sandgrubber

It's quite widely used here in the US, and many people are more-than happy with it. I used it for a year and a half on my dogs (two batches). Had problems with the third batch. One of my dogs started compulsive incessant licking, which went away when the collar was off. A vet told me this probably indicated that she was feeling a pins-and-needles sensation, and it could be a side effect. The other two had no problems, but our local flea population seems to have caught on to the collars, and they have ceased to work for my dogs.

I suspect microchips are over-rated. Has anyone studied the number of dogs they save? Or the number of microchips that have become useless because the puppy buyer never mailed in the paperwork or forgot to register changes in phone number and address? Seems to me there are much more important things to talk about . . . like people who bring home a pup but don't spend any time with it. IMO chips are mostly a quick feel-good gesture but the problem they resolve is a small one, and they often fail to resolve it. But it's an easy law to write and sounds good.

#1 ASK HOW SERIOUS THE SEIZURES ARE AND WHETHER THEY SEEM TO BE GETTING BETTER, OR WORSE, OR STAYING THE SAME! Some dogs have full grand mal seizures and don't do well at all. Others have little focal seizures . . .they may stare fixedly for a minute or two or walk funny or something well short of loosing consciousness, gnashing their teeth and going incontinent. Some dogs do get better. Others just go from bad to worse. My old girl, who just had her 12th birthday, started having seizures at 7 years. Her muscles tightened and she got uncoordinated, but didn't loose consciousness. It started with a horrid episode of cluster seizures, which I think was brought on by licking a spot-on flea treatment off another dog (synthetic pyretheroid-type ). The vets called it epilepsy. She got put on phenobarbitol, which controlled the seizures. Over four years, I halved the dose, then halved it again, then went to once a day, then stopped altogether. She no longer seizes at all. Epilepsy is a variable condition, and veterinary science has a lot to learn about it.

For the many years I lived in WA, the better known breeders in WA didn't advertise much. They always had waiting lists. But they were friendly enough and would pass on referrals to people who have used their dogs (as studs). When I was in WA, Glenice McClure at Blackboy Labs, in particular, had a long history of working toward the dual purpose ideal. I expect there are some great newer breeders as well. Yes . . . try the breed club.

I did it years ago. It was open book then. Not really an exam. Just an exercise that makes you think about subjects any breeder needs to know. I don't know if this has changed. If it hasn't changed, use it as a learning exercise. P+

I don't know if you've found this page http://www.vetbook.org/wiki/dog/index.php?title=Hemophilia It mentions various blood problems with GSP's (a different pointer) and the tests needed to accurately diagnose them. Also mentions that there is no cure, but mildly affected dogs often go through life with no need for treatment . .. .except during surgery.

Definitely contact the breeder. If it is actually grass allergy, and grass allergy runs in their lines, I would give her an earful (or take her to small claims court). Allergies are a PITA, and can get very expensive. IMO an allergic dog is basically, defective. I have never understood why breeders make a big deal of doing hip/elbow testing, eye exams, etc., and don't bother to mention when their lines are allergy prone.

Interesting. I've heard abundant denials from kelpie folks that there is ANY dingo blood in their dogs ;)

Sad story. I feel for the people. I once donated a beautiful little Labbie pup to research. At three months, it was clear that this pup was going crippled and was going to need surgery on all four limbs to have a hope of leading a normal life. Both sire and dam had excellent hip/elbow scores. I hope somehow her little life contributed to a better understanding of the genetic causes of skeletal problems. Brings tears to my eyes to remember it. I think it was the right thing to do, but there's still deep sorrow.

The Science Dog blog summarized an interesting study, based on videotaping dogs in shelters, of what dogs do and don't get adopted. https://thesciencedog.wordpress.com/2016/08/24/when-sit-doesnt-mean-sit/ Bottom line was 1) more social / outgoing dogs that interact with people walking by their cages get adopted faster; and 2) it's easy to make dogs more social by teaching them to associate treats with people walking by their cages. Here's the blog's take away: Sad as it may seem, when it comes to a dog’s behavior, potential adopters appear to be more concerned with avoiding dogs who demonstrate behaviors that they don’t like rather than seeking dogs who show behaviors that they do like (such as responding to sit). The good news in this story is that the behaviors that people generally avoid (and which may signal a lack of sociability on the dog’s part), were demonstrated to be reduced in a substantial number of dogs without the need for a detailed and labor-intensive training program. This is classical conditioning at its best folks. Pair the approach of a visitor with yummy treats (visitor predicts treat) and over time, the appearance of a person flips the dog’s emotional response from apathy/distraction/fear to happiness, joy and interaction. The fact that the researchers improved in-kennel behaviors that were related to poor adoption rates in almost 70 percent of dogs using a simple, non-contingent procedure of food delivery is an enormously important bit of evidence. And it is evidence that can and should be used to encourage shelters everywhere to invest in treat pouches, arm their workers with a pouchful of yummy goodness and get going.

