those living in WA state might find this interesting
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Shave and a hair cut...
I have hair on the top of my head. But when I keep it cut short, I am cooler in the summer. And I do cut it! I used to have a crew cut in my younger karate days. Oh, I know, I probably shouldn't, after all - the hair is there for a reason! g I've seen Berners who were trimmed, and as long as the fur is kept long enough to continue to provide protection from direct sun (just over an inch seems about right), well, you've never seen an older Berner bounce around quite as happy as it is right after a clip! Sometimes it won't really grow back quite the same, but if you aren't showing your dog in conformation events, well - does it matter too much? It may even be a good indication that there are some thyroid issues that need investigation. We generally don't see Poodles with long corded coats (although I have seen one in a photo), the owners clip the coat. Komondors, clipped. Old English Sheepdogs, clipped. Portuguese Water Dogs, clipped. Bichons, clipped. Bouviers, clipped. Cocker Spaniels, clipped. Terriers, stripped. Luther, clipped. Wolves and coyotes aren't clipped or shaved, but they are allowed to adapt naturally to the environment. Man breeds dogs and we aren't quite as good about that natural selection process part. We do the selecting. So next time you go in to the barber or beauty parlor for a hair cut, shave your face, or put clothes on, ask yourself just why Berners shouldn't get clipped if they aren't living in the Bern region of Switzerlan. We modify ourselves to suit the environment, but we don't take the environment into account when we breed our dogs. We do try to moderate the environment for them, we provide a/c, cool shade, plenty of water, so a clip is just one other way to help keep them cool if we are going to keep them in hot and humid climates. But dogs do get melanoma, so keep enough fur to protect the skin! Pat Long ( Luther) Berwyn PA
HTML, copying posts, etc
I'm going to be out of town until Sunday, so if any of you need help with the Berner-L, please contact: Sylvia Katvala at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Maria Crifasi at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Rita Ehrnfeldt at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Watch those HTML posts, please post in plain text. If you reply to an email, cut and paste the relevant portions, don't copy the entire original post. If you need a digest resent, I'll be happy to send it out to you on Sunday, sorry about any delay! Enjoy the weekend!! Pat Long (Luther a babysat Sam) Berwyn PA
Mast Cell Tumors
Good morning, everyone: I'd like to thank everyone who has emailed us with encouragement, support, suggestions, hugs, belly rubs, cookies, and especially prayers! What a wonderful group you all are. I'm overwhelmed by the number of emails sitting in my in box waiting to be answered. I'll get to them as soon as I can and respond to each one personally. Heather's incision site continues it's slow healing, two steps forward, one step back, sometimes two. We found ourselves back at the vet again yesterday, as the retention sutures/stent in place over the tumor site continue to cause the surrounding skin to slowly come away from the site. Her drainage has slowed somewhat, but it's still a considerable amount, and we're having the vet, with whom we have a good rapport, keep close tabs on everything. He changed the protocol we were using to cleanse the site, and has decided to delay removing her sutures until things look a bit more healed. Barring any further problems, we won't see him until next week, and Heather will remain confined to her x-pen, with her NoBite Collar in place, taking her antibiotics, and getting lots of love. Hannah and I are finally at a point where we can look at each other and not fall apart crying. We're determined to put on a happy face for the dogs, while figuring out how to heal our girl. My husband's message from Guam when he is apprised of each day's progress: Eee. Thanks, honey! LOL... Again, thank you all, and we'll be in touch with progress reports. Hugs, Jaye Carl, Lucy and Heather, the Sonrise Girls
Re: Stuffed therapy Berner?
