We have several nice puppies available now. I’ll write about them below, but first I’ll catch you up on what we’ve been doing lately. I’m committed again to posting most everyday that I’m home and not at dog shows. We had a very busy show schedule this going to Claremore, Grove, Stillwater in OK, Cortez, Colorado, Albuquerque, NM, and Garden City, KS. We are preparing to go to Billings and Great Falls, MT. We have managed to pick up several wins and including some major wins. However, we should have done better, and were quite unlucky do to weather cancellations and last minute judge changes. We have eight German Shepherds Dogs on their way to Champion titles. Easily two to three year project to finish all. However, Heidelberg’s Patriot, Jude, Ekko , and Daphne are close to completing their championship title.
Heidelberg’s Jude v Renac
This Picture Taken In February of 2012 Shows Daphne’s Perfect Gait
A Two-Year-Old Patriot playing in Pine Bluff, AR at Dog Show in February 2013
Heidelberg’s Ekko Quinnd with her owner, Riley Westfall
We have puppies available out of Jude and Grand Champion Kodi, please check out https://kgsd.inventivehorizons.com/PuppiesForSale.htm.
Grand Champion Heidelberg’s Kodiak v Queridad OFA Excellent
Heidelberg’s Jude v Renac
Below are some pictures of the puppies that we have available:
Victor and Vega on a Great Adventure
Wren a Kodi PuppyWho Loves to Be Held
Aspen Letting Everyone Know that He’s Special and in Control
Jude Puppies Playing, From Right to Left Aspen, Allen, and Annie
Yancy and Yosemite Playing
Please call me at (918) 261-4729 if you would like to take one of puppies home with you. Please visit our web page to learn more about these wonderful Heidelberg German Shepherds that we raise at Keystone German Shepherds & Kennels. https://kgsd.inventivehorizons.com
Today, I am posting a interesting article written byChristine Wilford who received her doctorate of veterinary medicine from Texas A&M University, Texas.The point of the article is that doing fecal exam on your German Shepherd Dog is likely a waste of time and money.Like all animals, your dog will get stomach worms, such as round, hook, tape, and whip worms are the most common.We at Keystone German Shepherds & Kennel do not do fecal exams rather like livestock ranchers, we assume that our dogs will get worms; therefore we place them on a worming program.Thus, worming our dogs twice a year for less than the cost of a fecal exam, which as you will read is not a reliable method to determine whether your German shepherd has or does not have worms.You too can learn how to worm your German Shepherd Dog for less than the cost of a fecal exam.
I’m Worm Free Because Dad Worms Me Twice a Year
Veterinary News
FECAL EXAM RELIABILITY
A common test for worms may not always give you the right results
A majority of owners may be surprised to learn how inaccurate the common fecal examination really is.Many owners are familiar with the annual regimen of bringing fresh fecal samples to their dogs’ annual physical examinations.Likewise, most owners take heart in hearing their dogs’ test are normal or, alternatively, owners are glad to receive medications for treating the worms lurking within the bowels of their companions.But what do these results really tell us?Understanding how the test is run and knowing a few facts about intestinal worms can help you understand the test’s relative inaccuracies.
In general, the fresher the sample, the more accurate the test results.As a sample ages, the contents of the eggs may hatch, may dry out and burst, or may mix well enough with the solution to be separated and float.How fresh is fresh?The preservation of worm eggs in a stool sample varies tremendously depending on temperature, humidity, and the consistency of the sample.AS time elapses, eggs will degrade and thus will go unrecognized when the slide is examined.During busy times of the day, other priorities may cause fecal samples to be left unexamined far beyond the optimal reading time.Even when a sample is fresh and handled appropriately, results may still be unreliable.
The chances of finding a worm egg depend on how many worms there are in the intestine, how many of the worms are female, the maturity of the worms and whether the females were laying eggs during the time that the feces was formed.If there are only a few worms in the intestines, the relative number of eggs laid in a fecal sample is usually much lower than if there is a heavy worm concentration in the dog.It is also possible to have a significant worm burden with relatively few female worms present; thus, a dog could have clinical signs of intestinal worms without showing evidence of that in a fecal examination.Similarly, if many of the worms are too immature to lay eggs, there will be no way to identify their presence through a simple fecal exam.
Additionally, because worms do not lay eggs at a constant rate, there may be no eggs in a fecal sample simply because the feces were formed and collected during a period when the adult female worms were not shedding eggs.
Based on this information, one could argue that an annual screening of an otherwise healthy dog is an unnecessary, and possibly inaccurate, test.So why bother checking a fecal sample if the results could be misleading?If no eggs are found, then there may be no worms present or there may be worms and they’ve gone undiagnosed.Owners cannot depend on a single negative result.Veterinarians who specialize in the gastrointestinal diseases recommend examining three separate fecal samples before concluding that a negative result is reliable.
