March 12: PETA
As everyone who keeps up
with my blogs knows, I consider PETA the devil in
disquise.
At a recent dog show in
Belleville, IL. PETA terrorist put antifreeze in water
dishes when dogs were out being shown.
Handlers noticed as they returned the water was
"pink" in color and had an odd smell.
They went and wash bowls before letting dogs
drink. Now remember PETA standards for the
Ethical
Treatment of Animals... should say sick freaks.
It was announced over the
speaker for everyone not to leave their dogs
unattended, PETA was on the grounds.
Keep in mind, many owner
handlers do this as a family affair, what if a
mom or dad handed the family dog to their kid to
return to their crate. Kid did not notice the
odd water!
There is no stopping these
extreme people, we must be on guard at all times.
Recently in my town a dog
breeder is missing. When police investigated her
home they found many dogs starved, shot and burned.
At first hearing about this, I was thinking PETA has
gone over the edge, but then it sounded more and more
like a domestic situation. She is
still missing by the way. I have to admit it
made me nervous to be in my own home with my Poodles.
I want every person who is
a dog lover to know what kind of people make up PETA.
If you are just attending a
dog show to walk around with your pet, be extremely
careful. Do not let you dog out of your sight.
February 12: New Rabies Laws
Things
are beginning to change in some States with new Rabies
laws. I received the latest info
from DogPressNews:
West
Virginia Rabies Law -- House Bill 4407
HB 4407
http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Text_HTML/2010_SESSIONS/RS/Bills/hb4407%20intr.htm has
been introduced in the West Virginia House Agriculture
Committee by Delegates Guthrie, Butcher, and Maypenny.
This bill would change the current 2 year rabies
booster requirement for dogs and cats to the 3 year
national standard and includes a medical exemption
clause for sick animals.
Rhode
Island Rabies Regulations
The Rhode
Island Rabies Control Board meets February
22 at 9:30 a.m. Room 370, Division of
Agriculture, 235 Promenade Street, Providence-- New 3
year rabies regulations approved at the April 2009
meeting are to be discussed.
http://sos.ri.gov/documents/publicinfo/omdocs/notices/13/2010/84585.pdf
Concerned pet owners should make every effort to
attend this meeting and ask their friends to do the
same.
If you
cannot attend the meeting, but want to voice your
opinion, please contact the Chair of the Board, RI
State Veterinarian, Dr. Scott Marshall at
scott.marshall@dem.ri.gov phone:
(401) 222-2781 and ask
that the regulatory change to the 3 year protocol be
made effective as soon as possible.
=====================================================================================
Jefferson
City, Missouri Rabies Law-- Action Alert
On
behalf of The Rabies Challenge Fund
www.RabiesChallengeFund.org
and pet owners in Jefferson City, Missouri, I have
sent the letter in an effort to change
the city's annual rabies
booster requirement to the national 3 year
standard.
=====================================================================================
There will be a Pet
Vaccine Seminar given by Drs. Jean
Dodds, and Ronald Schultz on
March 28th in San Diego. I urge all pet owners
to attend this seminar given by World renowned
vaccine research scientists. They are
working hard to change the laws to help OUR
pets.
http://www.petseminar.org/
January 26:
Very Important Info
I received this flyer in
with a dog show preminer list. I have often
wondered and been confused about the Humane Society,
and the Humane Society of the United States, are they
the same ?
This flyer has answered
this question for me, and hopefully will inform many
out there.
THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE
UNITED STATES (AKC "HSUS') or "THE HUMANE
SOCIETY IS NOT
A HUMANE SOCIETY !!!!!
1- They do not own or
operate ONE pet shelter in the country.
2They do NO hands -on pet
care of their own
3-They are in NO way a
national "overseer" of the local shelters
that actually do all the hands-on work.
4-Donations do not
systematically "trickle down" to
local shelters.
5-Donations are sent in
response to misleading ads that use heartwrenching
music , photos, and bogus statistics, to help
"save the animals."
Approximately 95 % of their millions in donations are
used for six figure salaries, advertising
("education") and LOBBYING against "all
animal use."
THERE IS NO NATIONAL
"WELFARE ORGANIZATION" THAT SENDS MONEY DOWN
TO THE TRENCHES !
DONATE TO LOCAL
NON-KILL SHELTERS, NOT "NATIONAL " FRAUDS
How are donations to HSUS Really used?
Video, in their own words: http://tinyurl.com/HSUSReality
http://tinyurl.com /HSUS-GRAVY-TRAIN;
HTTP://WWW.SAOVA.ORG:
HTTP:/www.adoa.org;
http:www.exposeanimalrights.com
ANOTHER FRAUD: PETA
People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals "ethically"
euthanizes approx 95% of the animals turned in to them
(This is public record,
Virginia Beach, VA)
When you donate money to
help animals, please know who is getting the money and
where it is going for WHAT !
January 22: AKC and Puppy Mills
As some know, I receive DOG PRESS NEWS. I love
getting this by email, it is chocked full new from the
dog world. I think it is great to keep up with
with the dog world, so they can't sneak something past
us.
This was in the latest one
I received:
"AKC
upholds and seeks Puppy Mills, says show breeders
can't supply enough purebred dogs, and puppy
mills perform a public service. Newspaper ads
reveal truth of the purebred dog breeding business.
Cheryl
Andrews fatdogart@charter.net
/ ©
TheDogPlace.org
-
I
just read an article suggesting that AKC accepts the
huge puppy mills (Hunte Corp, et al) as necessary
because they aren’t doing any harm, in fact they are
actually providing a vital service to the public
because the “show breeders” who raise two or three
litters a year simply can not supply the demand from
the general public for purebred dogs. Is this true? It
certainly sounds like a reasonable argument, after
all, no one knows better than AKC how many purebred
dogs are bought and sold each year."
It seems as if PETA
people and AKC want to have huge breeding farms, where
dogs are produced in numbers for the pet buying
public.
AKC started down a road of
inspection of breeders, facility and records (which
is good,) if you did not let their inspectors in or
see your records you lost AKC privileges. Many
breeders started up CKC registration to avoid AKC.
There are no rules with CKC.
AKC also labeled breeders,
from high volume or someone who just produced a litter
or two a year. High volume meant something
like 10 litters a year. THINK NOW, IF YOU HAVE
ON A VERY SMALL BREED, THAT IS NOT MANY PUPPIES A
YEAR!!! Well that back fired, breeders
,became so terrified to be labeled, most have really
cut back. Remember
folks all rolls down hill, then there
were not enough puppies to offer the pet buying
public. Many buyers had to resort to CKC
registered dogs or pet shop dogs, good reputable
breeders just could not supply the demand.
Now I ask you, do you want
a puppy from an individual loving, caring, breeder who
knows their breed, does their health testing,
has puppies checked by Vets , and gives puppies
lots of attention, OR do you want puppy mill
raised puppies ????????
Things are changing and
good reputable breeders are scared to death to admit
how many litters they have a year. Most are only
having 2 and feel they are doing the right thing.
Did you know, many shelters
import dogs from other countries to offer at the
shelters? Many of the dogs at the shelters
are NOT pure-bred dogs, but from mills in the US and
from other countries.
I am listing the article
for those to read. newsdesk@HEADlines.TheDogPress.com
I am not going to run from
what I do and do well. I love my Poodles and God knows
I care for them, it has been my life for over 30
years. I receive many letters from buyers and former
buyers telling me what a good job I do. I will
not run from AKC, they are welcome ! I have all
puppies checked by my Vet. I feed top quality food,
give vaccinations and worming on time. I am
proud of the companion Poodles my buyers receive.
I am never ashamed for a buyer to walk a South Paws'
Poodle down the street.
I do not want it to come to
buying from huge breeding farms and will fight this
till my last breath !
December 29: Changes Successful with Rabies
Vaccine
As
reported before Dr. Dodd's has been working hard to
have states change requirements for Rabies.
She
has had success in these states, working on more
states, changes will come.
Successful
efforts by The Rabies Challenge Fund leading to
changes in state rabies laws/municipal ordinances to
the 3 year national standard:
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Wichita, Kansas
States of Alabama, Arkansas, Maine, and Rhode
Island
Once
again I remind you, we are doing harm to our pets by
over vaccinating.
December 24:
A
case of Swine Flu in a Dog Reported
New
York, Dec 23 (THAINDIAN NEWS) In a surprise
development the world’s first known swine
flu dog case has been reported in New York.
This has stunned the medical professionals worldwide,
as they have no clues about how the dog caught the
swine flu – i.e. the H1N1 virus.
All
the medical authorities are trying to figure out how
the dog caught the H1N1 virus. The owner of the dog
had the virus, so it seems likely that the dog caught
the virus from him, but this is still baffling the
medical authorities because they can’t figure out
how the virus can be transmitted from a man to a dog.
However,
a 13-year-old male dog in New York has apparently
contracted swine flu from his owner. And while both of
them are recovering from the swine flu, the science
community is scrambling to reassure pet owners that
such cases are rare, reports the startribune.com.
The
dog, who began experiencing breathing problems, was
taken to a Bedford Hills, NY veterinary clinic on Dec.
13, reports the paper. The doctor, who knew that the
owner had swine flu, decided to have the dog tested
for the virus.
According
to the ASPCA website, there is an extremely low risk
of cross-infection between humans and their cats and
dogs, although they do offer guidance for pigs and
other swine farm animals.
Read more here.
December 10: A POODLE
FOR YOUR FAMILY
Poodles are very
intelligent, clean, loyal, non-shedding, love kids,
love all members of the family.
There are three sizes of
Poodles, Toys are the smallest( 5 to 8 pounds,)
Miniatures (12 to 18 pounds,) and the big guys and the
original breed (Standards.)
I fell in love with
Standard Poodles many years ago. I have had
several in my home. They are so smart, very
attentive, loving, a concerned watch dog, and a
play pal to kids. I adore a Standard
Poodle, there is nothing that compares to their
beauty. They have such soft sweet eyes, faces
that can make you melt. The down side is
they are a large dog, requiring more exercise, and
higher cost to groom, which needs to be done monthly.
