy around the middle of next year and I have some questions for you. I’m waiting until next year to get one because I’ll be moving around April and decided that I would wait rather than move the puppy. 1- First, I have a middle-age cat (Buffy is 9, extremely spoiled and somewhat lazy ). If the puppy is raised with her, will the puppy be okay with her once he/she is older? 2-Second, I only want the puppy as a pet. He/she will never be shown or bred. I wouldn’t mind a crooked tail, however, I do want a puppy that will keep many of his/her wrinkles. Will I have to purchase a show quality puppy to get that? 1-IF YOU GET A DOG WHEN THE DOG IS 8-10 WEEKS OLD, THE DOG WILL GET ALONG FINE WITH THE CAT. I WOULD NEVER LET AN ADULT SHAR-PEI GO TO A HOME WITH A CAT, BECAUSE I HAVE HEARD OF SHAR-PEI WHO THOUGHT CATS WERE A DELICIOUS TREAT, A FUZZY TOY. 2-THE NUMBER OF WRINKLES DOES NOT DETERMINE IF A SHAR-PEI IS SHOW QUALITY. THE STANDARD FOR SHOWING STATES THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE THE FACIAL WRINKLES AND AT LEAST ONE BEHIND THE SHOULDERS. I HAVE BRED PUPPIES WHO WERE WHAT WE CALL ‘DRIPPING’ IN WRINKLES, AND A LOT OF JUDGES DON’T LIKE THAT. IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE PARENTS, AND HOW MANY WRINKLES THEY KEPT AS ADULTS. BUY YOUR PUPPY FROM A LONG TIME BREEDER WITH A LOT OF DOGS, SO THAT THEY WILL KNOW THEIR LINES AND WHICH KEEP WRINKLES. I GET REQUESTS ALSO FROM PEOPLE WHO DON’T WANT MANY WRINKLES. AND took my terrier mix dog to the vet which Bill and I inherited from my father-in-law when he died and they did an estimate for a dental cleaning. They do that automatically now and the price is $560.00. Unbelievable. THIS IS GETTING MORE AND MORE COMMON. THIS PRICE IS COMPLETELY UNREASONABLE. I AVOID DENTAL CLEANINGS IN OUR DOGS FOR SEVERAL REASONS. FIRST OF ALL IS THE ANAESTHESIA, WHICH ALL OF YOU KNOW TERRIFIES ME. SECOND IS THAT WHEN THE VET SCRAPES THE AREAS WHERE THE TOOTH MEETS THE GUM, AND EVEN INSIDE THE GUM, IT WILL CAUSE BLEEDING. SOME OF THIS BLOOD CAN ENTER THE BLOOD STREAM, AND WILL HAVE MANY GERMS IN IT. THIS CAN CAUSE SYSTEMIC INFECTIONS, AND I HAVE KNOWN DOGS WHO DIED AFTER A DENTAL CLEANING. CONVERSELY, IF A TOOTH IS INFECTED, OR BROKEN, GERMS CAN ALSO ENTER THE BLOOD STREAM ON IT’S OWN. SO YOU ARE DAMNED IF YOU DO, DAMNED IF YOU DON’T. SOME PEOPLE USE DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS IN THE DOG’S WATER TO KEEP THE TEETH CLEAN. THERE ARE THINGS ON THE MARKET, AND SOME PEOPLE USE A SMALL AMOUNT, ABOUT ¼ CUP, OF VINEGAR IN THE DOG’S WATER. SOME PEOPLE BRUSH THEIR DOG’S TEETH, BUT SOME DOGS HAVE A FIT OVER THIS. SOME PEOPLE USE MARROW BONES, THAT WON’T CHIP OFF, TO CLEAN THE TEETH. THIS MUST BE A PERSONAL OPINION, I WOULD HATE TO ADVISE CLEANING OR NOT CLEANING AND HAVE IT BE THE WRONG DECISION. BUT TO THIS LADY, A FRIEND OF MINE IN VIRGINIA, I WOULD SUGGEST A CHEAPER DENTIST AS LONG AS HE KNOWS ANAESTHESIA. On another note, we have lost the new kennel lady we had. She was amazingly organized, and coming from a kennel situation, all she had to learn here was the names of my dogs and things which are particular to Shar-Pei. But she had the most unusual reasons for not coming to work, a different one each time, until she finally faded away. I don’t even know where to send her final paycheck. Her boyfriend keeps calling for it, but I don’t know where she is or if they are still together. What is happening to young people these days? She absolutely loved the dogs and did a great job. The litter I mentioned that got chilled and we had to give fluids under the skin, Pedialyte, and about half of the medicines I own, all made it to my surprise. They are about a week behind in their development, but that is to be expected. I got pictures of them, there are 7, but did not get a good one of one of the girls. Here are the other 6. you will notice that two are bearcoats, a recessive gene in Shar-Pei that makes the coat too long for the standard. They have the same amount of wrinkles, but they are hidden under the fuzzy coat. Later-Susie |
|||||
|
|||||
| THE IMMUNE SYSTEM | April 22, 2008 |
||||
|
