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THE GERMAN SHEPHERD SENTINEL OCTOBER 2004 – NEWSLETTER OF THE GSDC OF GREATER RALEIGH Pat Embrey, Newsletter Editor1390 Sanders Road, Benson, NC 27504 PH: 919-934-6232, E-Mail: VonRillca@aol.com Website of the GSDC of GR: www.gsdcofgrraleigh.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS1. Board Policy on Dogs at Club Sponsored Events 2. October Meeting Information 3. September Minutes 4. Vaccination Newsflash 5. So You Want to Breed Your Dog 6. Flea Infestation 7. Visiting Snakes 8. Heart Diagnostics 9. Dealing with a Chewing, Mouthing, Biting, Nipping Puppy
BOARD POLICY ON DOGS AT CLUB SPONSORED EVENTS The GSDC of Greater Raleigh welcomes your German Shepherd at our events, including meetings. However, the following rules must be followed: 1. Anyone with an aggressive dog (one that growls, snaps, or is in any way aggressive towards other dogs or people) must be muzzled. 2. Dogs will be free of loose hair and external parasites (fleas or ticks). Please brush your dog prior to bringing it to the meeting as we must clean up the room after we are finished. For the safety of all members, guests and their dogs, it is strongly recommended that all dogs be kept up to date on their vaccinations. ALL dogs that are old enough, MUST have a current rabies shot. October 2004 Meeting Information
The next meeting of the GSDC of Greater Raleigh will be held on October 6, 2004, the first Wednesday of the month, at 7:00 PM for socialization and 7:30 PM for the meeting. This month we will be having further training on the Canine Good Citizen Test , with instruction given by Jane Wall, and a program on conformation training and grooming given by Mike and Lisa Zeeveld. We are also planning to have one of our professional handlers present at the meeting. Refreshments will be furnished by Sarah Bridges.
GSDC of Greater Raleigh Meeting Minutes September 1, 2004
Program: Jane Wall did an introduction to the Canine Good Citizen Test and distributed brochures explaining the 10 steps a dog has to pass to receive a certificate from the American Kennel Club. Those present were able to practice with their dogs two of the most difficult step, Accepting a Friendly Stranger and Supervised Separation. The club hopes to encourage all members to participate in the program and help their dogs get their certification.
Business Meeting: Chris Tew led the meeting in the absence of Deeda Duncan. Jane Wall talked about the Regional Club Challenge that the National Club has issued. Clubs will be able to compete for points between September 1, 2004 and August 31, 2005 for national recognition and she thinks it would be great for the Raleigh club to have an outstanding showing next year in time for the Nationals that will be held in North Carolina. Points are awarded based on all sorts of activities, from new members joining, to obedience trials, offering the Temperament Test, hosting a fun match, offering a CGC Test, member’s dog titles, etc. The first challenge Jane issued was for each of us who are members to invite someone to a meeting. She hopes we can hold a fun match before our spring show and a Temperament Test and Canine Good Citizen Test after the show. The club picnic has been rescheduled for Saturday, October 2 at 1pm at Schenk Forest off Reedy Creek Rd. There is a covered shelter there. Barbara Puccio has volunteered to organize the picnic and will be contacting members either by e-mail or phone. The club will provide chicken, drinks and paper products and members will be providing all the accessory foods like salads and desserts. Pat Embrey is working on the Christmas Party and has reserved a room at Chops restaurant off I-40 and 42. She is also still looking at motels in Smithfield for a suitable location for the spring show. A third reading was for Michael and Liza Zeeveld and a subsequent vote taken for them to be admitted into the club. Second reading was for Kathy Heckman and for Barbara Puccio.
Treasurer’s Report: In Sarah’s absence, Pat presented the monthly report.
Brags: Pat had two litters in August, one on the 20th with Lacy and JoBear having 5 pups, and one on the 28th with Disney and Ghostbuster having 6 pups.
- VACCINATION NEWSFLASH [CIMDA support] - RE; J DODDS VACCINE PROTOCOL
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Then you are probably the family dog.
