Health Issues, Concerns, Recommendations, and Learning
Page :)
Thank you for stopping
by!
This page is NEW and I just wanted to have a place that I can share some interesting
health Issues with folks,
especially those who are NOT on Facebook, where I do tend to share alot of info
and photos :)
We
love all our dogs and puppies and certainly want the best for them, not only
when they are puppies, young and full of life,
but when they are mature and happy but when they are older, weaker
and close to leaving us...
On this page I will have
links and information that I have found and used.
I will also have different ideas as well. I do generally believe in all
natural, organic and healthy ideas but
that doesn't mean that I don't believe in veterinarians and medications etc. :)
Also, ANYTHING listed or wrote about on this page is MY OPINION and is not the
Only Opinion out there .. I only write what I have experienced....I am JUST
sharing my opinion.
So please enjoy and stop back often as this is a page I will be working on
continuously!
THANK YOU
Food &
Feeding A Puppy- We LOVE __________ They have several
formulas-we use the Salmon. I only use Puppy Food for a few short weeks
and then all our pups are switched over the the Adult Food. I have never
fed strictly Puppy Food and feel that there is no need for it. Shepherds
need to grow slow and steady....Puppy Food sometimes will create
issues....pushing the pup to grow too fast....so I have always recommended adult
food from about 12 weeks on...give or take.....I also listen to YOU as well and
if there is a good reason to leave the pup on puppy food, that is fine but in my
years of breeding and watching my own puppies grow, I feel that there is no real
need for puppy food...and in most cases you will find that the adult food and
puppy food are very very close in nutrition and ingredients!
Food for the Adult Dog- Again, we LOVE___________Foods and we do use the Salmon for all our dogs...They make a variety of
formulas and we have tried several. I also love the Grain Free Foods they
have! Excellent for those who have Grain allergies! We have found
that we have less PICK UP from the dogs and this is a major concern when you
gave more than one or two dogs :) We also feel that the nutrition value of
____________ has met and exceeded our wants and needs for the dogs.
We are very happy with this food line and highly recommend it!
Food for the Older Dog- We may not be the
right folks for anyone with Senior Dog health issues...as we have always been
blessed with our dogs living to be atleast 12 to 15 years old and we also give
the same food as we always have. Once in a while if there is a real digestive
issue, I have made special diets but that is usually only towards the very end
of one's life..... I feel that__________is still the best choice for us. They do make a SENIOR (Reduced Calorie)
Diet for older dogs. This makes sense because most Seniors are not as
active and have a tendency to put on weight a little quicker....those dogs who
stay active may be ok on a regular diet. Mine have always ate the normal
regular diets.
Vitamins & why I feel they are necessary!- We have actively added vitamins to our dog's diet for years. I have experimented with tablets, pills, powders and liquid. Some I have loved and some I have not. Some I still use. Currently we use NUVET Vitamins in a wafer form that the dogs love. It's given once a day and it's easy. The puppies love them too! I do use the Powder form of the vitamins for the little pups when they are learning to eat mush....afterwards, they are eating a wafer a day and doing great on them! I also give the NuJoint daily to all my dogs, regardless of age. I feel since my dogs are breeding, running and playing hard with each other daily, that I will continue to take precautions on their joints and hips. NuJoint contains ingredients that I used to add singularly to the dog's food...but since finding NuJoint, I can keep things more simple and use wafers once a day. I used to add Glucosamine, Chondroitin and Vitamin C, every day in a powder form to the dog's food....but now I use these wafers and LOVE THEM!
Garlic-The Good, Bad and Ugly :)- This is a subject that some people just DO NOT like....but it's one that I feel is necessary....as I feel that Garlic has helped us keep our dogs happy and healthy and BUG FREE for over 18 years! I use a specially formulated type of Garlic that is made just for Animals from SPRINGTIME INC. and LOVE it!! They do make a Powder Form and a Tablet/Cookie Form. We have used the Powder for the most part. You will find differently Opinions on the Internet and with your Veterinarian regarding Garlic. You ultimately need to make your own choices. I will always use Garlic Powder daily in my dog's food!