Consider this when thinking of buying a Standard
Poodle.
The Miniature Poodle is
considered to be a medium size dog. My girls go
about 13 to 14 inches at the shoulder blades and
anywhere from 13 to 16 pounds. My boys are
14 to 15 inches at the shoulders, and are 15 to 19
pounds. Some boys can have more body and bone.
Miniature Poodles can be
confusing for the buying public. AKC
Standard reads over 10 inches is considered a
Miniature poodle. I beg to disagree with them.
Some breeders sell "over size toys, " as
Miniature poodles. The over size toy does not
compare to a TRUE Miniature poodle. Breeders
often get over size toys in litters, because the
original breed were the big guys, Standard Poodles.
An over size toy, does not have the bone, body,
substance or the personality of a true Miniature
Poodle.
I find Miniature to ideal
for most families. They are very playful,
sort of into everything (browns are more so,) and
crazy about kids. They are loving toward the
entire family. They must be a
member of the family. Great bed buddies
and take very little space in the bed.
Toy Poodles are certainly
the darlings of the breed, but they are not for
everyone. I will not place a toy with a
family that has young children, under 8.
Now it is the kids, it is the dog. They hate
sudden quick noises, and your feet look huge to them.
Often they will snap at kids, because they are
frightened of kids. If you are buying a
family pet please consider a Miniature or a Standard.
Toys are great in quiet households of retired adults.
If you are thinking having
a pet join your family, consider a Poodle, but buy the
correct size for your family. If you get
one and it does not work out within the first week or
two, be sure to return the puppy to the breeder.
Enjoy your Poodle, it is a
very long lived breed.
December 3: It's a Dog-Eat-Dog World
As I have reported in the past, I
receive an on line news letter, THEDOGPRESS.
I love this news letter, it is full of dog news good
and the bad. Today I am going to report on an article titled,
"DOG EATS DOG." Just the titled
intrigued me.
A brave lady and breeder of beautiful Toy Fox
Terriers, B.J. Andrews investigated the report
that dogs killed at animal shelters or "put to
sleep" by Vets were being processed at a plant in
ILL and used in dog food. She had firm
info and convinced a TV station to reveal the true
story. Now that takes guts on her part, and a
huge chance on the TV station's part, KMOV channel 4.
Large sums are paid to the networks by dog food
companies for commercial time.
What is "meal and bone meal ? " it
seems animals or people's pets put to sleep with
Pentobarbital is found in this processed meat, which
is turn is sent to dog food companies. Your
dog could be eating dogs, and ingesting this deadly
drug. What make matters worst, the FDA knows it,
but will not take this processed meat off the
market and they will not reveal what companies or
foods contain the lethal drug.
There you go folks ! I was shocked to read
this, we all like to think "NOT HERE IN
AMERICA." We are not a third world country
with high numbers of starving people !
Now the FDA is saying they will release the info in
Jan. It certainly makes one wonder what the FDA
would do if this deadly drug was found in our human
food ???
If you have lost a dog or have an ill dog under
mysterious circumstances maybe you should ask yourself
"what if ?"
TheDogPres is reporting an update: Lawsuit filled
May 2007, details at TheDogPress.com
After reading this and be knocked
for a loop, I am asking myself, " what makes me
think a dog food company can feed my dogs better than
myself ?" I have never been a big advocate
of the BARF diet or known as the raw food diet, but it
sure makes me reconsider.
November 24: Hips and Knees
I receive Dog Press News
and was very interested in reading this article
about Hips, Knees, and Environment of our dogs.
The article is very
informative and things I had not thought about before.
One thing really pinged at
me, development of bowed front legs in puppies.
I feed a high quality food and I had hamburger
meat or chicken to it. I have two female puppies
at 5 weeks start with bowed front legs.
Now it was not so severe they looked like they had
just stepped off a horse, but I noticed it right away.
I went to the Vet. He told me to switch
foods or feed Adult food. The food was causing
this . I had never had this before, and wondered why
now ? I did as he told me and within
one week the bones were much better.
The article is too long to
include here, but I am going give you the URL to
find it. Another thing the article
discusses is slipping knee caps, big problem in toy
breeds.
http://www.thedogplace.org/Articles/DogCare/Knees-Hips-Environment_Andrews-0911.asp
November 13: Click To Feed Animals
Every day I click on a web
site to give an animal a bowl of food. I realized I
could share this info with my readers and help more animals
every day. There are so many animals needing
help, in these difficult times, they are always
on the short end. Please click daily and feed an
animal. It is very easy and takes only a
second. Every day there are photos and great stories
about adopted animals.
TheAnimalRescueSite.com
November 10: Yearly Vaccines
Just recently I was asked by a buyer about
yearly vaccines. I have written a blog on this
subject and provided Dr. Jean Dodds radio interview. I
am adding an article by Dr. Karen Becker, DVM, please
read what she has to say about yearly vaccines.
The Truth & History About Pet
Vaccines
Vaccinate Your Pet Less For A Healthier Pet
You’ve undoubtedly seen them in your mailbox. Cute little
reminder cards from your vet that it’s time for
Beauregard’s annual vaccinations. But after looking
a bit closer at the risks and benefits of these
vaccines, you might want to “paws” before making
that appointment.
Could these vaccines not only be unnecessary,
but actually harmful to your pet’s health?
Absolutely.
We over-vaccinate our children -- but at least
we eventually stop after puberty. But with our pets,
we continue vaccine boosters until they are well into
their senior years.
As adults, we don’t assault ourselves with
annual boosters, and we certainly wouldn’t do this
to our elderly family members. So why do we inflict
this upon our pets, regardless of their immune status
or age, when common sense would tell us those vaccines
should last longer than a year?
Additionally, there are no adjustments in dose
for size or age of your animal. Your five-pound
Miniature Pinscher receives the same size vaccine as
your 150-pound Rottweiler. Your 10-pound house cat
gets the same amount as a 400-pound lion.
All of these vaccines are overwhelming your
pet’s immune system. Vaccine reactions are at an
all-time high. More pets are dying from over
vaccination then ever.
A study of more than 2,000 cats and dogs in
the
United Kingdom
by Canine Health Concern showed a 1 in 10 risk of
adverse reactions from vaccines.
This contradicts what the vaccine
manufacturers report for rates of adverse reactions,
which is “less than 15 adverse reactions in 100,000
animals vaccinated” (0.015 percent). But the
manufacturers have a reason to lie as vaccinations are
for profit.
Additionally, adverse reactions of small
breeds are 10 times higher than large breeds
suggesting standard vaccine doses are too high for
smaller animals.
A few bold veterinarians have paved the way
for ending over-vaccination, but the research is
sparse and the opposition is great, just as with the
human vaccine industry -- and for similar reasons.
In
this article I will be addressing three main points:
1. There is no scientific evidence that annual
vaccines are necessary, and in fact once animals
achieve immunity from their initial vaccines, they
appear to have immunity that lasts for many years, and
often for life, without boosters. Most pet vaccines
will protect your pet for a lifetime.
2. There is growing alarm that
over-vaccination appears to be causing a multitude of
serious medical problems, particularly with the immune
system, including allergies, seizures, anemia and
cancer.
3. Vaccines are a very profitable part of
veterinary care -- in fact, some vet practices are
built around them. Long-term studies of animal
immunity would require a substantial outlay of money
-- the kind of money that only the drug companies
have,
and Big Pharma is much more interested in
selling more vaccines than challenging the need for
them.
How Current
Vaccine Schedules Were Determined
The current recommendation from many
veterinarians is for dogs is to receive rabies,
parvovirus, distemper, adenovirus, parainfluenza,
leptospirosis, coronavirus, hepatitis, lyme (borelia),
and annually, bortadella (kennel cough) sometimes
being recommended every 6 months. (Very bad for your
pet - get these vaccines once, then they are no longer
needed)
Cats are advised to have rabies, feline
leukemia (FeLV), distemper (panluekopenia),
rhinotracheitis, and calcivirus annually--and
depending on risk, chlamydia, feline infectious
peritonitis (FIP), and ringworm can be added. (Again,
get these vaccines one time, then no more are needed
for the lifetime of your cat)
Many vets advise both puppies and kittens get
their “core vaccines” at ages 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 10
weeks, 12 weeks, 14 weeks, and 16 weeks. Then, they
get boosters at one year, and annually thereafter.
All of these shots add up to a tremendous
vaccine load over your pet’s lifetime!
How did these recommendations for annual
vaccines come about?
One of the veterinary pioneers, Dr. W. Jean
Dodds, president of the nonprofit animal version of
the Red Cross called Hemopet, reported that the
recommendations for annual vaccines were just that --
recommendations. They were not based on any scientific
evidence.
The recommendations for annual vaccination
were put forth jointly by the United States Department
of Agriculture and the drug companies, more than
twenty years ago. And veterinary medicine has
continued to do it that way because, well, that’s
the way it’s always been done.
And it’s a good deal for them financially.
So far, protests to annual vaccines have been mild.
Now the USDA puts the annual vaccination
recommendation right on the product label.
Veterinary
Vaccines are Big Money for Many Vets -- and Even
Bigger Money for Big Pharma
Without some driving force for change, there
is no motivation for the industry to change the most
lucrative part of its practice.
Many vets cling to annual vaccine schedules
because of economic dependence more than maintaining a
“cautious” standard of care. This is particularly
true for the typical small vet practices (1-3 people,
non-specialty, non-emergency practices).
Consider this ...
One dose of rabies vaccine costs the vet about
61 cents. The client is typically charged between $15
and $38, plus a $35 office visit. The markup on the
vaccine alone is 2,400 percent to 6,200 percent -- a
markup equivalent to charging $217 for a loaf of
bread.
According to one estimate, removing the
one-year rabies vaccination and consequential office
visit for dogs alone would decrease the average small
vet’s income from $87,000 to $25,000 -- and this
doesn’t include cats or other vaccinations.
