Allergies in dogs and their going off food.

[SUP]

My dog has severe allergies and coughs and sneezes every time we take her for walks. So she is on baby Claritin - prescribed by her vet - which really helps - not 100% but quite a bit. 

We ran out of Claritin 2 days ago and missed a dose. The allergies of course promptly returned. She also stopped eating - a worry that occurs periodically. Now I realized she goes off her food when her allergies act up because she gets a stuffy nose and cannot smell anything. With such a sensitive sense of smell, that must be awful! Anyway she got her Claritin dose and I led her to her food - milk first. She looked so delighted to be able to smell it again and had her meal - a relief.

Just thought I would put this up here in case anyone else has pets with a similar problem. 

[chuck123wapati]

glad you got it figured out. My dogs had/ have food allergies found that out by switching their food one time. they broke out instantly almost with hives, bumps and lumps all over their bodies.

it was a test to figure out what they could eat for about a year.

[SUP]

Yes. They take a while to get back to their normal routine. My dog still has congestion, just not so much. The vet says it just has to be endured, like we all do. Allergies are the worst here, with all the vegetation. 

[Doc Reaper]

Just so ya all know, that "New Respiratory" disease for dogs they say is out there is (from a YouTube vids) is kennel cough (aka Bordetella) and this media awareness crap is bulls**t! It's done to cause terror in the public and it's a bottom feeder way to build the trust back for the media that lied soooooo many times under our present command

Edited December 12, 2023 by Doc Reaper
Cause I could

[SUP]

I plan to change her allergy meds periodically. That might be effective for her, just like it often is for us, humans.

[nstarleather]

On 12/11/2023 at 8:10 PM, SUP said:

My dog has severe allergies and coughs and sneezes every time we take her for walks. So she is on baby Claritin - prescribed by her vet - which really helps - not 100% but quite a bit. 

We ran out of Claritin 2 days ago and missed a dose. The allergies of course promptly returned. She also stopped eating - a worry that occurs periodically. Now I realized she goes off her food when her allergies act up because she gets a stuffy nose and cannot smell anything. With such a sensitive sense of smell, that must be awful! Anyway she got her Claritin dose and I led her to her food - milk first. She looked so delighted to be able to smell it again and had her meal - a relief.

Just thought I would put this up here in case anyone else has pets with a similar problem. 

Our pup had about a month of not eating well and visits to the vet didn't reveal anything...we tried the chicken broth thing and she still got sick.  We then, just because we were desperate went to lean pork and pork broth and she began eating that...but she has kidney issues so we had a major struggle finding a kidney diet without the "standard proteins" (beef, lamb, chicken)...finally found one that's made from alligator and she'd doing ok but still sometimes needs come convincing to eat.  Prior to that first episode she would eat anything without thinking twice.

It's crazy what we do for our furry kids. 

[SUP]

@nstarleather I know! Our fur-babies are our babies, just as much as our  human ones. I certainly worry as much about my furry and feathery babies. Talk to them  like to humans too.. People think I am touched in the head! LOL, but I don't care. They understand and respond and that is what matters.

My poor dog still coughs and sneezes when we take her for walks, even with the antihistamines. I wipe her clean as soon as she comes home but she still snuffles for a while. So I am thinking of a face mask for her. Looking for one, though I am not sure she will agree to wear it. It needs to keep out the pollen but allow her to sniff and smell everything.

Edited December 14, 2023 by SUP

[Sheilajeanne]

I had an e-friend with a beagle that was severely allergic. He nearly died from his allergies several times in the years she had him.

She found out he'd inherited the problem from his father. The breeder was aware of that but CONTINUTED TO BREED THE DOG!!   

Don't you LOVE unscrupulous breeders?? 

My e-friend is a very dedicated dog owner, does agility and tracking with them, and I think has even shown her dogs in conformation in the past. She was seriously pissed off when she found out, as she was sure she was getting her dog from a good breeder!

[chuck123wapati]

22 hours ago, Sheilajeanne said:

I had an e-friend with a beagle that was severely allergic. He nearly died from his allergies several times in the years she had him.