The immune system is a very complicated thing. Many people believe that Shar-Pei have a “poor” immune system, meaning the immune system does not protect the dog against things that, for example, the immune system of a Heinz 57 dog’s would. But that belief is backwards. I will give you a very clear example. We live in the deep South and there are fire ants here. I can walk through a hill of them, and have even sat in my garden on a hill of them, and of course I feel the bites, but within a couple of hours, there are no marks on my skin at all. The bite of the ant injects a tiny bit of poison into the animal/person bitten. It is a protein. My body does not recognize this as a foreign protein and does not protect me from it, by sores, whelps, and the like, forming to wall off the poison. The opposite extreme is my now deceased mother-in-law. She lived in Florida and was taking a walk one day years ago, and fell into a ditch that had a very large mound of fire ants in it. She reacted to the bites so strongly, that she spent a month in the Intensive Care Unit, the family was called in 3 times due to the Physicians thinking she was about to die, but she made it. Her body recognized the foreign protein as a foreign body and went to work to protect her against it, and worked very hard. Which of us has/had a good immune system against fire ants? She did. Shar-Pei have an overly strong immune system, not a weak one. I am very specific in my “Puppy Sheet” which is now 6 pages long, about what we have learned in 20 years is good, or not good, for Shar-Pei. I cover all pesticides, vaccinations, food, and many other subjects. Let me be quite blunt here. There are 168 AKC breeds of dogs, and I have no idea how many breeds are approved by the UKC [United Kennel Club] and the various rare breed associations in the country, plus all the mixed breeds. Add the cats, purebred and mixed, add birds, reptiles, small mammals, that go to visit Vets. There is no way that any Vet can know all the peculiarities of a single breed, unless possibly the vet has had a number of this breed, and specializes in it. There are just too many large and small things to know about a breed. For example, most AKC judges don’t know that you approach a Shar-Pei from under the face, since due to the facial wrinkles, they often can’t see you if you approach them from the top. And each AKC judge has to be approved, do a certain number of judging assignments, and take both written and oral tests on each breed they are to be approved to judge. If they can’t remember that, how can a Vet, who sees many more types of animals, remember what seem like small, insignificant things about a breed? And for example, if the vet first approaches a Shar-Pei puppy from the top, the puppy cannot see him, he is speaking in a strange [to the puppy] voice, and possibly either picks up the puppy or sternly tells the owner to control the puppy, is that puppy, when he/she becomes grown, going to like going to the Vets? All of my dogs love to go to the Vets. Every single one. When I take a large, strong male, like Striker or Image, I will take a super-strong leash, put the leash on the dog in the crate, and/or park behind the vets, as they are on a main highway and those dogs could pull me so hard to get to the Vets’ front door, the leash would break. Now let’s talk about one thing on my “Puppy Sheet.” Let’s talk about the spot-on treatment for prevention of fleas. There are new varieties that are said to prevent or control heartworm, ticks, ear mites and other critters, but we will emphasize the flea spot-on treatments. The package implies that the spot-on treatments stay on the skin, and has no systemic effect. Then they go on to list side effects of: Excessive salivation [drooling,] seizures, nausea. The package insert says for people not to touch the product, not to let kids around the animal until it is completely dry, not to let kids sleep with the animal that night. And not to let another animal groom that animal. So we have a harmless product that stays on the skin, but somehow can cause seizures? The reason it is put on the skin between the shoulder blades is that no animal can lick itself in that area. And then the directions go on to say that after 2 days, the animal can swim or be bathed. What is happening in those two days, it dries that well but is still only on the skin? How come it doesn’t wash off with shampoo? Are you starting to see that this makes no sense at all? How dumb do they think we are? I have personally been in the ER Vets in the middle of the night when a couple brought in a Basset Hound who had started the excessive drooling as soon as the product was applied. The dog was staggering, so the owners feared a seizure complication was going to occur and brought the dog to the ER in the middle of the night. What did the vets there do? Wash the dog immediately and numerous times. I have a friend who had a middle-aged Shar-Pei male who she put this product on, and he had a seizure later that day. Her Vet said it was a coincidence. The next month and the next the same thing happened. 