According to James Schwartz, author of
“Trust Me, I’m Not a Veterinarian”, 63 percent
of canine and 70 percent of feline vet office visits
are for vaccinations.
Clearly, radically changing the vaccine
schedule for dogs and cats would result in a huge
economic loss for any veterinary practice that is
built around shots.
And chances are, the vaccines you are paying
so much for are creating even more income for vets
because the adverse reactions and other medical issues
caused by the vaccines keep Fluffy coming back often!
The profits for vets pale in comparison to the
profits being enjoyed by vaccine manufacturers.
Veterinary vaccine sales amounted to more than $3.2
million in 2004 and have risen 7 percent per year
since 2000. This figure is projected to exceed $4
billion in 2009.
Six companies account for more than 70 percent
of world veterinary vaccine sales. The market leader
is Intervet with sales of almost $600 million in 2004.
That’s a whole lot of 61-cent vaccines.
The
United States
has by far the largest share of the national market
with revenues of $935 million, and
Japan
comes in second with $236 million.
Medical
Risks Outweigh Benefits
In 1991, an unfortunate observation led many
vets to begin rethinking the vaccine protocol. A lab
at the
University
of
Pennsylvania
noted a connection between a troubling increase in
sarcomas (a type of cancerous tumor) and vaccinations
in cats. Mandatory annual rabies vaccinations were
leading to an inflammatory reaction under the skin
which later turned malignant.
At about the same time, researchers at
University
of
California
at
Davis
confirmed that feline leukemia vaccines were also
leading to sarcomas, even more than the rabies
vaccine. Further investigations led to alarming
statistics: vaccine-induced sarcomas were estimated to
be one cat in 1,000, or up to 22,000 new cases of
sarcoma per year.
It wasn’t long before veterinary
professionals began to suspect vaccination as a risk
factor in other serious autoimmune diseases. Vaccines
were causing the animals’ immune system to turn
against their own tissues, resulting in potentially
fatal diseases such as autoimmune hemolytic anemia in
dogs (AIHA). Delayed vaccine reactions were also the
cause of thyroid disease, allergies, arthritis,
tumors, cancers and seizures in both cats and dogs.
These findings led to a 1995 article in the
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
that concluded:
“There
is little scientific documentation that backs up label
claims for annual administration of most vaccines.”
And then there’s the issue of adjuvants.
Thimerosal, mercury, and aluminum-based
adjuvants are still being allowed in veterinary
vaccines. So your pet is being exposed to potential
antigens that could abnormally stimulate his immune
system, but last a lifetime and cause chronic disease.
The less of this, the better.
Is
Non-Vaccination a Greater Danger?
Giving your dog or cat a vaccine when it is
already immune does not give any additional immunity,
and it creates an unnecessary risk to your animal.
Evidence suggests that, like humans, dogs and
cats could be vaccinated with certain vaccines early
in life and be protected for a lifetime. With the
exception of rabies, the core vaccines probably last
at least seven years and should not be given more
often than every three years.
In one study, the antibody levels of more than
1,400 healthy dogs of all ages were measured for parvo
and distemper. Nearly all the dogs were immune (95-98
percent) suggesting that annual re-vaccination may not
be necessary. Many of the non-core vaccines are
bactrins, vaccines created to treat non-viral
infections (Lyme disease and Chlamydia, for example)
and may have a shorter duration; about one year. But
not all animals are at risk of exposure, and the
vaccines have proven to be significantly more reactive
to the immune system, so assessing risk versus benefit
is very important before considering these very
reactive vaccines.
Researchers say there has been no increase in
disease rates among dogs who have gone to vaccines
every three years. And there is ample evidence that
the dangers of repeated vaccinations are real.
A study published by Purdue in 2005 found
correlations between vaccine reactions in dogs and
variables such as age, size, and number of vaccines
given. The study found:
* Smaller dogs are more prone to vaccine
reactions than larger dogs
* Risk of reactions increased by 27 percent
for each additional vaccine given per office visit in
dogs under 22 pounds, and by 12 percent in dogs over
22 pounds
* Risk increased for dogs up to 2 years old,
then declined with age
* Risk increased for pregnant dogs and dogs in
heat
* More reactions were found in small dogs
given Leptospirosis vaccine
As in humans, one of the reasons why dogs and
cats need vaccine protection at all is that they
aren’t eating an ideal diet. The better your pet’s
nutrition, the healthier his immune system will be,
and better able to fend off pathogens.
My Vaccine
Recommendations
1. Wellness
visits are important for other reasons than vaccines,
such as checking for heartworm and tumors and
assessing general health status. I do recommend
continuing these checkups every six months, although I
do not recommend annual vaccines.
2.
Rabies vaccines are required by law. There are
approved 1 and 3 year rabies vaccines. They are the
same product. Please ask for the 3-year vaccine, if
you opt to vaccinate your pet against rabies. I also
recommend you consider finding a holistic vet who will
provide you with the homeopathic rabies vaccine detox
called Lyssin.
3.
Ask for a Vaccine Titer Test: this is a how you
can determine if your pet has adequate immunological
protection from previously administered vaccines
(puppy or kitten shots). Antibody levels can be
measured from a blood draw, in place of
re-vaccination. The type of titer that best assesses
immune system’s response to vaccinesis called IFA,
or indirect immunofluorescent antibody.
Please discuss with your vet the risks versus benefits
of the diseases you are considering vaccinating for,
before you automatically assume additional vaccines
are necessary.
4. Indoor
housecats should not be vaccinated annually,
especially if they never go outside or have access to
other cats (potentially exposing them to infectious
disease). I believe over-vaccination is one of the
main reasons the general health of our feline patients
is deteriorating.
5.
Do not vaccinate your dog or cat if it has had
a serious life-threatening vaccine reaction. Do not
vaccinate pets older then 8 years old.
6.
Do not patronize any boarding facility, groomer,
training facility or veterinarian that requires you to
vaccinate your pet more than necessary.
The decision by some vets to come forward with the
truth about pet vaccines is a positive step toward
changing our animal health care system. Veterinary
vaccines are one more unfortunate example of the
corporate greed that permeates the pharmaceutical
industry.
November 6: BE AWARE !
I was shocked to learn
about the US coin can kill a dog. It seems
pennies made in 1982 can kill. I had never heard
or read of his with pennies minted in 1982. If
they can kill a dog, I wondered about small kids ?
As we know toddlers put everything in their mouth.
I wish this info was common knowledge.
"Pennies minted
after 1982 contain a zinc core surrounded by copper
and are the only U.S. coins in circulation that pose a
toxicity hazard to pets. Unfortunately, these toxic,
late-model pennies are commonly ingested by our furry
friends. The stomach provides an exceptionally acidic
environment and aids in the rapid distribution of zinc
into the blood stream, which can cause
life-threatening anemia and kidney failure."
Information
taken from the ASPCA National News Alert.
October 13: YEAH GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER!!
As you may know, dog lovers, breeders, exhibitors and
AKC have had a huge fight on their hands with HSUS and
PETA. Remember these are the organizations
who want to end dog ownership and anything else
related to dogs. They want the breeding of dogs
controlled by the Government in huge dog
farms.....tell me how can that be good ???????
Well one check for us !
Governor Schwarzenegger defeated the bills by the
animal rights extremists. These people
want to make criminals out of pet owners, now that is
you and me!
With the help of PetPac
California Federation of Dog Clubs, and We The People
Pets, these bills were explained to Gov Schwarzenegger
and he voted them down! YEAH !
Pet owners called, faxed,
from thousands of pet lovers across the Nation, our
voice was heard.
It is a hard road to defeat
these extreme people, they are backed by tons of
Hollywood money. I am sure the
Hollywood people think they are saving animals, but
remember all the dead ones that were found in
dumpsters taken from animal shelters in the false
pretense to find them homes, yet PETA killed them and
dumped the bodies.
No one wants animals
mistreated, we all want to put an end to any homeless
animal and prosecute those who abuse them, but PETA
and HSUS are NOT THE ANSWER !
If you want to read the story & others of pet
ownership go the this URL: http://petpac.net/action/chairmancolumn/we_cannot_lose_the_rights_to_pet_ownership/
These two URLs about PETA
and their long time involvement is euthanizing animals
they are suppose to be finding homes for.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/134549
PETA kills 95% without
finding homes!
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/pressrelease_detail.cfm/release/258
October 6: Trained Poodles Video
For those of you unfamiliar
with our very talented Standard Poodles please check
out the youtube video. I sat and watch this with
amazement and joy. I kept asking myself,
"how do they train them to do that?"
Our Standards are so
bright, so very eager to please, and are very fast
learners. My white standard girl,
"Chris," went through basic obedience puppy
and adult classes some years back. Still to this
day if I tell her to "sit," she does right
at my left side. She finishes by going
around me and sitting at my left side, she also goes
down on command. She has never forgotten any of
it.
Watch this great video, I
hope you enjoy it as much as I did !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2JvHqC7Cew
September 20:
Service Dogs and Therapy Dogs
I thought I would take a
blog to explain the difference is Service Dogs and
Therapy Dogs.
A Service dog assists a
person or owner. These are the dogs that
can open a fridge, pick up a dropped book, open a
door, pick up a pencil and even detect when a person
is about to have a seizure. They know and
can alert the person to the coming seizure,
guiding them to sit down or lie down ahead of time.
Service dogs are also used for the eye sight impaired
folks. Helping them through crowded
streets and stopping before crossing roads.
Service dogs are allowed to accompany an owner
anywhere at any time, it is the law.
Therapy dogs are used for
visiting tin nursing homes, schools, adult day
cares, and in hospice care. It may make a
huge difference in a person's life to just see, touch
and feel a dog again. The Therapy dogs must have
manners, no jumping, no high energy, must be friendly,
no barking, or licking of people. They must be
steady around wheelchairs and people confined to beds.
They only put their front legs up on the bed when they
are invited to do so. It means so
much to some to just see a dog again. Imagine an
older person who has had dogs in their lives forever,
now old age has determined they can not live alone.