That is interesting. I was on a US grooming forum yonks ago and they certainly considered it to be super premium. TOTW was one of the first to get on the grain free bandwagon. It used to get rave reviews from people who imagined that grain free was somehow advantageous. There are a lot more grain free varieties on the market now, and TOTW has taken a few hits . . . recall for salmnonella a few years back, lots of questioning the amount of the exotic species in their more interesting versions, generally knocking Diamond (the manufacturer). I'm pretty skeptical of grain free and all the exotic claims that pet food manufacturers make these days. In the US, TOTW (big bag) is $5 or$10 more expensive than basic ProPlan or Eukanuba . . . I can't say whether it's worth it, but I guess if you believe that grain free is better, it's a reasonable choice.

TBCA A German flight attendant has adopted a stray dog after it waited six months for her outside a hotel where she had stayed the first time she had fed it. Olivia Sievers first met the big mutt when she was out walking in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in January or February this year. She had to leave the country to continue her job but every time she returned to Buenos Aires, the stray was waiting outside the hotel for her. Ms Sievers arranged for the stray to be rehomed, but it escaped and returned to the hotel. Eventually Ms Sievers decided she would need to adopt the dog, naming it Rubio and going through the lengthy procedure to bring it to Germany. Rubio is now living happily in Germany with Ms Sievers. Read more at http://www.9news.com.au/world/2016/08/10/13/48/flight-attendant-adopts-stray-dog-after-it-waited-six-months-for-her#UyBYYb60wHkoXpPF.99 The second one is a video and I can't copy it.

I confess, as kids we enjoyed the roaming dogs in our neighborhood, and learned a lot about dogs from playing with them. There was a Basset who always went to the school, cause he loved kids and an epileptic poodle...a few Labs who played fetch. The only bad one was a Dane who was into humping, scary for kids. We all got lots of laughs out of the Daschund who went through cat doors . . . but one day got stuck cause his privates wouldn't clear the bottom. I don't remember any dog fights, or anyone getting bitten. The really bad thing was so many dogs got hit by cars.

For useful advice, name the active ingredient that concerns you. My guess is it's Ivermectin for heartworm. Collie types tend to be VERY sensitive due to a genetic mutation (MDR1),but the mutation is rare in breeds and dogs without the mutation tolerate high doses. It's more complicated but let someone else explain. Other worms: depends on what worm. Tapeworm requires a different med from roundworm, etc. I only treat for tapeworm if/when I see it in the poops. Otherwise I use something with pyrantel paomate as an active ingredient. I worm puppies often, but older dogs a few times a year at most. You can get combos that do both intestinal worms (other than tapeworm) and heartworm. I like Heartguard plus. There are lots of options. Heartworm is horrid, but other worms are no catastrophe, so no need to go for overkill. Flea and tick treatment varies a lot depending on where you live. We have awful flea problems where I live, and I find Bravecto is great. But in areas where fleas aren't bad, Frontline, Advantage, etc. work fine.

My favorite pug in history tale, which may be fiction, is the story of the pug, Fortune, and Napoleon and Josephine's wedding night. https://mimimatthews...o-bit-napoleon/ Fortune doesn't look much like a modern pug.

No, let's say lots more. I would like to see the press release that accompanied the study because I bet it will be almost word for word what it says in the article. The actual conclusion is of low diversity not no diversity. And? The diversity is so low in the breed that the significant health issues and poor longevity associated with the breed cannot be corrected without an outcross. Except it says might not will. It behooves the media and people who read these things and report them to actually report correctly. Dreamer! The media can seldom be accused of accurate and correct reporting of scientific research ;) We in the scientific community insert so many 'probably', 'possibly', 'maybe', 'likely' words that the media gets frustrated and distorts. Say I spend two years writing an article. Some journo has three hours to summarize it. Of course they slash my carefully chosen hedge words to get something clear and simple. That's life.

great article . . . the study it refers to is well worth reading. https://cgejournal.b...0575-016-0036-y This points out that the breed comes out of a small founder population, dating back to 1860 or before. So it's no surprise that the OP's post, giving a life expectancy of 6 years in 1953. Most of the damage to the breed was done well before that. Also notable that the UC Davis study looked at sections of the genome that are strongly associated with immunity . . . and found that the BB has very high homozygosity and little genetic diversity in these regions. Not a prescription for health.

This is one of those topics where findings are all over the place. see, eg., http://skeptvet.com/...based-approach/ (gives 13 references to peer reviewed articles . . . all of which draw somewhat different conclusions). The consensus is no longer desex-them-all, and there aren't a lot of people sticking up with early desexing. But there is no scientific consensus. I'd say the authors of the article cited in the OP formed an opinion and then cited the references that back that opinion. My foundation bitch died of reproductive system complications that would have been prevented by spaying. I personally think it's good to spay bitches that are post-reproductive. Hard to find any studies on older-age desexing.

