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Dragon German Shepherds, Breeder.
German Shepherd, German Shepherds, Czech German Shepherd, German Shepherd Puppies for sale. German Shepherd Dogs for sale, puppies, dog, dogs. Czech Import
Dragon German Shepherds
Call 623-388-0494 or email dragongsd@hotmail.com
Giardia is a flagellated protozoan parasite that colonises and reproduces in the small intestine, causing giardiasis. Giardiasis does not spread via the bloodstream, nor does it spread to other parts of the gastro-intestinal tract, but remains confined to the lumen of the small intestine. Giardia absorb their nutrients from the lumen of the small intestines.
Giardia affects humans, but is also one of the most common parasites infecting cats, dogs and birds . Mammalian hosts also include cows, beavers, deer, and sheep.
Giardia infection can occur through ingestion of dormant cysts in contaminated water. The Giardia cyst can survive for weeks to months in cold water, and therefore can be present in contaminated wells and water systems, and even clean-looking mountain streams, as well as city reservoirs, as the Giardia cysts are resistant to conventional water treatment methods, such as chlorination and ozonolysis. Zoonotic transmission is also possible, and therefore Giardia infection is a concern for people camping in the wilderness or swimming in contaminated streams or lakes.
Symptoms of infection include diarrhea, malaise, excessive gas, steatorrhoea (pale, foul smelling, greasy stools), epigastric pain, bloating, nausea, diminished interest in food, possible (but rare) vomiting which is often violent, and weight loss. Pus, mucus and blood are not commonly present in the stool. In healthy individuals, the condition is usually self-limiting.
Giardia in Dogs
Dogs have a high infection rate, as 30% of the population under one year old are known to be infected in kennels. The infection is more prevalent in puppies than in adult dogs. Infected dogs can be isolated and treated, or the entire pack at a kennel can be treated together regardless. Kennels should also be then cleaned with bleach or other cleaning disinfectants. The grass areas used for exercise should be considered contaminated for at least one month after dogs show signs of infection, as cysts can survive in the environment for long periods of time. Prevention can be achieved by quarantine of infected dogs for at least 20 days and careful management and maintenance of a clean water supply.
Prevention
Treatment of drinking water for Giardia typically involves high efficiency filtration and/or chemical disinfection such as chlorination or ozonation. However, normal concentrations of chlorine and ozone used in mass water treatment are not adequate to kill the cysts. Scooping water from the top of a stream or river is not an effective way to avoid Giardia. Filtering or boiling is recommended for purification of drinking water in wilderness conditions.
In my breeding program here at Dragon German Shepherds I routinely treat my adult dogs and also treat my puppies for Giardia since there is no absolute way to know if Giardia is present in their drinking supply.
If by any chance you puppy develops any of the above symptoms that occur with Giardia,
I strongly recommend a visit to the Veterinarian as soon as possible.
Coccidia are microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled parasites that infect the intestinal tracts of animals.
Coccidia are obligate, intracellular parasites, which means that they must live and reproduce within an animal cell.
Coccidiosis is the disease caused by coccidian infection. The disease spreads from one animal to another by contact with infected feces, or ingestion of infected tissue. Diarrhea, which may become bloody in severe cases, is the primary symptom. Most animals infected with coccidia are asymptomatic; however, young or immuno-compromised animals may suffer severe symptoms, including death.
While coccidian organisms can infect a wide variety of animals, including humans and livestock, they are usually species-specific.
Coccidia in dogs
People often first encounter coccidia when they acquire a young puppy who is infected. The infectious organisms are canine-specific and are not contagious to humans.
Young puppies are frequently infected with coccidia and often develop active Coccidiosis -- even puppies obtained from diligent professional breeders. Infected puppies almost always have received the parasite from their mother's feces. Typically, healthy adult animals shedding the parasite's oocysts in their feces will be asymptomatic because of their developed immune systems. However, undeveloped immune systems make puppies more susceptible. Further, stressors such as new owners, travel, weather changes, and unsanitary conditions are believed to activate infections in susceptible animals.
Symptoms in young dogs are universal: at some point around 2-3 months of age, an infected dog develops persistently loose stools. This diarhea proceeds to stool containing liquid, thick mucus, and light colored fecal matter. As the infection progresses, spots of blood may become apparent in the stool, and sudden bowel movements may surprise both dog and owner alike. Coccidia infection is so common that any pup under 4 months old with these symptoms can almost surely be assumed to have coccidiosis.