When your dog’s stool is abnormal, that is, if you see blood, mucus, or a change of color or consistency, or your dog has loose stools, a fecal examination is advisable.Depending on the types of worms present, clinical signs may not occur or may be subtle.Worms do not necessarily cause weight loss or decreased activity.
In many cases, veterinarians use deworming medication as a diagnostic tool when fecal exams do not reveal worm eggs.In fact, it may be easier, cheaper, and faster to administer a deworming medication that eliminates the common types of intestinal worms.If the stools return to normal, it is concluded that the clinical signs were caused by intestinal worms.Sometimes, common sense and practicality should prevail over complicated and expensive diagnostic tests.
There are some basic care for your German Shepherd Dog that every owner should be aware of and that is what I am going to discuss today. While German shepherd Dogs are relative low maintenance compared to other breeds you will need to trim their nails at least once a month and while doing so you can check the dog’s body for other problems. After doing the nails comb the coat thoroughly with a straight steel pin brush to remove dead hair.Check the skin for abrasions, ticks, or other problems.We sell top quality steel rakes and grooming brushes at Keystone German Shepherds & Kennels.Often our prices are better than the big chain pet stores and we can ship.
A Happy Well Maintained and Healthy Heidelberg German Shepherd Dog
If your dog is not eating well (it might be wormy) or if it appears to in ill health or not feeling well, take their temperature rectally for two minutes.The normal temperature for a dog will be 101.5 – 102°.If it is high or low you should consider contacting your veterinarian.
A Happy Heidelberg Puppy Litter Resting After Having Their Monthly Health Check
Heartworm preventive is a must for your puppy/dog or they can die of heartworms caused by mosquitoes. We use IVOMEC beginning at twelve weeks for puppies and of course continue their monthly dose for the rest of their life. Therefore it is a good idea to give them their heart worm preventative while clipping their nails and grooming every month.
It is a good idea to check for ear mites and ear infections every month. If you see signs of ear mites then treat your German shepherd Dog immediately.Although since we have started using Advantix and Frontline to treat our shepherds for pests such as fleas and ticks we have not seen a case of ear mites.Whereas, ear mite infections used to be quite common.Also, note if your shepherd seems to be holding one ear lower than the other, shaking its head, or pawing at its ear and you have ruled out ear mites as the cause, you may want to make an appointment with your vet immediately because ear infections in German shepherd Dogs are serious and can become life threatening.
It’s Time For My First Heartworm Treatment
The most common symptoms of ear mites: ears appear inflamed/red, ears refusing to stand, scratching on or behind the ear, shaking of head or holding head to one side, and/or visible dark dirt or wax in inner ear (actually ear mite poop).
Fleas and ticks: Nothing causes your dog more misery and disease than fleas and ticks!The life cycle of the flea is as short as six days in an ideal growing condition.In other words, a flea goes from egg through larval and mature state in only six days.To put this in the proper perspective, only ten fleas can become TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY TOUSAND fleas in only thirty days!
While fleas carry less diseases than ticks, they do carry tape worm eggs that can cause your dog’s health to suffer.Ticks carry several diseases that German Shepherd Dogs are susceptible to, and if not removed from your dog’s environment most assuredly will cause the death of your beloved shepherd.We at Keystone German Shepherds & Kennels used to struggle and spend small fortunes fighting ticks and fleas until they came out with Advantix several years ago.Now we have no fleas or ticks on our dogs.
We treat monthly with Advantix and switch out the next month with Frontline and have successfully eliminated fleas and ticks from our property.Even our wild rabbits and squirrels are tick free because they use the treated – shed fur from our dogs as nesting material.
It is the end of November in Northeastern Oklahoma, and it is time again to pull our dog houses out of storage and place them in the kennels.After the 15th of November, we often get cold snaps in Oklahoma, which can include several days of freezing rain or even snow.Our Heidelberg shepherds are well equipped to deal with the cold with their correct plush double-coats.Likewise if your shepherd has a correct coat and no health problems, you will probably notice that when you crank up the heater they well probably ask to go outside more often than normal. This is because they have their winter coats on and cannot remove them as we remove our jackets upon entering the house.Fortunately for our shepherds that are inside, my wife and I run a little hot and we keep our thermostat down during winter months.
Heidelberg German Shepherds Enjoying a March Blizzard
We place straw in our dog houses in our kennels to provide warm insulation for our shepherds. In addition, their runs are covered to protect against rain and snow.We have found unless our shepherds are wet that they will not use their dog houses even in subzero temperatures.We often have observed that our shepherds prefer to sleep on the snow rather than their well-insulated dog houses.
Heidelberg German Shepherds Playing in a Winter Storm
Therefore, if they can stay dry and out of the wind and your German shepherd is healthy and correctly coated, they comfortably can withstand subfreezing temperatures .Actually you may find that they prefer and are much more comfortable outside during the winter months than they areinside your cozy warm house.Remember to always provide fresh unfrozen water for your shepherd during the winter months because they will get dehydrated almost as quickly as they would in the summer.