How much they must miss things from their younger
years.
Therapy dogs are invited to
different facilities to visit and bring joy to people
having to stay at many different facilities.
All have heard petting,
touching, and talking with a dog could reduced a
person's blood pressure. It also gets those
arms, legs, and their brain moving.
They are finding out it can
also help with attention and memory problems with
Alzheimer's patients and associative disorders with
psychiatric patients. Dogs help a
patients become more active and responsive.
Standard poodles are
excellent candidates for service work and therapy
work. They are so very smart, easy
to train, and so willing to please a human.
I also think some miniatures would be good at therapy
work.
I truly believe we have for
many many years wasted dogs in our world. Now we
know they can be trained for so many things.
Finally, man has gotten smart and realized God gave us
a very special gift when he gave us dogs on earth.
They can be trained to smell cancer, smell termites,
smell diamond and other gems in minds. They are
use to look for lost people and for dead people.
This was proven in our own 9/ 11, a day from hell for
most of those caught in the twin towers collapse.
I think we have only seen
the tip of the iceberg with dogs and what they can do
for us.
Here we have family that
believes dogs have no souls, therefore they just die,
no soul going to heaven. My side of the family
believes they are God's creatures and they do go to
heaven. Frankly, if there are no dogs in
heaven, I don't want to go there. I can't
imagine not having dogs at any time in my life.
or after my life.
I use to handle all my own show dogs at dog shows, I asked God
when it came time for me to go, please let
me go running around the ring with my dog doing what I
love. Now, do not show my own dogs, so I
have asked him to let me go with a sweet
poodle on the grooming table, a brush in my hand and a
blow dryer blowing in my year. Either that
way or walking around the yard with a pooper scooper
in my hands ! Hope
I don't
fall face first !!
September 11:
Pets and cancer
According to the latest
ASPCA newsletter, 50 % of Elderly dogs are at Risk for
Cancer.
We only think of Cancer as
a big risk to humans, but it also a big risk to older
dogs. The estimate is 50 to 75 percent of older
dogs will develop cancer.
The numbers are higher,
because we have made such improvements in health care
for out pets, such as vaccines and wormings.
Dogs are living longer, therefore, the cancer is
developing in older dogs.
We can not prevent animals,
or humans for that matter, to develop cancer,
but there are some things we can do to greatly
diminish the chances in our animal companions.
Spay and neuter pets before
they have their first heat cycle. This along
significantly reduces the occurrence of mammary tumors
and help with ovarian cancer. In males,
uterine and testicular cancer.
The old school way was to
let a female develop and have her first
heat....then spay her....well it is now known that was
not protecting the females. They would
still develop mammary tumors.
Most men balk at neutering
a puppy male, please realize it protects him from
developing testicular cancer. If you love him you will
do what is best for him !
If you notice a mass on the
skin, have it examined by the Vet right away.
Do not let your pet be
exposed to cigarette smoke.
Use sunscreen on pets with
fair skin or not much hair on their bodies.
You must remember to avoid
chemical lawn products, which are proven to cause
cancer in pets, including bladder cancer and lymphoma.
It seems cancer lurks every
where to strike, but there are things you can do to
help limit the risk.
September 4:
Amazing Grooming
I thought everyone who
keeps up with blogs would enjoy seeing how very
talented some standard poodles groomers can
be. Click on the url and enjoy all the
Poodles done all sorts of ways. My favorite is
the Panda.
Gee, I still can't scissor without
cutting a finger ! Wonder how long it takes to
get this good ?
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/32581670/from/ET/?beginSlide=1
August 24: Sunlight
for you and your dog!
In today's world with
families having both working partners and
kids with computer plus, all sort of video games, we
all stay inside way too much.
The Sun is necessary for
our health, Vit. D, and mental health. A
lack of Sun can cause health issues and a loss of
bone, drop in brain power, and depression.
I recently read with so
many families opting for small breed dogs that can go
potty on piddle pads, while they are at work all day,
these poor dogs get little or no sun.
It seems everyone is too busy!
We have all seen indoor
cats lie on the floor or window sill, or on the back
of a chair with the sun shinning in brightly across
the cat. I believe cat's instinct tells them
they need the sun.
We humans are too busy to
know or care about how much Sun we get a day.
The article I read said, we
and our doggy companions need at least 15
minutes a day. The Sun is not only
needed for our good health, but for mood health.
A lack of Sunlight can cause very strange mood swings
and depression. I remember Kelsey Crammer shows
on TV about two brothers who were, as they
put it "shrinks," they use to joke about
business being great due to how much it rain in
Seattle. They use to joke about the rain
making their business boom.
Remember your dear companion the next time you come
home and see the Sun shining brightly. If you dog
has been stuck in the house all day, take him/her for
a nice 15 min walk in the bright sunlight. This
will do a world of good for both of you. Your
doggy will say, "thank you!"
August 12: Treating
for Fleas, Pros and Cons
The first thing I remember
being available to help with flea control was flea
collars. I thought they were never 100 %
effective and it appears now they can cause a dog to
have a skin reaction. The skin may react
by becoming itchy and break out in blisters, even on
double coated breeds. It may lead to a
secondary infection and take several weeks to clear
up. All that and in my opinion not too
effective.
The main thing I objected
to with flea collars was touching them when you pet
your canine companion. I never worried too much
about myself, but for children. As we all know,
toddlers keep their fingers in their mouths
constantly. They also breath in the
collars vapors when hugging a dog.
Of course, we now have
flea products we can put on the skin to keep fleas off
the dog. Although they say they are safe, I
really wonder what chemicals our dogs are being
subjected to month after month.
There are many natural
flea control products, Pennyroyal Oil from the health
food store can be added to the rinse water after a
bath, it repels fleas. You can also add it to a spray
bottle diluted with water and sprayed on the Pet.
There are other natural
repellent herbs, such as rosemary, rue, wormwood,
eucalyptus, and citronella. The
citrus products are reported not to be as effective,
but you can try some and see what your results are.
Cancer is on the rise for
our pets. Maybe we should rethink all the
products we put on them and look to the health food
store for other answers.
Research has proven the old
way of giving vaccines has caused problems with our
dogs. Some Vets still will not change the way
they do things. Maybe it will not be too far in
the future when they inform us, all these easy to use
flea products have caused serious health issues.
Things are changing with
our pets care. I think we need to ask more
questions and try to do the best for our companions.
I recommend the first
question you ask your Vet should be, "does my dog
really need yearly vaccines?"
Now I am not talking about Rabies, but the combo
vaccines given every year with Rabies, now we know
this causes serious autoimmune problems.
We have no choice about giving yearly Rabies, most
States require it.
Some info in the blog was reworded from the DogPlace
August 5: Dog Flu
reported
I try to inform readers
about things taking place in our dog world,
therefore; I wanted to alert those who live on the
east coast or near NJ, there is a Dog Flu reported.
It seems to have been brought into the area by a dog
attending the dog shows. Dogs have gone from
being fine, to the next day having high fevers(105.5
F) a soft cough, or what sounds like throat clearing
and one case of Pneumonia reported. The
treatment Vets are using is Amoxicillin and
Doxycycline to protect against a secondary infection.
Some have been supported with fluids.
If your dog displays the
symptoms, get them to the Vet. Most Vets are
unaware of the problem that has been reported in N
& S NJ, as well as NY. Testing through
the state is by far cheaper than testing with a Vet.
Dog shows are certainly
easy prey for dogs to pick up all sorts of things.
Some judges when checking teeth or bites, open the
mouths themselves, going from one dog to the next.
Asking the exhibitor to open the dog's mouth is
certainly something that would cut down to contact
from dog to dog. Some judges are old
school and want change their ways.
If a dog is found to have
the Dog Flu, it should be quarantine for 10 to 14
days.
When finding out about this
I couldn't help feel another problem for our dear
companions to worry about. I get many
request from prospective buyers wanting to come
"see" the dogs. I have no idea
of how many other breeders' places they have been too.
Many get offended when I tell them the Poodles are not
on a tour list. I am sorry, but you can carry
Parvo on your shoes and clothes. I
try hard to protect my Poodles from harm.
One other thing I want to
mention, many people have not thought about when they
request to tour my Poodles, is being set up for
stealing. God knows not everyone is honest.
A breeder in GA, a few years ago, had three people in
to see toy poodle puppies she had for placement.
They came, look at the puppies and said they could not
decide on which one they wanted, they would
"think" about it overnight and get back to
her.
Well, while the breeder was
gone to the grocery store, they pulled around back of
her property and stole many dogs, champions as well as
VERY pregnant girls. They stole things from
inside the home as well, one being a gun collection.
Neighbors saw the van at the rear of the home, but
thought she was having some work done to the kennel
room.
This lady nearly had a
breakdown worrying about her Poodles that were taken.
Of course, the Police were involved and she put flyers
out, reported to Vets, and bombarded flea markets.
She did end up getting all
but one of the Poodles back after some time.
They certainly were not in the same condition or good
health when taken.
So understand when a breeder tells you their place is
not for viewing. I am happy to show someone
a puppy and the parents, but not to view all the
Poodles. It is upsetting to the Poodles
and the owner. Most reputable breeders are
now inspected by AKC and we are given a certificate
showing we passed inspection, to me that is what is
important.
July 25: Tribute to a dear friend
In this new blog I would
like to pay respect to my friend Mindy Pedery,
Zorcon Poodles. When I moved to the
upstate of SC and searched for a toy poodle for
showing, I met Mindy. Like most successful
poodle breeder, she thought I was nuts. I did not know
how to groom or manage or present a show poodle.
Mindy, being the person she was, did not want to hurt
my feelings, she just said she had nothing for me.
Later I went to grooming
school, now remember I have been a very successful
breeder/ owner / handler of sporting breeds, their
coats are very different. The perfection
of scissoring to be able to present a Poodle in the
ring is something you have to be taught or try over
and over again for years with someone help.
Coming from Sporting breeds I knew how to use
clippers, but it was those scissors that terrified me.
