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 on the Health of Your Dog 715.235.6502
Visiting the Vet It is not my intent to answer technical questions that should be directed to a vet. This section will only address things I believe a pet owner should be able to deal with at home. I try and answer every question I receive on dog training. I may often come across a little on the blunt side, (some may call it brash). That is because I consider myself an advocate for dogs and not dog handlers. I am an advocate for common sense dog training and not the latest fad that appears on the horizon. Good dog training is not rocket science. It's common sense.
QUESTION: Cali was spayed yesterday and we picked her up today. She is already licking her stitches and the vet said she will need to wear a cone collar for 14 days. He said the bitter apple stuff doesn't usually stop dogs from licking itchy wounds. Should we go along with the collar or try something else? ANSWER: You can use the cone collar, or get an inexpensive muzzle for the dog.
Hello, I have a question about my german shepherd. He is limping and can't put much weight on his left front foot. This happened before about 2 months ago and we took him to the vet. The vet said he had growing pains which caused his joints to hurt. He gave me some antibiotics just in case, so it won’t get infected, and some pain reliever. A week later it was gone. Now he his limping again, there doesn't seem anything to be physically wrong with his leg that I can see. I squeezed his paws and leg and it doesn't phase him, but he still limps. Have you heard of this growing pain, have you had any similar experience or heard of any with other german shepherds? What do you think and recommend? Thanks for all your help ANSWER: The dog has what s called "PANO." There is a long medical name for it but I have enough problems spelling normal words without complicated medical terms. Pano will often come for a few weeks and go away. Then comes back in a different leg some time later. It’s very hard on the dog because it is so painful. This can happen with some dogs until they reach maturity at about 18 to 24 months of age. There is not a lot to be done for them. You can crate the dog and give him an aspirin in the morning and evening. Some Vets recommend RIMADYL - I am very much against this drug - it is a bad drug. It can It can kill dogs. DO NOT GIVE YOUR DOG RIMADYL. You can also take him off of puppy food and put him on a all-natural diet. Commercial dog foods (especially puppy foods) cause dogs to grow to fast - this causes Pano. Some say Pano is not inherited, I guess the book is still out. Larger-boned dogs get it more than fine-boned dogs. I don't recommend training the dog during this period.
After taking my dog to the groomer she seems to always be shaking her head like she has water in her ears. What should I do? ANSWER: Some dogs can develop chronic ear problems. I feel that some cases are predisposed to them from a genetic standpoint. I have seen this with certain bloodlines of German Shepherd Dogs (GSD). The place to start is with your vet. Make sure the dog does not have ear mites. Then get a good ear flush from your vet. Dogs that seem to always have ear problems need to have their ears flushed and cleaned once or twice a week. Have your vet show you how to work the fluid down into the ear and then really clean it all out with cotton balls. Be careful of sticking Q-tips into dogs ears. That can be dangerous. When I have a chronic ear problem I will follow a flushing with 4 or 5 drops of PANALOG (get it from your vet). Another product that works very well is ODIMAX (again it comes from your vet). A regular treatment of ear flush and one of these 2 products will often times eliminate this problem. I have friends that run a kennel that recommend flushing chronic dogs weekly with Medicated Massing ail Duesh, (I may have spelled this wrong - as I don't often have a need for it myself). I was also told that this product works well to get the smell of a skunk spray off the coat of the dog. So give them a bath and wash them again with this douche. A couple of days ago my German shepherd of 7 1/2 years died of bloat. Needless to say my other dog who was purchased from you is devastated. My question is how can I prevent this from happening again? ANSWER: This is such a tragic situation. I truly feel sorry for people who lose dogs to bloat. One minute they have a normal dog and the next minute it’s gone. I am not sure that there is a way to totally eliminate bloat. I have been lucky - in all the years in dogs it has never happened to me. I am not sure there is a way to stop it for sure. Here is what I have heard - and I am not sure it’s not just an old wives tail:
I don't know who this is? You never signed the e-mail and I don't recognize the e-mail address. What dog do you have from me (parents?) and how is the temperament and working drives? PS: If anyone has other suggestions, send them to me and I will add them to this section.
I have a question and yours is the only site I found that has similar dogs to mine. He is a four year old male and has some kind of a skin problem the local vet can't seem to cure. It's similar to mange, but not near as drastic. He isn't losing large amounts of hair, but there is hair loss mostly on his legs and feet. He does scratch a lot, but doesn't seem to be in a lot of pain. We do not bathe him regularly as we were told not to. We feed him 40% dry and 60% table scraps. Also, he is an outside dog. Any help is appreciated. Phil Heaton ANSWER: More than likely these problems are a result of vaccinations - in my opinion most allergy problems are related to over vaccinating our dogs. So start by NEVER VACCINATING YOUR DOG AGAIN. Then change the dog to an all-natural diet. You can read about this on my web site on in the archives of my web board. Bottom line is get your dog off of commercial dog food.
We have a male GSD from German working lines (not Leerburg, unfortunately). He is almost 6 months old, already quite large, about 70 lbs, but thin! I don't plan to breed him, as his hips are "iffy". At what age should we consider having him neutered? We were considering working on protection training with him, but I'm not sure if this will be feasible. Will neutering him before age 1 year have a detrimental effect? Any advice you have would be appreciated greatly. Also, do you have any advice about keeping his hips as strong as possible? We've been feeding him Iams large breed puppy food and keeping his rations down (he has a pronounced waist), keeping his activities somewhat limited, and supplementing his food with a glucosamine supplement. Andrea ANSWER: If you want the dog for any form of personal protection, do not neuter the dog before 2 years. Do not listen to a vet on this because 99.999% of the vets in this country do not have a clue on personal protection training. This is not a slam on vets, but simply a fact. A lot of vets have egos that do not allow them to consider the fact that they do not know very much about dog training (also a fact). The dogs need the hormones to go through puberty. After 20 months there is not problem. I would also be giving the dog a good quality vitamin and make sure to keep him wormed. This will also insure his health. After that you are doing everything you can. The only thing left is to see where his genes take him.
