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Uk breeders of Weimaraner and Hungarian Vizsla
This
website is my own personal website
and all views stated here in are
mine.
For
ANY health problem your veterinary
surgeon must always be your first
call.
Many Weimaraners and
Hungarian Vizsla's live happy lives with
out suffering from any serious health
problems. But like any pure bred dog
(restricted gene pools) on a small
island with in the past strict
quarantine rules it has made it very
difficult for many normal breeders to
import dogs to make the gene pools
larger because of high costs of
importation.
It is often said the cross bred dog is much healthier than a pedigree dog, but I argue to differ on that one after working with many cross bred dogs in the grooming parlour and seeing first hand tumours, cancers, eye problems, severe bone deformations. To increase gene pools in the UK means importing dogs from different pedigree's. I have taken many phone calls lately from people who are looking for dogs with no dogs in a pedigree being the same, this is nearly impossible because as I have already said breeding has been done by line breeding over the generations here in the United Kingdom and you will find the same dog in the pedigree many times over. We do as breeders believe in using imported dogs when they come into the country, but many breeders do not. In fact some will tell you not to buy from dogs with international lines in them. In the end day its your choice the buyer what you do, where you buy a dog from that will change dog breeding in the country. Even today pedigree dogs that are imported cost the breeder thousands. You would also think importing semen would be a cheap option but it is not, we have looked into this ourselves, and because no litter is guaranteed it can make importing semen hugely expensive with no guarantees at the end. Dogs can suffer from inherited/genetic disorders. That is not to say that the breeds are riddled with health problems because they are not and the Weimaraner and Hungarian Vizsla are considered the athlete of the dog world. Now as we have a pet pug I am looking into these and learning about their health. We chose a pug that came from a line of naturally whelping mothers as this is one thing bull breeds cant give birth. I hope we have started on the right line. Because of the general lack of genetic markers in breeds, no breeder can test their lines to say they are completely clear of every hereditary disease. Even if it could new health problems would arise as their is no such thing as a perfect animal, or perfect human! I would just like to point out that with humans we also have many health problems, all living beings do, no matter what animal, human we are all prone to problems of one sort or another, and if we do not then its sheer good luck or blessings. All we can do is our best. New research is being complied in America. This was taken from the American Weimaraner club and by permission of Dr Noa Safra to include in our website.
New research in the area of
genetic disease in the
Weimaraner breed is gearing up
at the Veterinary Genetic
Laboratory (VGL) in the
University of California, Davis.
This project is lead by Noa
Safra DVM PhD, a Weimaraner
breeder and WCA member since
1996. The goal of this research
is the discovery of DNA markers
for multiple Weimaraner
inherited diseases.
Contact
information for sample donations
and inquiries: Also research is going on in the UK with various health problems in dogs. All responsible
breeders can do in the UK is use the
health checks available to them through
the Kennel Club health tests. A Kennel
club accredited breeder must health test
their animals to be part of the scheme. Being part of the Kennel club accredited breeder scheme does not mean breeders are producing dogs free from hereditary health problems. The only required test for the scheme is Hip Dysplacia. Then all breeders can do is breed from animals which are to the best of their knowledge healthy. The rest is in natures hands! Temperaments of the parents must always be looked at as well as health. Below is some health problems which can crop up in Weimaraners and Hungarian Vizsla's....I am sure their are many more which can be listed. Some more serious than others. All I can suggest if you think your dog has a problem is to go to your own veterinary surgeon for help. A proper diagnosis is required with any animal. Then the correct treatment. If your dog has a problem then you should contact the breeder of your puppy so they know. If it is hereditary then the breeder can stop that breed line. Or have at least the choice to look into the problem. For anyone who can not afford veterinary bills with animals, I would suggest either paying for insurance monthly or do not buy a dog at all, as every dog whether it pedigree or cross-breed will be in and out of the vets all its life with something or other. Regular health care is required on all breeds, and for longer coated dogs regular grooming will help the skin and coat keep healthy. Correct diet will also pay a huge part in your dogs health. All information given below is from our own personal view points, and although we are members of a breed club these view points are ours and not the club or other peoples view points. Our website should not be used to diagnose a problem yourself. Always see your veterinary surgeon. The info below may help you to learn more about the problem your dog has. If ever in doubt of any health related disorder your veterinary surgeon should be consulted, and if you are not happy, get a second opinion from another veterinary surgeon. Each vet will vary in diagnosis of animals, some will give you a text book answer and others their experience guides them from seeing the problem many times before. If you can afford to insure your dog it is very wise to do so because it is cheaper in the long run if your dog needs to see your vet for an operation. ADDER BITE This is obviously not a hereditary health problem this is an accident bite.
