Canine Diseases and Prevention

VACCINATIONS SCHEDULE GUIDELINE

• 8 WEEKS - Distemper, Parvo, Adenovirus, Parainfluenza and Corona Virus
• 12 WEEKS - Distemper, Parvo Adenovirus, Parainfluenza and Corona Virus
• 16 WEEKS - Distemper, Parvo Adenovirus, Parainfluenza, Corona Virus, Bordetella and Lyme Disease*
• 4 MONTHS - Rabies
• 1-YEAR (12 mos) - Distemper, Parvo Adenovirus, Parainfluenza, Corona Virus, Bordetella and Lyme Disease*, Rabies

*Lyme Disease: If your dog is a house-pet, you live in the city and you never take your dog outside the city limits (fields or woods), then you do not need to administer the Lyme Disease Vaccine.

PROTECTION FROM THE MOTHER
A newborn puppy is not naturally immune to diseases. It does, however, have some antibody protection which is derived from the 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 up to 48 hours after birth. This antibody-rich milk is called colostrum. The puppy only receives anitibodies until two days of age. All antibodies from the mother, either via her blood or colostrum are called maternal antibodies. NOTE: The puppy will only receive antibodies from diseases from which the mother has been recently vaccinated against or exposed to. That is to say that any canine disease the mother has not been vaccinated against or exposed to would open up a susceptibility in the puppy immunity.

WHEN SHOULD YOU BEGIN VACCINATIONS FOR A PUPPY?
The immunity that a puppy has at birth begins to diminsh sometime between 6-12 weeks. This is the time to begin initial vaccinations which are to be repeated once a month until the puppy is about 3 to 4 months old. There after the dog will require repeat vaccination annually or as recommended by your veterinarian.

CANINE DISEASES TO VACCINATE AGAINST

Canine Distemper
Vaccination against this often fatal, hard-to-treat disease is absolutely necessary. It is highly contagious and spreads from discharges from the noses and eyes of infected dogs. Symptoms can include listlessness, fever, coughing, diarrhea and vomitting. Convulsions and paralysis may occur in the disease's final stages. The virus attacks many organs, including the nervous system, which may be permanently damage, even if the dog recovers.

Canine Tracheobronchitis (Canine or kennel cough)
Much like the common cold in humans, this respiratory-tract infection is easily transmitted so vaccination is imperative if your pet will come into contact with many other dogs in such situations as obedience classes, boarding at a kennel or multi-dog households. Caused by various airborne bacteria and viruses, including Canine Parainfluenze virus, Canine Adenovirus Type II and Bordetella Bronchieseptica, you will first notice it's onset by our dogs' dry, hacking cough.

Canine Parvovirus
Very Contagious, debilitating and widespread, this disease is caused by a virus first emerged in many parts of the world in 1978. Spread through contact with infected feces, the highly resistant virus can remain in the environment for many months. Symptoms include high fever, listlessness, vomiting and diarrhea. Vaccination is the ONLY certain method of preventing this potentially fatal disease. This disease is most severe in young puppies and elderly dogs.

Rabies
This INCURABLE viral disease affects the central nervous system of almost all mammals, including humans. It is spread throuch contact with the saliva of infected animals (which can include skunks, foxes, raccoons and bats) through bites or any break in the skin. Vaccination will provide your pet with much greater resistance to rabies if he is exposed to the disease, but you must be aware that there is NO CURE once it occurs. For this reason, many municipalities absolutely require that all dogs receive rabies vaccinations on a regular basis. You will have to prove that your dog is vaccinated if you travel with him whether nationally or internationally.

Infectious Canine Hepatitis
Caused by the Adenovirus Type I, this disease is transmitted among dogs by contact with secretions such as saliva, infected urine or feces. Symptoms are similar to those of earlier stages of distemper. Causing liver failure, eye damage and breathing problems, the course of this disease can range from mild to fatal. Vaccination remains the best protection.

Other Vaccinations
After evaluating your dog's particular situation and risk factors, your veterinarian may also recommend vaccination against other infectious diseases. These Might Include:
Leptospirosis a bacterial disease which attacks the intestinal system
Canine Coronavirus which attacks the intestinal system
Lyme Disease transmitted by ticks to bothe dogs and humans resulting in chronic arthritis and sometimes death. This disease is most common in northern parts of the United States.

Do Rat Terriers Bite?

All dogs have the potential to bite if put into the right situation.

Injuries: Any dog will bite when in pain from an injury and great caution should be taken when attempting to handle an injured dog. Even your life-long pal might bite you if he is injured. It might be shock or fear of further harm - it is simply a defensive reaction.

Fear Biting: Fearfulness that leads to biting may be the result of poor confidence due to lack of socialization, poor training or even an inherited trait. Most Rat Terriers do exhibit caution when approached by strangers or strange objects and they are quite suspicious of sudden moves but this caution is a natural instinct of survival and should not result in biting. A Rat Terrier will be curious and investigate these same strangers and objects with confidence and caution until he can dismiss any possible threat. This process just takes seconds in a well adjusted Rat Terrier.