I seem to be having a couple problems with my 7 month old GSD, (full German). First, eating. He doesn't like doing it. I've tried 3 different brands since I got him and he just doesn't like to eat. Our vet has given him a clean bill of health. It's at the point I have to stand over him and continually point at his food bowl and tell him "eat." I loop the leash under the table leg and his bowl is in the corner (if I don't leash him, he won't stay and eat). You can't see ribs on him. However he is "lean" looking. Should I just try free-feeding and let him eat when he wants to? I don't like using canned food as it causes diarrhea. Second, he has a problem with "playful" biting. He doesn't "hurt" when he does this. I sternly tell him "NO bite" or "BAD bite" yet he continues this. I read awhile back in beginning protection training in puppies that you allow yours to bite this way. Should I allow him to "play bite?" He will eventually be trained in personal protection work and is currently in obedience. I also use a prong collar. Debbie ANSWER: It sounds like you worry too much. I have never seen a healthy dog starve to death in his own home. Leave the dog alone. If he is hungry he will eat. A 7 month old dog is suppose to be thin. It's healthier for the dog. If you can not see ribs there is NO PROBLEM. Your comment on canned food is also wrong. While I do not agree with feeding a dog only canned food, there is nothing wrong with supplementing some canned food with the normal feeding. Read my Q&A sections on my web site concerning the biting. It's also normal. You need to redirect it into something else. By that I mean you need to teach the dog that there are other things besides your arms that are more fun to play with. This dog is old enough to begin basic obedience. If you intend to protection train him you need to start now with the bite development. This work is covered in The First Steps of Bite Training. That work will help teach him to bite other things besides your arms.
I think I have allergies to dogs. What can I do? ANSWER: There are several things that can be done to help people with allergies. I will say that a number of people feel they are allergic to dogs who in fact are not allergic to dogs, but to dust mites or other elements. So before going to a great deal of work it is worth your time to be tested. For those that are truly allergic to dogs there are a number of things that can be done. You can begin by making sure that you keep the places the dogs sleeps and spends time clean. It's important to keep the hair and dander vacuumed. If possible it's better to keep dogs on hard wood floors or ceramic tile floors and not on rugs. It's also important to try and control shedding in the dogs. Get one of the German rakes that we sell and brush the dog every day. These rakes go right to the dogs skin and will stimulate oil production and healthy fur in the dog. You can even go so far as to vacuum your dog every day. Many dogs have a problem with sound of the vacuums. These dogs can be desensitized by running the vacuum a lot. You can even record the sound of the vacuum on a tape recorder and play it when the dog eats his daily meal. Initially the sound can be quiet and gradually increased. You should also make sure that your furnace filter is changed regularly and even go to Wal Mart or K-Mart and buy one of the portable air cleaners. Make sure to keep the filters on these units kept clean. You can also improve the dogs coat by feeding a top quality dog food and making sure the dog gets vitamin and mineral supplements, (see your vet for counseling in this area). There are also products that can be wiped on the dogs coat to control dander. You can go to one of the larger pet food stores and talk with their groomers to determine what product to use. Do not give your dog a bath too often. Once every 3 months is enough for most dogs. Bathing too often will only dry out the dogs skin and cause more dander in the home. In the worst case scenario you may have to change breeds of dogs. Poodles and a few other breeds do not shed. They have hair and not fur. I visit your web site frequently. It has great info, I can often find answers to my questions just by reading your articles or answers that you have given others. Now, however, I have a question that I've never seen addressed anywhere. This may sound a little strange, but here goes... Can dogs get depressed? We have a 19 month old German Shepherd Dog, called Tango, who comes from German and Czech lines. He's a great dog, obedient and a pleasure to work with. Lately though he seems sad. We had to have my 5 year old cocker spaniel put down about a month ago due to health and genetic problems. She had been his "friend" and playmate since we brought him home at 7 weeks. In the evenings he seems especially sad. This was the time of day when both dogs would "hang out" with my husband and I. Tango will come up and lay his head in one of our laps and softly whine or moan. It's not the kind of whine that says he wants something. He just seems sad. He will also lie on the floor with his head on his paws and just look at us and sigh and sometimes softly moan or whine. Again he doesn't seem to want anything. He started this behavior a few days after her passing. If he were a person I would certainly think he's sad and/or depressed. Have you ever heard of anything like this? Do you think he could be missing Jessie (my cocker) and sad (like me) because she's no longer here? If so, is there anything you know of that we can do to help him? Thanks for your time. ANSWER: I do believe that dogs can get depressed. I don't think there is any question about it. You should spend more time playing with and training this dog. Take him through a lot of motivational training exercises in your yard or while on walks. Give him something else to think about. Get him some new toys (giant raw hides etc, etc) You should also spend more time grooming the dog - even if he does not need it. This provides personal contact. If the dog is a house dog, leave a TV on during the day when you are gone. Depending on your personal situation, you may want to add another dog (a female not a male) to your home. Tonight I will drive to the vet to put my 6 month old Akita pup to sleep. She started to limp, and this past weekend she was in so much pain she would not get up. The veterinarian said that in both legs Summer has severe hip dysplasia and as a result, the knees are now severely damaged. We have contacted the breeder, who stated that all of their dogs have been x-rayed except Summer's mother. All their dogs came from a champion breeder down in Tennessee. They feel awful, but are willing to give us another puppy (from one of their other dogs), or refund our money. Problem is that their dogs have such GREAT temperament. I'm not sure I would trust going to another breeder, because of the temperament issue. I have 2 kids at home (2 & 5) and have had a Doberman we owned attack my 2 year old. Summer, even in all of her pain, never snapped at my children. What should we do? How can we avoid this type of tragedy again? Respectfully, ANSWER: The only way to avoid this again is to buy an adult dog that has already been x-rayed. You have a good breeder - stick with them I assume that your vet made these calls after looking at a hip x-ray. No one (not me or any vet) can make a call like this without an x-ray. This is also the age a dog will get Pano - (read the article on my web site).
