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Dogs are a man’s best friend. He can be trusted when we fail to trust anyone else. There have been innumerable instances of the loyalty that a dog can show to its master. Coalfire Rottweiler is one of the best places to find premium quality Rottweiler puppies. They can are suitable for all kinds of services. A great deal of attention is paid to their health and hygiene. They are cared for in the manner in which we care for our family members. We aim to minimize ailments that some dogs and puppies suffer from so that you can take care of your pet better. Here are some ailments that can afflict the dogs in various stages of their lives:
Hip Dysplasia: This is an illness that is caused by the laxity of the joints in the limbs of the dogs. As the dogs age, the joints tend to grow weaker as the ligament holding the ball and the socket together tends to degenerate, resulting in extreme weakness and abnormal calcification. What is worrying about this problem is that the symptoms are not usually discernable in the beginning and by the time the dog starts showing signs of slowing down and difficulty in movement, it is already quite late and the dog has advanced in years.
According to studies conducted by Pennsylvania University, dogs are not born with hip dysplasia but acquire it later, and there can be quite a few causes behind it. However, by studying dogs under the age of 16 weeks it has been seen that dogs with any kind of laxity in the ligaments at this stage are much more likely to develop a serious case of Dysplasia as they grow older. Hence, the root cause is the ligament, and bone disorder is only the result. Hence, no amount of calcium in the diet will improve the dog’s condition- if anything; it will only worsen it further as the increased calcification only increases the problems in the hip joints by merely strengthening the deformed bones.
It is thoroughly erroneous to think that the cause of the problem is only bad genes- because even after countless culling of supposedly genetically inferior dogs, the problems persist. Similarly, it is also wrong to think that cross-breed dogs are any better. The number of dysplaysic dogs is not necessarily decreasing and it is not only limited to larger dogs like the Rottweiler.
Some researchers are of the opinion that there are polygenetic reasons behind hip Dysplasia, and the same can also be the reason behind elbow Dysplasia and other cartilage and skeletal problems. What they fail to realize that a host of other reasons can be the cause behind bone or ligament abnormalities, and some of them include neglect on the part of the keeper.
This will only cause the gene pool to shrink as the breed to end as too many dogs with outstanding attributes would have to be cast aside based on false information.
For a large dog like the Rottweiler, it is imperative that the dog be allowed to have natural exercise, not mollycoddled or pushed past his bodies abilities while he is growing. It requires excellent hips and it brings us back to the same question is what is the accuracy of the current Breed average score of 10.3 for Rottweiler?
The genes are in the dogs for a very long time but why is it that the problem of Hip Dysplasia still persists although breeders claim that they only breed with low scoring dogs, with little or no genetic problem. If what they say is true than the problem of HD should have been solved long ago and the new pups should have very less scores.
It has been seen that dogs of every breed and cross breed can be afflicted and this forces us to ask further questions. From the feedback of Rottweiler and other dog owners it has been seen that feeding has a huge impact on the skeletal growth and formation of the dog as well. It has also been suggested that dogs with low hip scores die at a young age, forcing us to ask the question whether the same polygenetic reasons that causes dysplaysia is also the reason behind cancer or organ failures in dogs?
The findings show that there is indeed a genetic predisposition for the kind of skeletal problems in dogs, just like in humans but breeding solely for the purpose of eradicating the problem is not the solution. The logical course of action should be to allow the dog a 100% chance of healthy survival.. But to ensure that the dog gets a chance to maintain his maximum possible health, it is essential that his diet and feeding be accurate. We humans ourselves are suffering from an overdose of unhealthy diet consisting of junk food, processed food and supplements. That applies to our beloved pets as well- giving them home cooked food does not ensure they are getting full nourishment. Their digestive system has not been built by nature for cooked food.
Hence, we make it a point to feed them naturally and urge other dog owners to do so. By doing so it has been seen that the dogs have lower hip and elbow scores and a massive improvement in overall health and agility. Commercial food- whatever the ingredient might be- are cooked and the dogs system does not fully facilitate the intake of the nutrients from such food.