Fortunately, the treatment is inexpensive, extremely effective, and routine. A veterinarian can easily diagnose the disease through low-powered microscopic examination of an affected dog's feces, which usually will be replete with oocysts. One of many easily administered and inexpensive drugs will be prescribed, and, in the course of just a few days, an infection will be eliminated or perhaps reduced to such a level that the dog's immune system can make its own progress against the infection. Even when an infection has progressed sufficiently that blood is present in feces, permanent damage to the gastrointestinal system is rare, and the dog will most likely make a complete recovery without long-lasting negative effects.
Left untreated, the infection may clear of its own accord, or in some cases may continue to ravage an animal and cause permanent damage or, occasionally, death.
In my breeding program here at Dragon German Shepherds I routinely treat my adult dogs and also treat my puppies for Coccidiosis in preparation for the stress of their new homes and environments as a preventative measure.
If by any chance you puppy develops Diarrhea, I strongly recommend a visit to the Veterinarian as soon as possible.
Panosteitis is a common bone disease in dogs. It manifests with sudden, otherwise unexplained pain and lameness sometimes shifting from leg to leg, usually between 4 and 14 months of age. Signs such as fever and weight loss, and symptoms such as anorexia, and lethargy can also be seen. The cause is unknown, but genetics, stress, infection, metabolism, or an autoimmune component may be factors. It has also been suggested that rapid growth and high-protein food are involved in the pathogenesis.
Panosteitis is characterized histologically by an increase in activity of osteoblasts and fibroblasts in the periosteum, endosteum and bone marrow, resulting in fibrosis and the formation of connective tissue in the medullary cavity of the affected bone. Pain may be caused by increased pressure in the medullary cavity and the stimulation of pain receptors in the periosteum.
The humerus is most commonly affected. Males are more commonly affected than females. Diagnosis is made by pain on palpation of the long bones of the limbs. X-rays may show an increased density in the medullary cavity of the affected bones, often near the nutrient foramen (where the blood vessels enter the bone). This evidence may not be present for up to ten days after lameness begins. Pain medication and exercise restriction can help to relieve the symptoms, and the lameness usually goes away after days to months without additional treatment. Recurrences up to the age of two years may occur. Larger breeds, such as German Shepherd Dogs, Golden Retrievers, Basset Hounds, Dobermanns, Labrador Retrievers, and Rottweilers, are more prone to this problem.
Since I have started my breeding program here at Dragon German Shepherds; Pano has been very common in the heavier boned Czech German Shepherds. There are no long-term effects from Pano. There is no reason to panic when the puppy (4 months and up) starts limping or in severe cases curls up in the fetal position to run to the veterinarian. Generally the symptoms of Pano will come and go.
Feeding a lesser dog food; protein percentage around 19% will greatly reduce the symptoms. Cooked or raw chunks of beef will also help. High premium dog foods will only increase the symptoms and can lead to an earlier onset of Pano. Above all do not feed puppy food of any kind or calcium/mineral supplements.
Exercising should be to a minimal to none at this time. (Most Important)
Overworking your puppy during its first 18 months can not only bring on Pano earlier but also can do more damage to their bones and joints for the longevity of your Dog.
The genus Campylobacter are Gram-negative, spiral, microaerophilic bacteria. Motile, with either uni- or bi-polar flagella, the organisms have a somewhat curved, rod-like appearance, and are oxidase-positive. Campylobacter jejuni is now recognised as one of the main causes of bacterial foodborne disease in many developed countries. At least a dozen species of Campylobacter have been implicated in human disease, with C. jejuni and C. coli the most common. C. fetus is a cause of spontaneous abortions in cattle and sheep, as well as an opportunisitic pathogen in humans.
The genomes of several Campylobacter species have been sequenced, providing insights into their mechanisms of pathogenesis.
Campylobacter species contain two flagellin genes in tandem for motility, flaA and flaB. These genes undergo intergenic recombination, further contributing to their virulence. Non-motile mutants do not colonize.
Pathogenesis
Campylobacteriosis is an infection by campylobacter. The common routes of transmission are fecal-oral, person-to-person sexual contact, ingestion of contaminated food or water. It produces an inflammatory, sometimes bloody, diarrhea, periodontitis or dysentery syndrome, mostly including cramps, fever and pain. The infection is usually self-limiting and in most cases, symptomatic treatment by reposition of liquid and electrolyte replacement is enough in human infections. The use of antibiotics, on the other hand, is controversial.
Cause
This is most commonly caused by C. jejuni, a spiral and comma shaped bacterium normally found in cattle, swine, and birds, where it is non-pathogenic. But the illness can also be caused by C. coli (also found in cattle, swine, and birds) C. upsaliensis (found in cats and dogs) and C. lari (present in seabirds in particular).