My husband found a small puppy sitting in the middle of the road a few weeks back. The puppy seems to be a pit bull, I don't think he's more than 12 weeks old. This puppy is both blind and deaf. We kept him because I felt if we took him to the shelter no one would want him. We are having a hard time housebreaking him and I'm trying to see if there is some way I can do this. We keep him outside during the day, and bring him in at night due to the cold. Do you have any suggestions? He's a normal puppy in every other way, he just can't see or hear you! (We are his seeing eye people!) If you could give me some suggestions I'd sure appreciate
it!! ANSWER:
You are faced with a very difficult task. If I were you I would keep this dog tethered on a leash, It would never be off leash and the leash would never be out of my hand accept when the dog was in a crate, I would not leave the dog loose in the yard. It needs to learn that you are always there to protect him. I would also never allow another dog near this dog. Read my article on dog parks. You should follow the absolutely protocol I describe in my ebook titled COMMON SENSE SULUTIONS TO HOUSE TRAINING PROBLEMS. This explains how to establish a permanent schedule. Dogs like this need to learn to live there lives in a firm schedule I also just finished a podcast on using food treats in dog training, combine that with your obedience training. You will need to earn to give commands through the leash. You are faced with a difficult task, to live with this dog is going to require that you think outside the box.
I had to take my Service dog to the vet the other day and was told that he has an enlarged prostate. I know this not unusual for a GSD his age, however it is to the point where it causes some problem with him when he moves his bowels. One of the first and common treatments my vet recommends is neutering the dog. I was just curious what your experience has been to how this effects their working drive. He is a very high drive dog and my concern is simply I would like to know what kind of effect this surgery has on a working PSD. Our vet feels that he is almost 6 years old and he is what he is, however I was hoping you may have some insight into this. I should mention breeding is not an option because we don't have any papers on him anyways and frankly none of us have any business doing that anyway due to lack of experience. Thanks for your time. ANSWER: Your vet is 110% on the mark. The dog must be neutered. It will have no effect on the dogs working ability and it will add years of life to the dog. With a little luck you will see positive results as soon as the dog recovers from surgery. I keep some of my dogs in an outdoor run. It has a roof and each dog has his own run with his own doghouse. I have three sides of the kennel area protected from the wind. At what point is it unsafe to leave them out in the cold & does this differ from a 4 month old pup to an adult? Thank you, ANSWER: The dogs need a good doghouse that has at least 12 inches of straw in them. I also put 1 inch of Styrofoam under the straw and I put rubber flaps on the front of the doghouses. I have an article on my web site that shows the dog houses. Look in the list of training articles for an article about "The Good and Bad Points of my Kennel Facility." These houses are good down to 30 below zero. But if the I had a small pup I would bring them in if it got below 10 below. They don't have any body fat. I am now beginning to watch The First Steps of Bite Training. As I am going through the video I am still wondering whether my dog is capable. I have a Bull mastiff male who is not afraid of too many things. The one thing that I am having a problem in is getting him into the car. I take him to work with me everyday, and he is in some way afraid of getting in the car. I have a sports utility vehicle and it is quite high up. At this point he is 9 months old and weighs 105 lb. I still have to put him in the car; he doesn't put forth any effort. He is getting heavy. Is it possible that the car is just still to high for him and I might need a ramp? Do you have any suggestions? I also wonder if this fear is an indication that he will not be capable of handling protection work. Thank you for any information you can give me. ANSWER: Take the dog and have his hips preliminary x-rayed. He may not be jumping because he has pain in the hips. This has nothing to do with protection work - nothing at all. Toss a hot dog into the truck every time you want him to get in. That will increase his desire to jump in their (assuming his hips are good).
My dog is eating a natural raw diet, she does not have fleas, and she scratches her ears and has itchy patches. Sometimes even scratching her muzzle. What can I do? ANSWER: Many times dogs with these symptoms have a problem for yeast. You should put the dog on a number of natural products:
I would recommend that you buy the book that we sell titled Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats The Ultimate Diet. The proportions to mix these supplements s covered in the book.