She found out he'd inherited the problem from his father. The breeder was aware of that but CONTINUTED TO BREED THE DOG!!   

Don't you LOVE unscrupulous breeders?? 

My e-friend is a very dedicated dog owner, does agility and tracking with them, and I think has even shown her dogs in conformation in the past. She was seriously pissed off when she found out, as she was sure she was getting her dog from a good breeder!

I would surly know both sides of the story before throwing accusations. I would think if breeders could stop diseases then dog allergies would be a thing of history. Sadly though not so some dogs don't show allergies for years after birth. 

I have a beagle she is the boss of my other three papered American Bullies and if she says bark they bark. $9000 bucks worth of akc registered dogs ran by our kennel saved Beagle lol. 

[Handstitched]

On 12/15/2023 at 5:24 AM, Sheilajeanne said:

Don't you LOVE unscrupulous breeders?? 

 There are some good qualified registered  breeders, but the RSPCA  are really trying to crack down on dodgy breeders and ' puppy farms' here in Oz  . So many have been caught out , and the penalties have increased.   

HS

[Sheilajeanne]

Chuck, oh the breeder knew the male had problems! There is no doubt about it! 

It is not at all uncommon for AKC show breeders to continue to breed dogs with health and/or temperament problems, as long as they perform well in the show ring.

Beagles aren't my breed, but I could cite numerous examples that have been proven from multiple sources in German shepherds. 

Here's one of the worst. Linda Shaw wrote this. She also wrote the book on the Illustrated Standard of the German Shepherd Dog.

Quote

Another successful kennel was literally down the street; Hermsdorf. At the time their young Grand Victor Condor was mopping up at the shows. He was a very good looking dog,and seemed sound enough. I took his half-sister, on a co-ownership, by the famous American stud Cobert’s Sirocco of Windigail ROM. Brynn was a beauty who moved like silk, and she finished her championship with three five point majors, defeating a GV and several Selects. Unfortunately she was both dysplastic and mentally unstable. I finished her CD at the National a couple points short of HIT, and that year she was the recipient of the ‘Champion in Work and Breed’ award from the GSDCC. It was gratifying, but I realized how little that award meant. The day she finished her championship with five points at a large specialty show was something of a letdown. I loved her, but I knew she should never be used for breeding.

A year later, two year old Brynn bounced into the kitchen for her cookie, slumped to the floor and died. Her heart had stopped. Not long after, I discovered that her sire, Cobert’s Sirocco of Windigail, had sported a heart pacer so he could continue with his breeding career, and had just died prematurely because of it. His owner, Sprock, assured me it wasn’t hereditary. The pathologist rolled his eyes. Whatever faith I had that breeders, judges and breed clubs in North America were committed to breed improvement evaporated right then.

 

[chuck123wapati]

1 hour ago, Sheilajeanne said:

Chuck, oh the breeder knew the male had problems! There is no doubt about it! 

It is not at all uncommon for AKC show breeders to continue to breed dogs with health and/or temperament problems, as long as they perform well in the show ring.

Beagles aren't my breed, but I could cite numerous examples that have been proven from multiple sources in German shepherds. 

Here's one of the worst. Linda Shaw wrote this. She also wrote the book on the Illustrated Standard of the German Shepherd Dog.

 

 

 oh i agree there are bad breeders as well as bad people all over the world bent only on making money but that still doesn't make a half story true. But here is the reality dogs are animals with dna not machines, A breeder cannot see the future or how a particular animals is going to receive its dna or even if it will carry on the bad gene to its off spring.

Several breeds are so inbred that health problems are so prevalent in the breed they are automatically looked for, English bulldogs have an 87% chance of  hip dysplasia for example. Are all English bulldog breeders unscrupulous? Do all dog breeders just quit breeding those breeds or live with those folks ignorant of the fact that possible health problems are a natural occurrence of the breed and of the natural life cycle in general?

[Sheilajeanne]

Chuck, there's a very good reason the English bulldog is about the LAST breed of dog I'd ever want to own!  They also suffer from severe breathing problems due to the short snout, and can overheat and die very quickly in hot weather. Dogs like that should not be bred. 