After having first hand experience on an adder bite I feel I can contribute to the information given to me by my veterinary surgeon. Chilli in 2010 was bitten by an adder. We saw the adder, hence the above photo, but did not realize for a start that our dog had been bitten. After walking we thought how lethargic he seemed, from running about to walking slowly beside me. It was with in about 15 minutes from the bite that his head started to swell. Going straight to our vets as we were a long way away it took me an hour to get there, he treated with Cortizone steriods and two days later with anti biotics. He told me that if the dog was going to die it would be with in the first hour and a half. Chilli got a lot worse before he got better. His head grew huge, his neck and down his shoulders. He just lay on the carpet for 24 hours hardly moving at all. With several phone calls to the vet as we were unsure if he needed more treatment he assured us it would get worse before it got better and that with in 24 hours we would see a slight improvement. In fact it was a lot longer...I would say it took nearly 30 hours from the bite to see a slight improvement. Then suddenly as if a magic wand had been waved he was moving about, happy again, head went down, and a week later we showed him at a dog show and he won best in show. I would never of thought it possible to recover from this so quick but he did.
Myositis or Masticatory Muscle Myositis This is hereditary If in doubt always seek a veterinary surgeons advice. This horrible complaint is mainly seen in Hungarian Vizsla although I am told that is has appear also in other breeds of dog as I have read that a Weimaraner has had this on a breeders website. Also other HPR is it seen in. Can I just add I hope to GOD I never see it. Also if one of our dogs does produce this I want the person to contact me immediately so we can send off DNA to get this condition catalogued and information on where its come from etc. http://vizslamyositis.blogspot.com/ Thank you to Di Addicott diane@murrayfield.wanadoo.co.uk for giving permission to link our site. This awful condition can be read up on the link above. http://vetneuromuscular.ucsd.edu/cases/2007/Sept07.html http://clubs.akc.org/vizsla/Health_Muscle_Disease.pdf http://www.dickwhitereferrals.com/site/P1710.html If anyone who has a dog from us and their dog develops this, then please notify us immediately. We have as yet not seen this problem in any of the dogs we have bred. Bloat Bloat is not something I would wish on anyone. From a healthy dog one minute to a dog fighting for its life the next. I am pleased to say that two people (Not Silvestre Dogs) have now read below what I have written and in both cases they acted quickly got their dogs to the vets and the dogs were saved. I had been considering removing the health part of our website, but knowing that we have saved two dogs that we do not even know is a real bonus. So this part of our website is staying......... Bloat is a condition affecting deep chested breeds of dogs. Such as Weimaraner, Hungarian Vizsla, Great Dane etc. Bloat is where the stomach blows up with air, and causes discomfort quickly. If the stomach/gut twists, this is called Gastric Torsion and this is a serious medical emergency. If you suspect that your dog has bloat, go straight to the vets, this is what they call the mother of all emergencies. You can not leave your dog if you suspect bloat, you must call your veterinary surgeon immediately. Bloat is caused by air. Dogs can extend their stomachs with water, and food too. Never leave a dog that is greedy with an open sack of food, or access to food. Some dogs are known to eat themselves to death. I would even go so far as to say if a dog will over drink, do not leave him with a bucket of water to drink. Sometimes animals will drink or eat out of sheer boredom. Bloat can be seen at any age. I have heard puppies as young as 7 months with bloat. However in these cases it is usually a foreign object that it has eaten which is fermenting in the stomach. Bloat is more commonly seen in older dogs, sometimes dogs that bloat have another underlying health cause such as cancer. Dogs sometimes bloat after stress. Either from whelping, over exercise on full stomach. Dogs that are born worriers need no excuse to bloat if they are worried. If your dog has just bloated your vet may just pass a tube down into the stomach and release the air. If this does not work they may stick a needle into the stomach to see if they can get air out that way. If this also does not work their is no other option but to cut the dog open and get to the stomach. If their is a foreign body in the stomach, the vet will need to remove it. If the gut has twisted the vet needs to operate to un twist the stomach. In most cases they stitch the stomach on the side of the muscle wall. This can prevent it in the future, but in odd cases they can still bloat after this. Signs of bloat. Your dog may be lethargic, try to hide away, stand swaying, stand with hunched back, diarrhoea, sick bile, shake. Or their may be hardly any symptoms what so ever, except one minute the dog is fine, the next minute the dog seems large and swollen, then collapse. Dogs gums should be pink a nice darker pink, if they go pale then the blood supply is stopping in your dog. Their is only one option with suspected bloat and that is to get in the car and drive your dog straight to the vets. The survival rate is not always good with bloat. Lots of written text on the net about how to prevent bloat, and I have read books which have said one thing, then 5 years later telling the complete opposite. I think the most sensible thing is...... Feed your dog a good diet. Over feeding of grains and cereals on a dog that is allergic, can cause stomach upsets, and gas. Feed quality foods. The B.A.R.F diet shows less chances of bloating. Do not feed your dog in hot weather. Wait until the cool of day. We lost Alley on the hottest day of 2008 and she had eaten food which had fermented in her gut. Do not feed your dog a huge dinner, then go out for a walk. We ourselves feel uncomfortable after a large meal. Do not let your dog over drink water. Do not leave a a dog access to water which is non stop. A water bowl is enough. Do not feed dry food alone, a dog can choke on dry food if it is a greedy eater. Always add a few tablespoons of water on the top of his dry food. Click Here to return to top of page Umbilical Hernias If in doubt always seek a veterinary surgeons advice.