I have a 2 yr old black lab who has chronic yeast ear infections. We have tried Otoclear washings, and Otomax following the washings. In the past month we have been trying vinegar washes, then using Otomax. While the vinegar washes are helping, I still can't seem to get rid of the yeast infection. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks, Kimberly ANSWER: You are doing everything that you should be doing. Some dogs with chronic ear problems need their ears cleaned almost every day for their entire life. You can try a product called YEAST AND FUNGAL DETOX from a company called B-naturals.com. If you call there they will tell you what to try and they will not charge you for the information. I have friends who have had success with this. Hi Ed,
I also wanted to ask .....I am considering switching my dogs to a raw diet. Do you have a standard recipe you feed your dogs? Thanks for your help. ANSWER: I believe your vet is correct on one thing and that is if this problem is going to be fixed it will be by putting the dogs on an all-natural diet tailored to the dogs needs. On the issue of what caused the problem, the first thing I would wonder is how many times have these dogs been vaccinated. If they have had the normal vet recommendation for vaccinations I would bet a lot of money that the dogs are suffering from vaccinosis (this is an allergy type problem - very similar to what you describe - that occurred because the dogs have a reaction to vaccinations.) The problems are not really caused by the actual antigens, but more a problem with the carriers that the antigens are delivered in. So stop vaccinating your dogs. If I were you I would only vaccinate for rabies and if your state allows a 3 year vaccine for that, then this is all they get. Nothing else. If you work towards developing a healthy dog through diet, it will be able to fight off normal disease with its own antibodies. My advice would be to get these dogs on an all-natural diet. Specifically the one that is explained in the little $9.00 book that we sell called Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats (you can find it in our list of books). This is how I feed my own dogs. I would also supplement their diet with YUCCA Intensive and the YEAST & FUNGAL DETOX (we also sell these products) I have had dogs with very similar conditions respond to this regime - it may take a couple of months but also think that it may work. I am not a fan of the fish and potato diet that a lot of vets recommend. If you get the little book I spoke of above you can read why white potatoes are not good for dogs. Sweet potatoes and Yams are fine - but white potatoes are not good for them. I think that Iams or Eukanuba (I am not sure which) talked vets into using this diet. One of them even offer a commercial fish and potato diet. DUMB!!!!!! The bottom line is I cannot stress enough how important the all-natural (no kibble) diet is for every dog. The sooner people get their dogs off these commercial dog foods then healthier their dogs will be. "YES" it is a little more expensive and "YES" it does take a little longer to prepare the food - but the benefits far outweigh the extra time and expense. Hi Ed, I have a question on feeding chicken & turkey necks, wings etc. I have always been told you never give your dog chicken bones or pork bones because they will splinter, get caught in the throat, or puncture the stomach! Now I hear people feeding raw meat to dogs, chicken necks, turkey necks wings etc. How good is this for your pet and is this a safe idea? Thank you!!! ANSWER: It is very safe – these bone are fine if fed raw – they get brittle if they are cooked. When have you heard of a wolf or fox that dies from eating a chicken? I feed my dogs raw chicken bones several times a week. Plus I have never heard of one documented case of a dog dying of Torsion that is on a raw food diet. Mr. frawley, First let me thank you for all the wonderful articles on your web site. We had a German German with a skin disorder and a fear biting problem. There were ghosts in her head. We had her put down after biting a friend of mine that walked into our home. Convinced that the skin disorder and fear biting problem we contacted the breeder and they made good with a replacement dog. This dog has a wonderful disposition with pure German lines. The problem is that we just had her to the vet and the vet thinks there is a serious problem. The dog is six months old and only weight 38 pounds. Only a ten pound gain in the last four months. When feeding her normal portions and she starts crying pointing her nose down. Running around in distress. It is obvious she is in great pain. She will then vomit and all is well. The vet told us that she did not think is was bloat or torsion because we would feel organs protrude out of her side. We have been feeding her smaller portions more frequent. Maybe not enough.. I hope it is not too late. The vet claims that from being not fed enough or for whatever reason the dog will not develop to its normal size being that you can see the dogs ribs and she is rather tiny for six months and her bones will not grow anymore after six months. I thought is was good to not feed a dog too much as they may develop other problems. She is rather skinny though. We are going to try to feed her these smaller portions maybe even seven times per day - a mixture of wet and dry food as we have. Is this a common problem? Will this dog ever reach normal size? Any advice, comments or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks ANSWER: You need a new vet. I will bet the ranch that this dog has a herniated esophagus (mega-esophagus) - go find a good vet to confirm this. This problem is almost always genetic problem. If you want to keep the dog - put the dog on a raw natural food diet. Make sure the food is more like stew than hard food. When you feed the dog - put the dog food bowl on an upside down 5 gallon bucket. Get the bowl up off the ground - it makes it easier for the food to go down the throat. I would never take another dog from this breeder and I would inform them of this. I would also call the first vet and recommend a refresher course or two. Mr. Frawley, I have a question that I've been confused about. I have a 3 month old GSD, I took him to the Vet, and while we were there I asked her about these white flakes on his coat. She said it was dry skin and gave me a prescription shampoo for him. Should I use it? All I've heard from most people is NOT to bathe GSD and I want to believe them because they are people who have had GSD. Who is right? Thanks, ANSWER: Well it is dry skin, but my guess it is that is caused by diet. I only feed my dogs an all-natural diet. You can read about this on my web site. This should fix the problem. The shampoo only fixes the symptoms. I have that labeled as bad medicine from the vet (feel free to tell your vet I published this question on my web site). If you want to learn how to feed a dog, get the little $9.00 book that we sell titled Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats. I also strongly recommend not vaccinating your dog on a yearly basis the way that local vets recommend. Pups need an initial vaccination and then a rabies vaccination but no more after that. I have a book titled Shock to the System. It is a must read for anyone who loves there pets. The vet industry is playing a hoax on pet owners in this country with these yearly vaccinations.