Mindy kept saying, "it is hair, it will grow
back!"
I obtained a Miniature
Poodle and completed the championship of two of her
puppies. I also purchased a standard
poodle and completed her championship as well.
As Mindy and I got to know each other, we became very
good friends. She did not live far from me.
We enjoyed grading a litter of standard poodle puppies
sitting in lawn chairs under her huge old trees on her
property. We sat and watched movement, carriage
and attitude while we drank sweet tea. We
had many good laughs.
I talked to Mindy several
times a week on the phone and we constantly emailed
each other. She was a walking book of
knowledge on pedigrees and poodles of the
past. She was no longer cautious of me, she
found out I knew my stuff when it came to dogs, but
the grooming was still giving me a run for my money.
She would tell me to groom a poodle to best of my
ability and bring it to her. She was
always so kind in pointing out all the places I did
not take off enough or got too close to the skin.
She worded it gently as to not criticized me, but to
give me needed advice.
The day my husband passed
away, I emailed Mindy, she knew he was sick in the
hospital. She informed me she had just
returned the hospital herself. She did not
offer to tell me what was wrong and respecting how
private Mindy was with her life, I did not ask.
Later I found out she had bone cancer and there was no
hope.
Mindy passed away July 22.
I will always miss her. She loved her poodles
more than life, and took great care with them.
Not only taking care of their daily needs, but bring
up puppies and investigating buyers who wanted her
babies. Mindy produced some
wonderful toys and Standards ! She showed
and completed AKC Championship on a shoestring budget.
She was a proud person and a private person.
She never tooted her own horn. She also of late
completed UKC titles.
I wish there were more easy
to like poodle breeders such as Mindy, always willing
to help a beginner.
The Poodle world has loss a
good breeder and person. I have lost a dear
friend.
I will never be able to see a brown toy or a brown Standard
and not think of Mindy !!!
June 9: Summer product cautions
I want to warn everyone to
be careful of any and all products used in your home
or yard if you have pets or kids.
Cocoa mulch smells
wonderful, but it is killing pets that ingest it.
Be careful what you spray your yard for pest or fleas,
check with your Vet or your nearest Ag person or
University. They are happy to tell you about
products not to use around pets. Clemson
U. is close to me and they are very helpful.
This time of the year, we
all go a little nuts with flea prevention, fly, and
wasp prevention, just know what you are putting down
or spraying. Make sure it is really good and dry
!!
I once had a customer pick
up her 12 week old toy poodle. I sat and
explained to her how dangerous many things can be to a
toy poodle. They are so small, they can not
fight off much. I told her to ask her Vet about
what flea control you use before doing anything. I
told her my advice was to keep the puppy at home, do
not take it public places, until she had seen her Vet.
I give a three business day time period for a buyer to
have a puppy checked by their Vet of choice.
This was a Sat morning. By Sat evening, I had a
phone call from her telling me the puppy was at our
local Dog ER and was not expected to make it. I
was stunned !! She said the puppy was having
seizures and the Vet (one I did not know) said I sold
her a puppy with Epilepsy. Now I knew that could
not be true. I have had that line for some time
and the puppy never had a seizure while it lived with
me. I called and spoke to the Vet, he just basically
told me the same thing and he didn't think the puppy
would pull through.
To say I was in shock is
certainly and understatement. I was crying and nearly
hysterical. I asked her to call me this next
morning after the Vet called to give an update.
She called told me the puppy made it through the night
and the seizures were slowing down. I
thought I would chat with her and see if I could get
any more details, like what did she feed the puppy?
Did she take the puppy anywhere? Well as
our conversation went on, she admitted to me, she
wanted to walk the puppy down her street for her
neighbors to see. I warn people about public
places with all my Poodles leaving me, but it is due
to how bad Parvo is here in the south.
We never get rid of it, our winters are not cold or
long enough.
I told her even with 3
vaccinations on the puppy she was taking a chance.
She then told me, her neighbor suggested putting OFF
on the puppy so it would not pick up fleas over the
weekend. The neighbor does this with her Great
Dane !
I insisted she call and
tell the Vet. The Vet said OFF would not have
caused this problem of seizures, still blaming the
breeder.
I called the OFF maker,
asking to speak to a Chemist. This gentleman was
so king and helpful. When I told him what I was
calling about, he was shocked and wanted to help.
He replied to me of course it would cause seizures in
a puppy so small and so young. I
asked him to call the Vet. I knew this Vet
would not take my word for it.
When the puppy was better,
I picked it up from the Vet. I refunded
this lady's money and felt she was too stupid to have
a puppy in the first place. If she isn't going to
listen when a breeder gives her good advice, then she
did not deserve a puppy.
By the way, I paid the Vet
bill too ! I did not want anyone to say, I
sold a puppy having seizures and stuck them with the
Vet bill.
Toy Poodles can have
seizures from two different causes I know about, low
blood sugar and epilepsy. I have not had toys
have seizures from either. I feed my toys more often.
I just wanted to write a
warning and to tell a story. Perhaps my story
will warn others not to use products not made for
dogs.
May 19: Obedience Training
To all those who are kind enough to read my "blogs."
I apologize for not keeping up. I have good days
and bad days, since my husband's passing. The part I
am finding so difficult is the total disappearance of
someone you loved and cared for for over 44 years.
It is like " poof" they are gone ! It
was so sudden and unexpected, no time to prepare.
I find myself thinking it is like the last 44 years of
my life did not happen. Then I look at my kids
and know he was here, they both have his nose.
I try to stay focus on having had 44 good years
with him. He was a good man !
Now for dog stuff !!
I would like to encourage
everyone who gets a new puppy, no matter what breed,
to get a good book on obedience. There are
many on the market and the ones with illustrations are
very helpful. They show you exactly what to do.
Learning basic commands,
sit, stay, come, and down will make your puppy a
better family member. When guess enter your
home(maybe not doggy people,) putting your puppy in a
down stay, will make their visit more enjoyable.
To me, Come
is the most important lessons. For a puppy to
out with you off leash and then ignore you when you
say, "come," can cost them him/her
their life.
I teach come by putting a
long lead or rope on their collar. Let them go
off investigating things, then say the puppy's
name along with come," Joey come!" If
he turns and looks at you like, "are you talking
to me?" Then pick the line up and roll it
in toward you as if you were rolling in a fish.
As the puppy reaches you, give him/her a great treat,
no dog food, a piece of weenie or cheese.
Something really tasty, just a small piece.
Then let him/her go off again, and repeat the process.
It will take a few times, but puppies are like
sponges, their brains are so eager to learn and please
you.
Sit is easy also, have the
puppy stand in front of you, you get on your knees or
sit, put your left hand with your fingers going
from side to side over the back at the hip area, where
the legs join into the body. Have a great treat
in your right hand right
at his nose, say, "Joey
sit," while saying this hold the treat at his
nose, but make his nose follow the treat up and back,
then as his nose goes up, his butt goes down. Once
again, as the nose goes up, the tail goes down, of
course say, "sit." then praise like
crazy and repeat 5 to 6 times.
Practice with a puppy for
short times maybe 5 minutes twice a day. Lots of
praise and love, never end a session on a down note,
always take a few seconds to play ball or just love on
them. No dog or child learns to do
anything OR trust anyone on a negative level. Love
can go so much further than fear.
Thank you for your
expressions of kindness. I know every person in
the world loses someone, but some of us take longer to
heal the hole in our hearts. Good people
are missed more than any one can imagine.
April 27: The truth
about Coccidia and a new treatment.
First I would like to say I
am sorry to be late with a new blog. Moms,
puppies and now running errands for myself, take a big
bite out of each day. My husband did so
much for me, now I realize how much he did help me.
I am going to write about a
subject most all breeders battle, Coccidia.
The first time I had experience with it was when I
purchased a puppy from another breeder. Being
stupid, after arriving I put the puppy to play with my
own puppies close to her age, then I discovered she
had loose stools. Upon taking her to the Vet I found
out she had coccidia. Of course the barn door
was wide open, she has spread it to other puppies.
Several had to be treated with Albon.
The thing about Coccidia it
will seem to be "cured," then flair up again
if the dog experiences any stress, such as sending to
a handler to be shown, breeder, or any other problem
to cause the dog to be stress. If they are
bred, upon nursing they pass the coccidia to their babies
and the entire cycle is at it again.
My honest friends admit to
having had problems with Coccidia, others deny it.
The old way of thinking by Vets would inform people
with new puppies they much have purchased a puppy from
a nasty environment. Here I would like to mention
killing it on the surface is really nearly impossible.
Clorox, cleaning products and even Ammonia can not
reach places where it lurks. Some cleaning
products are very dangerous to your dogs.
The short story is there is NO CURE for
Coccidia. You must treat and hold it at bay
until the dog builds up their own immunity.
A Doctor Bob Page
discovered a new treatment while working on
NeoPar Parvo. He also discovered a puppy
effected with coccidia will not utilize a vaccination
properly if they are experiencing a coccidia outbreak.
The point I want to make
here is an outbreak is not due to Filth or the fact a
breeder raises nasty puppies in a nasty facility.
This is old thinking and most Vets know now it is
a hard road for all breeders. We have done
nothing wrong to have coccidia show up in your
puppies. Usually puppies develop a natural
immunity to coccidia, but in puppies if untreated it
will over take the puppy and cause death.
Albon Suspension by Rx is
used as the best treatment.
I thought I would write
about Coccidia because most breeders have
been taught to be ashamed if they have it in the
kennel. I have seen many books on all
breeds mention Coccidia and then go on to say the
breeder is to be avoided. A breeder
can not prevent everything. Especially if their
dogs are being shown or shipped for breeder.
Sometimes they return home with it. My
experience was buying an affected puppy, and not keeping
her separate from others until I could check her
stool. She was my beginning and it
spread like wild fire.
It is parasite and has a 28
day life span.
A new treatment is being
worked on and I am certainly interested in
trying it. If anyone is interested in knowing
what the new treatment is, email me and I will give
you the contact info.
