This page is dedicated to posting articles & sites on a wide variety of topics that we think worthy of your attention. It will include timely alerts, events, breed and training information as well as recommended reading. The contents will evolve so we suggest you check back often.
FLEA & TICK PREVENTATIVES
THESE LINKS WILL TAKE YOU TO EXCELLENT PRODUCT CHARTSNote: we almost never see fleas here in Maricopa County however they are to be found in the higher elevations. We do see lots of ticks, particularly, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, July thru September. SWGSR uses Frontline and we strongly discourage the use of any flea/tick collars.
STRICTLY GSD STUFF
Types of GSDs
HISTORY OF THE BORDER PATROL DOGS
A Tribute to the German Shepherd Dog
Interesting study on tail chasing
FOOD
BEST DOG FOOD INFO & LINKS:
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/
The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare?
Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble
HEALTH RELATED
PERIANAL FISTULAS: Canine perianal fistula
4. Perianal fistula in a dog. Note the swelling and the multiple draining fistulous tracts.Canine perianal fistula is a chronic, painful skin disease involving the anal and perianal tissues (Figure 4). The skin is ulcerative, and retrocutaneous fistulas (fistulas extending behind the cutaneous zone of the anus) are typical. Dogs present with tenesmus, dyschezia, constipation, and mucopurulent discharge from the perineum. Increasing evidence exists that an immune-mediated cause may be involved in the disease's pathogenesis. For many years, surgery was the treatment of choice for affected dogs, even though relapse was common. Patients treated medically with traditional anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs (e.g. prednisolone, azathioprine) responded inconsistently. Cyclosporine was first explored as an alternative treatment in a small number of dogs and then in a larger case series.17-19 Cyclosporine is effective as a sole therapy or in combination with surgery in which it is used to decrease lesion size before surgical correction.
The ideal dosage of cyclosporine to treat perianal fistula is unknown; the dosing regimens in studies vary from 1 to 10 mg/kg once or twice a day. It is difficult to make direct comparisons between the studies because the cyclosporine formulation varied between unmodified and modified, the treatment period varied from four to > 20 weeks, and some studies used ketoconazole concurrently to increase serum cyclosporine concentrations while other studies did not. The following medical treatment protocol for perianal fistulas is used by the soft tissue surgeons at the University of Wisconsin's School of Veterinary Medicine:
- Induce remission of clinical signs by using cyclosporine alone (5 mg/kg orally twice daily) or combined with ketoconazole (cyclosporine: 5 mg/kg orally once daily; ketoconazole: 8 mg/kg orally once daily).
- Monitor the dog for signs of clinical improvement. Most dogs show some benefit within two to four weeks, but complete remission of clinical signs can take 16 to 20 weeks.
- Once clinical remission has been established, treat for an additional four weeks and then discontinue therapy.
- If a relapse occurs, repeat the above treatment protocol and then establish a maintenance dose that keeps the lesions in clinical remission. Some dogs have needed a dose as low as 25 mg daily or every other day.
One study of dogs with perianal fistulas found that serum cyclosporine concentrations did not correlate with clinical response; dogs responded to therapy even though they had serum concentrations below the therapeutic target range.19 Often the first clinical sign of treatment success owners note is a decrease in licking. If a patient is not responding as expected, serum trough cyclosporine concentrations are measured to ensure adequate absorption.
A great site with info & support for dogs with a rear leg deformity known as "Straight-leg Shepherds"
German Shepherd Becomes Bionic Dog After Being Fitted With Prosthetic Ankle
K9 HIP & JOINT REPLACEMENT: Woof! Woof! - NYTimes.com
FDA Approves First Canine Cancer Therapy
Degenerative Myelopathy German Shepherd Dogs
Plants, Foods, Medications Toxic to Pets + Poison Control phone numbers
CANINE ANATOMY: BONES, JOINTS & DISEASES
What's that Gagging sound my dog makes?
How Often Should My Dog Receive Vaccinations?