I have an English Mastiff that is 1 yr. old. Ever since he was 7 months old we have been in & out the vet's office. He has been on medicine this whole time & he chews on his feet. The vet now thinks Hank has a food allergy. She wants me to put him a new Science Diet food--Z allergy formula. Hank eats about a 20lb. bag a week. This food costs $40.00 a bag. Please help!! Keri Cooper ANSWER: Typical vet recommendation. Also bull #%# answer if you ask me. Take your dog off of all commercial food and do not vaccinate him any more(except a 3 year rabies). Tell your vet I said this. These allergies are probably caused from vaccinations - the odds are anyway. Put your dog on an All-Natural diet - I would recommend that you read the little $9.00 book we sell titled Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats. This is how I feed all of the dogs in my kennel. My dogs only eat a meat, vegetable and vitamin supplement diet. We sell a couple of products that you should also consider for allergies: It takes a couple of months but if anything is going to help this dog it will be these changes and NOT what this vet says. There is nothing in Science Diet that is going to help a dog with allergies. Vets would sell you prednisone and antibiotics and crap food before they would recommend a natural diet. It all comes down to money. If you ever find a vet who agrees with me on vaccinations and the natural diet you had better stick with that one for life. I would also recommend to anyone (with your problem) that you read the book we sell titled Shock to the System by Catherine O'Driscoll.
What is your feeling of RIMADYL? ANSWER: I would NEVER put my dog on this medication. It has been linked to liver failure in many dogs. It seems that labs are more susceptible . The warnings are on the bottle. I know that most medication has the potential for side effects, but there are too many dogs that have problems with this. I feel that putting the dog on Glucosamine (we sell a 99.3% pure powder product - but people can get it in pills locally - I happen to feel powder is better) on a daily basis can accomplish the same results with little to no side effects.
What do you know about the 6 month injectable heartworm medication (Pro-Heart 6)? ANSWER: This product has been taken off the market--too many side effects and deaths of dogs that were injected with this drug. Where can I find other resources for information on all-natural diets? ANSWER: Click here for more resources on all-natural diets.
My wife and I currently own a German Shepherd puppy that is 5 months old. He seems to scratch continuously. As per the vet, we put him on a special food and he still scratched. Is this something that is just normal for these puppies? Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. --- John Mix ANSWER: Put the dog on an all-natural diet. I have an article on my web site. I sell a cheap little book ($9.00) titled Natural Nutrition for dogs and Cats. This is how I feed all of the dogs in my kennel and I use it like a bible. Do yourself and your new dogs favor and feed this diet. Also do not vaccinate this dog again. My guess is that if the dog has allergies it’s a result of a reaction to vaccinations. Dogs DO NOT NEED YEARLY vaccinations – no matter what vets tell you. They are wrong and the only thing they are interested in is your wallet. Do you need a yearly vaccination? I don’t think so – do you think the veterinary vaccinations are so far behind in medical technology that their vaccines need to be given once a year – what bullshit! Then dogs have problems like this and they direct you to other reasons. I hope you can answer my question. I have a Golden Retriever that is two years old. Last May (2000) I had her shaved for the summer and her hair was almost completely back by the end of September. This May (2001) I also had her shaved for the summer and it is barely coming back. The only thing that I know that is different is that she has been on Prednisone for Allergies since last December. Do you think that is possible? Or could there be some other reason? Thank you for your help. Sue Bayer ANSWER: The problem is the Prednisone. The reason for the allergies are vaccinations that you have given your dog. Do not EVER vaccinate your dog again. Tell your vet I said these things. Take the dog off the food it is on and put it on an all-natural diet (read the article I have on my web site about this. If you want to figure out how to feed your dog an All-natural diet get the litter this $9.00 book we sell titled Natural Nutrition in Dogs and Cats). This is going to take several months to correct but it will work most of the time if you have patience. Take the dog of this medicine - I would find another vet. Read my web site on allergies and what to do. Mr. Frawley I have a question about a puppy. She is a GSD, purebred, approximatly 11 weeks old. I do not own her yet, but am considering taking her. The health concern I have is this: I have been told that she has MEGAESOPHAGUS. I have never heard of this before. Have you heard of it? I have done some research on it and was just wondering if you yourself have had any experiences with it, and whether she has a chance to live a long somewhat healthy life or will she end up dying from this. I have 3 children to consider in this, I don't want to bring in a puppy that will just end up dying with in the first few months or the first year. Any advise you could give me would be greatly helpful. Whether it be good or bad. Thank-you ANSWER: I am very familiar with MEGAESOPHAGUS. I have seen it on several occasions over the past 25 years of breeding. In fact, I had this in several of my litters 10 or 12 years ago (none of my current bloodlines have this problem). This is a genetic issue. Once it has been seen the breeder should never repeat the breeding. If he switches stud dogs and still sees it in his next litter he should neuter the bitch. When pups are born its not possible to know they have it. While they nurse it never shows. It is first seen when the pups go to solid food. That's when they start to throw up after they eat. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT YOU TAKE THIS DOG! This is a serious health defect. The dog cannot eat normally. If fed normally it will puke its food. You can feed them watered down food (like soup). The food needs to be elevated, it can be put on a chair for them to eat. This allows it to go down easier. But for many it is a short term fix. While I have heard that some dogs may outgrow this I personally have never seen one do it. Its a long shot. The dogs I had died young from heart failure. You are setting yourself up for heartaches if you take one of these dog. Can you tell me a little about Adequan? I heard it is an injectable polygycosaminoglycans that can help dogs with joint pain. ANSWER: I am not an expert on this and do not have a lot of experience with it. Here is what a friend told me. She is a vet and owns one of my dogs. Adequan is a brand name for injectable polygycosaminoglycans