If you buy a puppy from a breeder
take the puppy to the Vet as soon as possible &
have the stool checked. You do not want to
get this parasite in your soil or passed to any
other dogs you may have at home.
With treatment puppies do
fine !
Hope this blog has
enlightened your view on coccidia.
March
12: New Rabies Requirements
Interesting reading and knowledge for those living in
these states -- Please see www.RabiesChallengeFund.org
.
February 19: Standard Girl
Today I am going to write a
blog on my own personal experience.
I produced a litter of
Standard puppies and placed a cream female with a lady
living in FL. When the puppies were near
2, she called and told me her girl had Juvenile Renal
Disease. I was upset to hear such a thing and
had no knowledge of anything behind her with
this problem. I asked her to please send me the
report from the Vet she had test her. I
never received anything from her. I called one more
time, left a message to please send me the report from
the Vet.
I would like to add here,
no matter how hard a good breeder tries, problems will
pop up from time to time. I did some checking on
litter mates and all were fine. My sister has one of
the puppies from this litter and she is fine too.
Then over a year later this
lady calls and says she have moved very close by me
now. She wants me to take this Standard girl
back NOW,
or she was headed to the pound ! I was shocked
and of course said I wanted my girl back.
I offered to meet her on the interstate and for some
reason that would not do. The next morning her
neighbor drove the standard girl to my home.
I again asked for the medical report. Finally,
one day I did receive it in the mail. I
took it to my Vet to interpret for me. He said her
levels did show mild JRD. The lady had provided
the Science Diet kidney food she had left over,
but I was never able to get her to eat it. She
would circle and smell the food, act like she was
hungry, but not eat it. This girl was VERY
thin.
My Vet suggested as low a
protein food as I could find. I was mixing 1/2
can of KD with Nutro for over weight dogs. The Nutro
was the lowest protein I could find, 14 %.
She has been eating that fine, in fact she loves it,
but I gave her nothing else. I was scared
to give her anything for fear it would damage her
kidneys.
I have had her now for 1
1/2 years and she is the light of our lives. She
is my granddaughter's bed buddy and is the smartest
standard I have ever had. Since I have had her
for awhile I thought I should run new blood work to
see where we stand with the kidneys.
Comparing her newest levels with her original report,
her levels are not good. Vet said he gave her a
year to close to two. I was devastated and could
not bring myself to tell my granddaughter.
Our local shows were here
last weekend. I sought advice from
Natures' Farmacy, Inc. They asked
how much meat I was giving her, I was shocked at their
question. Meat is high in protein and I was told
no meat or chicken. They explained to me
raw meat is good for her. Her kidneys can process the
protein in raw meat. Process foods
are not good for her kidneys. They asked about
raw veggies, well she gets none of that either.
They gave me a print out on
foods she should be eating that do not over work or
stress her kidneys.
Dogs are Carnivores, of
course I knew that, but they need meat, plant
carbohydrates and a little grain. They
also need fruit and veggies.
I was given a list of
things I can give her to vary her diet and hopefully
put on some weight. She is still so skinny.
Even when she ate the Nutro and KD canned food as well
as she did, 3 cups a day, she put on NO weight.
I am now cooking for her.
I cooked chicken wings in the pressure cooker for
three hours. The bones are so soft you can mash
them to pieces between your fingers, when they
cool, of course. She is getting lots of raw
hamburger meat, yogurt, brown rice, quick oatmeal, I
scramble eggs too. She can have sweet potatoes,
pasta, apples, pears, cantaloupe, zucchini
collard greens, kale, and cabbage.
Yesterday she ate a banana, I never dreamed she would
like a banana, my kids would not eat them...too mushy
!
Dogs should not have
raisins, grapes or onions !
I admit fixing her
breakfast and dinner takes more time now, but I am
going to try this for several months and then have her
blood test run again. It will be
interesting to see if any of the levels change one way
or the other. I figured it won't hurt and if I can
extend her life, I will do my best to try.
The buyer who insisted I
take her back right then and there has never once
called to check on her. That truly breaks
my heart, how can you not care what happens to her.
She is beautiful and a wonderful girl. I wish
some of my others had her personality. She
is great at catch and obedience work.
She sleeps in the bed with me now along with Chris,
since my husband passed.
Sometimes I wonder how
people can throw them away like yesterday's newspaper,
no second thought to their lives.
In this case, I am more
than happy to give her a wonderful home for however
long God sees fit ! She is a joy !
February 9:
Man's Best Friend
I am sorry I have not
posted a new blog recently. As many of you know,
my husband, Bob, of 44 years passed away Jan 8th after
a brief illness. I was so unprepared to say good-bye
to him. Funny how we all know the
years are passing, but to us we will live
forever.
Bob and I shared our bed
with a large female Dobe for 12 years. Bob was a
paralyzed Vet, sharing a bed with a large breed
who did not seem to know to lay any other way but
sideways, was difficult. He loved her
dearly, but after she passed he said, "no
more dogs in the bed."
We have had Standard
Poodles for a number of years now and never did I invite
one into bed, trying to be a good wife.
They, yes there is more than one, always slept in a
crate or on a rug on my side of the bed.
When Bob died and my heart was so
hurting, I went to bed each night as always.
About the third night my white Standard girl waited
on me to get into bed, then she hopped right up onto Bob's spot
on his side of the bed. She had never done this
before. I was sort of taken back by it, but did
not scowl her to get down. She looked at
me with those soft brown almond eyes as if to
say, "mom you need company." How
did she know how much I needed her to be with me?
She stayed on his side until I turned the light out,
then she moved closer to me either her head or a foot
touching me all night.
As the days passed by, my
days had more and more tears, I miss him more than I
can ever tell anyone, but Chris knows.
She comes over and put her head in my lap when I
am watching TV or if I take a nap on the sofa she
jumps up and lays on my feet, yes I said ON my feet.
She seems to know how sad I am, and tries to let me
know she will listen if I want to cry out loud.
My Poodles have truly saved
my sanity during these 4 weeks. If I did
not have puppies to tend, moms to feed and let
in/out, grooming to be done, I would have lost my
mind. My days are filled with chores and love
from my Poodles.
I don't know how they
seem to know when our hearts are breaking, but they
surely do. I get licks all day long and slowly I
am healing. Thank you God for making, " Man's Best
Friend !"
January 20:
Veterinarian speaks out on PETA and Westminster
Permission to crosspost:
|
Thank you Libbye
Miller DVM for stating:
"Adorable mixed breeds" get cancer,
epilepsy, allergies, heart disease, and
orthopedic problems just like purebreds. I see
it every day in my veterinary practice but mixed
breed dogs aren't tracked like
the purebreds so they have a reputation as
"healthier" that is actually
undeserved in many cases."
It is so sad that a lot of folks, including
young veterinarians these days, buy into the
"hybrid vigor" baloney. The vet
schools have been infiltrated by the Animal
Rights Extremists, who are teaching them this
junk science in order to push their agenda.
All animals have a certain amount of genetic
load, which is to say there is absolutely no
animal without some genetic problem of some sort
of another. Know anyone who wears glasses? Has
allergies? Thyroid problems? Weak knees? Flat
feet? A skin condition? Arthritis? A gap between
their front teeth? These are all genetic
imperfections.
No human is genetically "clean."
Neither is any individual of any species on
earth. So this idea that dogs should not be bred
because they might have a genetic problem, and
that breeders are somehow "evil" for
breeding them, is ridiculous. Every single
individual of every single species has at least
a few genetic conditions.
To use PeTA's logic, all breeding of all kinds
(including having human babies) should halt
immediately. And to be honest, Ingrid Newkirk
(the woman who founded PETA) does believe
exactly that. She thinks that humans should
become extinct, along with dogs, cats, etc. This
ridiculous scenario is precisely what she would
like to see happen.
So folks, if that is
what you want... if you agree with Ingrid
Newkirk's whacky views, send your hard earned
money to PETA. They will help to ensure you are
not able to own a dog or cat or hamster or any
other pet in the future. They will see to it
that you can't eat meat or fish or eggs or any
type of animal-based nutrition. They will work
to shut down places like Sea World, the zoos,
etc. so you cannot observe the many wonderful
animals on the Earth. Eventually, once they
accomplish these things, they may turn their efforts to making it illegal for humans to
procreate.
If you don't agree
with their extremist views, wise up and start
supporting those who truly do love, care for and
enjoy interaction with other species here on our
little blue planet.
The fanciers of the breeds, those you see
exhibiting their dogs at Westminster and other
dog shows, work very hard to eliminate serious
genetic conditions. They screen their breeding
stock with every
available test. They research pedigrees before
breeding into other lines, to check for similar
clearances in those animals. They contribute
money to research organizations to further the
work being
done to track down genetic problems. They
contribute blood, cell samples, etc. from their
own animals to help with DNA and genome studies.
They have made great progress so far, and they
continue to
work hard at it.
Are there unethical
breeders? Certainly, there are. Just as in any
group of humans, you will find the good and the
bad. United States VP Elect Joe Biden, for
example, managed to find a not so good one when
he got his new German Shepherd puppy. I don't
know who did his research for him, but they
obviously didn't do their homework if they were
looking for a responsible breeder. Joe has the
right to get his dog from whomever he wishes,
but if he was trying to set an example of
purchasing from a responsible hobby breeder he
went off the track this time. That's too bad,
but it was his choice.
Unfortunately, breeders like that may be a lot
easier to find because of their high volume and
high profile. If you are looking for a nice
family pet from a breeder who will be there for
you forever, you need
to do due diligence. You won't get that from a
pet store. You won't get that from the guy
selling dogs out of his pickup truck in the
WalMart parking lot. You won't get that support
from a high-volume breeder,
either. Yes, it takes a little more time and
effort to find someone who really cares and does
all the work to breed the healthiest, happiest
puppies possible and then stands behind those
puppies.
This is a living being that will be part of your
family, hopefully, for many years. Isn't it
worth a bit of effort to find a breeder who will
be there for you and that puppy forever?
