Big Paws Only Dog Forums

Just noticed the listing on the craigslist puppy has been pulled.

Thanks!

On the breeding issue I was just thinking by breeding Tuba (Saint Bernard) I would be able to still have a part of him if god forbid anything ever happened to him.

Seriously consider neutering him, and the baby when old enough.  Please.  There are way too many dogs out there, purebred and otherwise, who are keeping the pet over population problem going in full force.  Just because a dog is purebred does not mean he is breeding quality, though he may well be.  If you are intent on breeding him, you will need to have him tested for many genetic ailments he may be a carrier for, and show him to his championship, not only because you only want the very best future for his puppies, but because no owner of a good quality female will even consider using your boy for breeding if his testing and showing weren't done.  You don't want to breed him to just any female, because you want one of his puppies, right? And you want that puppy to be with you for at least ten years, and to be happy and healthy for all of that time.  Breeding him to an untested female could result in severe hip and/or elbow dysplasia, blindness, seizures, and a host of other equally devastating conditions.  I personally think you and your boys would be best served by neutering both of them, and when you are ready, get another pup from Tuba's parents, as that would be the surest way of getting the genetics he has that you love so much in your boy.  Breeding him to any female would dilute his genetics by 50%, and your pup may have none of the wonderful qualities your current boy has, and what he DOES pass on could be seriously impacted by contrasting genes in the female.  At least consider what I have said, and do your research, showing, and testing if you decide he should be bred, and insist on the same standards for the female you breed him to.  We want only what is best for you, your boy, and any potential babies he may bring into the world.  And don't forget, if any of his offspring are ever displaced from their homes, you would be responsible to take them back and keep them yourself, or try to find them good homes.

Murphy was a stray in a nearby county (the area of NY you keep seeing on the news with all the snow!).  They adopted him out three times, but each time he was returned because the adopters' other dogs refused to accept this giant puppy, and each one attacked him.  Being a county run shelter, his next step was to be PTS as unadoptable, but the shelter staff knew what a great pup he is, and did not want to go that route, so they put the word out that they wanted a home with mastiff experience to take him, and a mastiff friend of mine asked me to take him for a while, so here he is!

I have two female English mastiffs, both started out with frequent infections.  The oldest has a "pocket" of skin completely covering the vulva, which apparently helps hold bacteria in, and increasing instances of infection.  I tried all the usual meds, and nothing worked to clear them up for good.  So, I switched to the holistic answer- adding apple cider vinegar to their drinking water, and nobody has had ANY infections since.  (About 1 tablespoon per gallon of drinking water, or 1/8th cup measuring cup per 2 gallon bucket.)  Good luck! I hope your baby gets through this soon!

I have never tried this idea, which was suggested by someone with several dogs who occasionally had a foster who would guard their food incessantly;  maybe it will help... You could start with a dozen or so bowls of her food, and scatter the bowls throughout the house, each one full, and let her find out that she cannot possibly eat every bit, and there is no way she can defend them all either, hopefully with the result that she gives up worrying about where her next meal will come from, and the worry that she has to eat it fast to protect it from others.  I believe the term for this would be "flooding", and I don't think it would be harmful to her in any way.

Its funny- I was just asked the same question yesterday by a cat owner!  As it turned out, Wimpy (her cat) had an abcessed anal gland.