Of course, dogs in cities and urban areas do not have access to natural food all the time and they have to be given supplements. For example, although most say that dogs produce enough Vitamin C of their own, they have to be given that in ample amounts and since dogs cannot eat berries and vegetables, the administration of supplements is sometimes the only way out.
It is possible that not everyone will agree with our views but it is our belief that genetic breeding alone is not enough to decrease hip dysplasia- rather a good diet and feeding routine has proved much more successful. We believe in this theory and will continue to propagate it as nothing is more important than the health of our beloved dogs.
(Suggested reading on nutrition Dr Ian Billinghursts books “Give your dog a bone”, “Grow your pups with bones” www.drianbillinghurst.com is a contact to his Australian web site. It’s unfortunate however that he seems to be another example of an Australian being more recognized overseas than he is here.
This article is written, owned and copyrighted by Coalfire Rottweilers, September 2004. Do not reproduce, in whole or in part, without written permission).
Feeding: Ten years ago we were greatly distressed over the quality of the commercial dog food and the impact that it had on the health of our beloved dogs. The causes could be either genetic anomaly or inferior quality of the food or it could have been both. What we saw was that dogs were suffering from skin issues and condition known as panostetitis. Puppies were also failing to thrive.
However, all of these problems reduced dramatically once raw food was administered. All commercial foods were stopped. It is of course likely that some dog owners might not approve of our ways but we want to set the ground work so that they can see the improvement themselves.
I cannot say that any scientist has acknowledged my theories but from my own observations I have seen a definite increase in dog health- increased fertility, decreased ailments, resulting in decreased vet bills as well. In fact, the dogs themselves are much happier with the intake of this diet. All of this has only strengthened my view that Raw feeding is necessary.
It is commonly known that dogs throw up if they eat grass. On the other hand, it has been our observation that dogs do eat grass, especially when they are pregnant, without throwing up. While some may argue that this will result in deficiency, we argue that a raw diet induces a dog to use up anything that can be naturally procured, to its best advantage. And the dog had suffered no health problems. In fact, Vitamin C supplements markedly reduce the intake of grass by the dogs.
I personally think that commercial foods which are heat treated destroy any minerals or nutrients that might have been there. The dog merely eats without gaining any benefit. It is important that they be fed raw food and I agree with Billinghurst, Lonsdale, Colby in this regard. However, the biggest mistake that any dog owner can make is to try and give the dog the best of both worlds- by mixing raw food and commercial food. It must be said that a mixture of both is not likely to be palatable to the system of the dog and might produce adverse consequences and heat damaged food and nutrients from natural sources might not go well together.
The owners who purchase puppies from us might want to introduce their own diets and we are not in a position to enforce our views own them. We give them the best possible advice but then it is their decision what they give their dogs to eat. We only do our best by giving them the best possible diet when they are young so that when they grow up, they get a chance for full survival.
At the end of it all, it can be safely said that genetic causes will have their consequences but a good diet and feeding regimen might eradicate the negative aspects of the genetic anomalies, giving you the best dog you can ever get.
(All our puppy purchasers receive our feeding guidelines so I have not reprinted here as I believe most of the general information is available in the below books. As with most things, the responsibility lies with the owner to do what they think is right – we give information as we believe it to be and with our best intentions. This is what makes us one of the most reliable and reputed Rottweiler breeders qld
Please check out our stock here: High Line Male Rottweiler and High Line Female Rottweiler. Hope you will also like to get Coalfire Rottweiler Training Guide.
Should you wish more information on our feeding regime please contact us-but please read Billinghurst’s, and Pat Colby’s books and Tom Lonsdale’s book raw feeding.
This article is written, owned and copyrighted by Coalfire Rottweilers, August 2010. Do not reproduce, in whole or in part, without written permission.)