ADOBE DOBE
April – May 2014
Club Events
It has been great to see many new faces at our club meetings over the last few months. The meeting room gets more and more crowded!! Great!!!
Last meeting we elected two new members Deanne Reiser and Rod Meisel…
Welcome Deanne and Rod!!
Last meeting we also selected the 2015 Nationals judges with Sonya Sloan winning for Conformation, and Lisa Buroff for Sweeps. I hope you were able to cast your own ballot if you are a DPCA Member.
The club is also interested in holding a Fun Match this year. Fun matches are a great opportunity for our club to raise some funds but it definitely needs the support of all the members to make it run smoothly. Hopefully, more information on the match will follow after the next few meetings.
Educational Items
At the conclusion of the April Club meeting, Lori Steadman demonstrated how to apply the Holter Monitor on a dog. Her model was Lily, owned by Barb Roth. Lori also donated two vests that can be used. Thank you to all who have given our club the opportunity to have this equipment that can help keep our dogs with us for as long as possible.
Interesting Tidbits
Here is a bit of information from the Dog Whisperer!!
Myth No. 6: An excited dog is happy to see you.
“It’s very easy to come home to a dog that is jumping, running around, or spinning in circles, and interpret that as the dog being glad you’re home. But that’s not what’s really happening,” says Cesar Millan, dog behaviorist and star of the TV series Dog Whisperer.
It’s a sign that your dog has more energy than he can handle in that moment.
Millan’s advice: Ignore him when he’s overexcited, then reward him with attention when he calms down.
So when my dogs do laps around the coffee table when we come home they aren’t just glad to see us??? Sucks…….
This is an interesting article for those who breed:
Brucellosis: An Overview
Brucellosis is a bacterial infection which affects the reproductive organs of both male and female dogs. The disease is spread by body fluids, with the main route of transmission being by sexual means. In addition to sexual means the disease can be transmitted by ingesting contaminated fluids such as vaginal discharge or urine. Airborne transmission is very rare but has been reported. The disease spreads quickly among dogs that are kept in closely confined areas especially during breeding times and when abortions occur.
Prevention of Brucellosis
There is no vaccine to prevent brucellosis, but there are steps you can take to help prevent your dog from contracting the disease. Always keep your dog away from known carriers of the disease. Before breeding a brucellosis test should be performed on both the dog and the bitch; by doing so you will know if your dog is infected and will stop them from being infected by others. Routine disinfecting of areas is also advised.
Symptoms of Brucellosis
The classic sign of brucellosis is abortion during the third trimester of pregnancy. Other signs include stillbirths, conception failures and litter reabsorption. Signs that can be seen in the male are inflammation of the epididymis, the prostate gland, and of the sheath covering the testis. In both the male and female inflammation of the lymph nodes may be seen. Many dogs will not show signs of this disease at all.
Diagnosing Brucellosis
Brucellosis can be diagnosed by isolating and identifying the Brucella canis organism or by a blood test. The most common way of diagnosing brucellosis is by the Rapid Slide Agglutination Test (RSAT). This test is very sensitive but is not very specific. This means that it detects very small amounts of bacteria but does not differentiate between closely related bacteria types. False positive results for brucellosis are frequently produced when using this test. If your dog tests negative for brucellosis when using the RSAT you can be confident that your dog does not have brucellosis. If your dog tests positive further testing should be done to verify that your dog does actually have brucellosis.
Treating Brucellosis
There currently is no reliable treatment for brucellosis. In some cases long term antibiotic therapy has been successful in treating it but in other cases the disease persists regardless. The antibiotic therapy used consists of a combination of multiple antibiotics including doxycycline, minocycline, and streptomycin. In most cases the antibiotics will reduce the bacteria load in the blood stream but will not fully destroy all the bacteria present. Having your dog spayed or neutered is an option to control sexual transmission of the disease but is not a cure and your dog can still spread the disease by other means. In most cases euthanasia is the only permanent way to stop the disease from spreading.
Care for dogs with Brucellosis
If your dog has been diagnosed with brucellosis the first thing to do is quarantine them. This will help stop the spread of the disease. If you have other dogs in your house or kennel they should also be tested for brucellosis. The area where the infected dog was staying should be thoroughly cleaned with a disinfectant. Because brucellosis can be transferred from dogs to humans it is important to use caution when handling infected animals. Face masks, latex gloves, and eye protection should be worn when dealing directly with body fluids from infected dogs. If treatment is being pursued correct dosages and timing of antibiotics are important and your veterinarian’s instructions should be followed precisely. Currently the methods of testing for brucellosis are not very definitive and many false positives occur. By using the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) technique it is possible to obtain a conclusive diagnosis earlier than with current testing methods. By perfecting this method owners will be able to be more certain of their test results when dealing with brucellosis.
Brags
Lots of wonderful activity from our club members and their dogs:
From Louise Mogler:
GCH Suncliff’s Full Throttle, bred, owned and loved by Louise Mogler, took back-to-back Best of Breeds on April 5 & 6 at Crosby, Texas, under judges Lynette Blue and Jim Owens. He went on to get a Group 3 under Judge Roger Hartinger.
From Tina Bickel:
My boy “Aero” is now Bakar’s Dynamic Heart, RN, CGC
From Kim Clark:
Roosevelt was entered in the Caliente UKC Dog Show March 15, 2014 for experience and exposure, little did I know in 2 days he would become a UKC Champion. I’m proud of him since this was the first time ever in the show ring. He is 11 mos. old.
From Jenny Cannerelli
Vader has earned his AXP & AJP this weekend. (Excellent Preferred in Standard & Excellent Preferred in Jumpers with Weaves). We now move up to master and start the quest for double Qs & speed points toward our PACH.
Cries
From Michelle Lewis:
Ch. Int Ch. LeMils DNA WAC AKA Dee Dee was put down due to liver failure. Dee Dee was a very healthy girl all her life until we did her annual blood work and learned of her liver issues.
Vinnie and I are adjusting to our lives with out her, she will be missed, Dee was 8 years young.
Michelle and Vinnie
Rest in peace Dee Dee
To err is human, to forgive, canine.
-unknown