And guess what? Shows
like Westminster are a very valuable resource
for finding breeders who do care and who use the
best possible practices, as well as for learning
more about the various breeds.
Bravo to USA Network for broadcasting the
Westminster Kennel Club show all these years.
May they enjoy continued success through the
ongoing inclusion of such programs. I will be
eagerly watching this year's show!"
Dr. Libbye Miller
|
December 17: Treat Recipe
To everyone who keeps up
with my blogs, I am sorry to be late posting another
one.
My husband has been ill and
has been in the VA hospital after being ill here at
home for a month. Then he was moved to the critical
care unit. He is better now, thank the good
Lord. After 44 years of marriage, it is like
suddenly doing without your right arm.
Thought I would have a blog
on something different this time...a receipt. I
must admit I found it in BARK MAGAZINE, but it sounded
simple and good for our pets.
3 cups plain non-fat yogurt
1 cup peanut
butter (unsalted)
1 Tbs honey
Combine all ingredients and
whisk thoroughly. Pour mixture into ice cube
trays and freeze solid (at least two hours.)
Pop out one cube at a time
and serve to your best friend.
Credit for the receipt in BARK was from Organic Dog Biscuit
Cookbook.
November 24: Teeth Care
I wanted to write a
blog on teeth care. First, it does not matter
what size Poodle you obtain, be sure to keep and eye
on adult teeth when they come in. Some times the
bottom canine teeth, the sharp pointed ones, will not
come in to the outside of the top gum. If you
see this happening, take the Poodle to the Vet.
If the teeth come in poking into the top gum, they
will make a hole in the gum. Food can collect in
these holes, not to mention it hurts, and cause
serious problems. Infection can set in to the
roof of the mouth, you will then have a serious
problem.
The other thing I would
like to make you aware of is teeth of the toy breeds.
Toy Poodles do not seem to have strong healthy teeth.
They need cleaning often and it is not unusual for
some teeth to be pulled at cleaning time. The
best thing to do it to have their teeth checked by the
Vet about every 6 months and get them cleaned when the
Vet advises.
Teeth with lots of Tartar
at the base line close to the gum can cause tooth
decay, bad breath, and serious health issues, such as
kidney problems. Keep and eye out on your toy
poodle's teeth. If decay and tartar build
up with no treatment, it can cause the jaw to actually
rot away.
I have recently starting
using one of the products on the market to add to the
water. It is to cleanse the mouth and to help with
tartar build up. There are many on the market.
My Poodles do not seem to notice any difference in the
taste of their water. I am hoping it works
to help with less tartar build up. I have not
had much of a problem with Miniature Poodles' teeth,
until old age. I have never had a Standard
need it's teeth cleaned, but Toys are a different
story. Teeth cleaning is getting
expensive, like everything else, price is going up.
Whatever I can do to help with this problem I am
willing to try.
Remember to watch those
teeth !
October 17: A Company That
Gives Back
I have been involved with
the pet industry for more years than I should confess
too. If you have read my info on my web site,
then you know I have been showing for over 30 years.
In that time, things have evolved so we may order
supplies from the internet and not buy at dog shows or
pet supply business.
I like to buy from
companies who give back. I am a firm
believer, no matter how you are involved with pets,
taking, and taking and not giving back is not right in
God's eyes. Our pets give us so much, we need to
repay them with love, devotion, health care, good food
and clean water. Then we need to give to
the poor animals that are not so lucky in one way or
another.
In the latest issue of
FOSTER AND SMITH catalog, there is an article titled,
" How Much We Love helping animals." I
sat down to read it and I was surprised to learn how
mush these two Vets and their company have provided
when and where it as needed.
When they first went into
practice, early 1980s, they noticed many working class
families, due to financial restraints, were forgoing
routine vaccinations, neutering and spaying.
They offered FREE vaccines, and altering on pets
families wanted to bring to them.
When 9/11 happened, they
observed on TV the search and rescue dogs going
over all the concrete, glass, hot steel and God
only knows what else with no protection to their feet.
The doctors air lifted cases of leather soled dog boots
to help protect the dog's feet.
When Katrina's lost pets
were in need, they launched a relief effort.
They organized a steady convoy of dog and cat food,
carriers, leashes, and other supplies exceeding
$100,000 in relief. Later as things slacked off,
they donated another $20, 000 in pet supplies
to Best Friends, a non-profit rescue group, to help
reunite pets and owners.
They also donated pet
supplies and care to the '85 Mexico City
earthquake, as well as '89 San Francisco quake.
They hold vaccine clinics 3
times a year for employees.
This company is celebrating
25 years in business. When a company
makes money, and yet returns it to the community and is
always there when the need arises, they are to be
celebrated. Today so much is all about
greed, "what can it do for me? "
This company always asked, "What can they do to
help ?"
I applaud them many times
over !!!! I thank them for coming to the need !!
We need to be aware of
companies like this and support their efforts.
Doctors Foster and Smith
1-800-826-7206, DrsFosterSmith.com
(if you know of other pet
industry companies giving back, please support them
also !)
Oct. 6: Rabies
Update
Many
things in our changing world or being challenged in
order to provide better health care for our pets,
Yearly Rabies vaccinations are one.
Please read the Rabies Challenge Fund report, there
are efforts to get states all across the US to change
the rules on yearly Rabies vaccinations requirement.
Our pets are coming down with many very serious health
issues and over vaccinating is one of the reasons why.
............................
PERMISSION
IS GRANTED TO POST AND CROSS-POST THIS MESSAGE.
THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND
The
Rabies Challenge Fund has earned the endorsement of
canine celebrities, Rin Tin Tin and Benji
http://www.rabieschallengefund.org/,
and Jan Rasmusen author of the
national-award-winning health care book, Scared
Poopless: The Straight Scoop on Dog Care, will
send an autographed copy of her book for donations to The
Rabies Challenge Fund above $500 http://www.truthfordogs.com/.
November
marks the one year anniversary since the concurrent 5
and 7 year challenge studies began at the University
of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, and the
fund has raised $120,700 of the $209,000 needed
to fund the studies' 2nd year budget.
TENNESSEE
Rabies Laws
Tennessee
dog owners have launched an effort requesting the
state to consistently enforce the 3
year rabies immunization requirement set
forth in Tennessee law Title 68 Chapter 8 tennessee.gov/sos/acts/103/pub/pc0765.pdf .
The RabiesVaccinationChallengeinTN
Yahoo Group they formed can be found at http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/RabiesVaccinationChallengeinTN/?v=1&t=search&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=group&slk=3 .
CHEYENNE,
WYOMING Rabies Laws
Cheyenne's Public
Services Committee is scheduled to meet on
October 13th to make a recommendation to the City
Council on the proposed adoption of a 3 year rabies
protocol. An article in the September 27, 2008 issue
of the Wyoming Eagle Tribune entitled
Council Mulls Less Frequent Rabies Shots http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2008/09/27/local_news_updates/20local_092708.txt
by Jodi Rogstad states:
"Good
news for dog and cat owners: Instead of the annual
rabies shot for your furry friends, that requirement
may change to as little as once every three
years."
ARKANSAS
Considers Adopting 3 Year Rabies Protocol
The State of Arkansas is considering adoption of a
3-year rabies protocol. Below is a copy of my
letter on behalf of The Rabies Challenge Fund to the
Arkansas Governor and Attorney General.
What You Can Do to Help:
Contact
the Arkansas Legislature http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/
(full
e-mail list at the bottom of this message) and ask
them to pass the 3 year rabies legislation when it is
introduced and request that a medical exemption clause
for sick animals be included.
October 5, 2008
Governor
Mike Beebe
Attorney General Dustin McDaniel
Governor’s
Office
Office of the Attorney General
State
Capitol Room
250
323
Center Street, Suite 200
Little Rock
,
AR
72201
Little Rock
,
AR
72201
RE:
ARKANSAS
RABIES IMMUNIZATION PROTOCOL
The Rabies Challenge Fund Charitable
Trust has been made aware that the State of
Arkansas is considering adoption of the 3-year rabies
immunization protocol recommended by the Center for
Disease Control’s National Association of State
Public Health Veterinarians and the American
Veterinary Medical Association
to replace the State’s current annual requirement.
Not only does The Rabies Challenge Fund endorse
adoption of the national 3-year standard, but we
strongly encourage
Arkansas
to include a medical exemption clause for sick
animals, for which vaccination is medically
contraindicated.
It is recognized that
most, if not all, currently licensed annual rabies
vaccines given annually are actually the 3-year
vaccine relabeled for annual use -- Colorado State
University's Small Animal Vaccination Protocol for its veterinary teaching
hospital states: “Even
with rabies vaccines, the label may be misleading in
that a three year duration of immunity product may
also be labeled and sold as a one year duration of
immunity product.”
According
to Dr. Ronald Schultz of the University of Wisconsin
School of Veterinary Medicine, whose canine vaccine
studies form a large part of the scientific base for
the 2003 and 2006 American Animal Hospital
Association’s (AAHA) Canine
Vaccine Guidelines as well
as the World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s (WSAVA)
2007 Vaccine Guidelines, “There
is no benefit from annual rabies vaccination and most
one year rabies products are similar or identical to
the 3-year products with regard to duration of
immunity and effectiveness.”
Section
20-19-202 of
Arkansas
’ Rabies Law requiring annual rabies boosters
may have been intended to achieve enhanced immunity to
rabies virus by giving the vaccine more often than the
federal 3-year licensening standard. But, more
frequent vaccination than is required to fully
immunize an animal will not achieve
further disease protection.
Redundant annual rabies shots needlessly expose
dogs and cats to the risk of adverse effects while
obligating residents to pay unnecessary veterinary
medical fees. The
American
Veterinary Medical Association's 2001
Principles of Vaccination state that “Unnecessary stimulation of the immune system does not result in
enhanced disease resistance, and may increase the risk
of adverse post-vaccination events.”
The
law, as it currently reads, may violate Arkansas
Consumer Protection Laws 4-88-107
and 4-88-108
by requiring pet owners to pay for a yearly veterinary
medical procedure from which their animals derive no
benefit and may be harmed.