Pea sized hernia. & Marble sized hernia. Commonly seen in litters of Weimaraners. Its not considered a problem at all in the Weimaraner breed. This type of hernia can be seen in any breed of dog. A small fat lump is present at the place of the tummy button. Umbilical hernias are the same colour as the skin, pink. These cause no effect on the dogs life what so ever. If the hernia is the size of a pea to a small marble these may vanish around 6 months. They do not grow with the size of the dog. If larger than a large marble a veterinary surgeon should take a look at it. To make sure the hole underneath is not too big. With the umbilical hernias if the larger hernia is oddly coloured, purple then their could be present intestines. If this is the case an operation would be needed as soon as possible. It would be rare to hear of a hernia that contained intestines. Umbilical hernias do not alter the dogs life span. Dogs with umbilical hernias can still be shown in the UK, they are not considered a defect. They are rarely detectable at 6 months from the side profile of a dog. Most vets will suggest if the hernia is large that they will put stitches in the abdominal wall when the dog is castrated or bitch is spayed to save on the costs of an extra operation. They would only need a stitch if the hole was large underneath. A good experienced Weimaraner breeder will be able to tell you if the dog requires medical intervention or not. What we must not relate the dogs umbilical hernia to a humans hernia, by that I mean panic as we do with ourselves. Dogs just live with these things and get on with life. Humans commonly have Umbilical hernias too! We know someone which is in their 70's and has had an umbilical hernia all his life, it is huge but he can live his life quite happy too. As with all hernias they should be looked at by your veterinary surgeon. Although in our view no small to medium sized hernia needs an operation. They will close more by the time the dog is 6 months, and no animal should be subjected to a general anasetic. Tail Damage Now the tail docking ban came into the UK in April of 2007 cases of tail damage have been noted in different previously docked breeds. Pictured below a Weimaraner with the end of his tail damaged. His tail had to be amputated under a G.A, because his tip of his tail would not heal. If your dog damages his tail you have no option but to seek Veterinary advice as soon as possible. After the operation the dog was fine, never missed his tail at all. The dog below damaged his tail not through working, through an accident in the home. Before
After his operation
Skin Allergies Allergies are common place in breeds of dogs through either diet, lice, fleas, mange infestations, or outside influences, such as allergies to house hold products, or plants. If your dog shows an allergy you may want to get it diagnosed with your veterinary surgeon, because if a dog has spots or broken skin anti-biotics and steroids are sometimes needed to clear what ever it is up. It is easy to treat fleas, ticks, lice, mange etc with various products. Front line for fleas, ticks and lice. Advocate for mange. Otodex for ear mites. The below condition is seen very common place in Weimaraners in the Uk in 2008 from April onwards. This is Jem pictured below who was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Furunculosis which is caused by an insect bite. Vets sometimes have not seen this condition and treat the dog with anti-biotics but usually the treatment is needed for 4 weeks along side Steroids. So if your vet has never seen this before, please do copy this picture off this website with the name and if you want to contact me I can give you the owners details and veterinary details and you can contact them direct.
Eosinophilic furunculosis Is thought to be brought on by an insect sting or bite.
BEFORE
AFTER STEROIDS AND ANTI-BIOTICS
The below allergy is different to the above but was still treated with antibiotics and steroids. This was a reaction to do with either insect or plant.
Underneath Casper with an insect bite allergy/sting.
Red Groin This can be a mite the scabies mite. If red and itchy the dog needs treatment from your veterinary surgeon. Advocate is the normal treatment of ear mites, and scabies mite. You can also use front line to kill lice. Sometimes a red groin can be down to allergic reactions to grass, or mud. Just clean the area with diluted hibiscrub and do this daily. This should clear the area.
