PROBIOTICS

Dr. Andrew Jones author of “Veterinary Secrets Revealed” says that diarrhea and vomiting are two of the top 10 reasons owners bring their pets to the vet. He continues to say that supplementing the diet with probiotics is an essential way to help maintain and promote your pet's optimal intestinal health. Of course, the key factor is PREVENTING disease, and ensuring that your pet's gut immune system is functioning optimally.

The yogurt companies are now in an advertising war to get you to try their product by offering money back guarantees to the consumer if you don’t see a change in your intestinal health. And now the veterinary community has taken notice. They are now recommending probiotics for vomiting and diarrhea, skin disease, kidney failure and for immune system support and disease prevention. In order for the probiotic to be beneficial it must be active (which it should state on the container). If you use a supplement the probiotic must be active because these healthy bacteria age and become ineffective. The probiotic must make its way through the stomach and into the pet’s digestive tract.

There has been extensive research done to prove that probiotics have beneficial effects on the digestive health of your dog. Probiotics are live "good" bacteria that when ingested by pets help to restore bacterial balance within the intestine. When shopping for dry dog food, check the bag to see that it lists Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus to indicate the inclusion of probiotics in the dog food.

If your dog has been ill and has been on any antibiotics, supplementing his food with probiotics can help restore the right balance of bacteria to his intestinal tract. There are many other things that can upset the dog’s digestive tract. Stressful conditions (moving, change in diet, dog shows, boarding, aging, etc.) can disrupt the delicate balance of "good" and "bad" bacteria within the intestine. Regularly feeding your dog a food or supplement containing probiotics can help maintain their digestive health for the long term.

Also dogs prone to digestive sensitivity like soft stool or diarrhea (SIBO – small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) may benefit tremendously from a food or supplement containing probiotics. Many of these pets have inflammation within their small intestine. This is what causes the bacterial overgrowth and some dogs have a problem called antibiotic-responsive diarrhea. Antibiotic therapy like the use of Tylan seemed to help these dogs that had chronic diarrhea or soft stools. But recently some of these dogs were put on a probiotic regime which eliminated the need for antibiotics and they didn’t seem to relapse with diarrhea if the probiotic was continued. I know this to be true for as I reported in another article, I have a bitch that has SIBO and was on Tylan and no longer has to take this antibiotic because she’s on a probiotic regime that has changed her life around (and mine as well)……..no more cleaning up soft stools!

Research has shown that here have been no side effects or adverse reactions reported with long-term feeding of probiotics. Although intestinal bacteria are confined to one area of the body, they exert powerful effects on whole-body health.

Because the German Shepherd is prone to digestive disorders, I personally feel that including probiotics in their meals can only be a good thing. I feed dog foods that have probiotics added to their ingredient labels, but if you look at those labels, you will see that most of the added probiotics are listed far down in the ingredients so the chances of these being very beneficial is questionable. As most of you know I use and sell VIBRANT PETS supplement. It has the highest quality of four probiotics on the market. I have also used yogurt for my dogs. So they are always getting some form of this additive. I use probiotics for the health of my dogs.


My rating: probiotics: (4), Vibrant Pets: (4)

THE "LIBRA" DOG

A couple of years ago, I wrote an article about dogs and their Zodiac signs. It was fun and I received a lot of positive feedback on it. So I’ve decided I will write about the different astrological signs each month.

This month, I will write about the astrological sign of Libra. The Libra dog is born anywhere from 9/24 – 10/23 although others say it is 9/23 – 10/22. This is the sign of the scales. They are one of the most beloved signs for they represent balance and are usually even tempered which makes them easy to get along with.

Dogs born under this sign usually make good show dogs. They love to perform for an audience and live for the adoration they receive for their performance. The only trouble an owner may have with the Libra born dog is that he can be lazy so sometimes training him can prove to be a challenge. Although he can be surprisingly energetic, he must be given a task to do to keep him interested. Remember this is the sign of the scales and just when you think you have him figured out……BOOM……he may surprise you!

This is the type of dog who is easy to live with. He detests an argumentative household for he is a very “easy to get along” with type of dog. Usually this is not the type of dog who looks for confrontation, but if challenged can be a formidable opponent. They love company so therefore, are very sociable creatures. They are much attuned to their owner’s personality traits and have a great desire to please them.

The Libra dog can become very bored of routine so needs different stimulation to keep him at his “happy best!” They have an insatiable curiosity for new adventures. That’s why these types of dogs make great traveling companions and excellent show dogs. They always look for new places to explore. They excel at the Futurity and National levels or in the Group finals.

