Epilepsy is a neurologic brain disease which has seizure activity as its symptom. The seizure can be from mild to severe and may be proceeded by a sign (aura) from the dog, such as whining, pacing, or there may be no sign, or it may be missed by the owner. There are medications for treatment.
The very best articles on Epilepsy and its treatment options are at :
http://www.labbies.com/epilepsy.htm
Dr Dodds has questions about the implication of frequent vaccination on seizure activity :
http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/chang_vac.htm
..”although this set of guidelines cannot be made into hard and fast rules or (worse yet) regulations — because the situations of each individual dog breed and even each breeder are different — yet I believe we all need faithfully to attempt to apply the principles discussed …, in order that our dogs may have long, healthy lives upon the earth.”…if you are concerned about inbreeding, genetic diversity, and inherited illnesses, you might wish to consider implementing some of the following principles whose observance we have found useful in the Seppala Siberian Sleddog Project.”
Continue Reading »
Studies, comparisons, conclusions by Dr. Kelly Cassidy
http://users.pullman.com/lostriver/longhome.htm
“Are purebred dogs living longer?” Continue Reading »
http://www.ashgi.org/articles/immune_rising_storm.htm
The Rising Storm: What Breeders Need to Know about the Immune System
Winner of 2002 AKC/CHF Golden Paw Award
First published in the Aussie Times, May-June 2002
by C.A. Sharp
A complex and threatening storm is gathering on horizon. Reports of immune-mediated disease are on the rise in Australian Shepherds, as well as other purebred dogs. In magazines, on Internet discussion lists and at gatherings devoted to dogs autoimmune disease and allergies are regular topics. Continue Reading »
Essays for the dog breeder.
Follow these links to great book chapters on breeding and genetics by Dr. Thorpe-Vargas
While neutering may be beneficial from the standpoint of fewer dogs in rescue, for the individual dog, it may be worth taking a second look at the common practice of neutering all male dogs not in the AKC show ring.
In the 5th ed of Ettinger [4] Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine it says; “The risk of prostatic carcinoma in a castrated male dog is approximately two times greater than the risk in an intact male dog, and the risk appears to increase with the time that the dog has been castrated. [5] A dog that has been castrated for at least 10 years has a four times the risk of developing a carcinoma as an intact dog.” Continue Reading »
Top 10 Breed-Specific risks; PDF file from Ohio State Univ.
risk.pdf