- SO YOU WANT TO BREED YOUR DOG - by - Pat Embrey
Any of us who have had a litter of puppies, have had one of the puppy buyers say, “I want to have just one litter”, not saying, but thinking “to get my money back for the price of the puppy, and pay for his/or her Vet care, etc.” Of course, many of the buyers can’t understand why the puppies cost so much now, when you used to be able to get one for $50.00. They don’t realize the time, work, money, and heartbreak that goes into being a “breeder”.
I have been breeding for over thirty years, and every year I wonder why I do it. The answer is, I Love the Puppies and moms, and want to see people get really good pets, but Oh, the work. I can’t begin to say (and this is true of everyone I know who is a real breeder” ) how many nights I have spent out in the barn, basement or kitchen waiting for my puppies to be born. Of course mom has been acting ready for days, whining, panting, and wanting me right with her every minute. So finally the puppies start to be born, if you are lucky everything goes well and you have a litter box of lovely babies whom the mother adores. However, sometimes things don’t go well, and you have to rush to the Vet and have a C-Section and lose half the litter, or the mother won’t accept the puppies or doesn’t have any milk and you have to bottle feed the babies. Or you have a defective puppy that has to be euthanized for one reason or another. You have a puppy that doesn’t grow, or has a severe heart defect or a severe megaesophagus or one of myriad other reasons why it can’t live a normal life. Some of these defects don’t show up until the puppy is several weeks old, and you have grown to love the little guy, and have to make a very tough decision of life or death.
Now I have not mentioned the Veterinary fees. They have increased astronomically in the past few years, and many of the Vets don’t give you much of a break because you are a breeder.
But say you have raised your puppies to be eight weeks of age, and they have had their first series of shots and you now have these gorgeous babies ready to go to their new homes, BUT where are the buyers? You thought you had several sold, but it turns out the puppy buyer bought one from a backyard breeder that sold the puppies at a real bargain price . Of course, neither mother or daddy of the backyard breeder’s litter have had hip and elbow x-rays, the pups have not had their shots or been properly taken care of, but they were CHEAP. That was the main criteria for buying that pup, and all puppies are cute.
So now, you have your litter of puppies and they are eating like there was no tomorrow. They are in your backyard and growing and growing. They need more shots, another trip to the Vet. They develop diarrhea, is it Parvo, or Coccidiosis on one of the other things that can upset a puppy’s stomach. You now also have to worry about their ears, will they stand up? because even the biggest novice doesn’t want a German Shepherd with flop ears. Oh, Oh, the puppy has started limping. Is it something serious or is it Panosteitis?
You put an ad in the local paper, and now you get calls, day and night, but some of them just want to compare prices, and some say they will be out, and never show up. But most of them think you want too much for your puppies, even though by now you have a huge amount of money in this litter. A breeder is really lucky if they can break even and possibly pay for their expenses.
I had a couple come to my house several years ago, and told me they were going to retire and raise Chows for an income. I really laughed and started telling them about the cost of the kennels, the need for whelping rooms to keep the puppies clean and warm or cool depending on the time of the year, then the cost of raising a litter. A year later, I passed their house and noticed they had gone into the catering business. I guess they felt raising dogs was not as profitable as they had thought.
Obviously, those of us who are small breeders do it for one reason only, and that is for the love of the breed. The reason I say a “small breeder” is some of the breeders will own dozens of dogs and not care in the least what happens to the puppies, and I guess they might make a profit, but that is not for me. So, think twice or three times before you decide to raise a litter of puppies and make a profit, because it is unlikely.
FLEA INFESTATIONS
This is an article I picked up from the internet, and thought I would copy it verbatim.