3 coincidences in a row? It would have only taken me one to say that’s too much of a coincidence for me. I also was to make a pick puppy several years ago. This means I get my choice of the litter, usually at 8 weeks, instead of the owner of the litter paying the stud fee. I went to the lady’s house, there were 6 puppies. I had been there the day they were born, I had been there when they were 3 weeks old to tack the eyes of one of them, and I went back at 8 weeks to take my pick. The obvious pick was the larger of two males, there were 4 girls. I had my eye on him the day he was born, and at 3 weeks. When I got there at 8 weeks, he had NO hair from the base of his neck to his waist and down to both elbows. The owner had used this product on the puppies. The chance was good that the hair would grow back, which in fact it did, but this toxin had such a reaction on him, what would be the repercussions on his future health? I took another puppy. I have spent probably 5 hours on the computer yesterday and today gathering information on this drug. The name of the ingredient is Fipronil. It did not dawn on me until this AM to look up the ingredient, instead of the product. You get much less biased information this way. The next few remarks are from this article: http://www.pesticide.org/fipronil.pdf Symptoms of exposure to fipronil include headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness, and sometimes eye irritation and eye injury. In pets, poisoning symptoms include irritation, lethargy, incoordination, and convulsions. In tests with laboratory animals, fipronil caused aggressive behavior, damaged kidneys, and “drastic alterations in thyroid function.” The fipronil-containing product Frontline caused changes in the levels of sex hormones. The offspring of laboratory animals exposed to fipronil during pregnancy were smaller than those of unexposed mothers. They also took longer to mature sexually. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies fipronil as a carcinogen because exposure to fipronil caused benign and malignant thyroid tumors in laboratory animals. People can be exposed to fipronil when they pet an animal that has received a flea treatment. Fipronil persists for at least 56 days on pets. Studies of fipronil contamination of water are limited, but it has been found in rivers near rice fields where it is used in Louisiana. It has also been found in an urban stream in Washington. Fipronil is toxic to birds, lizards, fish, crawfish, shrimp, bees, and other animals. Minute concentrations (as low as five parts per trillion) have caused adverse effects. and two cause eye injury. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pets treated with fipronil flea products have developed skin irritation, lethargy, incoordination, dilated pupils, facial swelling, and convulsions. While these symptoms are rare, certain animals(Bichon Frise dogs, for example) seem to be particularly sensitive to fipronil. Effects on Kidneys Fipronil exposure also caused kidney damage in tests of laboratory animals. The study mentioned above showed that fipronil exposure increased both the incidence and severity of damaged kidneys. The incidence of kidney damage increased at the two highest dose levels tested; the severity of damage increased at all dose levels tested. Effects on Hormones Hormones are chemical messengers that regulate all biological processes, including the reproductive system. Laboratory studies indicate that fipronil and commercial fipronil products disrupt the normal functions of two types of hormones: thyroid hormones and sex hormones. According to EPA, fipronil caused“dramatic alterations in thyroid function” in the study mentioned above (“Neurotoxicity in Laboratory Animals”). In this study, levels of thyroid stimulating hormone in rats fed fipronil were more than double those in unexposed rats. The increases occurred at the two highest dose levels tested. In addition, levels of thyroxine were“dramatically reduced” in rats fed fipronil. Thyroxine is a thyroid hormone that regulates the body’s metabolicrate. This decrease occurred at all dose levels tested. Scientists at the Universidade Federal do Paraná (Brazil) studied the effects on sex hormones of Frontline. Aggressive animals Increase in Aggressive Behavior Fipronil increases the incidence of aggressive behavior in laboratory animals. Source: U.S. EPA. 1994. Data evaluation report: Combined chronic toxicity/ carcinogenicity/rats (83-5). MRID No.429186-48. May 12, p. 11.0.02 15 Effects on Reproduction Frontline and fipronil also disrupt reproduction and development. In the study mentioned in the preceding paragraph, a single dose of Frontline approximately doubled the time between periods of estrus in female rats. (Estrus describes the time when a female is able to conceive; in many mammals this occurs in cycles. Higher doses of Frontline also reduced the number of female rats who were able to become pregnant following mating.] Studies conducted as part of fipronil’s registration process also documented effects on reproduction. Offspring of rats fed fipronil during pregnancy were smaller than offspring of unexposed rats. In addition, male offspring from exposed mothers took longer than offspring of unexposed mothers to