Leptospirosis in Dogs How They Catch It, How We Cure It, How We Prevent It
CANINE BLOOD TRANSFUSION:
Please watch this video and spread the word. Canine blood is needed and YOU and YOUR DOG might be the one in need some day. This Tucson clinic provides free screening of your dog's blood.For more info, please contact:
Kira C. Staggs, A.A.S., CVT
ER Tech/Blood Bank Coordinator
Southern Az Veterinary Specialty and ER Center
Ft. Lowell Location--520-888-3177 ext. 2237
bloodbank@southernazvets.com
VACCINATION INFO PRO & CON:
Taking on the Rabies Challenge: Too Many Canine Vaccinations - Too Many Adverse Reactions
CANINE VACCINATION -- DR. JEAN DODDS
Danger of Pet Vaccination - Vaccinosis - adverse reaction to routine vaccinatiions
HEALTH - Adverse Vaccine Reactions by W. Jean Dodds
Canine Vaccination Concerns - England
Vaccine Reaction In A Dog at ThePetCenter
Sedona Red Rock News, Sedona, AZ - Rabies still a danger to domestic pets
What many people may not know is that if your dog or cat is bitten by a rabid animal state regulations require either euthanasia or a 6 month quarantine often costing some owners up to $4000. For dogs or cats that are currently vaccinated, an immediate rabies booster vaccination and 45 day home quarantine are required.
RABIES WARNING--THIS FROM A COUNTY EMPLOYEE:
You raise some very good points about Rabies and Vaccinating your dogs. I would like to elaborate if I can just a little. You have not mentioned any cases of Wildlife attacks on people/pets in our own county of Maricopa.
MCACC field officers run an average of 5-10 Rabies Exposure calls in Maricopa County every month. A majority of these are Wildlife to Pet exposures. And please do not think that if you live in the city, that you are immune from your pet being exposed to a Rabid Wild animal. Bats are the major Rabies carrier in the state of AZ. This last year we removed bats from the City Hall building in Glendale, an apartment in Phoenix, and numerous inner city schools. We had to quarantine 3 cats in a household in North Central Phoenix, when one of the cats, (we don't know which one) brought a bat in through the doggie door and deposited it in the person's hallway.
We have coyotes living in North Central Phoenix in an electric substation at 17th Ave/Orangewood Ave area, we had to quarantine a woman's dog, when the coyotes got into her yard and attacked it. I almost hit a coyote crossing the on ramp of I-17/Union Hills. There are quite a few in that area. Sun City is plagued with coyotes and although it seems like their behavior there is unusual, it is not. The Sun City coyotes have just lost their fear of people. One lady's Pomeranian was snatched away from her while she was walking it on a leash. Another coyote actually went into the woman's house after her poodle via the doggie door. We have had a few skunk exposures just north of Happy Valley Road. A raccoon fell from a tree and the dogs attacked it in a backyard around 7th Ave/Coral Gables area. Your pets can encounter any exposure to wildlife just about anywhere in the county including the city itself.
Best protection is to keep your dogs vaccinations current at all times and keep them licensed. It may mean the difference between a 6 month quarantine (which means no agility shows people) and a 45 day quarantine. If the animal that created the exposure is deceased and we test it and it is positive for Rabies, you will not be allowed to quarantine your animal at home unless its vaccinations are current at the time of exposure. Most of the bats that we test come back positive and the bat does not have to bite your animal for your animal to suffer an exposure.
If you see a bat out in the daytime, do not touch it and isolate your animals immediately. If it is out in the daytime, it is sick. Pick it up with a shovel and put it in some type of container and call Rabies Control. If it is still alive and you do not feel that your animals were around it, leave it alone and call Rabies Control.
VALLEY FEVER
Valley Fever Center for Excellence
TICK FEVER/ERLICHIOSIS
TRAVELING
TOP 10 DOG FRIENDLY SPOTS AND TRIPS IN THE WEST
INSURANCE ISSUES
Insurance, Liability and Dog Owners
Insurance, Liability and Dog Owners - Part 2
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance Plans
While not all pet insurance plans pay off in the long run, having just accident insurance is often a wise move. One emergency surgery could cost thousands. A friend recommended such insurance through ASPCA...check it out.
BEHAVIOR
Working with a fearful, scared or shy dog
SEPARATION ANXIETY - WHAT IS IT AND HOW TO DEAL WITH IT
Dog Owner's Guide: Pack dynamics
MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES
