How can you tell?
Hi everyone -- this question will no doubt simply reveal my inernet ignorance -- but sinc everyone seems to be sending all mail to BOTH the new and the old list addresses, how do I know whether or not I'm adequately posted on yahoo? I AM getting lots of berner-L posts -- but where are they coming from? Thanks for answers. Susan (and Djinn and Riley)
Wonderful list responses
Dear Listers: a couple of days ago I wrote asking for suggestions for a friend whose 8.5 year old berner was having problems with a 'numb' leg. I had lots of responses, and forwarded them to my friend. Here, for the record, is her response: >We are profoundly grateful to the respondents for their insightful and helpful advice. > We are both starting to feel that the problem is neurologic. Now its a question of deciding if diagnosis(neurologist) or empiric intervention(chiropractic,acupuncture and other 'woo woo' therapies) should be our next step. > For the moment we will give Fluvie a doctor break while we make our inquiries > and our decisions. Meanwhile, we've started to change his diet to more > antioxidants and he seems more happy and energetic. ...and I thank everyone as well. Susan (and Djinn and Riley)
Question
Hi all -- I'm writing for a friend, who has an 8 1/2 year old berner who has lately developed what appears to be a 'numb' hind leg. That is, every now and then as the dog walks his leg seems to slip out from under him toward his other leg -- my friend says it looks like what would happen if you tried to walk when your leg was 'asleep'. They've done x-rays of his spine and leg, and found no tumours, minimal arthritis, and now obvious cause for the situation. The vet isn't offering any suggestions. Meanwhile, the dog is happy, smiling, eating well, etc. Any ideas on what could be happening? Some kind of neurological process? Is there a (non-invasive) diagnostic procedure that would be worth doing? Any archive articles I should look at? Thanks! Susan
Re: Carting Equipment
Me, too! Susan (and Djinn and Riley) - Original Message - From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, August 19, 2003 6:22 AM Subject: Carting Equipment > Good morning, all. I am interested in trying carting with one of my dogs (the one with good elbows!) and my friend wants to start carting with her pair or Swissies. Can anyone suggest a source for buying "beginners" carting equipment, either online, catalog, or retail? We live in New Jersey. > Thanks in advance for any suggestions. > Anne > with Maddie and Titan > Cranford, NJ
Re: Counter surfing
Cat food goes on top of the fridge, and that solves that problem. Now cat litter, that's another story... Susan (and Djinn and Riley) > The biggest problem I've had is my young girl who likes to eat cat food. > I keep the cat food on the kitchen table away from the edge so the cat > can hop up there to eat when he wants.I found her > one day standing all 85 pounds of her and all 4 feet on the table helping > herself! > Susan Ablon > Gweebarra BMD > Balch Springs, Tx > http://www.pageweb.com/gwebara
Re: Looking for help
Hi Sandra -- this may sound silly, but when my older son was about 9 monoths old, and we were on vacation in the country, I was supplementing him with powdered milk diluted in water. He was happy and active, but had continuous diarrhea for which we could find no cause. Turned out the well water simply disagreed with him -- not because of any sort of microbial problem, but probably due to its unfamiliar chemistry. When we stopped making his milk with local water, everything cleared up. Have you tried feeding bottled water for a few days? At least it's a non-invasive test. Susan and Djinn and Riley
Re: Move over Dog!!
Just a comment -- I, too, once lost a fax machine that way. That's why I have my computer and accessories plugged into a surge protector AND I unplug the whole thing every time I close down the computer. Susan with Djinn and Riley > By the way that was why I was quiet on the list for a few days because > although we were not on-line both computers had their modems fried!
Re: what age do puppies start drooling?
Well, neither of mine has drooled spontaneously, like a Newf -- but hold up a treat, and Djinn drools instantly! Stops as soon as she gets the treat. Susan > > Some of the breeders may have a better answer for you, but I have NEVER > seen a Berner drool.
chasing livestock
I live on a sheep-rearing island, and because I'm a handspinner, I know a lot of the local farmers. Every summer, tourists arrive with their dogs -- who have never seen a sheep. The visitors think it's wonderful to be in the country where their dogs can 'roam free.' (Never mind about cars, raccoons, etc. -- romanticism takes over.) And every summer, there are horrendous sheep kills and deer kills. Most of us who live on the island know that, much as we love our dogs, they are dogs -- and many of them have a strong prey drive. I won't subject my neighbours to the devastation of a sheep kill by my dogs, and I won't risk my dogs to the gun that farmers are legally allowed to use if they catch a dog in with their sheep. They are leashed when we are near or visiting farms. On a lighter note: when my old dog Maggie was a puppy, I had some rather irascible Angora goats, one of whom turned her horns on Maggie when she got too inquisitive. Ever after, Maggie felt that white fuzzy creatures were to be carefully avoided. When Maggie was much older, I was once invited by a farmer to walk through the flock with Maggie, and decided I could keep an eye on her well enough to break my leash rule. At one point I called her to me, and watched her make a *very* wide circle around two tiny lambs to get to me. Susan and Djinn and Riley Salt Spring Island, BC
Fw: Return of The Fun Survery!!