mature sexually. These effects occurred at all but the lowest dose level tested. In another study, fipronil reduced litter size, fertility, and the survival of offspring. These effects occurred at the highest dose level tested. When pesticides are toxic to the nervous system, exposure during pregnancy might damage the developing nervous system of the unborn child. The first experiment mentioned in the preceding paragraph was designed to test for this kind of effect. It showed that the offspring of rats exposed to fipronil had smaller brains than the offspring of unexposed rats. In addition, the fipronil exposure caused a variety of behavioral changes. All of these effects occurred at the highest dose level tested. The article went on to state the damage done to such various animals as bees and shrimp. I have several reasons to write this article. One of course is to inform the reader of the dangers of spot-on flea treatments. Second is to mention that if we are able, with the number of dogs we have, going to shows, going to handling classes, walks, not to have fleas or ticks, and not to use ANY chemicals, it is possible for you too. Third is to ask that you not blindly accept anyone’s advice on anything. Do not believe a package insert. Do not believe a person or an office selling something. Do not believe me. Study up on everything. If you are reading this, you have a computer. I included the website for the best article I could find in about 5 hours. Read it, read contrasting opinions, decide for yourself. You have a brand-new Encyclopedia Britannica every morning. Do not give your dog, or use on your dog or yard, anything unless you check it out. Or yourself or your kids. Do you think a yard service is going to tell you that it has been proven that dogs get 70% more bladder cancers alone, due to lawn services? Of course not, they will tell you their products are natural or organic. Ask the ingredients, in writing. Look them up. Do your homework. And lastly, if you are buying a puppy from me, accept the fact that I spend just studying, as much time per week as most people spend on their paid jobs. And that’s not the care of the dogs I do also. If you buy a dog from me and get my Puppy Sheet, which very plainly tells all the things we believe are bad for Shar-Pei, and you or your Vet doubts anything on that sheet, send the dog back, or call me and ask me to explain and provide proof. When it says on my Puppy Sheet that I am to be notified of ANY problem, this means ANY problem when it happens and not later. I have an answering service that will call both Mike’s cell phone and mine if we are not home. If I happen to be outside, they will email me your message. Email it to me yourself. I am on email a lot more than I am on the phone. I believe it to be totally responsible and understandable that if someone does not follow my directions, does not question them, and just does what their Vet, their neighbor, their friends say to do, or what they have done before, I am not responsible. Because I will pull the entire Vet record of the dog and point out where the problem started. And I will have levels drawn of any vaccination, vitamin, or toxin I have warned to give or not give. I have spent 20 years studying the health of this breed alone. I know nothing of the peculiarities of any other breed. Most of my information is dog-specific, but not all. I can tell you where each bit came from, and you are free, or your vet is, to question me. Vets call me all the time, Vets refer buyers to me all the time, the AKC refers buyers to me all the time, as do past buyers who understand that I know what I am talking about. Many Vets call who are so relieved to find a breeder who knows what she is talking about and will discourage the client from demanding the every year shots. After the first 20 years hanging on the coat tails of a father who was nominated for the Nobel Prize 3 times, 48, 49, and 51, and is world renowned for his work on Oxygen Transport to the brain, was the first person ever to be able to look inside the body of a living person with a microscope due to his invention of the original way to bend light, the fused quartz rod. I take the health of this breed extremely seriously, it is my life’s work. If you want one of our puppies, this comes along with it. Susie |
|||||
|
|||||
| SHOW VERSUS HOME | April 16, 2008 |
||||
|