Heidelberg Puppies Are Well Equipped to Be Comfortable in the Winter
If you are considering getting a German shepherd puppy consider getting one of our older puppies and save a little money on some very high quality shepherds.
This is a quick post today to remind and encourage everyone about the start of our new Canine Good Citizen (CGC) and Basic Obedience Class at Keystone German Shepherds & Kennels on Saturday, September 7, 2013 at 10:30 am. There is no charge for this class and all breeds and ages are invited.The only requirement is that your dogs must be up to date on all their vaccinations.
We concluded our summer training session in August with several owners and dogs passing the American Kennel Club (AKC) Canine Good Citizen Class.Since the conclusion of that class AKC has announced a new advanced level for Canine Good Citizen. With the introduction of AKC Community Canine, the AKC’s CGC program now provides a comprehensive three- level training program for dogs and their owners. Beginning with AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy, progressing to Canine Good Citizen and now to AKC Community Canine, the CGC program trains dogs through all stages of life to be well behaved in society.We are excited about the new program and will match our training class exercises to meet the qualifications of this advanced level of training.
We Cannot Wait to go to School
We look forwards to seeing new faces and old friends.Please make it out for our free training.The more participants that we have makes for a better class and training opportunities for all.
AKC Community Canine expands on CGC skills and lays the beginning foundation for obedience, rally and therapy dog work.Many of you with young dogs are planning on moving through to bigger and better things for your puppy, and we thank you for allowing us to be a part of this journey.
Slow School is Open
Please continue to check out our web page as we post updates on available litters: https://kgsd.inventivehorizons.com/PuppiesForSale.htm. We have several wonderful puppies that we are accepting deposits on, and these puppies will be ready to go to their new homes on September 9, 2011.
Ask me a Question and I will provide my opinion. Also, please see our web page: KeystoneGermanShepherds
I am so sorry that I have been so sporadic on these posts.Ever since mid-June it seems that I have lost control of my time since I have been unbelievably busy.However, with summer ending and all the associated chores, I am hopeful I will have a little more time to share with you my stories and knowledge of the wonderful German Shepherd Dog.To make up for my tardiness I have a true and inspiring story for you today.
A Male Heidelberg Puppy that is currently Available at Keystone German Shepherds & Kennels
A longtime friend and Heidelberg German Shepherd Dog owner, John had his life saved by his beloved male Heidelberg, but not in a way you would ever expect.John is a Heidelberg dog collector and has gotten into breeding and showing Heidelberg German Shepherd Dogs, but while over the years John has had several Heidelberg’s, he had his favorite male, Gunner that went everywhere with John.Gunner was approximately five-years-old and had already finished his Championship and was John’s prize stud dog.
Heidelberg Puppies that are currently Available at Keystone German Shepherds & Kennels
One day John came home and Gunner immediately came to John and rather than giving John the regular greeting of sitting and waiting for John to lean over so Gunner could give him a kiss, Gunner immediately stuck his nose in John’s calf and started licking.John thought maybe that he had brushed up against a girl that was in-season and did not think too much of the calf licking.However, Gunner was persistent in licking John’s calf so much so that John took a shower so Gunner would stop.Gunner did not stop.This went on for a week, and so much so that Gunner got scolded and put outside several days.
Heidelberg Puppies that are currently Available at Keystone German Shepherds & Kennels
John thought Gunner had developed some kind of personality problem and was upset that his prize stud dog and companion had become Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) over John’s leg.While deciding what he was going to do with Gunner, John had the television on and a program came on about how European Doctors were using dogs to detect cancer.
A Male Heidelberg Puppy that is currently Available at Keystone German Shepherds & Kennels
John scheduled an appointment with his doctor, and he found that John had under-the-skin melanoma in the calf.Almost anyone that has under-the-skin melanoma by the time they feel sick and seek medical help they usually die five days later because, by this time, it has spread throughout the entire body and is the brain and the lungs.
A Male Heidelberg Puppy that is currently Available at Keystone German Shepherds & Kennels
John had major surgery on his calf to remove the cancer and for two years had undergone chemo treatments.He is finally cancer free.Needless to say, Gunner was even elevated to a higher status in John’s house and while ten-years-old now, Gunner is still doing well.
A Female Heidelberg Puppy that is currently Available at Keystone German Shepherds & Kennels
Please continue to check out our web page as we post updates on available litters: https://kgsd.inventivehorizons.com/PuppiesForSale.htm. We have several wonderful puppies that we are accepting deposits on, and these puppies will be ready to go to their new homes on September 9, 2011.
Ask me a Question and I will provide my opinion. Also, please see our web page: KeystoneGermanShepherds
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