Big Paws Only Dog Forums

This was posted on another board and Karyn and has asked me to cross-post here.  I'm going to send in Cowboy's and Chester's swabs....it just takes a minute and hope other Newf owners will participate as well. 

Arayo, my heart newfy, was born with an ectopic ureter. What this means is that the tube from one kidney didn't drop into her bladder but emptied into other body parts and she leaked constantly.

Arayo is lucky.   She has a breeder with a heart the size of Texas who must have spent a small fortune having the ureter surgically replaced.  Then, she entrusted this sweet sweet girl to me because I'd fallen head over heals in love with her the moment she first crawled into my lap and wet all over me.

Most puppies born with this condition aren't so lucky. It is assumed that most ectopic ureter puppies are put to sleep shortly after they are diagnosed.  Those that aren't face what I face with Arayo.  After surgery, usually ongoing leaking which is controlled with meds IF we are lucky, and
continuous UTI's.  I live in constant fear that the meds will take their toll on her and/or stop working altogether and that the infections will one day kill her.

Here's where you can help.  Right now a study is underway at UC Davis to try to find the genetic marker which would tell us if a dog carries the gene for the ectopic ureter.  It is thought that finding this marker may also help pinpoint which dogs have certain kidney problems which can be fatal.

Funding is available for the initial phase of the research but what they lack is the information from the dogs.  In fact, they need swabs taken from as many newfs as they can possibly get.  Not only from dogs that have this problem - and they VITALLY need these - but also from those that don't.

So, I'm begging you, for Arayo,  for everyone who has loved a newf with this problem and for those who may fall in love with one yet to be born.  Please, PLEASE help with this research.  There is NO cost to you.  All that is
needed is about 5 minutes of your time.

Here's how it works -

Send a quick e-mail to me with your name, mailing address and number of newfs that you own or have access to.  I'll forward it to Davis.  If you own a dog with this condition, please make note of that as I'm attempting to put a double track on those dogs to make sure we get their results back as they are the most important.

They will send you an envelope with swabs, a prepaid return envelope and a short questionnaire.  You run the swab around in your dog's cheek, pop it back in the envelope, complete the questionnaire and put it out in your mailbox for the postman to pick up.  If you have 5 dogs and 6 friends with
newfs - he'll send you 11 packages.  If you have an upcoming newf club meeting, he'll send you a bunch of packages so all the dogs can be done on the spot!

Remember, they need swabs from every newf out there who has an ectopic ureter.  They need swabs from their litter mates and parents  (breeders - please help here!)  and they need swabs from newfs who may not be showing signs of having or carrying this gene.

PLEASE, let's show the world that the Newfoundland owners want to see this condition wiped out of the breed!  PLEASE support this research

BTW - while they are searching for this marker for the ectopic ureters they are also checking for one for Irish spotted and Landseers, as well as for tail carriage which, I understand, might point towards things like mood disorders and temperaments.

Arayo and I thank you!

-- Karyn Carpenter & Arayo
Photographer & Super Model
Newfoundland cards, prints and portraits
www.KarynCarpe nter.com

Okay, here's the morning routine.  Cowboy and Chester go out for morning pee, come back in to have their breakfast.  After breakfast, they rush back in for "PILL TIME"...one of their favorite treats!  They both get their vitamin, Vitalzyne (enzymes to help them digest their food), fish oil, MSM and Cetyl M (for their joints), flea tabs and Cowboy gets his antiseizure med, Gabapentin.  I divvy up the pills and add a dab of cream cheese and they both gobble them down, no problem.  Unless you have a dingle-brain for a person who, for some unknown reason, puts Gabapentin in Chester's cream cheese along with all his other pills this morning.  Now understand, I smear the cream cheese all over the pills and just pop them in their mouths.  Chester, this morning, spit the cream cheese out!  I couldn't understand why...I picked up his bits, added more cream cheese and gave it back to him.  This time he rolled it in his mouth for a few seconds and SPIT OUT THE GABAPENTIN! 

HOW DID HE KNOW??

We are at our cabin in Northern Calif and as usual I take the Newfers with me everywhere.  I went to our local garden center to pretty up the old place and the lady who owns the center went nuts over the Newfs and said she used to breed them and wants another one.  She wants me to help her get one through rescue.  Here's the problem:  she keeps talking about her old Newf who was 250 pounds....they aren't supposed to get much over 180!  and how he loved to chew open beer cans and drink the beer.....I just don't think that's a healthy thing for ANY dog to do.  I just think that there are some warning flags that manybe this wouldn't be the best home for a dog.  I don't mean to sound snobby, and maybe this is coming off like that, but I worry that she might be the kind of person that likes to have the biggest dog...even if it's not healthy for the dog.  And have him be "studly".  At this point, I just gave her the phone number for Northern Calif. Newf rescue and thought they were better qualified to check it out.....

What do you think.  Should I be worried?

Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

Reading the Humane Society of the United States' suggestions for how to prepare your pet for the arrival of your baby made me realize how negligent my husband and I had been before our daughter's arrival 10 years ago. In the months before her birth, I was supposed to be anointing myself with eau de baby wipe to get our two cats accustomed to new scents. I should have held, bathed, and diapered a
swaddled doll in their presence. Thank goodness I didn't have a dog then, or I'd have to take it for walks accompanied by the doll in the stroller. (The HSUS does not offer counsel for what to do if the neighbors start worrying you're suffering from prepartum psychosis.) Finally, I should have familiarized my pets with baby sounds by
playing a recording of an infant crying. I found one here:
www.preparingf ido.com. The sample is so enjoyable it made me yearn for "Teen Party Next Door" and "Broken Car Alarm."
Thankfully, our lack of preparation didn't prove too detrimental.