- Original Message - From: "Susan Berlin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, March 23, 2003 1:49 PM Subject: Re: Return of The Fun Survery!! > Thanks for this, Catherine! > > > 1 --- Do you live in > > a) city > > b) suburbs > > c) country > > d) on Planet Berner > > in the country, on Planet Berner, Canada > > > > 2 --- Where does your dog spend the night? > > On my (our) bed, of course -- along with the two cats. Riley, my other > (non-berner) dog sleeps on a mat on the floor. I keep encouraging him to > join us, but one of the cats is quite vehement that he not do so. > > > 3 --- What is your dog's favorite toy? > > Neither of my two berners has been much interested in toys. Her favourite > 'toy' is my other dog, Riley, who outweighs her but loses all the wrestling > matches. > > 4 --- Your dog's most remarkable feature is (fill in the blank) > > Her energy and smarts. Must be some tri-colour border collie snuck in there > somewhere. > > > > 5 --- You bought a new car for your dog(s) > > Yes > > > only it's not new anymore. I live back of beyond, and the two dogs and I > travel back and forth to the real world in a 1989 Mazda pickup with an > extended cab. They ride in the back seat, of course -- except when I get out > of the car for a few minutes and Djinn moves into the driver's seat and > honks the horn. People are always amused at the big dog driving the truck.. > > > > 6 --- Your dog participates in (feel free to list any titles your dog > > has won) > > a) conformation > > b) obedience trials > > c) drafting trials > > d) agility > > e) therapy work > > f) tracking > > g) training classes > > h) digging to China > > Therapy -- for me, that is. I'll be starting her in agility in the Fall, I > hope; her vet describes her as 'very athletic' which means she moves fast > and bounces a lot, and she LOVES training work. > > > > 7 --- The naughtiest thing that your dog has done is. > > There I was knitting a lace vest in alpaca yarn. Ever knit lace? If you drop > a stitch, you can't just rip out a row -- you have to go back stitch by > stitch till you get to a row where the stitch pattern works out. Djinn -- > then about 4 months old -- came up behind my chair VERY quietly, grabbed the > knitting, and headed out the (open) door aiming at the woods behind the > house. Fortunately, she dropped it just up the hill and I turned my > attention to rescuing it, instead of having a heart-to-heart with her. > > However, if I weren't limited to ONE event, I could go on and onDjinn is > now a bit over two years old, and I've noticed recently that she's become a > lot more co-operative, but I wouldn't recognize her as my dog if she ever > stopped having a mind of her own! > > Susan > Salt Spring Island, BC > With Djinn and Riley and the two cats >
Re: mast cell tumors..
Yes, I have, and her name was Maggie, too. If you HAVE to have a cancer, a mast cell cancer might be the one of choice -- depending, of course, on the grade. If it's not too far advanced, the trick is to take out the tumour AND a large margin surrounding it to make sure you've got it all. Maggie had hers removed at around 6 years, and lived another almost 4 years, mast-cell tumour free. Best of luck. Keep the list informed. Susan and Djinn the berner and Riley the ?? rescue and the two cats > Hi all > anyone have a berner survive this..mast cell tumors..maggie just got diagnosed..> maura
Re: (A long tale) Berners- expensive? Well...