Vicky, That is a beautiful story about the Power of a Berner, whether living or stuffed!!! I guess it just goes to prove that people need someone or something to hug. As far as the brag fund.since Pat is out of town, I'll respond. The brag fund is a voluntary fund and accepts donations of any amount, from $1 to $1,000,000 plus!Now, since I'm the Fundraiser Queen (the word raffle has been removed from my vocabulary except for the Specialty Raffle) I happen to know that you have donated so many items to our fundraisers, that you have a Bevy of Berner Brags available to you with no contribution if you so desire. ;-D Keep those great brags coming.. Joye Neff and Nick (and Ben) and my three granddaughters (Ella - will be four years old next Friday; Gracie - eleven months old adopted from China; and Bella - 14 days old adopted from Florida) - who will all be at my house next week to help celebrate my mother's 90th birthday Mt. Lebanon, Pittsburgh, PA
RE: balls for dogs
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Moving Day
Dear List, Well it is Stevie and my final day in this house. I must say that I am much more emotional than I anticipated. Even though we are only moving about 40 minutes away, it is such a big change. I have essentially lived in the country for the whole time that I was married, 23 years, and this will be a brand new adventure. I used to be a city girl when I lived in Ontario, but adjusted so well to the country life and loved it. Milked cows, raised pigs, tried to raise chickens (the weasel did them and me in!) and of course my three beautiful sons! So a now a new start. I just wanted to thank all of you who answered my question and concern over the water issue. Problem solved! Also, to all of you who sent your warm wishes and happy thoughts. I appreciate it more than you know. I will be very much alone in my new digs, but fortunately, because of this wonderful community, I will never really be alone. Stevie seems oblivious to the emotions that are winging around the house, he is just bouncing from empty room to empty room, he thinks it is just one big play house!! Last night however, for the very first time ever, Stevie crawled up onto my almost disassembled bed and slept with me most of the night. He always finds it too warm on the bed, but I think he sensed my feelings and laid right there with his head on the empty pillow beside me. What a Boy!! I know that we will be just fine. Well I must once again get busy and get this mammoth undertaking finished. Love to all. Berner Hugs Karen and Stevie NB, Canada
Tilly Update
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Pet Insurance - money poorly spent?
Based on what I've read and experienced, if you live in the U.S. you should NOT get pet insurance (Canadians seem to have better luck with theirs). Pet insurance does not help in an emergency because you still need cash on hand to pay the vet, and you will not be reimbursed by the insurance company for several months, after you've spent way too much time collecting and sending paperwork, sitting on hold on the phone, staving off collectors for the bills you didn't pay in order to pay the vet, and experiencing increasingly high blood pressure and headaches from the frustration of it all. In the end, if you are reimbursed at all, it will be a fraction of what you expected. Do NOT believe what these insurance companies write on their web site and in the enrollment materials--it is nothing like reality. I have never seen a company that was so different from what it said it was than Veterinary Pet Insurance. In any other industry there would be a class action lawsuit in no time, but I think we dog nuts don't have the time or money for such a thing. On the other hand, if you do a forced savings account, you will have money on hand to pay the vet at the time of an emergency. Even if it's not the full amount, vets are usually willing to work out short-terms payments, or you can do the health care credit plan to pay off an emergency. You won't have headaches and hassles--you will be in total control. So set up a separate savings account just for pet medical bills, and if you work for a company, have money automatically deposited into that account before you even get your paycheck. It may be hard to keep your hands off this account, but just remind yourself how important it is. It is worth it for your dog's health and your own! Alice Madar [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sedona, AZ
balls for dogs
