• Elbow dysplasia
• Hip dysplasia
  
• Eye problems which can lead to blindness, among them, PRA—progressive retinal atrophy.  For more info on PRA go to http://devinefarm.net/health/pra
• Hypothyroidism
  
• Epilepsy
  
• Wobblers
  
• Dilated Cardiomyopathy—DCM.
  
• Cystinuria
  
• Cancer

There are genetic tests available for hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, PRA which is a DNA test which was recently developed and cystinuria.

We do the genetic testing on our girls and STRONGLY encourage you to buy from a breeder who does genetic testing.  Although it is not a guarantee, it means you are dealing with reputable breeders who care about the puppies they produce.  The tests should be OFA or Penn hip evaluated for hips and elbows.  For PRA, the DNA test is best to guarantee against PRA but CERF should also be done to check for other eye problems.  Don’t let a breeder tell you that they don’t have these issues in their lines or that their vet told them their dogs are “okay”.  Ask to see documentation of the testing from the appropriate agencies such as Orthopedic Foundation or Penn HIP.

Vaccinations:

As a practitioner of Traditional Chinese medicine, I am always looking for ways to maintain or better the health of my family including our Mastiffs and Karma, our diabetic, hypothyroid, hip dysplastic mix.  We changed to a more natural form of feeding so vaccinations were the next area of investigation.  The latest research is determining that the annual vaccinations are not necessary and can be harmful. 

Over vaccinating can tax the immune system beyond belief.  It can lead to allergies, irritable bowel syndrome, thyroid problems, and I suspect even cancer as they can weaken the immune system.  We do not vaccinate our dogs after they become adults except for rabies which is required by law.  Our puppies get vaccinated according to a very conservative schedule and we NEVER utilize the 5 in 1 or 7 in 1 combinations.  The puppies get their first shots as late as possible and the first shot consists only of distemper.  The vaccinations are rotated between distemper and parvo with at least 10 days in between each.  We use the titer approach to check the immunity of the girls to the various diseases.

We feel that by feeding them BARF and minimizing the vaccinations, we are creating a healthy immune system which can deal with many diseases on it’s own.  After all, the body is an amazing organism capable of so much.

Vaccination Myths
http://www.asr-svcs.dircon.co.uk/wwwchc/vac_myth.htm

Vaccination Schedule
http://doglogic.com/vaccination.htm

Vaccination opinions
http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=Article&ID=485

Vaccinations
http://www.b-naturals.com/fall97.htm

Nutrition:

Jeffrey and I believe that nutrition is the key to the good health.  After a lot of research, I have determined that a biologically appropriate raw diet was the best choice for the girls.  BARF is the acronym for the diet and we have found significant changes in the health of our girls since feeding it.  Our Mastiffs have been fed BARF since 1996.  The girls are healthy, our vet bills are low, their teeth are white and coats glisten.  A comment we often hear from people and from veterinarians is that they cannot believe how great the Mastiffs teeth are—we have never had them cleaned! 

BARF is raw bones and vegetables.  The morning meal consists of raw meaty bones whether it be chicken backs, necks, turkey backs, wings, necks, sides of elk, etc.  The evening meal is a vegetable mix with meat or organ meat with supplements.  They get Vitamin C, E, digestive enzymes, flax seed oil, kelp and other herbs.  The nice thing about BARF for us is no bad breath and very small stools to pick up!

BARF doesn’t cost us any more than feeding a commercial dog food and in reality costs us far less since our vet bills are minimal.  Our vets—one holistic and one more conventional have started feeding their own dogs BARF since observing our Mastiffs for so long!!

Links for BARF: 

BARF Information: 
www.willowglen.com/barf.htm

BARF FAQ: 
www.bluegrace.com/barf.html

Top 50 FAQ on BARF:
www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm.

Nutrition-BARF diet:
www.bestfrisbeedogs.com/diets.html.

Foods Pets Die For:
www.homevet.com/petcare/foodbook.html.

Putting BARF together:
www3.sk.simpatico.ca/riverien/nutritogether.htm

Commerical Dog Food:
www.drianbillinghurst.com/petfood.htm

Pre-made BARF patties
www.barfworld.com/html/barf_diet/barfdiet.shtml

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