Vets often comment on how dogs recovering from anesthesia will fight the tracheal tube when they begin to regain consciousness. The short snouted breeds often don't, because it's one of the very few times in their lives they've been able to breathe freely. 

It's a cruel thing breeders have done creating breeds like this. 

The owner of the beagle in question has had many beagles (she LOVES hounds) knows the breed inside and out, knows many other beagle breeders (it's not a very large community where she lives) and knows for sure the breeder was aware of the problem, but preferred getting stud fees and points in the show ring to breeding sound, healthy dogs. It's not a problem that shows up right away in the offspring, so it was easy for him to get away with it, and claim he had no idea the pups might have inherited it.

And don't get me started on the problems with the German shepherd. Here's what the breed standard (AKC) says about temperament: 

Quote

The breed has a distinct personality marked by direct and fearless, but not hostile, expression, self-confidence and a certain aloofness that does not lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships. The dog must be approachable, quietly standing its ground and showing confidence and willingness to meet overtures without itself making them. It is poised, but when the occasion demands, eager and alert; both fit and willing to serve in its capacity as companion, watchdog, blind leader, herding dog, or guardian, whichever the circumstances may demand. The dog must not be timid, shrinking behind its master or handler; it should not be nervous, looking about or upward with anxious expression or showing nervous reactions, such as tucking of tail, to strange sounds or sights. Lack of confidence under any surroundings is not typical of good character. Any of the above deficiencies in character which indicate shyness must be penalized as very serious faults and any dog exhibiting pronounced indications of these must be excused from the ring.

And here's what Linda Shaw noticed: Over a period of a decade I watched almost every Grand Victor at the GSDCC National display obvious nervous instability. I lost count of the dogs that crouched, shied, cowered and trembled before judges who apparently didn’t care.

Some of the Canadian breeders who DID care fought very hard to introduce a temperament test for the breed. They eventually won out, but against CONSIDERABLE resistance. German shepherds in Canada now must pass the test in order to get a Select conformation rating. The American club (GSDCA) still does not require a test. 

Edited December 16, 2023 by Sheilajeanne

[chuck123wapati]

9 minutes ago, Sheilajeanne said:

It's not a problem that shows up right away in the offspring, so it was easy for him to get away with it, and claim he had no idea the pups might have inherited it.

 

So English bulldogs should become extinct as well as many many other dog breeds?

Here's the problem with the one sided story, If it was in fact a disease the doesn't show up right away how could the breeder know the pup he sold had it? Fifth grade biology says that its impossible to know what dog in a litter will have a genetic problem or even if any will have the chromosome/s for any given disease. Your story also says the woman was well aware of the local breeders and the breed itself so if he was a bad breeder she would have known long before buying the pup. Maybe she just wanted the pup from the best dog in show to breed herself so took the chance. There is something you are not being told beware the one sided story especially when money was involved. People are greedy the woman wanted the best for her money and she took the chance bought a dog that came up with health problems and now blames the breeder for not knowing what he couldn't have known. Do you suppose you could get a breeder for any species of animal in the world to guarantee how long it will live? You also mentioned she fed her dog cookies how healthy is that? Would a breeder be liable for an owners bad habits?

 

 

[Sheilajeanne]

What? No, I never said she 'fed her dog cookies'. That was the Linda Shaw quote - her GERMAN SHEPHERD dropped dead at her feet due to an inherited heart arrhythmia!

Let's take this by the steps: this e-friend of mine bought a beagle pup. It developed severe, life-threatening allergies. Several years down the road, she found out that the sire also had severe allergies, and the owner was continuing to breed it, despite knowing about the problem. Like the man who owned the GSD with the pacemaker, the sire of the dog that dropped dead, no doubt he would deny the allergies could be inherited if confronted by someone with an offspring that had developed the same problem. This is NOT a rare thing in the dog  breeding world. I have seen it over and over again. I could tell you dozens of stories from the GSD world of the same sort of thing happening. Those stud fees look pretty good, and that's how breeders make their money - that and selling puppies. Of course, some of the pups would have been unaffected, and that would give them an excuse to keep on cranking out pups.