(PGAGS). It is A 90-lb. dog who is not showing clinical signs would require 1.5 ml intramuscularly. The frequency is variable. Initially, in a dog who is painful, I would do a start-up series of twice a week injections for 1 month, then 1 injection every other week or once a month, depending on severity and response. In a sound dog, as a preventative, I would do a loading dose of 1 injection per week for 1 month and then 1 injection in 2 weeks and then 1 per month thereafter. The 1.5 ml in a 90 lb dog is a mid-range dose. I use a generic form called Condroprotectant that is half the price. My philosophy toward veterinary practice is to provide good medicine with common sense. I still have my own horse practice and understand the economics of "herd health" from dealing with large breeding farms. Hi Ed, I've just bought the video Your puppy 8 weeks to 8 months. Let me tell you that I have a 6 year old bitch, I jog with her every morning, last morning I tried to do the same thing with my 2.5 months old puppy, I took both dogs for jogging but the puppy seems to be afraid in the park so he’s screaming all the time, if he hears another dog barking he runs away like looking for his home should I keep on taking my puppy for jogging or should I wait until he is older????????? Thanks for your help ANSWER: What you are doing is 100% wrong. You are going to destroy your puppy’s hips. Puppies should NEVER jog - not ever. Their bones are too soft. If you had bought these pups from me and sent me this email I would have cancelled your guarantee on the pups. Pups should not be taken jogging until they are 12 to 13 months old. Why do dogs slide their butts across the floor? ANSWER: I would check your dogs anal glands. This is something a Vet needs to do. Hello Mr. Frawley, Do you think that it is wise to have a stomach stapling or stabilization surgery done on Shepherds? We have completed one basic training class and will become another in the Spring. Our GSD (7 Mos) does very well. There seems to be a trend in this area to have this surgery done so that when the dog is worked hard their stomach does not "flip over" We have been told that if this happens it will kill the dog. Our vet thinks the surgery is foolishness, but quite frankly I trust your advice over the vet. Thank you, Mary Ann Templeton ANSWER: My opinion is to have this done to a dog who has not had torsion would be criminal. I think a Vet that would do this to a dog who has no clinical signs of a problem should loose his Vet license. You are talking to some really dummies !!! I have owned GSD’s for over 40 years, bred 300 litters and being involved with working dogs since 1974. I have never had one dog with torsion. What does that tell you about these idiots? This question really should go on the dumb and dumber – not because you sent it but because of the advice you are getting from these people. Ed, great site. I am writing to ask your opinion on my situation. I have a 10 month old female GSD, great temperament and drive. There is one serious problem.
Before I got the pup I asked the breeder if the parents hips were checked
out (OFA), she said they were, but I did not force her to show me the
hip scores. My Fault and I won't make that mistake in the future. After
I found out she was dysplastic I called the breeder, she said she was
very surprised. I asked her to fax me the hips scores, she said she doesn't
keep them at home, that the paper work is in a safety deposit box.
Yours thoughts would be appreciated. Answer: Never heard of her. I doubt you will get money back. I do not refund money either - I give a replacement. If the hip on the pup is terrible I do not want the dog back (I just take the AKC papers and give them another dog.) If the hip is just not passable I take the dog and sell it as a pet without any papers. The dogs from my kennel have 6 generations of OFA or German A stamped
hips So I cannot tell you what to do. If the dog is in pain then I would do something. What that is would be a personal issue. I have taken my puppy to the vet for the first 2 check ups and shots...we have done many numerous, numerous blood, urine, fecal tests because of the amount of water she is drinking and all tests have come back pretty normal. One came back a little high on some kind of liver count. They said it wasn't something that they would say I should worry about yet because it was only border line but they are going to monitor it on all her check ups to make sure it doesn't get worse. They did not think that that was the reason I am having problems with her water though. Her eating is a normal puppy appitite...she eats like a champ! She is a Weimaraner/Dobe mix and 10 weeks old and about 16-17 lbs right now. Very stocky & muscular and has a ton of energy. I normally will fill her water bowl halfway sometimes a little less maybe 2- 2 1/2 cups and she will not leave it until it is empty and it is a fairly large water bowl (it would easily hold 6 cups to the brim). I know that it is normal for puppies to eat and drink a lot but she seems to be over doing it. She licks the bowl dry and stands waiting as if she wants me to fill it again and ...I don't because her stomach already looks like it is going to pop and gets really tight and hard. I will usually wait an hour for her to get the bowl back. The way she is drinking makes it hard for me to keep up with her potty training as well. I take her out about every 15 minutes to a half an hour and she's peeing constantly in and outside the house. I have had to gate off my hallway so that she can't get to the bathroom because she will after finishing the bowl run down to the bathroom and bark at the shower. She found that there was little water left in the bottom sometimes and licks it up if she gets the chance. We started closing the door but she started digging at the carpet to get in. This seems abnormal to me. I don't feel deprive her of water and I'm just wondering how much water should I give her. Everyone I talk to says that I should constantly have water for her out on the ground because their kidneys are developing but I'm not so sure with her that's a healthy idea. She blows up like a little balloon. I feel she gets too much water at one time already but I feel guilty cause she really seems thirsty even after 3 cups. I don't even drink three cups ...maybe in one day but not at one time! Like I said the vet after 2 visits seems to think that she is healthy by all the tests he has run on both visits. What kind of water schedule should I put her on and how much should I give her without feeling guilty of depriving her? I don't feel I am ...I feel 2 cups an hour is more than enough for a puppy, but I've been told I'm wrong and not to take the bowl away. Help! Answer: I would start by looking for a new vet for a second opinion. I would make sure the vet had an ultrasound machine . I would have the dogs kidney’s checked with the Ultra sound. I would also worm the pup and put it on a all-natural diet. I sell a small book Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats. Probably the most important thing you can do is NOT VACCINATE
THIS DOG ANYMORE!!!!! We have a 3 year old male German Shepherd whose ears are down. I feel that our old vet gave us some bad advise. He told us to take out thumb and finger and rub up the ear to make the cartilage go up. This did not work. I think it just relaxed the ear. The vet never mentioned taping or supports. Now he has a red and probably sore spots where the ear folds. Our new vet now, says it's apart of him and we should except it. What, a GSD with floppy ears? We found these expensive self-adhesive ear supports that stay in for only 10 days and did not work. We are on the second treatment now, but not optimistic. I read your page on ear taping and would like to know more about the surgical implants. Do you have any other suggestions? Thank you for your time Danyl ANSWER: You waited 2 years 6 months too long. If you were going to help the ear it would have to have been done at 4 to 6 months. You have about as much chance of getting the dogs ears to stand as you do to teach pigs to fly. Your first vet was an idiot. But then you already know that. Accept our dog for what he is and be happy with his companionship. Most dogs, even though they have been exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi, never exhibit any signs of Lyme disease. In certain highly endemic areas of New York and New Jersey dogs exhibit almost a 90% rate of exposure as evidenced by serosurvey. However, only about 4% of the dogs exhibit signs of Lyme disease including lameness, poor appetite and fever. Treatment of these animals with antibiotics typically results in rapid recovery. A few dogs can develop lesions on the kidneys (Lyme nephropathy) and may not respond to antibiotic treatment. Interestingly, dogs susceptible to this condition may not be protected by the Lyme vaccines currently available. In fact, there are concerns that the vaccine may possibly sensitize a genetically predisposed individual to having a more intense immune-mediated reaction to Lyme antigens, or the vaccine may add to antigen-antibody complex deposition in tissues (Meryl P. Littman, VMD, DACVIM, University of Pennsylvania). Hi Ed, Thank you...Kevin ANSWER: You are right and your wife is not. I feel mackerel to my dogs at least once a week. I think that may be better than tuna and certainly cheaper than salmon – but the salmon oil is great for a dog. It’s the best source of Omega 3 you can find.