Juvenile Pyoderma
Starting with pus spots or lesions on the face which then develops into swelling in the glands and then the head swells. The head can swell huge. This is probably one of the most horrible things to see in a young puppy. This can be seen from the age of 3-4 weeks up to about 4 months in pups. Normal synulox anti-biotics will not treat this problem. Vets often miss-diagnose this thinking its an allergic reaction. An aggressive approach is needed with an antibiotic which is designed for skin infections, fulcithalmic ointment on the spots on the face and prednisilone (Steroids) by mouth daily. Your vet will advise. Scaring will not occur if treated promptly. What advice can I give breeders. keep the area where your puppies are living as clean as possible, wash feet daily of your puppies, and if any spots develop, clean with diluted hibiscrub, or salt water. It is important to keep the areas as clean as possible. If you see any spots which pus on the dogs head go straight to the vets for an anti biotic injection. Using a good quality disinfectant such as Virkon S on floors and areas of where dogs live will kill many known virus to man and animal. Only allow a puppy into that area if the area is dry. Never put a dog in an area with disinfectant still down.
Retained Testicles. Un-descended testicles are seen in most breeds of dog. Your dog may have one testicle, and the other is missing. If you are buying a puppy for stud or show, make sure you can see easily two testicles at 7 to 8 weeks. If you can not see them, it does not mean they will not appear, but it will save you a lot of heart ache by making sure you take the puppy with two testicles then rather than wondering if they will ever drop. Sometimes testicles can drop around 6 months of age and in some breeds up to 12 months before they both fully drop. If it has not dropped by 12 months, I think its fair to say its not going too. Sometimes the one testicle is not large, and not formed properly. Sometimes both testicles are retained. To be fair if you go to see a puppy and it has no testicles, yet you can manipulate two testicles down, they will most likely come down. If you try to manipulate and nothing comes down, then they probably never will do. Usually the vet will remove them after 12 months, as in some cases a dog around 5 years can have problems. I have seen a Labrador who had retained testicles and at 5 years he had a cancerous testicle, and had to have it removed. A dog with retained testicles can even sire puppies, but this is HIGHLY frowned upon, because this condition is hereditary. Mouth problems The correct mouth shape is scissor bite in Hungarian Vizsla's and Weimaraners. Over shot, under shot, wry mouth, pigeon mouth are all mouth's which detract from normal bites. This is something a veterinary surgeon will check when your puppy has its first health check. A dogs full dentition is 42 teeth. Over shot is the top teeth are further over the bottom teeth. Under shot is the bottom teeth are further under the top teeth. Wry mouth is where the top set of teeth are to the side of the bottom teeth or vice versa. Pigeon mouth is where the mouth is arched and the top teeth are usually over shot badly. Many dogs with incorrect mouth's will have no need of medical intervention through the dogs life. Odd ones will. In some cases the vet may suggest removing some teeth if they are causing eating problems. Click Here to return to top of page
Eye problems. If in doubt always seek a veterinary surgeons advice. Entropion is a condition where the bottom eye lid rolls inwards, and rubs on the cornea of the eye. The veterinary surgeon will stitch the eye rim back to allow the eye lashes to turn away from the cornea. Only a very skilful surgeon can do this operation perfectly. Seen in Weimaraner and Vizsla. Distichiasis is a very common problem in Weimaraners where a double set of eye lashes are on the top or bottom rim. In some cases, just the odd protruding hair can be seen irritating the eye ball. Vets will pull these offending hairs out with tweezers whilst the dog is under sedation, but if their is a whole set, a G.A is needed so the vet can do a better job and he will also use electrolysis to kill the root of the hair, to stop it growing again. http://www.bva.co.uk/public/chs/IFP_January_2008.pdf This article can be read by the BVA stating breeds affected with eye problems. http://www.bva.co.uk/public/chs/eye_scheme.asp Heart Conditions http://www.vetmedin.co.uk/about_canine_heart_disease.php?collapse=27 I have placed a link above for you to read about heart conditions. Weimaraners and all breeds of dogs can suffer from heart problems. We do not hear of many dogs affected with heart conditions. Those dogs which have hereditary heart problems are usually not bred from. http://www.dobermannbreedcouncil.co.uk/cardio.html