“My neighbors are all having a terrible time with fleas. My dogs are on Brewer's Yeast and Garlic tablets and nary a flea! I have had to frontline them one time in the last 4 years. I quit using all the common yard sprays for fleas.........they have become immune to them. The Number ONE ingredient in ALL organic flea sprays in ascorbic acid. Vitamin C. Got to looking and Fruit Fresh that you put on fruit to keep it from turning dark....is straight ascorbic acid. , (You can also buy Vitamin C powder from the Health Food Stores). Put that in the garden sprayer........and we treat the yard several times in the summer......no fleas!!!!!!!!!!!! We are in the heart of Texas.....and this is flea country for sure......... I believe it is the combo that works........brewer;s yeast and garlic and the Fruit fresh. “
VISITING SNAKES
The best way to keep snakes from visiting your property is to clean up all brush and "habitat" type environment. Snakes like to hide under brush and wood, along with their prey, being rats, mice, rabbits, etc. Clear out the "habitat" and food source, and the snake moves on. Unfortunately this is the time of year snakes ARE on the move looking for a place to hibernate, so they are active. After we cleaned the yard out of all brush, wood and places to hide, etc, as extra precaution we did use Mr. T's Snake Away (available at Home Depot), not sure if it was really effective especially on copperheads. But, Haven't seen another one in months, KNOCK ON WOOD! Also have a friend who lives in the country that uses sulfur (ingredient in Snake Away). He buys it at the feed store and spreads it all around his property. Works for him!!!!
HEART DIAGNOSTICS
I was asked to write this article to try and clear up some confusion regarding how to interpret cardiac testing results. Many of you were sent a brochure in May, 1997 from the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) entitled: "OFA Congenital Heart Disease Registry: General Procedures". That reference, as well as others cited at the end, were used to construct this article. All veterinarians will have been schooled in auscultation, which in this context is listening to your dog’s heart with a stethescope. The vet is listening to the heart rate and rhythm, for any extra or unusual heart beats, and for the sound of murmurs or other abnormal sounds. In dogs, two heart sounds are normally heard. The first sound (known as S1) is associated with the closure of the atrioventricular (AV) valves, which separate the atria from the ventricles. The AV valve on the right side of the heart is known as the tricuspid valve, and the corresponding valve on the left side is called the mitral valve. The second sound (known as S2) is audible with the closure of the semilunar valves. The semilunar valves separate the right ventricle from the pulmonary artery (leading to the lungs) and the left ventricle from the aorta (taking blood back out to the rest of the body). These valves are designed to be one-way, and to force the blood to flow in only a single direction (forward) during n ormal cardiac function. Murmurs are described as gentle, blowing auscultatory sounds. They are caused by changes in the way blood flows through the heart and are by far the most common sign of heart disease. Mitral valve disease (MVD) is classified as an acquired heart disease. The definition of an acquired heart disease is one that is not present at birth, but instead develops gradually over time. Cavaliers have the highest rate of early onset MVD of all breeds. Many diseases affecting the mitral valve and its supporting structures result in partial backflow of blood through the valve (regurgitation). The most common primary disease of the mitral valve is valvular degeneration. In this disease, the leaflets or cusps comprising the valve contract and curl back on themselves, allowing the valve to leak. In mitral regurgitation, blood leaks back from the left ventricle into the left atrium. To accommodate for this increased quantity of blood, the left atrium enlarges. The left ventricle grows larger (hypertrophies) so that it may pump a larger quantity of blood to compensate for the leak. In primary mitral regurgitation, the amount of regurgitation correlates directly with the size of the left atrium and ventricle. Severe mitral regurgitation can produce a tremendous increase in left heart size together with varying degrees of congestive heart failure. When no heart murmur is heard, the dog is said to be clear on auscultation. If a heart murmur is heard, it is supposed to be graded as follows: · Grade 1 – a very soft murmur that can only be detected after very careful auscultation – the lowest intensity that can be heard · Grade 2 – a soft murmur that is readily evident (restricted to a localized area) · Grade 3 – a moderately intense murmur not associated with a palpable precordial thrill (vibration) – immediately audible when auscultation begins · Grade 4 – a loud murmur; a palpable precordial thrill is not present or is intermittent · Grade 5 – a loud cardiac murmur associated with a palpable precordial thrill; the murmur is not audible when the stethoscope is lifted from the chest wall · Grade 6 – a loud cardiac murmur associated with a palpable precordial thrill; the murmur is audible even when the stethoscope is lifted from the chest wall Still and all, the grading of