Ed, I have an eight month old GSD that has already begun to experience hip problems. In your opinion, what would be the best course of action to do what is right for the dog? Thank you for your time. Chad Keen ANSWER: Unless you have had the dog x-rayed you cannot assume that this dog has hips problems. It could be pano. If the dog is x-rayed and diagnosed with bad hips what happens next depends on the severity of the hip or hips. Many dogs can live a normal life with moderately bad hips. They just should not be bred. If the hips are bad, keep the dog THIN, swim the dog a lot, do not run or jog the dog. My dog suffers from Demodectic mange. Is there a homeopathic remedy I can use? ANSWER: There are some things that you will want to add to her food Vitamin C powder ---on her food every meal. The dose is “to bowel tolerance” which means you give a little bit and if she doesn’t get the runs the next meal, up the dose a bit. Keep doing that until she starts to get softer poop and then back off to the last dose that she was NORMAL… you may have to give quite a bit to get her to that point and the down side is that you have to watch her poop each day. Salmon Oil Double what the dose on the bottle is for her size Vitamin E 1600 IU daily There are some things you will need from the health food store—you can ask the person that works there for help if you can’t find the stuff. Lecithin granules ½ - 3 teaspoons on her food, start low and work your way up (homeopathic remedy) sulphur 6 C twice a day—5 minutes before or after any food, wait at least 10 minutes before giving Echinacea Echinacea –I use the tincture (in a dropper bottle) Give 3 times a day by mouth, away from food and other meds.. I dose my dogs like a kid If capsules are easier, then give her 2 capsules three times a day. Fresh lemon juice on her hairless itchy spots once a day I know this sounds like a lot but I think it will help and it will boost her system. A regular vet is going to want to pump her full of drugs and put toxic dip on her which usually makes them really sick.
Hi Cindy, ANSWER: It's my understanding that Perianal fistulas are an immune problem. I would NEVER vaccinate these dogs again, no matter what. Order the book called "Shock to the System" to see why. I would also try to find a way to build up the immune system and switching to a natural diet would be highly recommended. It may take a very gradual switch, because of the pre existing problems your dogs already have. You may need to consult with a holistic vet or a homeopath. Very few allopathic vets know how to get to the bottom of problems like this. They merely give more drugs and meds to cover the symptoms, not solve the real issue at hand. Mr Frawley, It's been a while since I asked you for advice. Your e-mails, web site, and your DVD's helped me immensely in the past. I have a GSD from a working line about 1.5 years old now, doing great on a raw food diet. I live in NJ and hence I live in a lyme disease area. My dog is not vaccinated against lyme -- I use Frontline in the spring. I did not use it in the past few months, thinking season is probably over. Facts: Again, he seems completely fine right now. His stool is normal, eats
normal, wants to play etc. As always, thanks very much for any advice. Regards, ANSWER: It sounds like this was a normal brown tick and not a deer tick. Deer ticks are very very small – the size of the head of a pin. Deer ticks pass Lymes but the normal large ticks do not. In addition a deer tick must be one you for over 24 hours before you can get Lymes and even then it takes time for symptoms. We would NEVER give the vaccination for Lymes and we live right in the middle of one of the worst areas in the United States for Lymes. This is a terrible vaccination. Hello Ed- I just wanted to run this by you, since you may have seen this condition in the many Shepherds you meet. My 5 Yr. Old Male German Shepherd, was chewing a rawhide bone Sunday night (April 1st) He barely chewed a small end, and then became suddenly extremely sick. Lethargic, Vomiting, collapsed on the floor, couldn't get up without yelping, etc. I rushed him right in to the Emergency Clinic here, and luckily they caught in time a nasty case of Gastric Dilation-Torsion. A small piece of the rawhide my dog was chewing, became lodged in his intestines, then causing his stomach to flip. They operated on him, and today (Thursday) is his first day back home. I have been reading around a lot about this condition, which I see is extremely common in German Shepherds and other deep chest large breeds. I also saw several sources that said their dogs bloated again months after the surgery. My dog's stomach was tacked, so it cannot rotate in the future, but even my vet said there is a small chance a bloat can happen again in the future, which can still be life threatening, the stomach just wont rotate if it happens. Obviously I came right home and trashed every rawhide I had, and will never give him one again. I wanted to ask, have you ever had this happen to a dog? If so, did your dog recover okay? Did you see any other bloat incidents at any time after their surgery, whether it be weeks months or years later? This was a very terrifying experience for both myself and my dog. I came extremely close to losing my best bud. Do you recommend any good chews for German Shepherds that may offer less of an intestinal blockage risk than a rawhide? Do you know of any diets that may be calmer as well? My vet recommended elevating the food and water dish, feed smaller meals more often during the day rather than one or two big ones. My vet recommended some other things as far as chewing options, but I am really wanting to get as many professional opinions as I can, incase I miss anything, I want to avoid this forever. I know you are not a Vet but I was just curious if you have experienced this yourself