Ah, escape-prone animals! I once had goats who believed they belonged in the house with 'the other people', and patrolled the constantly-repaired fence to find its weak points. And Djinn, now two years old, at four months leapt over a three-foot deck gate, landed on the down-facing stairs, ran around the house and opened the front door (lever-action handles). None of my animals escape to run away -- they escape to join the rest of us. Susan Salt Spring Island with Djinn (Bernese) and Riley (???) and the two cats Are you sitting comfortably, then I'll begin . We've had Bernese for nearly 17 years and I thought we knew everything about their expensive habits that there was to know... Diet - including sofas and dining room suites. Vets fees - from acupuncture and arthritis, through crutiate repairs & entropian, to sebaceous cysts and things far nastier. Now our vets are in our Friends and Family dialling circle and we have full pet insurance. Mode of transport - the more you have, the bigger the vehicle needed. A 7 seater with all but 2 seats removed is just right for 4 dogs. House redecoration -new carpets, no carpets; wall paper, no wall paper; cat flap, no cat flap. Bedding (ours) - A king size bed is an absolute necessity for those early morning snuggles, if *you* want to be included. Chores - a vacuum cleaner on an industrial scale is essential to keep up with those miniature Berners that like to lurk everywhere from under the freezer to the top of the wardrobe. Garden - ahh, the garden. We've given up expecting anything other than a lunar landscape. A lot of money flowed into the garden before we learnt to let the dogs do the gardening and let us get on with more important things, like housework. Yes, I thought we knew it all. Until the advent of 18 month old Roxie into our lives last June. Roxie the Berner with pogo sticks instead of legs. Roxie the dog who likes you to get up with the sun to keep her company. Roxie the Houdini dog... AKA Poxie Roxie. Our garden consists of an acre fully fenced for the dogs and 5 acres of rough for them to run in under supervision. Our 4' fences have always proved more than equal to the task of keeping our dogs in, even Toby, who at 36" at the shoulder could easily jump or even knock the fences over. Until Roxie. She soon jolted us out of our complacency by bouncing over the fence with ease. So we heightened it by running 2 strands of wire along the top of the existing fence and weaving another strand between them and the existing fence, bring the height up another 9" or so. She still escaped. And a wise lady from the list told me that once a Berner has the taste for escapism, we're doomed... How right she was! Last month, I gave in and decided that as my husband was away all month, I'd get a professional fencing contractor to cast his eye over our problem and come up with a once and for-all solution. To save money (a fatal flaw when considering our beautiful and agile breed), I decided that I would only get that part of the fence done that she was getting over. That cost us nearly 400 UK pounds. I was impressed, no way was Roxie going to get over a 7' fence. I wondered in an idle moment if we should have watch towers installed too, with search lights and stuff. Roxie spent her time walking the fence line. I watched and laughed. For a whole week she surveyed the fence, I sniggered and told her she'd never escape now. NEVER give a Bernese a challenge like that. The day after Malcolm came home and agreed it was money well spent, Roxie jumped the fence. No, not the tall one, just the 5' one which had strands of barbed wire along it until we could heighten it. Back to the drawing board and another large sum of money on fencing materials. We are now so well know at the contractors, that Malcolm has been told they'll keep all their odd bits of fence wire for him, it's cheaper to let us have it than to order a rubbish skip to take it all away! Yesterday Malcolm finished erecting another run of 7' fencing and said "I'd like to see her escape now". So she did. This time she slithered through the gap left in the strands of wire holding everything together. She just has to be double jointed, I would have defied a cat to get through that gap. S... Another day is drawing to a close, another day spent making the fence Roxie proof, and Malcolm has just issued her with another challenge... Get over that if you can! I'm not betting either way! Thank doG she doesn't go far, we live up a private road away from town, although we do get stupid drivers who think children and animals shouldn't be on the road; and luckily, all the sheep were moved at the end of last year. By the time I feel fairly confident she won't ever escape again, we will have spent well into 4 figures. Is she worth it? You bet! The sheer zest she has for life is intoxicating. I can't even feel aggrieved when she's been bouncing all over my emergent daffodils. Anyway, life would be so dull (if not so
Rally
Okay, I give up: what's a Rally? Susan and Djinn and Riley Salt Spring Island, BC
how they came to be named
Great thread! Djinn was from a 'D' litter, and I went through all the female D names without a click. Then I thought of Djinn -- the original spelling of the Genie in the bottle -- and it sounded great. If I had only known that this puppy shouldn't have been encouraged by being given a name with magic powers! She was born thinking she was in charge of the world. Susan and Djinn and Riley the rescue and the cats Smudge (love those dogs) and Cleo (hate them)
Re: Bones and Berners
> We have a small freezer in the shop that is for bone storage and when I open > that they are setting their waiting. But alas they have to wait till the > bones are thawed out. Why? My guys are delighted to chew on bone Popsicles -- is there a reason they shouldn't have them frozen? Susan on Salt Spring Island with Djinn and Riley
Re: Suckling Pup
how many people on the list have dogs that still suckle in their sleep long after they've been weaned? My dogs don't -- but one of my sons did this till he was nine or ten! Heart-melting. Susan (and Djinn and Riley...and the cats Smudge and Cleo)
Re: guard dog?