a murmur is subjective, based on how it sounds to the listener. It is not that unusual for different clinicians to give the dog a different grading – maybe because of background noise, their level of training, etc. – but in the author’s experience, anyway, those differences are usually within one level – one person calls the dog a Grade 3, another a Grade 4, for example. Far more accurate measurements are available to us through the use of cardiac ultrasound, or echocardiology. The next section of this article is taken from "Echocardiology: the heart as never before" by W. Bradford Swift, DVM, Dog World, April, 1993, pages 121-126. In recent years, Doppler echocardiology has made it possible not only to see the structures of the heart, but also to obtain important information regarding the flow of blood through it. With the use of two different methods of Doppler echocardiology - color flow and spectral - it is possible to obtain a color-coded image of blood as it flows through the heart, including areas of abnormal turbulence. Then one can determine the blood flow velocity in specific areas of the heart to access the extent of the abnormality. According to Dr. Mark Kittleson, professor of medicine at the University of California at Davis, and a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, "With two-dimensional ultrasound, you can see the anatomy of the heart: the chambers, the valves moving, the relationship of them to each other. You can see lesions, holes between the chambers of the heart, abnormal valves, chambers that have enlarged." Such detail is not available by other diagnostic means. Conventional radiology is limited to outlining the heart, lungs and other structures of the chest cavity. Although changes in the shape and size of the heart can be discerned by X-ray, it is impossible to see the inner workings of the heart. Electrocardiograms measure the electrical output of the heart muscle. Although they can point to abnormalities of the heart’s size, shape and function, EKGs cannot give the detailed information of a cardiac ultrasound. Echocardiology uses ultrasonic sound waves, which are reflected off the structures being examined and can distinguish objects that are less than one millimeter apart. The reflected waves are then converted into a picture that can be viewed on a monitor, photographed or videotaped for future study. With conventional echocardiology, there are two techniques commonly used: M-mode and two-dimensional. The newest innovation, Doppler echo-cardiology, also has two different techniques: spectral and color flow. All four techniques give important information but in a different way. With two-dimensional echocardiology, the clinician gets a clear picture of the heart and can then accurately measure the sizes of the chambers of the heart as well as the thicknesses of the walls with M-mode echocardiology. Chamber size is important in diagnosing many heart conditions since the heart often enlarges one or more of its four chambers to compensate for an abnormality. Doppler echocardiology is used to measure blood flow in the heart. Color flow echocardiology gives the clinician a color display of the blood as it circulates through the heart. With this technique, blood flowing away from the measuring device is colored blue and blood moving toward the device is colored red. Also, the faster the blood is moving, the brighter the hues. Turbulent blood flow, which is an indication of heart disease, is often characterized by high-velocity blood flow with many different velocities and will show up as a mixture of various reds and blues. As with conventional echocardiology, Doppler echocardiology’s two techniques give different information. Spectral Doppler echocardiology gives very specific blood velocity measurements of isolated areas, while color-flow Doppler echocardiology gives an overall picture of blood flow. In most cases, the echocardiogram is performed with the dog fully awake. Before the ultrasound, the dog’s side may be shaved, although in many cases the only preparation needed is the application of the ultrasound gel to the chest. The animal is placed on his right side on a table which has areas cut out. The dog’s chest is placed over one of the areas so that the echocardiograph transducer can be applied between the ribs on the surface lying on the table. The transducer must be applied to the chest in an area where the heart is in contact with the chest wall. With the two-dimensional echocardiogram, the ultrasonic beam "slices" through the heart, resulting in two-dimensional pictures. Depending on what is found with the two-dimensional study, M-mode echocardiology may be employed to determine the sizes of the heart chambers. If the equipment has Doppler capability and blood flow data is needed, color flow Doppler is performed next. If hemodynamic irregularities are detected, more specific measurements may be made using the spectral Doppler technique. Since the mitral valve is easily visualized with echocardiology, this procedure is useful in diagnosing the condition as well as determining the severity of the damage. In September, 1996, veterinary cardiologists Dr. Michael O’Grady and Dr. Sandra Minors came to the Sunday brunch following the National CKCSCC specialty. A three-page handout composed by Dr. Minors was distributed at that session. It is worth