 ~Health concerns of Saint Bernards~ Despite the many precautions you may take, it's inevitable that your dog will get sick @ some stage of it's life.There are many different canine diseases from which all breeds suffer. The first step to preventing these ailments is understanding the diseases to which your breed is susceptible. A Saint Bernard that is well bred and well cared for is less likely to develope diseases and other health concerns than are ones that are poorly bred & neglected. For the most part,the Saint Bernard is a very healthy breed for it's enormous size. ~Bloat~ {Gastric Torsion} This condition has proved fatal in many Saint Bernards. Bloat involves a severe distension of the stomach,possibly caused by the formation of too many gases. It usually occurs in large,deep chested breeds,making the Saint Bernard considerably susceptible to this deadly condition. Immediate veterinary treatment is essential. The faster the treatment, the better chance the dog has to surviving. Despite years of scientific research, no one is certain what causes bloat. ~Hip Dysplasia~ Hip Dysplasia is one of the most common congenital defects in large breed dogs. It is a fairly common condition found in pure-bred dogs. Dysplastic dogs have an abnormal hip joint, often causing lameness or a limp or swaying of the gait. Many Saint Bernards are affected by the condition. A dog with this disease commonly develops arthritis of the hip joint because of the abnormal stress on the joint. Maintaining the dog's proper weight and controlling it's exercise can usually prevent further aggravation. Hip dysplasia is concidered an inherited disease, Although puppy's with hip dyplasia can be born to parents with excellent scored hips & puppy's with excellent hips can be born to parents with bad hips as well. Hip dysplasia only can be diagnosed definitively by x-ray when the dog is 24 months old {2 years old}, although symptoms may appear earlier, Some experts claim that a special diet might help your puppy outgrow the bad hip & several studdies say adding vitamin C to your puppy's diet will better ward off or improve hip dysplasia as well, although usual treatments are surgical. ~Entropion~ This condition affects the eyelid{typically the lower one}causing the eyelid to roll in towards the eye & irritate the cornea. It is typically more common in heavy headed Saint Bernards. ~Ectropion~ Ectropion is the opposite of entropion,where the lower eyelid rolls away from he eyeball. The ailment commonly occurs in dogs with alot of loose facial skin, making the Saint Bernard A primary candidate. ~Heart Disease~ The condition is quite common in Saint Bernards. Symptoms usually involve coughing & shortness of breath, fainting, lethargy & sudden weakness of the legs. Fortunitly, many heart conditions can be treated with medications. |
Vaccination Protocols and Schedule CAUTION! If your puppy has any trouble breathing after a vaccination, or seems weak, staggers, has pale gums or seems at all unresponsive... contact your veterinarian immediately! Protection from the mother (maternal antibodies) A newborn puppy is not naturally immune to diseases. However, it does have some antibody protection which is derived from its mother's blood via the placenta. The next level of immunity is from antibodies derived from the first milk. This is the milk produced from the time of birth and continuing for 36-48 hours. This antibody-rich milk is called colostrum. The puppy does not continue to receive antibodies through its mother's milk. It only receives antibodies until it is two days of age. All antibodies derived from the mother, either via her blood or colostrum are called maternal antibodies. It must be noted that the puppy will only receive antibodies against diseases for which the mother had been recently vaccinated against or exposed to. As an example, a mother that had NOT been vaccinated against or exposed to parvovirus, would not have any antibodies against parvovirus to pass along to her puppies. The puppies then would be susceptible to developing a parvovirus infection. Window of susceptibility The age at which puppies can effectively be immunized is proportional to the amount of antibody protection the puppy received from its mother. High levels of maternal antibodies present in the puppies' bloodstream will block the effectiveness of a vaccine. When the maternal antibodies drop to a low enough level in the puppy, immunization by a commercial vaccine will work. The antibodies from the mother generally circulate in the newborn's blood for a number of weeks. There is a period of time from several days to several weeks in which the maternal antibodies are too low to provide protection against the disease, but too high to allow a vaccine to work. This period is called the window of susceptibility. This is the time when despite being vaccinated, a puppy or kitten can still contract the disease. When should puppies be vaccinated? The length and timing of the window of susceptibility is different in every litter, and even between individuals in a litter. A study of a cross section of different puppies showed that the age at which they were able to respond to a vaccine and develop protection (become immunized) covered a wide period of time. At six weeks of age, 25% of the puppies could be immunized. At 9 weeks of age, 40% of the puppies were able to respond to the vaccine. The number increased to 60% by 16 weeks of age, and by 18 weeks, 95% of the puppies could be immunized. Almost all researchers agree that for puppies and kittens, we need to give at least three combination vaccinations and repeat these at one year of age. Drs. Foster and Smith prefer to vaccinate puppies with a combination vaccine at six weeks of age initially, with boosters given every three weeks until the puppy is about sixteen weeks of age. We feel that this schedule will help protect the widest range of dogs. We realize that with our protocol, we will be vaccinating some dogs that are not capable of responding, and we will be revaccinating some dogs that have already responded and developed a protection. But without doing an individual test on each puppy, it is impossible to determine when the puppy's immune system will be best able to respond. We also realize that in the face of an infection, due to the window of susceptibility, some litters will contract a disease (e.g., parvo) despite being vaccinated. By using quality vaccines and an aggressive vaccination protocol, we can make this window of susceptibility as small as possible. Our vaccination protocol may not be right for every puppy. Puppies that are not exposed to other dogs and have a very small chance of coming in contact with parvovirus, may not need to be vaccinated as frequently. At the same time, some 'high risk' puppies may need a more intense and aggressive vaccination program. It is best to work with your veterinarian on a vaccination protocol that is best for your individual puppy or kennel, taking into consideration your individual situation. Against which diseases should puppies be vaccinated? The AVMA Council on Biologic and Therapeutic Agents' Report on Cat and Dog Vaccines has recommneded that the core vaccines for dogs include distemper, canine adenovirus-2 (hepatitis and respiratory disease), and canine parvovirus-2. Noncore vaccines include leptospirosis, coronavirus, canine parainfluenza and Bordetella bronchiseptica (both are causes of 'kennel cough'), and Borrelia burgdorferi (causes Lyme Disease). Consult with your veterinarian to select the proper vaccines for your puppy. |
