It is important also to note that Omega 3 reduces inflammation and Omega 6 tends to promote inflammation. Clearly, a balance is important. Obesity can contribute to inflammatory conditions. If your dog is overweight it puts unnecessary stress on the digestive tract which in turn puts pressure on the joints themselves. If the body is…
Owing to the different angles of the spines of the vertebrae from the withers to the tail, it will be seen that the top-line could never be absolutely level. Obviously, since the spinal processes are in four distinct areas and in each area they incline in different directions, where they do meet there has …
It is better to first teach “Off” using food as both a distraction and a reward. The deal is this: once I say “Off,” if you don’t touch the food treat in my hand for just one second, I’ll say, “Take it” and you can have it. Once your pup has mastered this simple task
Going to a National Championship with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, is kinda like going to a sword fight with a pocket knife. But I know that going in. I have shown performance Staffies for almost 15 years now. I just love the fight!! The fight with myself, to prepare my dog to his or her…
The risk of a Vaccine Administered Adverse Event (VAAE) increases when multiple vaccines are given simultaneously. Canine vaccinations play an important role in protecting dogs from contagious and lethal disease. However, they are not without cost. Despite increased publicity in recent years about the adverse effects of vaccinations, many people still assume annual vaccines for…
L-2-HGA affects the central nervous system, with clinical signs usually apparent between 6 months and one year (although they can appear later). Symptoms include epileptic seizures, “wobbly” gait, tremors, muscle stiffness as a result of exercise or excitement and altered behaviour. The mutation, or change to the structure of the gene, probably occurred spontaneously in…
Every year hundreds of puppies are mass produced to supply the demand that pet stores have. Hundreds of poorly bred, poorly treated unsuspecting innocent animals are crowded into unfit conditions and shipped all across the country. Puppy mills are at their highest production rate and unscrupulous breeders start planning their litters just at that time…
…of recording Staffordshire Bull terrier strains and pedigrees based on the Line and Family method has been exhaustively covered by Mr. H.N. Beilby, of Bromsgrove, whose outstanding services to our breed I have referred to in Chapter II. His findings are published in great detail in the second (1948) edition of The Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
The aim of any control measures must be simply to prevent any clinically affected animals being born and eventually to eliminate the defective ‘x’ from the breeding population. With the development of laboratory tests for the recessive genes that cause the two conditions (tests of L-2-HGA are already available) the first step must be not…
Trilby was the oldest Stafford I have ever had in the thirty six years that I have been lucky enough to own the breed. She was the last of my dogs to be directly descended from Staffords I bred and showed years ago but she was never destined for the show ring, although, on the…
On the Saturday morning I was a bit concerned that Dot wasnt settling and one of the puppies wasnt suckling so well. The vet advised that I bring them along for a check up. Having been thoroughly checked Dot was pronounced well but given a calcium shot, an antibiotic shot and an oxytocin shot as…
Most show fanciers these days simply wont admit that the breed has changed quite a bit from the original types, and such an attitude isnt hard to understand when one realizes the very people who are supposed to give them guidance encourage the breeding and perpetuation of the trendy, exaggerated type. Usually these are the…