Two weekends ago we took 4 of our Andrew puppies, 4/5 of the litter born 9-11-07, to a show in Florida. You always want to start puppies at an outdoor show that resembles a park or large lawn. This makes it less scary for them. We took: “Shenanigans I See A Memory” [Vision] who is a redfawn male, looks a lot like Andrew, but at 6 l/2 months is somewhat leggy and not finished looking. “Shenanigans Precious Memory” [Precious] who is a redfawn female, a little short, very cute and bubbly. “Shenanigans Turn Back Time” [Cher] who is a redfawn female, a little plain, but very correct. “Shenanigans Unforgettable” [Nat] who is a black male, and very correct, including the perfect block head and gorgeous movement. But blacks don’t win anywhere near as much as redfawns. In Florida, Mike showed Vision and I showed Nat, both in the 6-9 month old male class. Vision won both days, shall we admit that Mike is a professional handler and I would just as soon never enter the ring! Then Mike took in Precious, I took in Cher, and both days I won with Cher but it seemed that both judges thought it would be nice if they gave me something. We had the only class dogs and bitches. Only the two of each sex, so each one that won, received one point. It takes 15 points to be a champion. There was a beautiful female champion who took Best of Breed each day. So the next weekend we went to a very big show in Harrisburg, Pa. We had the black male, Nat, and the plainer girl, Cher, in 6-9 puppy class, but the fawn male, Vision, and the cute fawn girl, Precious, in Bred By Exhibitor Class. This is a very prestigious class, no handler can show in these classes unless he/she not only bred the dog but also owns the dog. In 4 days of showing, there were enough dogs to make the wins 4 points [3 points is a major, of which each dog needs two under different judges to champion.] We were positively amazed; this is the best we have ever done at a show. In 4 days, there would be 4 “Winner’s Bitches” and 4 “Winner’s Dogs.” Nat, the black boy, won Winner’s Dog three times. The judges adored him, it was the movement and he is perfectly square standing, which is hard to get. Most Shar-Pei are slightly longer than they are tall. Vision, the redfawn male, won Winner’s Dog the one day Nat didn’t. Precious, the cuter female, won Winner’s Bitch one day. Cher, the plainer redfawn female, took 2nd and 3rd in her class. She is a little shy, although she goes along with whatever you want. She needs a little special attention before she shows. So Nat, my little black boy, went to the show with no points, and came home with 12 of the 15 he needs to be a champion. There is a problem with this though. If he finishes his championship too soon, then we have to enter him in Best of Breed about once a month to keep him in practice, even though he is far too young to win Breed often. He still looks very much “puppy.” Again, this is NOT a normal show. I am pretty sure it’s the best we have done since the Shar-Pei went AKC in 1992, and probably never to be repeated. Me being the perpetual “Mommy,” was worried the whole time about a litter we have here. There are 7 reds, including two bearcoats, the ones with the unusually long hair, that had gotten chilled before we left home. If puppies are not warm enough, you can lose them in a heartbeat. The mother, Autumn, has a very large face and dribbles water all over the puppies. If their body temperature gets below 98 degrees, their bodies start to go into shock, and the oxygen concentrates in the brain and heart, the two most important organs. The stomach, and digestion, are not considered that important compared to the brain and heart. Therefore any protein in the stomach is not digested, and the belly can “freeze” with nothing being digested and the stomach can even have areas die. The puppies get diarrhea, their blood sugar drops, they are too weak to nurse even if they warm up, and you have a mess on your hands. I had put them on Pedialyte and their temperatures had to be taken every 3 hours around the clock, and they had to take medicine for diarrhea and get IV fluids under the skin, until the temps were high enough for formula, and later to be let to nurse for short periods with the mother having no water in with the puppies. She comes into their area for 2 hours 3 X a day now, and back in her pen until the next time. 3 of the puppies pretty much are nursing enough, 4 we are feeding. And we still take their temperatures many times a day. We keep the room they are in, which is a utility room, at 85 degrees at all times. My kennel ladies are not used to having to set the clock to get up at 2 AM to feed puppies, I am VERY used to it! If we still had the motor home, I would have taken the litter with me. Every time the phone rang and I saw either our home number or the cell phone number of either kennel lady, I panicked. They might be calling to see how we did that day, I still panicked. I finally had to ask them not to call unless something bad happened, so I could relax! I have taken care of them since we got home Sunday night; it doesn’t bother me to get up at 2 and 6 AM to feed them, take their temps, etc. They are all fine now, eyes are mostly open, and they are gaining like crazy. Whew! Susie |
|||||
| |
|||||
 |
|
|
||||