TagJager Dobermanns
Family, Born and Bred
This page is worth the read if you are planning on getting a new puppy of any breed.
Veterinary information
This is a page I have set up for people that are unaware of these health issues in puppies and how serious they can be if undetected early.
This is an Australia wide problem in many breeds of dogs but for some reason black dogs are more prone to Parvo. The tick problems on the East coast of Australia is quite known by everyone but sometimes people are unaware of the symptoms and how to deal with a puppy with a tick.
Please take the time to read about these if you are deciding to purchase a new puppy either from me or any other breeder. Even if you own another dog or cat at home this is interesting reading.
How to Spot Puppy Parvovirus Symptoms
Parvovirus is an extremely serious, often fatal, viral disease affecting canines. Many adult dogs may have the virus but never show symptoms. It is puppies less than 6 months of age who are most susceptible to the disease and puppies less than 12 weeks suffer the most. The key to helping your puppy survive parvovirus is being aware of the symptoms and quick veterinary support.
1)
Note the age of the dog. The parvovirus attacks the lining of the stomach preventing the absorption of liquids and nutrients. Very young puppies have immature immune systems and are most vulnerable.
2)
Observe his eating habits. If your puppy is eating normally that is a good sign. If your puppy is eating but vomiting, be observant of any other symptoms. Symptoms of parvovirus include vomiting and loss of appetite. If your puppy is not eating at all, call your veterinarian.
3)
Monitor the puppy's stools. Make sure the puppy is eliminating normally. Parvovirus attacks the digestive system. Extreme diarrhea that is foul-smelling and bloody is common with the disease. Diarrhea causes severe dehydration and is extremely life threatening.
4)
Check the puppy's temperature. Another symptom of parvovirus is a high fever. Fever usually causes lethargy in puppies. They will lay around in a very unpuppy-like manner, not interested in toys or anything else. If your puppy has a fever and has become lethargic, contact your veterinarian.
Paralysis Tick information.
Life Cycle of the Paralysis Tick
Ticks have 4 stages of life...
1) Egg
2) Larva (6 legged)
3) Nymph (8 legged)
4) Adult (8 legged)
What do Paralysis Ticks do?
The tick attaches to the dog & borrows it's mouthparts into the skin. It sucks the blood & injects a neurotoxin called Holocyclotoxin, which causes paralysis. It is usually the female tick who attaches to animals, the male actually parasitises the female tick. The tick is fairly small when it attaches to it's host, growing in size as it consumes more blood. Illness doesn't occur quickly, as it does with animals such as snakes & spiders, it can take hours or even days before symptoms of poisoning become apparent. That's not to say that ticks aren't as deadly as other poisonous animals & it is advisable you take your dog to a veterinarian, just to be on the safe side.
What is a Neurotoxin & What does Holocyclotoxin do?
A neurotoxin is a toxic substance which damages or destroys the cells of the central nervous system. * Holocyclotoxin is a neurotoxin which is excreted from the tick's salivary glands into the dog. Holocyclotoxin inhibits release of acetylcholine in neurons.
* Other examples of neurotoxins are:
Botulinum toxin from bacteria, this blocks acetylcholine release.
How do Paralysis Ticks get onto dogs?
Stimuli such as heat & movement alert the tick to a potential host. They climb onto vegetation & when an animal passes, it waves it's forelegs (known as questing) until it makes contact with the host.
What are the signs of tick poisoning in dogs?
Symptoms of tick paralysis include;
· Loss of appetite
· Vomiting or dry retching, excessive salivation, difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing, coughing.
· Change to bark.
· Coughing.
· Noisy panting.
· Difficulty swallowing.
As symptoms progress you may notice;
· Limb weakness, starting in the hind legs, progressing to the front legs, appearing wobbly & uncoordinated, falling over, paralysis.
· Incontinence.
· Laboured breathing.
· Coma.
What to do if your dog has been poisoned by a tick?
Try to keep yourself & your dog as calm as possible. Remove food & water as poisoning can prevent the dog from swallowing properly, which in turn could lead to choking. Take it to the veterinarian as soon as possible. The longer you delay taking your dog to a vet, the worse the symptoms will become, which may lead to death.
How do you prevent tick poisoning?
Check your pet thoroughly every day for ticks. Start from the tip of the nose & work your way right down to the tail. Ensure you check between the toes, inside the ears (be careful).
Avoid allowing your dog to wander in the native bushland. However, ticks aren't found exclusively in native bushland.
Regularly use insecticides such as the ones listed below if your dog goes outside.
What treatment will be performed on a dog who has been poisoned by a tick?
Treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms, and is different from case to case. The greater the severity, the more care the animal will need & mortality rate increases, which is why it's so important to seek veterinary care as soon as you suspect tick poisoning. Symptoms may include pneumonia, high blood pressure, heart problems, vomiting & respiratory difficulties.
If it is having difficulty breathing, it may be given oxygen. It may also be put on a drip to prevent dehydration.
Your pet will almost certainly be hospitalised & given antiserum. This serum (the clear part of the blood which contains antibodies) is obtained from dogs that have been made hyperimmune via repeated exposure to paralysis ticks.