Dysplasia is also a problem with GSD's, but it has been dramatically reduced by the OFA x-ray program. Anyone buying a GSD these days will be checking the pup's pedigree to make sure their ancestor's hips (and more recently, elbows) passed the OFA screening program. 

And yes, maybe the bulldog SHOULD go extinct unless the breeders do something about fixing the problems it has! The function the dog once served (baiting bulls) is now illegal just about everywhere, so why keep a dog that's such a genetic disaster around? It's cruel what breeders have done - the females have pelvises so narrow they can't even give birth normally, and have to have C-sections! You think it's ethical to breed dogs like that?? 

 

[Klara]

16 hours ago, Sheilajeanne said:

And yes, maybe the bulldog SHOULD go extinct unless the breeders do something about fixing the problems it has! The function the dog once served (baiting bulls) is now illegal just about everywhere, so why keep a dog that's such a genetic disaster around? It's cruel what breeders have done - the females have pelvises so narrow they can't even give birth normally, and have to have C-sections! You think it's ethical to breed dogs like that?? 

I am sure that the bulldog has only become a disaster because its function has become illegal and it has been bred for beauty competitions. Where, strangely, many judges DO NOT really adhere to the breed standard (I am not familiar with bulldogs, but the GSD standard does not demand for the backside to drag on the ground, the French bulldog is supposed to have a nose and Irish Wolfhounds should be on average 85 cm high for the males! That's FCI standards...) and performance, or even the theoretical ability to perform, is not considered at all. The way I see it, all dogs should do some sort of performance test before breeding. No idea how to imitate bullbaiting (building something with a mechanical rodeo bull as base) but for GSDs there's IPO, for sighthounds racing and coursing, sheepdogs have their trials and lapdogs could do some character/education test (like good canine citizen, or how it's called. CSAU in France. )

The short-nosed breeds most likely will become extinct; in several European countries they either can no longer be shown, or are no longer allowed to be bred because it is considered cruel to create animals that are constantly in danger of asphyxiation. 

 

[Sheilajeanne]

Klara, long ago I discovered a link to a book that showed dog breeds in the very early 1900's. Many of the dogs looked very, very different from what their breed looks like now, and a surprising number of the breeds no longer exist. So, breeds do fall out of favor (or fashion) and become extinct.

I'd post the link, but it's on my old computer, and I don't have time to look it up. But here's how one breed has changed since then!

The St. Bernard has become so unsuited for the job it used to do (Alpine rescue) that alpine rescue units no longer use it. 

Edit: found a link to the book!! It was originally  published in 1867. An updated issue followed in 1915.  https://archive.org/details/dogsofallnations00masorich

Edited December 17, 2023 by Sheilajeanne

[Klara]

Yep, that's exactly my point. The labrador retriever used to be an elegant, athletic dog (like Marley in the movie), the ones that win in shows nowadays are barrels that "roll" through the ring. Even 40 years ago Bernese Mountain Dogs were much lighter, could still really move and race around and did not generally die of cancer at age 6 (!) The German Shepherd used to look more like today's Malinois (and I am sure that the Malinois was not as hysterical as many of today's are). Breeding for some exaggerated notion of "beauty" has killed functionality, and it's a disaster.

[Sheilajeanne]

Totally agree!  Today's German shepherds couldn't do this:

My current shepherd is working line, and they look more like the dogs of years gone by, and most can still work. Her father was a police canine: https://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=2224084-eska-von-den-roten-vorbergen?_v=20171103225743

 

[Klara]

12 hours ago, Sheilajeanne said:

...My current shepherd is working line,

Great picture! My borzoi is somewhere in the middle, some of her ancestors were racers, some not, and she is not really bred for racing. So her results (shows and  performance) are mixed, but she is a fully functional hound.

What makes me really, really happy is when a dog shown in "working class" (do you have them in AKC shows? It's for adult dogs who have had successes in work competitions, with details varying among breeds) also becomes best of his sex or BOB. With sighthounds that happens every now and then. Other judges mock the dogs in working class (they get on my personal black list)...