Our cats initially boycotted the new arrival, but as the months went by they became remarkably patient playmates, letting our daughter conclude their tails were hairy, interactive baby toys. (I hovered to make sure things didn't get too interactive.) Indeed, children and pets have been happily mixing it up for millenniums, and now
there's evidence that such interactions are good for children's health. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that children in multiple-pet households had about half the risk of developing allergies as children without pets—all those dog and cat licks might provide healthy stimulation to the child's immune system. But given that today's parents put locking devices on
their toilets to protect their offspring, what are the sensibleprecau tions one should take before baby and pet cohabitate?

The unbreakable rule of young children and pets is: Never leave them unsupervised. If things go wrong, particularly with a dog, tragedy can ensue. Cats don't typically present a biting hazard, but they often like to jump into a baby's crib or playpen to cuddle. It's unlikely, but a cat could suffocate an infant who's unable to push it away.
______________ ______________ ____________

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Rarely, a dog will mistake an infant for prey. Dr. Laurie Bergman, of the University of California Veterinary Medical Center in San Diego, helped clients turn around this potential disaster when their Jack Russell terrier was stalking their week-old baby. The couple was so terrified, they left the dog alone in the house and moved in
with other family members. Dr. Bergman instructed the family to move back, keeping their dog outside for most of the day, so that it could get used to seeing the baby through the window. The dog was also allowed to go for walks on a leash with the baby in a stroller. By the time the son was a year old, the dog had accepted him as human, and they became happy playmates.

Owners must also convince the pet that the baby's arrival is not the worst thing to happen since the invention of spaying and neutering. Frequently owners make the mistake of only paying attention to the pet once the baby is down for a nap. The obvious conclusion in the pet's mind is, "Baby gone, life good." Dr. Marsha Reich, a Maryland veterinary behaviorist, says, "Try to find something that motivates
the dog to couple with the baby. Throw the dog treats when you're nursing."

If pets are shunted aside, some may seek other ways to solicit attention. Shortly after one friend's first child was born, the cat, which had been ignored since the baby arrived, started limping dramatically on her hind leg. Many visits to the veterinarian later, the doctor remained unable to find a cause. Then one day the couple noticed that the cat only limped when it came upon the baby. Call it
Munchausen's syndrome by feline.

Animal behaviorists warn that the most difficult moments in pet-child relations occur when the child becomes mobile. The animal is now confronted with toddling terror, and a once docile dog may growl and snap. But what looks like aggression is often fear: The dog finds itself cornered by a squealing, poking, pulling human. And the child, too young to realize a raised lip and growl means, "Please step away from the dog," continues to lunge.Death by dog attack is extremely rare—about a dozen fatalities annually in the United States. But dog bites are common—around 4.7
million a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the 800,000 who need medical assistance, half are children, and the most frequent victims are between ages 5 and 9. Almost all the bites were inflicted by a known assailant—the family dog or that of a neighbor. (Those numbers become less alarming when you consider there are almost 70 million pet dogs in this country.)

Animal behaviorists—who often are brought in to deal with the aftermath of a dog bite—say that attack statistics don't convey the dog's side of the story.
This is what happened to Sparky, a Dalmatian that bit a visiting 4-year-old boy. The boy had spent the day chasing the dog, climbing on him, and grabbing food from his bowl. Later, when Sparky was asleep, the boy approached him. The boy's mother heard Sparky growl just before her son was bitten on the face. The distraught owner called Dr. Bergman, wondering if she should euthanize her pet. Dr. Bergman
instructed the owner to approach her dog, who was cowering behind the toilet. On Sparky's face were several small, crescent-shaped red marks. The boy had dug his fingernails in Sparky's face hard enough to draw blood. "It was a provoked bite," Dr. Bergman explained.

Then there's the other extreme in pet-child relations. Occasionally a pet will bond so completely with children that witnessing the daily upsets of child-rearing can become unbearable. Take the dog that Dr. Lynne Seibert, a veterinary behaviorist in Washington, was asked to help: The dog had become phobic about counting. Some detective work revealed that when the owner was about to discipline
her toddler, she would give the child a warning of, "One, two, three." When the dog heard that, she knew her "sibling" was about to be punished. Seibert helped the owner desensitize her dog by sitting quietly with her, calmly counting. Of course, the ultimate in pet-child devotion was portrayed in Peter Pan. Just think of the savings parents would reap if everyone could find a child-care provider like the Darlings': a "prim Newfoundland dog, called Nana. … She proved to be quite a treasure of a nurse."

I have just read and signed the petition: "Thank PA Governor for cracking down on puppy mills"



http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/659306722

Thanks!

We went to watch an Australian Shephard agility test yesterday and I took Chester to see if he could get it in to his head to give it a go (answer:  NOPE!).  A friend took some photos of him and in looking at them this morning, I realized my wee baby puppy is now a real, live, grown-up Newf! 

I just read the rules to Cowboy, Chester and the cats:  Pawn, Raider and Jack.  They were not impressed.  They are NOT going to follow them.  Maybe you all will have better luck!!!

Pet Rules


To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door - nose height.
 
Dear Dogs and Cats,

The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food.  The other dishes are mine and contain my food.  Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate of food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.
The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack.
Beating me to the bottom is not the object.  Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed.  I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort.  Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep.  It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible.  I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom.  If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open.  I must exit through the same door I entered.  Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline attendance is not mandatory.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To All  Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets

1. They live here.  You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That's why they call it "fur"niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal.  To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.

Remember: Dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

1. Eat less
2. Don't ask for money all the time
3 Are easier to train
4. Usually come when called
5. Never drive your car
6. Don't hang out with  drug-using friends
7. Don't smoke or drink
8. Don't worry about having to buy the latest fashions
9. Don't wear your clothes
10. Don't need a gazillion dollars for college, and
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.