Recovery is dependent upon severity of symptoms. Generally veterinary treatment takes 2+ days. You will be required to care for your dog for some time after it has been discharged from the hospital also.
Tick preventatives
Advantix® Advantix will kill both fleas and ticks when applied every two weeks. As well, it may repel ticks. (Because it is water-safe, it is suitable for dogs that occasionally swim.) Advantix is toxic for cats. Please separate your dog and any cats on the day of application and, obviously, do not use on cats.
Permoxin® This is a most effective rinse for adult ticks as well as larval and nymph stages, offering up to one week's residual effect. Available as a concentrate, you mix Permoxin with water and use it as a soaking rinse or spray, leaving it on your dog to dry. You must be careful to sponge carefully around your dog's face to ensure thorough coverage. If you're in the habit of exercising in bushy areas, a light spray of Permoxin will give your dog(s) added protection against ticks. You can use Permoxin as often as every day if necessary.
Frontline® Plus When you apply this preventative onto the skin between the shoulder blades, it spreads over the your dog's entire body, killing ticks on contact. It must be applied every two weeks, and you should not wash your dog 48 hours before or after application. Because the chemical can be diluted by daily or frequent swimming, we recommend you regularly search for ticks just in case. Frontline Plus is not an effective preventative for larval- and nymph-stage ticks.
Frontline Spray® This spray claims three-week protection from paralysis ticks. If you do use Frontline, it should be at the highest dose rate at least every two to three weeks, but no longer.
Tick collars. We have received mixed reports about these collars. On the plus side, they are relatively inexpensive and can work well, particularly at preventing larval and nymph tick attachment. On the negative side, they must be replaced every six to eight weeks depending on the type, they're unreliable for dogs that swim and they have a rather pungent chemical smell which puts some people off. We also don't recommend tick collars in situations where there are young children or multiple dogs who play rough.
Proban® One tablet of this insecticide for every 10 kilograms given every second day offers simple, reasonably reliable tick prevention. We particularly recommend Proban for dogs that swim a lot. It is very important that you do not combine Proban with a tick collar (it could use the same insecticide, effectively increasing the total to danger levels). If you have any questions about which other flea and ticks products can be used with Proban, please ask us.
I buy my products either through our vet who sells at a great competitive rate or their is an online pet site called the vet shed
http://www.thevetshed.com.au/
I buy most of our products here and find them extremely great to deal with. For ticks I use the the Virbac Preventic collar through the worst of the tick season. I find they work unless the dogs go swimming. I remove them when they swim then re-place them when the dogs are out of the water.
These I will promote, Doug English a friend of mine and wonderful vet and advocate for turmeric has produced these wonderful dog treats. 1 a day is all it takes to see some wonderful improvements.
Please view Doug's website to purchase these bites. https://www.turmericlife.com.au/
Over the years of being a breed and also running Dobermann rescue Australia Wide I have talked to allot of dog owners and have enough evidence up my sleeve to now warrant this write up. I am writing this after seeing and hearing of far too many young dogs that have lost their lives to the same issue over and over again.
I need to talk to everyone about vets and over vaccinations or over medicating.
Attached is a photo of 1 days vet visit for one of the puppies. This vet decided it was a good idea to administer a c7 vaccine a yearly heart worm injection and to top it off a Bravecto tablet.
I understand vet will tell owners everything and apparently this is standard practice BUT these are your puppies your dogs when things go wrong its you thats effected not the vets. They just charge a fortune to try and fix their mistakes while they blame the breed blame environment.
Giving all of these at once is extremely dangerous. Dobermanns are already liver compromised. I know of 2 dogs I have bred now that have been lost after these drugs were given at once. The vet blamed the breed in both cases. And in both cases dogs were sick after being given all of these drugs. Then by 2 weeks both dogs were jaundice. It's costs owners thousands of dollars and both dogs died.
Worming should be a basic drontal, milbermax or any all worming tablet. Usually a white powder coated tablet or some times the chewable.
Heart work should only be done starting at 6 months of age and only a daily tablet or a monthly tablet. NEVER A YEARLY INJECTION.
Tick treatments? are you in a tick area? something to think about. Do you take your dog where there are ticks ? and how often. If you say your not in a tick area why treat for ticks? Why not use a safer product and bath your dog when you get home.
Its the same for fleas if you don't have them why treat ? if they get the odd one when out spray weekly with Permoxin.
If you are in a tick and flea area use safe products.
Honestly take a look at the photos I have attached. Look at the prices on them. Surely buying for yourself online is so much cheaper than what the vet is charging you for something that could possibly kill your dog.
If you ever feel like your vet is pushing something on you you know your dog does not need tell them. Remember you are paying the account not them and it's your dog. You have control if this situation. If your vet pushes you walk out do your research before going back. Vets are everywhere and you can always find a better one.
Desexing is also something else to think about. If a vet is telling you to desex your pup at 6 months find another vet. If anyone has any questions please ask me. . Do not over load your dogs liver with drugs that are not required. Please take care of your baby's sadly they're not with us long enough.