FLEAS!- We recommend Wondercide for Fleas in your house, your yard or on your Dog :) This is amazing and it's all natural. We still use the GARLIC daily on our dogs but we know there will be times we have to be sure they have no fleas....and this is the product I go to! Check them out! https://www.talkable.com/x/5PApD4
Detox-
Vaccinations-
Deworming- I am a firm believer in deworming your puppy or dog. We start at 2 weeks of age here with our new puppies. Our Mother's are dewormed during the milk production time, as they can share with the puppies. Puppies are dewormed here at 2, 4 and 6 weeks and then I usually deworm my adult dogs before breedings and/or 4 times a year. Dogs can pick up worms from each other, from the ground and in standing water that they love to get in. It's a fact of life that worms are there and your puppy will most definitely have them at some point in his/her life :) There are different wormers on the market. We use Pyrantel Pamoate to start the pups out on. Depending on the worms that your dog is diagnosed with, there will be a dewormer for it.
Playing with a New Puppy- I will go into this a little more when I find the article that I want to share with you. I personally do not play hard with my pups. I play tug-o-war very little...Not because it makes them aggressive...just because I want my pups to learn easy and quiet things as I have a PACK here and I tend to want them to play Easy and Quiet together :) Playing TUG, creates that excitement in them and they want to play....all the time :) So I tend to just play a little and stop. I also do not play ball or games in which they have to run and retrieve...especially when they are small.....under a year. After they are old enough to run with the stress on their hips, muscles and ligaments, I will then start playing more games......I tend to like my pups a little less hyper :) so I do work with them on that!
House Training-
Training in General-
Heartworms & Meds- Not a fan of heartworm meds. Those who know me, know that I do not recommend the meds but....I cannot tell you how to raise your puppy :) I worked for a veterinarian for YEARS! and during that time I will say that I did not see a big difference in those dogs who took the meds and those who didn't, other then I feel there are issues with the dogs who did.....creating other problems and issues that would then have to be addressed. I will have more info on this as well.....Thanks for reading......
Hips- I worry about Hips just like everyone else....as you know I purchase a pup from time to time to add back into the bloodlines that we have worked on for 27 years. It's hard to know what to do and it is never easy when you find out, that a puppy you had great hopes for, cannot carry on in the breeding program. But they can still live a fairly decent life, relatively long too. But there are things to do to take precautions against Hip Dysplasia and there are things you can add to help your new puppy along the way. We LOVE NUVET & NUJOINT and will not be without it.... I found a GREAT article by LEERBURG and I love it. It not only goes over the good and bad about the hips, it shows pictures of x-rays that I think help folks understand better. We have had x-rays done at 9 months and then again at 2 years and it really does depend on the veterinarian who is taking the pictures. Please keep this mind and try to find someone who is very familiar with OFA Regulations and is used to sending in x-rays. This helps tremendously. I will be adding more things along the way to this page and regarding Hips, so please stop back and thanks for taking the time to visit!!
Dog Parks-
Crates we use and like-
Spay & Neuter-
Panosteitis-or PANO for short is where the long bones are growing faster then they should....they can grow faster than the muscles, ligaments and joints....this in turn causes a painful time for your dog. Mostly this is inflammation, again growing too fast in the growth plate area. They will limp, cry and usually hold the leg or legs UP that are hurting. It really is painful and I recommend when this happens, that you allow about a weeks time of healing and as soon as you see this happening start giving NuJoint or NuJoint DS (Double Strength). I usually tell folks to read the bottle and whatever the Normal dosage is, DOUBLE IT....or if you have purchased the NuJoint DS, it is already doubled for you. This can start as soon as 9 or so months and last on and off in dogs up to about 2 years of age. Once the dog is DONE growing, they usually do not have any issues....I recommend adult diets for all my pups and dogs as well. This is partly why. Puppy Food tends to allow the puppy to grow too fast and also put on unneeded weight. Weight is also something to keep in check. Over weight pups/dogs get Pano much more frequently. ALWAYS contact me if you truly feel there is an issue. I am ALWAYS here for my puppies :)