Molly Bass Wrote: I was thinking about getting him a soccer ball or basketball - something not too heavy that rolls and he can tackle, but also that he cannot destroy in 30 seconds. Has anyone else bought true sports balls or have any suggestions? I may get one of those oversized tennis balls for him too. Dear Molly, My girl GiGi has three favorite balls to play with. Since she was a little pup I gave her a soccer ball to play with. She still loves that ball. It is a size 4 but I dont inflate it all the way and since I can remember, she could get her little teeth into it to carry it around. They puncture the outer skin only and have never broken the bladder. Playing normal soccer with it is nearly impossible with her around because she has very impressive moves and is the absolute BEST goalie any of us have ever seen. It is to the point now where she gets bored with us because we cant keep up with her. I swear she could even give Beckham a run for his money (most of it anyway ) She also has a rubber soccer ball with a band around it and ropes on the end. This makes it easy to throw and she can easily grab it by the ropes to capture it or to play tug-of-warandpeace. I've seen these available as basketballs as well as American footballs. Lastly, I recently got her a Teaser Ball from KV Vet Supply. She absolutely loves it. They come in three sizes, 6, 8 and 10 and are made of hard plastic. They have four large holes in the sides and there is a small ball inside which she can't figure out how to get out! She can grab the ball by one of the openings and run around with it or play tug with it. Sometimes she will just put her entire muzzle in the hole and run around making her look like a canine clown with a giant plastic nose. Hilarious I don't have any picture of this yet, she is too quick for me but I'll get some soon. Mark Donnelley GiGi San Rafael, CA www.gigidog.com
Re: Pet Insurance
I have had positive experience with VPI .. I have it on both my boys and when each had incidents 1.5 years ago, I was very happy with my VPI insurance. BEFORE I filed the claim I gave VPI customer service a call and asked what I needed to make sure and have. The main thing was a diagnosis. Without a diagnosis they cannot cover much. So I went back to the vet and let her know what I needed .. in the one case it was flysnap seizures .. she thought it over and came back with psycho motor seizures. I submitted claims and receipts for all the specialists we went to after to rule out anything else .. and everything was covered. Same with my other boys issue .. but his was more cut and dry - his stick eating incident - resulted in a Retrobulbar Abscess. .. everything was covered, even the Canine Eye Specialist seen to make sure we didn't have any residual damage to the eye or third eyelid. I have the Standard care rider .. so I get coverage yearly for the normal blood work, heart worm test, office visits and the 'required' vaccinations. So as my boys sleep beside me on my day off, I and very thankful that if another 'event' takes place I do not have to worry about how I am going to afford it. As with many insurances VPI does not cover known congenital issues with the breed as listed by some standard Vet resource texts of known congenital issues for each breed. But for everything else that might happen, in my opinion .. pet insurance it's well worth it. VPI will eventually add a rider for congenital / hereditary issues .. but its not available in my state yet. .. once it is we will be adding that rider to our policies. Teresa, Patriot and Romeo Albuquerque, NM - Original Message - From: A. Sufi [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2003 9:23 PM Subject: Re: Pet Insurance ARGH! How true!! I am having SUCH an ongoing headache with Veterinary Pet Insurance! We bought a policy for Zeus when he was 7 weeks old (he will be 2 this month), and have only just recently had cause to file a claim. On November 1, Zeus cut his paw wide open while running and required many stitches, x-rays (etc.) and extensive follow-up. My vet faxed the requested paperwork to VPI and they said they didn't receive it.my vet faxed it again.VPI said they didn't receive itwe mailed it certified AND faxed itVPI finally received it. By now was months later, and now, just TWO DAYS AGO I've received a check for $72.60 reimbursement for a total $829.85 Vet bill!! ARGH Obviously I will be fighting that one. Now he just tore his knee cap out, and I just can't wait to see what they will have to say about THAT.. Antoinette Zeus San Ramon, Ca. As Shakespeare would say, Ah, there's the rub! What is a good one? If your dog has serious problems that the company can claim is genetic or congenital (in their mind they are the same, even though we and the vets know they are not!) the treatment will not be covered, no matter how long you have been a client or how much you paid for the policy or how many independent veterinary specialists challenge the denial of coverage. That eliminates all surgery or treatment due to arthritis, dysplasias and spondylosis. They consider all of those to have a genetic or congenital origin. It does appear from previous emails to the list that our Canadian members have a much better selection of companies or coverage than we do in the States. Anne Copeland (Flash CGC, TDI, 8 11/12 yrs. old Berner; Gypsy CGC, TDI, 2 yr. old Cavalier) Northern Illinois Annes4, Corr. Sec. BMDCA If one will begin with certainties, one will end in doubts; however if one were content to begin with doubts, one will end in certainties. Sir Francis Bacon