[Sheilajeanne]

[sigh!]  Ohhh, Klara, have you ever opened a can of worms. As I think you are aware, the main sport for proving a GSD is worthy of breeding is Schutzhund. The AKC banned Schutzhund back in 1990. For a long time prior to that, GSDs shown in the American ring very rarely had any working titles of any sort, not even obedience. 

Same thing with Canada. One year, I attended the obedience trials at the Canadian Nationals (biggest show of the year for the GSD). None of the dogs competing were conformation dogs, and there were even quite a few dogs of other breeds. 

The problem is, if you don't prove your dogs have working ability, within a few generations you will lose that ability! Very few ASL German shepherds do anything other than trot around the ring looking pretty! 

In Canada, some breeders got together, and were determined to fix this. The founder of our breed, von Stephanitz said "Make sure my shepherd dog remains a working dog, for I have struggled all my life long for that aim. The breeding of shepherd dogs is the breeding of working dogs; and this must always be the aim, or we shall cease to produce shepherd dogs. Efficiency for work must count for more with the shepherd dog breeder than the honors of the Show Ring."

So, this group of breeders finally got the kennel club to agree that before a Canadian GSD could go 'Select' in conformation, it must pass a temperament test and have at least one working title. There was CONSIDERABLE opposition to this from breeders who knew their dogs would never pass the temperament test, which involved things like walking along a road with traffic going past, gunshots being fired from a starter pistol, and an umbrella being opened in front of the dog.

The AKC club has never introduced similar rules. 

What about the German dogs? Well, in the early 70's a split began to form between the working GSDs and the show GSDs. The show dogs were bred to have lovely black and red coats, and like the ASL dogs, a far-reaching side gait. It was also decided that a curved back was stronger than a straight back, so backs became arched like a bridge. Due to breeding for a longer upper thigh the front end and the back were now out of balance, and as you can see from this photo, the trot was no longer a 2 beat gait. The courage test done at the Sieger show, the show of the year, was watered down. Dogs that came off the sleeve during the bitework still were getting ratings of 'pronounced'. 

There is currently pretty much a total split between the working and show lines. The show lines have their Sieger show, while the working lines have the BSP (Bundsieger Prufung) and the WUSV championship,  which only tests their working ability in the 3 Schutzhund disciplines (tracking, obedience and protection.) 

Here's what a typical working line (BSP winner!) looks like: https://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=122775-ernst-vom-weinbergblick?_v=20121019223949

And here is a female German show line, who placed second in the 2017 Sieger show, which is what the VA2 rating means.

Edited December 18, 2023 by Sheilajeanne

[chuck123wapati]

neither one of you would have a dog of your choice if it wasn't for breeders.

[Handstitched]

A'h yes, showing dogs. Been there , done that. But having to get up at ' sparrows fart' on a Sunday to show my dog, a Rotty,  ( Rottweiler ) with all the endless  brushing, grooming,  healthy diets, exercising,    preps, assorted   snobs ( at the shows)  ,  dressing up, looking like a  total knob,  do all the  ' moves' in the ring and not get a damn thing at the end for all my efforts , not even a  f**king ribbon?? 

 F**k that!!! I'd rather stay in bed !!    So I did 

This has now gone from ' allergies in dogs' to showing dogs. 

HS

[chuck123wapati]

9 minutes ago, Handstitched said:

A'h yes, showing dogs. Been there , done that. But having to get up at ' sparrows fart' on a Sunday to show my dog, a Rotty,  ( Rottweiler ) with all the endless  brushing, grooming,  healthy diets, exercising,    preps, assorted   snobs ( at the shows)  ,  dressing up, looking like a  total knob,  do all the  ' moves' in the ring and not get a damn thing at the end for all my efforts , not even a  f**king ribbon?? 

 F**k that!!! I'd rather stay in bed !!    So I did 

This has now gone from ' allergies in dogs' to showing dogs. 

HS

lol my doggie sleeps with us I found dogs are much more fun if you love them for what they are, friends and companions.

[chuck123wapati]

22 hours ago, Klara said:

 are barrels that "roll" through the ring. 

Have you ever noticed their trainers? lol most cant keep up on  a good day. Showing dogs is pretty much just an ego trip imo, folks buying dogs, training them then taking credit when they win but when they lose its the breeders fault.