One cause of the effects of campylobacteriosis is tissue injury in the gut. The sites of tissue injury include the jejunum, the ileum, and the colon. C jejuni appears to achieve this by invading and destroying epithelial cells.
Some strains of C jejuni produce a cholera-like enterotoxin, which is important in the watery diarrhea observed in infections. The organism produces diffuse, bloody, edematous, and exudative enteritis. In a small number of cases, the infection may be associated with hemolytic uremic syndrome and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura through a poorly understood mechanism.
In more sensative dogs to raw meats this can occur. Treatment is advised by your veterenarian. From my research (Probotics) sprinkled on raw meat reduced or eliminates Camplybacter from happening. My suggestion is for you to research the Probotics to find the one that works for your dog .
Bloat is a medical condition in which the stomach becomes overstretched by excessive gas content. It is also commonly referred to as torsion, gastric torsion, and gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) when the stomach is also twisted. The word bloat is often used as a general term to cover gas distension of the stomach with or without twisting. The name comes from the Middle English blout, meaning soft or puffed, which is from the Old Norse blautr, meaning soft or soaked. The condition occurs most commonly in domesticated animals, especially ruminants and certain dog breeds.
In dogs gas accumulation in the stomach may cause or be caused by a volvulus, or twisting, of the stomach which prevents gas from escaping. Deep-chested breeds are especially at risk. Mortality rates in dogs range from 10 to 60 percent, even with treatment. With surgery, the mortality rate is 15 to 33 percent.
Causes
Bloat in dogs is likely caused by a multitude of factors, but in all cases the immediate prerequisite is a dysfunction of the sphincter between the esophagus and stomach and an obstruction of outflow through the pylorus. Some of the more widely acknowledged factors for developing bloat include increased age, breed, having a deep and narrow chest, stress, eating foods such as kibble that expand in the stomach, overfeeding, and other causes of gastrointestinal disease and distress.
Dietary factors
One common recommendation in the past has been to raise the food bowl of the dog when it eats. However, studies have shown that this may actually increase the risk of bloat. Eating only once daily and eating food consisting of particles less than 30 mm in size also may increase the risk of bloat. One study looking at the ingredients of dry dog food found that while neither increased grains, soy, or animal proteins increased risk of bloat, foods containing an increased amount of added oils or fats do increase the risk, possibly due to delayed emptying of the stomach.
Pathology
The stomach twists around the longitudinal axis of the digestive tract, also known as volvulus. Gas distension may occur prior to or after the stomach twists. The most common direction for rotation is clockwise, viewing the animal from behind. The stomach can rotate up to 360° in this direction and 90° counterclockwise. If the volvulus is greater than 180°, the esophagus is closed off, thereby preventing the animal from relieving the condition by belching or vomiting. The results of this distortion of normal anatomy and gas distension include hypotension (low blood pressure), decreased return of blood to the heart, ischemia (loss of blood supply) of the stomach, and shock. Pressure on the portal vein decreases blood flow to liver and decreases the ability of that organ to remove toxins and absorbed bacteria from the blood. At the other end of the stomach, the spleen may be damaged if the twisting interrupts its blood supply. If not quickly treated, bloat can lead to blood poisoning, peritonitis and death by toxic shock.
Symptoms
Symptoms are not necessarily distinguishable from other kinds of distress. A dog might stand uncomfortably and seem to be in extreme discomfort for no apparent reason. Other possible symptoms include firm distension of the abdomen, weakness, depression, difficulty breathing, hypersalivation, and retching without vomiting. A high rate of dogs with bloat have cardiac arrhythmias (40 percent in one study). Chronic bloat may occur in dogs, symptoms of which include loss of appetite, vomiting, and weight loss.
Diagnosis
Bloat in a dog, with "double bubble" signA diagnosis of bloat is made by several factors. The breed and history will often give a significant suspicion of bloat, and the physical exam will often reveal the telltale sign of a distended abdomen with abdominal tympany. Shock is diagnosed by the presence of pale mucous membranes with poor capillary refill, increased heart rate, and poor pulse quality. X-rays (usually taken after decompression of the stomach if the dog is unstable) will show a stomach distended with gas. The pylorus, which normally is ventral and to the right of the body of the stomach, will be cranial to the body of the stomach and left of the midline, often separated on the x-ray by soft tissue and giving the appearance of a separate gas filled pocket (double bubble sign).
Treatment
Bloat is an emergency medical condition: having the animal examined by a veterinarian is imperative. Bloat can become fatal within a matter of minutes.