Epilepsy Noted in Weimaraners and Vizsla's so is worth reading. http://www.britfeld.com/epilepsy.htm Mast Cell Tumours http://www.kateconnick.com/library/mastcelltumor.html New research is going on all the time with regards to Mast Cell Tumours and now I understand from a case we have learned about the dog was given GENE THERAPY. With great results. I recently wrote to Dr Rob Foale who is researching MCT in the UK, and has used a Weimaraner as a case study. I wrote to him and asked if their was an inheritance link. This is what he has to say.... No, there is no evidence to show that MCT is a directly hereditary condition, but it is definitely a genetic disease and so there will be, as with virtually all cancers, a hereditary component. By this I mean that all animals (and humans) inherit a genetic propensity to develop certain diseases along with a genetic propensity to be protected against certain diseases. In pedigree dogs, this is well recognised for many conditions and to use MCT as an example, the Boxer is very prone to developing the disease (although interestingly the disease is rarely aggressive in the Boxer). However, there then is an environmental impact on the genetic “blueprint” and it is the complex interactions between these that determine whether an individual will or will not develop the disease. Therefore, certain breeds of dog, and families within a breed, may have a higher incidence of disease than others but there is no single inherited gene in these cases. There is therefore currently no test we can do to identify stud stock at risk of passing on genes that may increase the risk of their progeny developing MCT. I am currently attempting to undertake some research to find genetic susceptibility loci for a lymphatic cancer in dogs called Lymphoma but it is expensive work and we can only assess a small proportion of the genome as yet, so how useful it will be I don’t know. The genetics of MCT, as with most cancers is phenomenally complex (hence why there is no “cure for cancer” despite hundred of millions of pounds being spent each year around the world) and there is not just one gene that goes wrong. We often don’t know why they “go wrong” although we understand more and more why in many human diseases now. As a wider discussion, all genes constantly mutate and potentially cancerous genetic transformations may simply be a natural consequence of evolution. As a breeder, all you can do is constantly monitor your dogs’ off-spring and those of your fellow breeders and try to use dogs who have a low incidence of MCT (or any other diseases for that matter) in their off-spring. Hopefully in time we will be able to develop more specific genetic tests that will enable us to identify the most “healthy” stud stock, but such testing is currently years away. I hope this is useful? Please le me know if I can be of any further help. Yours sincerely, Rob Foale Thanks to Rob, and I hope the above will help answer some questions for owners/breeders of Weimaraners in the UK that may have MCT. http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/mct.htm Cysts http://www.seefido.com/html/tumors_and_cysts_in_dogs.htm Cysts are common place in the older Weimaraner. Their is usually no need to have them removed and they can grow back again. If the cyst is in a place where it is causing discomfort, then it should be removed. http://www.thepetcenter.com/exa/lumps.html Von Willebrands Disease If in doubt always seek a veterinary surgeons advice. Von Willebrands Disease, Haemophilia......Slowed blood clotting time, or prolonged bleeding this can be seen at the time of docking dogs, or dew claw removal, or when cutting nails too short and it wont stop bleeding. Hematomas. If your dog shows slow clotting time you should take your dog to the veterinary surgeon for advice. Although in some cases, a hereditary link is shown, many cases are the results of auto immune disease. To read more click here HOD Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy This has been seen in some UK Weimaraners. To learn more click here
HIP DYSPLASIA Read this page on Hip Dysplasia
EYE PROBLEMS IN WEIMS AND VIZ Cherry Eye is when the third eye lid becomes inflamed. It can be caused by trauma to the eye lid from an accident, a scratch or it can be hereditary eye problem. A simple operation is required to rectify it. Where they slice part of the third eye lid away and it heals with in days and is never any more problems. Although it is advisable to know that some veterinary surgeons do not leave the tear duct attached and they should or your dog could have a dry eye after and can suffer more as an elderly dog. So if you have the choice the tear duct must stay. Entropion is when the bottom eye lid rolls inward to the eye ball and any hairs on the eye lid rub on the eye ball causes runny eye, and soreness and if left will cause ulceration. Some puppies however faces change and most vets advise no operations at all until the face has finished growing. Is this hereditary yes it is. It is recommended to have this operation done by an eye specialist vet so that their is no drooping of the eye rims afterwards. Distichiasis Extra eye lashes growing on rim of eye. This is so common in UK Weimaraners. Two unaffected dogs put together can product it. Some produce just the extra one or two hairs, and others produce whole eye rims. So there fore an operation is needed to pluck out the offending hairs, but they will grow back again.
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Vaccine Reactions We understand that vaccine reactions can be the cause of other health problems in dogs. I think this subject should be researched by yourselves by doing as much reading on the net as possible. I can not tell you either way if you should or should not vaccinate your dog. It would be unfair of me to do this. http://www.katberard.com/hol_articles.htm http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/petvacc.htm
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