link to petshealthcare
http://www.petshealthplan.com/documents/brochure%20clarendon.pdf sorry i never realized that it would be difficult to find them on line. it is the word plan in the name that makes searching difficult. andrea
Re: Pet Insurance
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Re: Pet Insurance
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baka's lump
well, we saw the vet today. he shaved some fur off around baka's lump to get a better look at it. she was very good stood wonderfully still for us earning herself a few hot dog bits. it was rather gross to look at it had clearly opened up a great deal more than we'd thought. i didn't see anything brown curd like (though i probably wouldn't know what i was looking for too well) - the edges looked like an open wound surrounding a core lump of something. he was a little concerned over its appearance wanted to take it off completely, just in case. so baka spent the afternoon in surgery - wagging her tail even while most of the way under the sedative (she knows this vet the tech who was working today likes them both very much). the vet didn't find quite what he was expecting, as he was removing the lump. there was the core lump and then a kind of offshoot. its the offshoot he's worried about. we agreed that we should send it off for further analysis. we'll have the test results back by next friday. in the mean time baka's home, groggily coming out of the sedative being snuggled as much as she can stand (which is a lot). we're going to have to resort to an elisabethan collar i think as she keeps wanting to lick at the stitches staples. any all good thoughts are welcome over the next week, while i try to not to let my natural need to worry run away with me. laura a sleepy baka chapel hill, nc
RE: balls for dogs
Molly, Our first dog, quarter Brittany, quarter springer, half stranger-in-the-night, loved to play with balls too. She would jump up and nose-bounce the balls back to us. Like playing catch with us. She also loved to play soccer with us. I'll never forget the look of sheer happiness on her face the first time she managed to sink a tooth into the ball and pop it, making it so she could keep it away from us. She was fascinated by the kids next door playing basketball, and they started playing with her in spite of my warnings. Sure enough she popped their basketball too. We tried the hard indestructible ball for our first berner. Gwydion would have nothing to do with it. The daughter of a friend almost broke her toe on it before I could warn her not to kick it. ;) Fortunately, the latex balls are fairly cheap. Keep buying those balls. Suzanne Deering and Socrates (What's a ball for?) High Point NC [ From: Molly Bass I have a 15 week old puppy who loves large balls but he pops the inexpensive latex ones from stores, I was thinking about getting him a soccer ball or basketball - something not too heavy that rolls and he can tackle, but also that he cannot destroy in 30 seconds. Has anyone else bought true sports balls or have any suggestions?
Re: Babe Update! Lymphoma!
Hi Valerie and Babe, Biggest Hugs to you all! Babe is doing well right now - no symptoms. We have the recommended chemo in hand and will start as soon as blood tests are done. Good on you.! Sure you are dealing B-cell here Lymphoma here, so a lot of hope that she will respond well to treatment.. Ask if possible that you are there with the IV treatments, am sure this helps so much, with Sam first one was given minimum sedation and jumped happily on the table and stayed there for the hour long treatment. After first one and Ros was sure he would be OK, no sedation at all! I am terrified to give it to her as I am afraid she will be sick, but I know we have to do it. First and most important is that chemo doses given to our furry friends are not the heavy dose knock you out stuff that we humans are given! As Ros said when we started Sam's treatment, the aim is for quality of life! Wish the human doctor's would apply the same standard, if I get really sick take me to my vet! Babe will not lose her hair! Hair growing in from Biopsy sites may be slow growing but will come back! She may get some nausea after the second week of treatment, Sam sailed through his first week (and was still alive, a miracle, he was T-cell 3 Lymphoma ) but then we had some vomiting and refusing food! Weird things like he associated the nausea and vomiting from eating out of his normal bowl, could hand feed from a different bowl in a different location! Also chemo affects the sense of smell and taste (have this also from humans on chemo!) you may spend a few weeks tempting Babe to eat! Sardines go down well when all else fails! Very smelly