First Aid
A dog owner can sometimes relieve the immediate pressure of bloat by passing a tube down the throat, as an emergency first aid technique. This is not an easy task and cannot readily be improvised; some web sites document so-called bloat first aid kits and contain descriptions of the first aid a dog owner can provide at the time an attack of bloat is discovered. This is not a substitute for immediate veterinary treatment. There is risk of esophagus or stomach rupture if the tube is inserted too forcefully, or if the stomach is necrotic.
Veterinary treatment
Treatment usually involves resuscitation with intravenous fluid therapy, usually a combination of isotonic fluids and hypertonic saline or a colloidal solution such as hetastarch, and emergency surgery. The stomach is initially decompressed by passing a stomach tube, or if that is not possible, multiple trocars can be passed through the skin into the stomach to remove the gas. During surgery, the stomach is placed back into its correct position, the abdomen is examined for any devitalized tissue (especially the stomach and spleen). A partial gastrectomy may be necessary if there is any necrosis of the stomach wall.
Prevention and reduction of recurrence
Recurrence of bloat attacks can be a problem, occurring in up to 80 percent of dogs treated medically only (without surgery). To prevent recurrence, at the same time the bloat is treated surgically, a right-side gastropexy is often performed, which by a variety of methods firmly attaches the stomach wall to the body wall, to prevent it from twisting inside the abdominal cavity in future. While dogs that have had gastropexies still may develop gas distension of the stomach, there is a significant reduction in recurrence of gastric volvulus. One study showed that out of 136 dogs that had surgery for bloat, 4.3 percent of those that did have gastropexies had a recurrence, while 54.5 percent of those without the additional surgery recurred. Gastropexies are also performed prophylactically in dogs considered to be at high risk of bloat, including dogs with previous episodes of bloat or with gastrointestinal disease predisposing to bloat, and dogs with a first order relative (parent or sibling) with a history of bloat.
Precautions that are likely to help prevent bloat include feeding small meals throughout the day instead of one big meal and not exercising immediately before or after a meal.
Prognosis
Immediate treatment is the most important factor in a favorable prognosis. A delay in treatment greater than six hours or the presence of peritonitis, sepsis, hypotension, or disseminated intravascular coagulation are negative prognostic factors.
In my breeding program here at Dragon German Shepherds; my past experience with bloat in the 1980's and feeding only kibble dog food resulted in a couple dogs to bloat and pass away even with veterinary care.
Ever since feeding Raw TOUGH Meats (Beef Brisket/Tripe/Chicken Legs & Quarters) at least once to twice a week in addition to dog food I have had zero bloat issues. Example: the meat chunk should be the size of your fist and not ground up so the stomach has to work harder.
Puppies can have smaller chunks of meat until about 8 months old. Chicken Legs and Quarters need to be added slowly around one year of age and Chicken with bones in it must always be given raw to dogs. (Ref: B.A.R.F. Diet to learn more)
The reason is the stomach is like a muscle, ground dog food just passes through the stomach with little to no work; tough chunks of meat the stomach must work harder to digest and doesn't atrophy.
In Europe where they fed meat chunks, veggies, noodles etc. They never had bloat. The Europeans tried dog food as a convenience and ended up having several dogs bloat thus they returned to their original diet of meat, veggies, noodles etc.
Coccidiosis
Giardia
Common Ailments that can occur in Puppies/Dogs
Pano (Growing Pains)
Round Worms
Toxocara canis (also known as dog roundworm) is worldwide distributed helminth parasite of dogs and other canids. T. canis are gonochorists, adult worms measure from 9 to 18 cm, are yellow-white in color, and occur in the intestine of the definitive host. In adult dogs, the infection is usually asymptomatic. By the contrast, massive invasion of T. canis can be fatal in puppies. As paratenic hosts, a number various vertebrates, including man, and some invertebrates can become infected. Humans are infected, like other paratenic hosts, by ingestion embryonated T. canis eggs. The disease caused by migrating T. canis larvae (toxocariasis) results in two syndroms: visceralis larva migrans and ocularis larva migrans. Owing to transmission of the infection from bitches to puppies, preventive anthelmintic treatment of newborn puppies is strongly recommended. Several anthelmintic drugs are effective against adult worms, for example pyrantel, fenbendazole etc.
In my breeding program here at Dragon German Shepherds I routinely treat my adult dogs and also treat my puppies for Round Worms. Dogs should be wormed periodically. Your veterinarian can do a fecal test to check for worms and advise you on how to properly treat them.
Bloat
Campylobacter
Never feed a German Shepherd puppy, puppy food as it has too much protein and minerals which makes the pups grow too fast.
