Re: pet shops in UK supermarkets
Just to make sure - is the UK term for supermarket the same as in the US? Large grocery store, mostly food items? Just curious, as here in the US, pets aren't allowed in supermarkets, never mind being sold there. Pauline Merrick
Dogs and bikes
I have used a bike to excersize dogs - not as regular excersize but as extra conditioning for the show ring. No more than 1/2 to 3/4 mile at a time at a brisk trot. I did buy a "Springer", but never used it! I couldn't get it mounted on my bike where it would not interfere with the pedals. I bought an old one-speed Columbia at an auction just for this activity. With the coaster brakes, you don't have to worry about juggling a leash, the handlebars and hand brakes all at once. Now, mind you, I live in a rural area, where a (temporarily) loose dog isn't usually a disaster. I hold the leash very lightly in one hand, and if the dog pulls, I simply let go. However, I found that they don't generally pull once they get used to the idea that they are working; they will trot along and mostly ignore the distractions. Most important - I would never do forced excersize such as this with a dog under a year old!! Pauline Merrick Brookfield, MA USA
Dog transportation
Last fall, I bought a new Ford Escape as my main dog transporting vehicle. While it is not flashy, it is perfectly suitable for my needs. With the rear seats folded down (very easy to do), a Berner-size crate can fit in (I brought my folding crate with me to the dealer to make sure!). Crate-less, three adult berners fit comfortably - of course they all try to crowd up to the front for attention, anyway. Because of the way the rear seats fold down, they are very easy to pop back up for the occaisional human passengers, and they are clean! Also, the vehicle is very sure-footed, with front wheel drive that clicks into four-wheel by flipping a switch on the dash. Even this very snowy winter, I rarely used the four wheel drive. If I did more travelling with my dogs, I would prefer a large van with permanent crates, but the Escape is a good option. And please don't forget - if those crates are not securely bolted to the frame of your vehicle, they are NO safer than the loose dog. Personally, I would rather be hit in the back of the head by a soft body than by a solid flying crate. Pauline Merrick
Exploding Haggis
I, personally, do not believe the exploding haggis story. I demand a re-enactment at this year's specialty. Tongue in cheek, Pauline Merrick Brimfield, MA USA
Weird things eaten
The weirdest thing I've heard of a Berner eating was when a friend's dog threw up a disgusting tangled mess of - somthing. Investigation with a stick found that the center of the mess was one of those plastic "Dobie" pot scrubbers - and she doesn't use them! The dog's general health, coat and vigor improved markedly after ridding himself of this hidden treasure. My brother-in-law's Springer was known at his vet's as "The Blue Bra Dog" - having had one surgically removed. A co-worker's black Lab got into her bathroom trash, and chewed up a disposable razor. She found all the plastic pieces, xrays revealed the two unprotected blades in the dog's stomach. Needless to say, surgery was indicated. Definitely the weirdest dog "accident" I have seen happened a long time ago when I worked at a Vet hospital. A woman had called with an emergency - her Spitz had a bone stuck in it's mouth. While we waited for her, the doctor and I pondered the possibilities - a small splinter of bone piercing the roof or sides of the mouth, and inflamed throat making the dog gag as if he had something in his throat - what? We couldn't believe our eyes when she arrived. The dog actually had a round, hollow bone clamped around his lower jaw, slid back behind the incisors, and well and truly stuck. How he managed to jam it so far back was a mystery. We had to put him under while we cut the bone (with a bone saw, of course!) on either side of his jaw to get it off. They're just like kids - no matter how well you think you watch them, accidents are bound to happen! Pauline Merrick Brimfield, MA USA
Re: cancer advice
- Original Message - From: Pat Long <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> So for fun, let's just > say that 3 berners, Tom, Dick, and Harry, never produced any progeny that > contracted either histio or mast cell. > > What do you think might happen if we found this to be the case? And what > might be the long-term implications? > Oh, I know exactly where you're going with this, Pat. But, I really want to know the answer - are there any lines that seem to be free of Histio? How are breeders working to lower that 30.4% number if there are no studs available from histio-free lines? It is, actually, a harder problem than with other polygenic traits, such as hip dysplasia. First of all, you have a test (xrays) for hip dysplasia. If you have a generally good bitch with fair hips, you look for a stud with excellent hips to increase your odds that the next generation will be better than their dam. With histio, there is no test, except the test of time. There are no degrees of affectedness - there are no mild cases of malignant histiocytosis. So, if all lines are affected, where is the decision point on who to breed and who to neuter? How do we make histio be public enemy #1, and work towards eradicating it from our breed? Or do we just accept that a large percentage of our young dogs are going to die? Pauline
Re: cancer advice
> I went to the Breed Symposium in Lenzburg and the following is quoted from > the notes by Dr George Padgett. > > "Forty four separate tumour types have been reported in Berners. However, 7 > types account for 81.6% of all tumours reported. They are Malignant/Systemic > Histiocytosis 30.4%, So sad but true. Does anyone know if there are any "lines" of Bernese that are truly free from this disease? I'd sure like to hear about it.. Pauline Merrick
Re: dewclaws
- Original Message - From: Ruth Reynolds <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Do breeders usually have their BMD pups due claws removed? > > According to the breed standard rear dewclaws should be removed. Aahh, but for the sake of those who have never looked at the dewclaws on newborn puppies - Do you remove only the rear dewclaws that occasionally show up between the foot and hock, loosely attached by skin, or are you talking about those boned-in dewclaws, that appear to be extra toes? I have asked this question of two different people whom I accept to be leading experts on the breed, and got two different answers. On my last litter, I did not remove the boned-in ones, much to my vet's relief (he hates doing it!). No one, so far, has noticed. Pauline Merrick Brimfield, MA USA
Horses & Berners
I, too, met my husband through horses - I was between horses, living in an apartment, and went to a local gymkhana with a friend. There was this nutty guy there, running barrels on a mustang that had come from out west and that he had trained. He always had a funny comment to make when the horse would do the opposite of what he asked her to. The rest, as they say, is history. Our last "horse" was a pony that Hal had bought for his youngest son when they were both five. She was euthanized at the age of thirty, having spent the intervening years as THE BOSS of everything on the farm. No dog spent much time scarfing up horse apples without her running them off. Pauline Merrick Rustic Farm Brimfield, MA USA 2 berners, no hosses
Re: Spay
- Original Message - From: Carol <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, November 04, 2002 8:27 AM Subject: Spay >> An article in the August 2002 Dogfancy about ACL injuries states "Sta iscally, ACL, injuries occur most often in dogs between the ages of 7 and 10, with a higher incidence in neutered dogs, though experts don't know why." My first thought as to WHY is that neutered animals are more often involved in activities that may cause an ACL tear, such as agility or jumping. The fact that the animal is neutered does not have any bearing on the increase in ACL injuries, it is the fact that they are out there doing their stuff. MY 2 cents Pauline Merrick Rustic Farm Brimfield, MA
Re: "Are you going to breed them?"
Why not use this as a mini-ed oportunity? "Perhaps, once I have all the results back from hip & elbow xrays, eye screening, vWd blood tests, and heart checks. And if my male turns out to be of breeding quality, as very few do." Either they will be interested and ask more questions, or they will think you're a nut case and back slowly away. Pauline Merrick - Original Message - From: Lucy & Yogi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, October 10, 2002 1:36 PM Subject: "Are you going to breed them?" > Does anybody have a really short, one or two line ready response to this one? > >