and rich in Omega-3! Did have Sam initially on anti-emetic drugs but got some E-Tea and have to say that this helped a lot and his appetite was back within a few days! Also got him on the supplements from Marina soon after, his next six months were normal! Apart from the chemo, once a week and all those pills! He was a healthy boy and his quality of life was very good! Well, extra good, he lived on best steak and chicken breasts, sardines, salmon, tuna! And thoroughly enjoyed his romps in the woods! am not real good right now responding to my emails but am trying. You know how distracted you are when dealing with this stuff. Plus I am giving my aged cat sub-Q fluids which is a little new for me - needles and all! Oh, Sweetheart! Biggest Hugs to you and Babe and hoping the blood work comes back and is B-cell lowest grade!!! And even bigger hugs to aged Kitty! Will post on to the other groups so do not worry! Jean, Sunny, Sim, Barney and the Longlease Gang Mr Rainbow Sam says No way yet, Babe! http://bernese.biz
Aeryn's staples
Yesterday I had the pleasure of reporting about Aeryn's benign tumour (big WHEW's here still!). After sending that e-mail I had a good inspection of the biopsy site -- it looked excellent! Aeryn had never once even seemed to notice the 2 skin staples I'd used to close the wound, there hadn't been so much as a lick at it. As a result, everything was happy, pink, and the incision well healed. In fact the staples were just starting to look a little tighter, so it was time they came out. Ms. 'Ryn happily stretched out in the bang position on my bed (this is such a useful command to teach a dog! I use it for everything from drying paws, clipping nails, taking x-rays, to belly rubs!). I popped out the staples and gave the girl a biscuit. Where the one staple came out, there was the tiniest speck of blood a wee hole left by the staple -- I dabbed the blood away all looked good. About 2 minutes later I hear a tell-tale lick, lick. Apparantly Aeryn doesn't think I've suitably cleaned up the area -- problem is, she was WAY too good at it and has totally opened what had looked like a healed incision just scant minutes ago. ARG! It looks just like it did post excision, except now the skin's all red inflamed to boot. Silly girl. I debated replacing the staples, but was afeared of infection thanks to the licking inflammation. So I settled for a light bandage to keep the tongue away (Aeryn is surprisingly very good at leaving bandages alone -- especially considering her past history of eating and/or ripping apart just about everything). Well, you would have thought I'd broken her leg for her! The look on her face and the totally pathetic holding up of the paw -- it was near on to making me laugh (but I was good and reframed from actually laughing in front of her, didn't want to hurt her already injured feelings). It was several minutes before she decided she could once again bear weight on her leg, then it was back to play time. The bandage stayed on until this eve. The wound has scabbed over well, but there's still some lingering inflammation present. Aeryn doesn't appear to be interested in licking at it at least. She immediately slinks into pathetic face mode everytime I inspect her handiwork. Her revenge this evening was to steal the margarine tub (which was at least 1/2 full) and slurp it all down -- she'll be well greased again! (and appendages crossed that once again she escapes without more serious complications like pancreatitis -- so far, so good). sue(Aeryn with Devn Rowyn)
Ball toys/ Jordan's Hesse
Hi all, Chance loves his stuffed ball. He grabs it and carries it all over the house, especially when we first get home and he is excited to see us. New Berner boy Barkley *loves* his Jolly Ball toy. Carries it around forever and we have to grab it from him to keep the thing outside. So far he's punctured the ball part enough to carry it around, but it still inflates and the rest of it is amazingly still intact. Does anyone know how Jordan's Hesse is doing??? I had been following his progress on his website, but since my computer had to be shipped out for repairs, I lost all the websites saved in my Favorites list and now I can't find Hesse's website again. Have been keeping Hesse and Jordan in our thoughts and prayers during this tough time. = Andrea Stefanac Chance CD NDD CGC TT Richmond, VA [EMAIL PROTECTED] __ Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com
RE: shaving and hair cuts
I shave the under side of my dogs in summer. So that when you look at my Bernese they don't look clipped at all, but turn them over for a belly rub no hair :0. That way you get the best of both worlds, your Berner looks like it should they get the protection from the sun but they get all that cool air under the belly. Plus when they spread themselves on the bathroom floor, instant cool! Just my thoughts from down under. Beatriz and the Aussie Bernese girls.