Because of this dog’s eager to please, easy to like, type of personality, he is an excellent ambassador for the German Shepherd Dog breed. This is normally a good looking dog and even when genetics might get that wrong, his “look at me” character makes you forget about anything that “mother nature” forgot to bless him with! They can just about charm the pants off of anyone that they meet!

This is a very intelligent type of dog who also does very well in the obedience ring once you get him off of that sofa that he loves to “nest” in. But once he starts bringing home all those blue ribbons and receives all that enthusiastic applause that he craves so much, coaxing him off the sofa will soon become a thing of the past.

This is the type of dog that loves luxury. Woe to the owner of a dog that is born a Libra and is assigned to the mundane existence in a kennel run. You might find him very vocal, “antsy” and disruptive to all in his immediate vicinity. He wants out and into the house relaxing by a fireplace lying on a big soft comforter. He likes to be fed a raw diet or a natural, holistic food please. His taste for the finer things in life is something that he is born with. Tampering with his “luxury” loving nature and expecting him to exist in anything less, well it’s just unheard of for the dog born under the Libra sign!

The Libra dog will add much enjoyment to his owner’s life. Because of his need to please and be with you, he makes an excellent companion and one that his owner can be very proud of. These dogs make outstanding therapy dogs for their love of social connections and acceptability makes this sign second to none. Libra dogs do what ever it is that you ask of them. It’s a win/win situation both for the dog and the owner who loves him!

My rating: Libra dog as a great dog to live with: (4), training….with persistence (4), personality: (4), good looks: (3)

THE LONG COATED SHEPHERD DISQUALIFIED OR A WINNER?

I appreciate all of those who read my blogs and e-mail me with suggestions for topics to write about. This article was suggested to me by a top winning kennel whose dogs you might see in the show ring most week ends. She wanted to know what people think about a long coated German Shepherd winning in the ring. As she said, it’s only a minor fault. I just looked at the German Shepherd Dog Club of America’s new and improved website under the breed standard. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought I once read that the long coated shepherd is considered a minor fault. Now I read that it classifies it as a fault in coat. Perhaps it’s just a difference in wording.

The above picture is of a dog that I bred MANY YEARS AGO with Marge Dolan of Dolmar German Shepherds. He was a coated puppy. However, his coat wasn’t very long at all on his body. Mainly the long hair was on his head around his ears. I showed him twice and both times he took Best Puppy under specialty judges. He was exceptionally well bred with a magnificent side gait, having both front and rear angulation. His bone was oval, his head masculine, tight feet and a temperament to die for. I mean he had no other faults beside the coat. Because I was relatively new in the breed, I decided instead of trimming his ears, I would sell him into a pet home. If I had to do it over again, I don’t think I would have made that same decision. He was a product of the best of the Doppelt Tay lines (#2 Select Gilda’s son Steel Curtain bred to the famous Reno/Rhyme bloodlines).

Many a time in a breeders litter, the long coated puppy is the best in conformation and temperament. I wonder why that is. The long coated puppy is generally very easy to sell into a pet home. Some coats are indeed, very long. Others like mine, might just have the tell tale sign of being a coat around the ears….sometimes between the toes as well.

For those readers not familiar with the coat of the German Shepherd Dog, the breed has a double coat which is medium in length. His undercoat insulates for warmth and protection from the elements. The long coat doesn’t offer him this same protection. It is a softer coat in texture and gets wet quicker than the double layered coat.

So what does a breeder do when faced with a long coated puppy of superior conformation and movement? Many breeders will keep this type of puppy for breeding purposes and breed her to a stud that doesn’t carry the long coat gene. Then there are some who will trim the dog and show them anyway. The long coat is not considered a disqualification.

In my opinion, there a many more things to worry about in the breed than a long coated German Shepherd. Temperament should be the first thing we look for in a good quality dog followed by a sound functional body. I know some people will think, let the long coated dogs win and next we’ll see the livers and blues winning. We over look one thing and then where does it end? This is why we have a standard to base our breeding program on.

Faults of gait are considered very serious faults, and yet I’ll see dogs that kick up in the rear, those who lift from the elbow, dogs who are sloppy going away and they’re winners; many of them are champions. Surely if the faulty gaits are judged and overlooked then a minor fault like a coat shouldn’t be eliminated. Ideally, we would like to see all winning dogs be faultless. It’s not going to happen. The perfect dog hasn’t been bred. Genetics being what it is hasn’t produced the perfect specimen yet. We as breeders can only hope to show the best of our litters and come as close to the standard as possible.

So what do you think? Would you keep and show a long coated dog who had everything else going for him or sell him into a pet home?

My rating on a long coated dog being shown and finished: Only is it’s superior to all the others in the ring: (4), use for breeding: (4)