and if so, how did things go for you and how you went about preventing it in the future. Any help appreciated! -Kelli ANSWER: We are fortunate to have never had any of our dogs bloat. I think there is much more to this condition than just breed tendency. I believe diet and over vaccination play a huge role in this, more than most vets will admit or even know. I would strongly recommend a raw diet for this dog. Read this article on feeding a raw diet. It’s a work in progress but there is a lot of good information there. I would also recommend these books, Natural Nutrition for Dogs & Cats and Raw Dog Food. You can also go to our Feeding Dogs Page for a list of articles and books that will be helpful to you. We carry a dehydrated quality food, for people who want the convenience of a commercial diet but the benefits of raw. Please visit our Discussion Forum. There are thousands of members and many posts on every dog related topic imaginable. You don’t have to register to read the material, but if you wish to post a question or reply you must go through the registration process. I know there have been quite a few people who have posted their experiences with bloat on the forum. You can use the search function to narrow down the topics. For chewing options, I would recommend a toy that you can fill with yogurt or ground meat or cream cheese, and then freeze them. The dogs work a good long time on them and it’s safe because there are not any pieces that can come off. Hope this helps. QUESTION: Hi Cindy, I have not visited your site in a year (when I used it extensively for information on training for our rescue dog). Today I am intrigued by the dehydrated food info. My son has a mini schnauzer (1 yr old) with a very bad spinning problem...that is jumping up from a relaxed state ...spinning as if chasing her tail or trying to sniff her bottom....then sniffing the floor where she was just sitting. It is very sad to see this little girl obsessively spin sometimes for hours. There are times when nothing we can do will distract her. This behavior began after she was constipated for two days after her spay procedure and the vet shaved her anal area to clear it up. She has always been sensitive (throwing up, diarrhea) to lamb mixes etc. in dry food products, and after trying different ones we fed nutro for sensitive stomachs for a long time. In an effort to see if the problem is intestinal (we believe she may be passing gas when she jumps up and spins) we have been for two weeks now feeding only cooked chicken, rice, carrots and a little egg. We have seen no let up of her chronic behavior. The vets are saying it is a behavioral issue and want to put her on calming meds. We feel that it is a GI problem of some kind. I have three questions. 1. Have you ever heard of this type of behavior? We may just go ahead and order some of the grain free chicken. You must get a huge amount of e-mail.....if you have any ideas on this issue I would be grateful for a reply to mine. Thanks! ANSWER: Did the vet check her anal glands? We have a Corgi that will spin around like a top if her glands are full and bothering her. It’s also possible that when he shaved her rear end he gave her a clipper burn. I was a groomer for over 15 years and was taught to never use clippers around the rectal area. I am sure if that’s the case she is just very uncomfortable. To address the grain issue, I feel that no dog should eat grains. They serve no purpose other than as a filler and to cause aggravation for many dogs. Getting them out of the diet is a good thing, even if the dog doesn’t appear to have any issues with them. I would not put her on calming meds, that’s not figuring out the problem, only masking it. Sometimes vets need a smack! I have heard that slippery elm is a great supplement for GI upsets,
you can google it to find out where to purchase. I know I have seen it
at my health food store. Hi, my name is Jennifer. I have a 3 year old German Shep. Her name is Tagg. Over the last 2 years she had developed skin allergies & most recently colitis. Her skin allergies flare up from August to November. She has been on Prednisone, but she is sensitive to it so it make her incontinent to boot. The vets have told me to get her tested. I just don't know if that will give us the real picture. And as I said, Since January she's had colitis. It seems to have gone away since I changed her food. I weened her onto the Eukanuba German Shep specific dry food. I just would like to have some true guidance with this, instead of huge vet bills & her not being relieved or even comfortable. I believe something natural or supplements of some sort could help her. I just don't know where to start. Thank you in advance for you time & patience. Sincerely, ANSWER: I believe that your dog would greatly benefit from a fresh, species appropriate diet. Read the article on feeding a raw diet. It’s a work in progress but there is a lot of good information there. I would also recommend these books, Natural Nutrition for Dogs & Cats and Raw Dog Food. You can also go to our Feeding Dogs Page for a list of articles and books that will be helpful to you. It's located on the navigation bar on the left hand side of the web site. A book called The Allergy solution for Dogs may also be helpful to you. I do believe the best thing you could do for your dog is to start with a raw diet. Please visit our Discussion Forum. There are thousands of members and many posts on every dog related topic imaginable. You don’t have to register to read the material, but if you wish to post a question or reply you must go through the registration process. I am a small breeder of Miniature Schnauzers. I've been all over your web site and love the info!!! I've been leaning more and more towards holistically taking care of my dogs, as I haven't been too impressed with the vets in my area!! The one |