The fact that the rabies vaccine confers a
minimum duration of immunity of 3 years is
“concealed” or “omitted” from consumers (pet
owners). Compliance
with Section 20-19-202 of the Rabies Law places
veterinarians in the uneasy position of “Over-treating
patients” -- an apparent violation of Section
17-101-305 (a)(17) of the Arkansas Veterinary Medical
Practice Act.
Immunologically,
the rabies vaccine is the most potent of the
veterinary vaccines and associated with significant
adverse reactions such as polyneuropathy “resulting in
muscular atrophy, inhibition or interruption of
neuronal control of tissue and organ function,
incoordination, and weakness,”
auto-immune hemolytic anemia,
autoimmune diseases affecting the thyroid, joints, blood,
eyes, skin, kidney, liver, bowel and central nervous
system; anaphylactic shock; aggression; seizures;
epilepsy; and fibrosarcomas at injection sites are all
linked to the rabies vaccine. It is medically unsound for this vaccine to be
given more often than is necessary to maintain
immunity.
A
“killed” vaccine, the rabies vaccine contains
adjuvants to enhance the immunological response.
In 1999, the World Health Organization "
classified veterinary vaccine adjuvants as Class
III/IV carcinogens with Class IV being the highest risk,"
and
the results of a study published in the August 2003
Journal of Veterinary Medicine documenting
fibrosarcomas at the presumed injection sites of
rabies vaccines stated, “In
both dogs and cats, the development of necrotizing
panniculitis at sites of rabies vaccine administration
was first observed by Hendrick & Dunagan (1992).”
According to the 2003 AAHA Guidelines, "...killed vaccines are much more likely to
cause hypersensitivity reactions (e.g.,
immune-mediated disease)."
The labels on rabies vaccines state that they
are for “the vaccination of healthy
cats,
dogs…,” and
there are medical conditions for which vaccination can
jeopardize the life or well-being of an animal.
A medical exemption clause inserted into the
new 3 year Rabies Law being considered would allow
veterinarians to write waivers for animals for whom
medical conditions preclude vaccination.
The State of
Maine
inserted such an exemption
into the 3 year rabies protocol, 7
M.R.S.A., Sec. 3922(3), it
adopted in 2004 as follows:
A. A
letter of exemption from vaccination may be submitted
for licensure, if a medical reason exists that
precludes the vaccination of the dog.
Qualifying letters must be in the form of a
written statement, signed by a licensed veterinarian,
that includes a description of the dog, and the
medical reason that precludes vaccination.
If the medical reason is temporary, the letter
shall indicate a time of expiration of the exemption.
B.
A
dog exempted under the provisions of paragraph 5 A,
above, shall be considered unvaccinated, for the
purposes of 10-144 C.M.R. Ch.251, Section 7(B)(1),
(Rules Governing Rabies Management) in the case of
said dog’s exposure to a confirmed or suspect rabid
animal.
The Rabies Challenge Fund strongly supports a
change in the Arkansas Rabies Law to conform to the
3-year national standard and respectfully requests
that medical exemption language be inserted into the
law.
Sincerely,
Kris L. Christine
Founder, Co-Trustee
THE
RABIES CHALLENGE FUND
www.RabiesChallengeFund.org
cc:
Arkansas
State
Legislature
Richard
Bell, Secretary, Arkansas Department of Agriculture
Dr. Susan
Weinstein,
Arkansas
Public Health Veterinarian
Dr. W. Jean
Dodds, Co-Trustee of The Rabies Challenge Fund
Dr. Ronald
Schultz,
University
of
Wisconsin
School
of
Veterinary Medicine
Sept. 29: Finding and Sharing
Information
I love to look around on
the web for as much info I can find on my breed.
I often read about other breeds and what are their
health issues. All breeds have health
issues, some problems are the same, but some are only
found in that particular breed.
I found a site today full
of info. What really surprised me, it was up-to-date
on the new recommendation of vaccinations and over
vaccinating.
There are articles on
health, behavior problems, signs of illness,
housebreaking, grooming, products and grooming.
Also, how to care for your senior poodle.
I use this blog page to
inform others of interesting facts and sites on the
web. This site is worth taking a look, and
reading. They even have a free newsletter
you can sign up to receive.
They explain how to give
your pet a home health check and of course
recommend to see a Vet if you find anything.
Take a look: http://www.mypoodles.com/poodle-health.html
Sept. 17: War Dogs
I was reading a Doberman
magazine the other day and it was discussing how dogs
have been used in war. I was surprised to
learn Standard Poodles were used in WW11.
I was also enlightened
by reading this article on how the use of dogs
has changed since WW11. At that
time, dogs were trained to be messengers and scouts,
going ahead of the men, spotting and warning about the
enemy lying ahead. Trained never to bark, but
alert in different ways. After all barking gave
away positions. Our country only had a few
trained war dogs. Training was performed
by private dog trainers, since the military had
not formed a dog unit as such. These private dog
trainers not only trained dogs, but they trained the
service man to know how to work with and train dogs.
Since we had no breeding
facilities for war dogs, word put out to the
public to provide their pets for training to help the
troops. Many donated their pets who only
yesterday were their companions lying on the couch.
Then the pet was off to be trained at military
camps. I couldn't help, but think how
confused they must have been. Yet this was
your civic duty to provide dogs to be
trained to work along side our troops and save
lives. I can't imagine the mixed emotions
people surely had at that time.
Standard Poodles were in the numbers of donated
volunteers!
Of course, the military
took all they could train, but if your dog did not
meet the ideals for the strict training,
they were returned to the owner.
As time went on, dogs were
trained to do more and more. Then the
military created their own work force of dogs.
Things were very different in Viet Nam.
Dogs belonged to the military, once his duties
were completed he was property of the US Government. Handlers
could not take their dogs home to the US, because the dogs
had been trained to be working animals and to defend
or kill if necessary.
My husband and I lived
outside the military base in Okinawa, which
trained several breeds for Viet Nam. They
had a parking area you could pull over and watch
the soldiers work with their dogs. I fell in
love with dogs then and there. Of course, I
was a child of the 50s when Cocker Spaniels were the
dog of the time, I grew up loving dogs.
I was never without a dog. Seeing how the dogs
could be trained to do so many different commands made
me love them even more. I always felt man
had only just touch on the greatness of our canine
friends. I feel dogs can be used for even
more than we do now.
Dogs have always been so
good at what they do. During the war, the enemy
started to get wise and take out the dogs,
leaving the forces with no outside protection, just
each other. It was humorous to read one
soldier say all the men in his unit wanted to
sleep with him and his dog in his fox hole at
night. You have to keep in mind how exhausted
these men were and longed for a good night of
sound sleep, yet you dare not sleep too long. If
you slept in the fox hole with the soldier with his
dog, the soldier would tie the dog's leash to his
hand or leg. If the dog moved in any way, he knew
it, and awoke to check it out. Sometimes they
were able to get a full night of sleep.
They soldier with the dog was a popular guy
!
Standard Poodle performed
their duties as well as other breeds, but were
given up due to the coat continually growing.
After all soldiers did not have clippers to keep them
in a nice trimmed condition. The dogs
became matted, dirty, and even wet.
Therefore Standard Poodles were given up.
This article made me think
how all around great our Standard Poodles are,
they are wonderful as house companions,
great with kids, they are great at all events,
fly ball, obedience, agility, you think of it and a
Standard Poodle is involved performing it's heart
out. Pleasing us is in their hearts and
souls !
I did not know they were
used as war dogs. See we are never too old to
learn !
Sept. 10: Cross bred dogs, Labs and
Standard Poodles
I have written a blog on
this subject before, but in searching the web today I
ran into this site. I thought it was worth
putting on my blog page, because it is written by
a Vet , Dr Frances Smith, DVM PHD, and explains the
down side of this "designer dog" better than
I could ever attempt to do.
http://www.thelabradorclub.com/subpages/labradoodle.php
I was thrilled to read the
Labrador Club has posted they are opposed to crossing
their wonderful breed with any other breed.
Please take the time to
read the site listed above, especially if you, or
anyone you know, is thinking of buying one of the
cross bred "designer dogs."
A few months ago I was in
an obedience class where a young couple had two of the
exact same crosses, two sisters. They were
so ugly, sorry, but they truly were ugly and I bet
they paid top dollar. The girls were very tall,
no bone or body, no substance to them at all down
right boney. Their coats were horrible, not
curly or thick, but very sparce. If you want to
call it coat. I had never seen a dog with such
weird coat. At one point in our class, I
was behind the two girls when it came get our dogs to
heal position around in a circle. I had to trade
places with some one else, because watching these two
sisters from the rear was truly a painful experience.
Their movement in the rear was so bad. I
was willing to bet anyone a $100 on each girl that
these two had Hip Dysplasia. No only did they
move too close in the rear, hocks touched each other,
they both had a hitch to their movement.
My heart really hurt for those two poor dogs being
brought into the world to suffer with hip problems. Of
course, the young couple knew nothing and were not
wise enough to know what they had spent good money for
was only just starting to cause them a huge outlay of
money. These poor girls had to be in
pain to move around the circle and they were only
puppies. I really just could not watch
them and keep my big mouth shut, so I traded places.
Then I did not have a birds eye view and I could keep
my mouth shut !
In reading the above site,
I was surprised to read the description of their body
shape, "Body
shape varies with parentage but tends to be lanky and
narrow." These
two sisters looked exactly like this. I
truly thought they were Russian Wolf Hounds until I
asked someone. I was stunned to learn they were
a cross between Lab and Standard Poodle.
Please read the article it
is short and very informative.
If you want a designer dog, please go to the
pound and offer a wonderful dog a great home for
very little money !
August 30: Dr. Jean
Dodds
Please listen to the broadcast by Dr Dodds, an
authority in her field and very well respected in the
animal health world. I have a blog about
vaccinations all ready, but Dr Dodds is by far the
expert in the field.