> > Does anyone have a Berner that ever acts as a guard dog? you know, not > > vicious, of course, but warning barks? Yes, but did she ever take me by surprise! When Maggie was about a year old, we were both asleep one night (on my bed, of course) when suddenly she erupted off the bed, rushing to the door with deep, deep barks! As I woke, I realized there were headlights coming up my driveway -- very unusual, as I live in a remote area and rarely see a vehicle even during daylight hours. Turned out it was a lost tourist -- who needed information, but also was very wary of the big dog I was holding by the collar (so she wouldn't 'greet' him a la Daisy -- but he didn't know that! Susan, with Djinn and Riley
Re: Berner Re-Homed (Accidentally) - popularity of BMD's
I've always been bemused by the fact that, with a total (human) population of fewer than 10,000, we have at least six berners on Salt Spring Island. Probably more -- that's only the ones I know personally! And there were a couple of others who used to live here, but whose owners moved off Island. Susan Berlin > So if anyone doubts the popularity of the BMD, visit my neighborhood, > five BMD's within a stones throw. > > Steve Squillante > > While an original is always hard to find, he is easy to recognize. > John C. Mason > (1955-) American Author
partial torn ACL
I would be interested in hearing from others that have dealt with a partially torn ACL.how many have had to have surgery? Cathi with Bacchus and Ari - Original Message - From: "Cindy Buhner" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 11:11 PM Subject: Help on a partially torn cruciate ligament! When my Maggie was about 6 years old, she started limping and was diagnosed with a partial ACL tear. My vet suggested rest -- and then went off to China for 6 weeks. When the limping got worse, I took her to a nearby orthopedic vet for surgery; the ligament was replaced with nylon. She healed well, but several months later turned up holding her leg up -- no weight bearing at all. By that time, my own vet was home, and his comment was that on a big dog (Maggie weighted 120, and she wasn't fat!) repair with nylon was a poor choice because the nylon often stretched. He used what he called an 'old fashioned' technique, which was to take a narrow strip of skin from the incision and use it to replace the ligament. The stem cells in the skin, when placed where a ligament was needed, 'became' ligament material. Maggie actually took quite a while to heal, because she reacted to the stainless steel clip used to hold the ligament in position (apparently, most dogs don't react to the inert material). We had to have it removed, after which she bounced back almost immediately and was just fine. Unfortunately, she tore the other ACL about a year later, as I'd been warned she might, showing up at the house with a familiar no-weight-bearing stance. The surgery was repeated, and she was once again fine. I'd guess everyone's story will be a bit different, but certainly good ACL repair is possible! Good luck. Susan
scented shampoos, etc.
Pat's mention of a shampoo 'without a heavy scent' reminded me of the arrival of my rescue boy, Riley. The wonderful ladies who rescued him treated him to a day at a dog spa before turning him over to me -- and this LARGE mixed breed, very male dog arrived smelling like a cheap perfume counter at Woolworths. Speaking of Riley, the only bit left of his anxiety is in response to strong winds: he pants, paces, scratches at the window. Unfortunately, we have strong winds around here fairly frequently. Any suggestions about how to calm him down? ...and while we're on the subject, when Riley sleeps, his hind-quarters make spasmodic, seizure-like movements -- not at all like a dog who's dreaming and running in his sleep. Has anyone seen a similar activity, and does it indicate possible neurological problems? That's all my questions for today! And Djinn, my just-turned two Bernese, has had MOST of her brains delivered. Now if I could just teach her to go to the door and bark when she wants to go out -- instead of barking at me, in exactly the same way she indicates a desire for food, play, a treat, etc. -- she'd be perfect. Ideas? Thanks Susan
Re: New "Mom" needs help
I am no expert on any of the issues you raise, but I know that my first berner, when she was a puppy had continual diarrhea with no obvious cause and no diminution of her energy level when she was on Pro Plan. It cleared up immediately when I switched her to another kibble. This is NOT a blanket criticism of Pro Plan; I think different dogs react differently to the ingredients in the various feeds. Susan . > > 1. Jack has had diarhea for about a week now but is acting fine > otherwise...We are feeding him Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy Formula...
Re: Escape artist
Hi Jennifer -- does that ever sound familiar! My Djinn has been doing that since she was four months old -- only my doors open inward. If I want her to stay outside, I MUST remember to lock the door! Maybe it's a Canadian thing >Porter promptly walked over to the door, jumped up on > the handle and voila the door was open!! Who needs a dog door??!! Susan Berlin Djinn and Riley Salt Spring Island, BC
Problems with receiving llist
Hi -- am I the only one who is getting fewer and fewer of the items listed in a digest -- more and more frequently? Of the 31 items listed in digest 4097, I received just 3. I really appreciate the elimination of virus-infested items, but if this is the cost, it looks like we're caught between the devil and the deep blue sea! Is there any way out? Susan
Re: peeing on the bed
Hi -- I didn't get the original post on this (just some of the replies) becuse I get the digest and it's often truncated. So I don't know all the circumstances, but I do have one comment: my Maggie peed on the bed once -- though she was a fujjlly-grown dog at the time -- but she did it *in her sleep*. I took her to the vet at once, and it turned out she had some liver enzymes way out of whack, probably indicating hepatitis. Apparently, hepatitis can produce urinary dysfunction. Fortunately, it resolved by itself (we did e-rays, repeated the tests, etc.) so all ended well, but I thought people would want to know of this possibility. Susan Salt Spring Island, BC