Agree . . . it's just the easiest problem to quantify. And I would not say a dog with D grade hips is healthy. Given the grief Labs, GSDs, Rotti's etc. get about hip testing, it says something about bulldogs that their rotten hip scores are not treated as a major concern . . . ie., suggests that there are a lot of problems that are worse . . . . However, the hip problems may be part of a whole complex of problems affecting BB's and other brachy breeds. From the textbook of small animal orthopoedics CHAPTER 57 CONSTITUTIONAL DISORDERS OF THE SKELETON IN DOGS AND CATS PETER F. JEZYK http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/saortho/chapter_57/57mast.htm#a "Several breeds of dogs have characteristic features similar to those outlined for human achondroplasts that would place them in this category. These include the bulldogs, the Boston terrier, the pug, the Pekinese, the Japanese spaniel, and the Shih Tzu. The bony abnormalities observed in these include rhizomelic limb shortening and flared metaphyses, a depressed nasal bridge, and a shortened maxilla (resulting in their characteristic relative mandibular prognathism). They also have a small foramen magnum, and, especially in the bulldogs, there are often wedge- or hemivertebrae. These dogs tend to have upper airway problems associated with the facial conformation, including stenotic nares and overlong soft palates. The latter represents a normal soft tissue mass that has been translocated to an abnormal position by the bony anomalies. Elbow luxations and medial patella luxations occur and are probably associated with increased joint laxity, as in humans. Achondroplasia is an autosomal dominant disorder in humans (although exceptions have been reported) and appears to be an incompletely dominant autosomal trait in the dog.(74)"

I don't have a vested interest here but I just point out that if you have reported those stats correctly, out of a group of over 1,000 only 32 were hip scored. That is something like 3% and I would have to suspect the selection factor - I would guess that the only reason that they were xrayed and scored was a visible limp or impairment, I.e. the xrays were for diagnosis, not scoring for breed factors. Common sense tells us that if you at only going to look at scores of dogs visibly lame you are going to skew the data. On the flip side, if I am wrong and there were 1116 bulldogs hip scored and only 32 did not have A grade hips then this breed obviously does not have a problem with hip dysplasia. I have no problem with the mortality data, only 16% living to healthy breed expectancy is very sad indeed. Longevity and health should be on every breeder's list of aims. I didn't do a great job reporting the Finnish KC stats on HD. I accepted the default (year of birth 2011-2016). No dogs born in 2015 or 2016 have had Xray results recorded. ...the numbers will probably rise in a few years. However, if you extend the period to 1990 you still find only 3% of dogs born have been scored. The distribution of scores doesn't much change though. For A,B,C,D, and E grades, respectively: 1%, 1% 17% 38% and 43%. I think there's something funny going on here. OFA stats also show more dysplasic than not . . . and very low numbers scored. The stats clearly show that hip scoring is not popular with BB owners. You find the same in many other breeds, eg., all the sight hounds. But the sight hounds generally show very low incidence of HD.. Bias is likely . . . but how much bias affects the stats is hard to judge.

Depends on why she digs. If she's after critters, she's going to dig where the critters are. If she's after a cool place to lie down, she'll go for a damp shady spot . . . like under a bush that you water. If she's digging just for fun, you have a chance of training her by praise, hiding treats, etc.

But what fraction of British bulldogs are healthy? I'd guess it's much less than half. OFA stats show that 73% of BB's are dysplasic in the hips and more than a third are dysplasic in the elbows. http://www.offa.org/stats_hip.html The Finnish data show 32 of 1116 tested. Of 32, none had A grade hips, 1 had B, 5 had C, 12 had D, and 14 had F grade hips. Of 335 mortalities recorded, only 53 (16%) died of old age (average lifespan 9yr 8 mo). For the 335 in total, the average lifespan was 5 yr 11 mo.

Wouldn't say it squashes PDE. Jemima Harrison has an axe to grind, and misses a lot. In this case, she and others have missed the detail that the development of an unsound breed occurred long ago. She regularly forgets to observe that pugs, despite brachy problems, have relatively long lifespans (average around 12 yrs). Also seems more concerned about wrinkles than hips and elbows, and fails to consider ageing in her choice of photographic examples ... eg compare a 'times past' 2 yr old to a modern 8 yr old. These foibles don't negate the main point . . . many pedigree breeders have bred for extremes and let health go out the window. In some breeds, this is the norm, and you have no chance showing if you don't breed for extremes

Hasn't changed much, then. Life expectancy 5 yr 11 mo according to: http://jalostus.kenn...x?R=149&Lang=en The video seems to show that bulldogs are great at one thing: eating. I am a little surprised that the narrator was so blase about the short lifespan.

I've also been told (by an Australian vet) that, even for the strains it does cover, it does not confer a full year's immunity. She recommended vaccinating a few weeks or a month before going to a place/event where exposure was likely, and skipping the jab entirely if exposure was not likely.