Is This You

This photo was taken last week in New York by someone who said it was the cutest dog he had ever seen. The pup definitely looks like one of Emy and Brogue's youngens! I know who it is NOT but because I am mentally challenged when it comes to observing and remembering PEOPLE, I don't know... definitely... who it IS. (I have an idea, but I get lots of ideas!)
Warning
Swallowing even one flea leads to tapeworms. I forgot to put that on the shot records that went home with the pups. Your vet should tell you , especially since the warmer than usual winter led to a bumper flea crop this spring and early summer. Here, the extremely hot weather before July killed off much of the problem. BUT, the extremely wet and somewhat milder tempered July brought us meant the fleas are coming back in force. Just in case you don't already know, tapeworms look like rice. (Roundworms look like spaghetti and you can't see hooks or pins.) There are no over the counter wormers... that I know of... that kill tapes; you have to ask the vet for it. It is a single dose with a follow up 10-14 days later. BUT if the dog swallows another flea, you're going to see tapes again.

More Maggie/Cisco puppy pix

Dewey Schneiderman and his kids

A Few Photos

But first, an update on yesterday's post about food allergies...
my vet came down firmly on the maybe side of the entire situation. Which is where I am as well.  She said that food allergies in dogs and cats are going through a tremendous increase, just as they are in humans, and that there is no indisputable evidence that it is genetic. In fact, it is more likely to be caused by the increase of chemicals, hormones and other additives in our environment and food sources. Even plants are manipulated from seed to harvest. She said if the problem were JUST genetic, it would be seen clearly in certain breeds or at least in separate lines within breeds, BUT food allergies occur in ALL breeds and crosses. As for breeding Maggie and Cisco to each other again, she suggested Mag be bred to a different male this time. Cisco already has a litter of purebred Poodle pups on the ground and almost grown with no known problems. Sometimes, for some unknown reasons, two specific individuals to not mix well although they are fine, even spectacular with others. As it says on my website, in the piece about what I've learned in a lifetime of breeding, what looks best on paper gives you the worse results. Or, in plain English, poop happens! So, until Penny has had time to digest (no pun intended... well, maybe a little pun intended) all the "information" and various opinions and decide what she wants to do, there will not be another Maggie litter.

And now, the pictures
This is the problem free Maggie/Cisco girl, Macy, enjoying her time at the beach.

Esther is moving to New York, near "the City," on August 8th. I hope this is not what she thinks of the idea!

And then, get a load of the feet on this guy, who is also moving to NYC in August.

Finally, this pretty face goes with the AVAILABLE girl, Cream and Gold Dog. More pictures of her and the other AVAILABLE female, Brown Pony, later in the week.

What's Going On Here

One of the things I tell people when they pick up their pups and something I mention fairly often in emails and on the blog is I need to hear from everyone from time to time ESPECIALLY if there is a problem with the puppy. I'm not talking about someone pulling a tick off after a day in the woods or the occasional case of the runs or tartar build up on the teeth. I'm talking about anything unusual, especially if it requires vet care. And here is why...

Saturday evening I got an email from a Maggie/Cisco family. They mentioned that there was a problem with food allergies which was "cured" by a diet change AFTER a test showed the pup was allergic to beef, pork, lamb, sweet potato, rice, eggs and brewers yeast. Their vet said it was likely that other pups from the litter had the same problem. I have NO experience with food allergies in dogs... rather odd since I have over 2 dozen years with Chinese Shar-Pei... so I started researching on the 'net AND emailed everyone who has those pups. (Some of you have not answered as yet....) To my chagrin, FOUR pups have issues with food allergies. (Some of you have not answered as yet....)  One of the reasons it is important for me to know what is going on is so I can share information about how to fix or at least improve the situation. In this case, knowing what the allergies are to and what food is working with the first family and adding probiotics to everyone's diet can save the rest of us some time, money and frustration. But just as important is knowing that a particular breeding has resulted in a serious problem. Penny was planning on repeating that breeding in just a short time. No one wants to produce  pups that you know have a greater than average possibility of an issue such as this. (Unfortunately, the genetics of food allergies is still being debated and the "experts" are no help since some say yea and some say nay. Which is pretty much the same situation with the majority of genetic problems.) I will be discussing the situation with Jane this afternoon and Penny is going to talk to her vet. I have heard from Maggie's breeder and she says Mag's mom has had a lot of yeast infections in her ears which the vet said could be from a food allergy. (We were already pretty sure the problem was coming from the Wheaten side since one of the first thing I discovered is that SCWTs are on the short list of breeds prone to food allergies. And Poodles are not.) Interestingly, ALL  four of the affected pups are male. (Some of you have not answered as yet....) 

SO! Please let me know if you have a problem!

AND, everyone... start your pups on a probiotic. Acidophyllus is available... and cheap... at every health food store. It is also very hard to overdose since it is just natural digestive tract bacteria. It's good for people too.

Once Again

In the "It Never Rains But It Pours" Department:
Had to make a trip to the emergency vet this morning (my dogs are getting too used to having to run outside and do their business in 10 minutes or less so I can make a trip to the animal doctor every morning.) This is an unrelated issue to my under the weather Cotton (who IS feeling better.) Haven't had to use the emergency clinic for several years and have head rumors that their prices had increased... dramatically. I'll say! The office visit was FOUR times what Jane charges... okay, I can live with that although it's double what it used be. BUT the CBC... the exact same one we've been running every day on Cotton, down to the exact same print out... was almost SEVEN times as much. Which I consider excessive. I spent as much on this one visit today as I did on ALL Cotton's visits, testing, medication, etc last week. And have no answer, no remedy for the immediate problem AND have to be at Jane's first thing Monday morning anyway. To be honest, the outcome is EXACTLY what I expected... even the cost... but I'm not a vet and needed reassurance. Which I sort of got.

On the up side, my son is thinking about buying a 3 years old Bulldog gal for breeding and I warned him about the cost of c-sections, especially an emergency clinic. (I do not believe in scheduled c-sections.) Got a quote, in writing, to give him. $1500. Hope it persuades him the dog will make a terrific PET.

Whoodle puppies WILL be available this Summer
My friend, Penny, called last night and she is expecting a litter of Whoodles in 3-4 weeks. This will be the first litter for her two new breeding dogs... Cisco, a standard Poodle who is related to much of my stuff, and Maggie, a Wheaten Terrier she got from a local breeder I know and recommend. Penny's had a couple previous Whoodle litters, with great success... after all, the Poodle guy she was using was also related to mine AND her Whoodle mom came from me... but those dogs have been retired. Cisco is apricot and Maggie is, of course, wheaten, so the pups will be all light colored. Since I am NOT going to have Whoodle babies, I may just feature Penny's on Mountain Summit. I always do her shipping for her as she's in VA, several hours from any airport. So, inquiries are welcome!