Nipping: Another form of biting is nipping usually when kids are running or a person is walking away. This is can be a very serious problem - It is a Rat Terriers way of testing his place in the pack. Such nipping may be a sign of overly aggressive Rattie behavior or simply poor training. Puppies will go through a natural stage of nipping and they have to be trained that this is not acceptable behavior.

Hormones: It is quite common for an intact male Rat Terrier to not get along with other males when there is a female in heat particularly if he is a dominant personality. New mother's may be protective of their young pups and might react with sudden movements or threatening gestures.

The Pack: Rat Terriers have a strong inherited social hierarchy referred to as a pack and leadership is often fought over. These fights are generally noisy displays unless a dog has not been socialized with other canines. If this is the case then fights can become serious because he won't know how to respond to another dogs aggressive display and may over react.

Alpha or Beta? Alpha behavior is a technical term for an inherited behavior to become pack leader. Beta behavior refers to those dogs that tend to follow a leader. All but a few Rat Terriers will try to climb to the rank of leader and a few will pursue leadership at any cost - these are the alpha dogs. Alpha Rat Terriers may make very good pets but require extra care in training and socialization. A knowledgeable breeder will be able to pick out puppies which tend to display alpha behavior and place them in appropriate homes. Pack behavior may seem unfair at times but it is an absolutely normal and necessary function to keep peace and order in a multi-dog environment.

Jake's Hero

Rescuing people is a heroic feat for sure but when you rescue your pet.. that makes you my hero!


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Dangerous Toy Alert!

Are you familiar with the rubber dimple ball with the jingle bell inside?

I was shown a recent blog about a Labrador Retriever named "Chai" who is now maimed for life because of this toy. The astronomical vet bills and life altering effects of his injury will shock you.. I encourage you to read the blog which I have linked to in my "Links of Interest" section.

Four Paws manufactured the one that caused this dogs injuries but there are numerous companies and styles of this same toy out there. Please be aware and don't buy these.

Bath Time

Have I mentioned I have a bad back? I do and so bathing time was very difficult for me as I had to bend awkwardly over a large garden tub to bath our dogs. Then it was pain killer and off my feet for the rest of the evening. Steve took over bathing... Did I mention he has a bad shoulder? NEEDLESS to say we had to find a better and less painful way to provide this basic need to our pups so I did what I do best and I googled "Doggie Bath Tubs" Found an awesome product that has made bathing time 98% less painful for me and Steve likes it too because I do the bathing now. It is called the Booster Bath and I added a link to their website on my Resource page as it is a product that I highly recommend.

My new Rattie Painting

Last weekend we attended the World Series of Dog Shows at the Reliant Center in Houston, Texas. Check out Animal Planet on October 4th and you can see the best of show and maybe even us walking amongst the crowds.

There where all things dog to be seen and bought. We watched confirmation for a while.. but Tylea wouldn't sit for long so we soon found ourselves watching Agility and then watching the Frisbee dogs and the Dancing dogs and ending the excitement with Flyball. Tylea LOVED Flyball and she really got a kick out of a itty bitty Chihuahua running agility. We couldn't end the fun without visiting the vendors who have everything to sell from poop bags and toys to Designer dog homes and Pet Jewelry.

We eventually came across a few artist booths too and one artist, Shann Comeaux caught my eye with her unique, colorful and expressive style. We spoke a bit and I decided to consign her to do a portrait of Bunny and Boogie. Well, the painting arrived today and I just had to share it here on the Blog.

I cannot tell you how pleased I am. There is already a spot picked out where it will be displayed. I decided to share her link too and you can find it and other great links on my resource page so I encourage you to visit her site, Art by Shann, and look at her unique paintings.
Thank you Shann!!

The importance of Crate Training

A well trained dog is an enjoyable asset to any family and a crate trained dog is a safe and secure dog...

I am a strong advocate of crate training. Crate training should start the very day you get your puppy home and this is where he should sleep the first night and there after. I have spoken to people who think crating is cruel and feel that sticking Fido into a "Cage" makes him somehow less of a family member. Thats not how it works here.

Crate training can offer your dog a sense of security and a safe quiet retreat. I never allow the dogs to be harassed in their kennels by children or use the kennels for punishment.. Crating can also be a wonderful tool to enhance other training needs such as house breaking or destructive behaviors. Your dog will come to feel that the crate is his den. He will feel safe in it and seek it out when he is ready for a good snooze. Half past 9:00 in our home the dogs stroll down the hall and get into their kennels for the night. I don't tell them to kennel they just prefer to go to bed.. the last one of us to bed closes the kennel doors.

Below is a link to a really nice write up on Crating that might give you an idea of what could occur if you do not crate train.

Crating: Training or Torture?

I do think that in some cases a dog can do just fine without crating... However.. with a breed such as the Rat Terrier you are dealing with an active, curious and intelligent dog that WILL entertain himself if left alone. Wouldn't you feel better knowing that while you run to the store that Fido is safely chewing on his treat ball in the kennel or would you rather wonder how many rolls of toilet Paper he will root out of the pantry and destroy?