repeating some of the points made in that handout. There is no apparent sex predilection for MVD. Both males and females are equally affected. Colour flow doppler is clearly superior to auscultation for the detection of mitral valve insufficiency and thus a better screening tool for discovering mild to moderate MVD (emphasis mine). A significant proportion of dogs screened as young as 1 year old (42%) were found to have detectable mitral valve insufficiency with colour flow Doppler. This percentage was doubled in dogs screened between the ages of 3-4 years. Thus young dogs that are cleared by auscultation alone, may not really be clear of MVD. Having made a great case for the use of colour flow Doppler to screen for mitral valve disease, its limitations should be clarified: Colour flow Doppler is a pictorial colour map superimposed on a 2-dimensional image of the heart that represents the velocity (speed) of blood flow. It is NOT a map of the volume (amount) of blood flow. Thus, mitral regurgitant jets seen on colour flow Doppler are pictorials of high velocity/turbulent blood flow. The size of the colour jet is influenced by a number of factors independent of the actual volume of regurgitant jet, the gain settings of the ultrasound machine, the compliance of the left atrium, the heart rate etc. The size of the colour flow Doppler jet is, therefore, only crudely quantitative, that is a rough estimate of the amount of regurgitation. Based on these limitations, colour flow Doppler should be used as a sensitive tool for the detection of mitral regurgitation, however, breeding practices should not be based on size of mitral regurgitant colour jet. For example, a dog with a "trivial" jet may have just as much or more regurgitation than a dog with a "mild" jet! When breeding a bitch, one does not ask, "how pregnant is she?’. The important question is, "Is she pregnant or not?". The quantitation of the volume of regurgitation has more importance for the individual dog, from a clinical perspective. From a breeding perspective, the presence of any mitral regurgitation in this breed must be considered significant at this time. While small or "trivial" mitral regurgitation may be considered inconsequential in other breeds, it would be dangerous to assume this is so in a breed that has more dogs affected and at a younger age than any other dog breed in the world.
DEALING WITH A CHEWING, MOUTHING, BITING, NIPPING PUPPY.
Biting and mouthing behavior in puppies can be a very frustrating time during puppy development. It is important to keep in mind this is a phase and will not last indefinitely. Our goal during this difficult time is to understand why the behavior exists and how to deal with it in an effective and positive way. Puppies bite and mouth for these reasons: · To determine social hierarchy in the group · To relieve discomfort from teething · Social play · Boredom · Exploration (of textures and taste) It is important to understand what is driving the behavior in order to develop a strategy to deal with it. While one method may be effective in one instance, the same method can elevate the nipping and biting in another instance. Knowing the temperament of the puppy is instrumental in knowing which tactic to use. The Dominant Puppy If you have a prey oriented or dominant puppy, you do not want to engage in activities that will bring out these qualities. In this case, we want to avoid quick moving gestures or engaging in power struggles as this would only elicit more mouthing behavior. The Shy Puppy The shy puppy will be in conflict between the desire to engage in social play and avoidance behavior. It is imperative to use positive and gentle interventions in this type of pup. The Social Puppy These will be the easiest to deal with. Social puppies are more likely to accept guidance and are less likely to challenge their owner. The Intervention First of all, it is imperative to have control of your puppy. He should be on a leash or at least have a leash attached and be allowed to drag it around the house. He should have plenty of toys to chew on, and it is best to have a favourite toy that you have control over. I like to use a rag and always have it in a pocket. When a puppy is unable to control his mouthing, I will offer him the rag to chew as I walk him to his crate for a time out. This is particularly beneficial for the dominant/aggressive puppy that is unable to calm himself or goes higher in drive. For the shy puppy, a time out in the crate is usually sufficient to get the point across. For the shy puppy the goal is to build confidence to avoid the possibility of later fear biting behavior. Puppies need lots of socialisation. They need to learn proper behavior in their interactions with humans and other animals. Lack of proper socialisation can lead to biting problems later in adulthood. Even if you don't have children, it is important to expose your puppy to kids so he learns how to behave. The same goes with other dogs, he need to learn how to interact with other dogs otherwise dog aggression can result. As in all training, the three cardinal rules are: consistency, consistency, consistency.
Mark Weston has been training dogs for 30 years. Mark has titled dogs in Obedience, Schutzhund, Ringsport and Tracking. He owns and trains German Shepherd Dogs.
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