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Dates & News:

ZimDog News, can be accessed from: www.vanerp.net.

Working Trials Association of Zimbabwe Are having a double obedience weekend and a double working trials weekend in June.

GSD Club of Bulawayo Have postponed their show end May to end of August.

Combined clubs will have 5 breed shows at the end of June.

GSD Council: ZKC has received suggestions from both appointed persons from each GSD Club and a new constitution has been ratified by the ZKC and we now are waiting for further nominated people for the Council to be a working Sub-committee again.

National Schutzhund Competition in South Africa. As this is the Zimdog news, I should only comment on our dogs, but as Wade has been living for so many years in Zimbabwe, a small article about this show is acceptable. I left Zimbabwe on Thursday at 4 and arrived in Halfway house some 13 hours later. The next morning up before 5 and in convoy we drove to the tracking grounds. As you can see, wonderful grasslands for 12 SchH 1, 8 SchH2 and 18 SchH 3 dogs. SchH 1 & 2: Only one dog in SchH 1 qualified, two others were good too, but just missed out. SchH 2 had no qualifier, one dog withdrew. A few dogs could not take the pressure in section C. SchH 3: There were 6 qualifiers, a very exciting competition as the three top dogs qualified with only 1 point between them. Highest in tracking was Wade with Vasco: 96, then Greta Higgo with Ebro 94 and Grant Higgo with Canto 90. The obedience with these three went excellent as well: Wade highest 92, Greta 91 and Grant 90. Section C sorted them out: Grant 92, Greta 86 and Wade 82. Six dogs and handlers have been chosen to go to Holland in October to compete in the world WUSV. Wade our Zimbabwe friend is one of them and we wish him good luck.

“Wade starting Vasco on his track”

How to start training for the AD [Ausdauwer Prüfung]

You cannot start hopping on your bike and taking the dog with you. You have to let the dog get used to the bike, understand that you will hop on and off the bike, turn right and or left, brake and stop. The dog might not have the amount of hard cover on his pads for long trips, so you have to start slowly. Cycle in the beginning 5 to 10 minutes per day, with a rest every other day.

Basic rules for cycling with your dog:

1. Do not cycle with a dog younger than one year.

2. Make sure your dog has done its toilet; this stops dog pulling and suddenly stopping to toilet while on his cycling training.

3. The dog may not eat one hour before and one hour after cycling [stomach torsion could develop].

4. Always make sure the dog walks on the left side of your cycle, for safety measures.

5. Do not cycle in the heat of the day and in full sun. Rain and wet surfaces make the dogs pads soft and weak.

6. Make sure your dog is never exhausted. When you get off your bike, the dog must still be fit enough to chase his toy or ball. Cycling has a purpose to make your dog fit and not exhaust him.

7. Make sure that when you go cycling you also have to go back home, so plan your trip.

8. Always have fresh water with you.

9. Check pads and nails for cracks and wounds.

10. Do not let your dog run on the grass beside the road, often the ground there is softer, but the change of damage is bigger by falling into a hole or stepping onto a sharp object.

11. Change your brake cables from left to right. If you hold the dogs lead in your left hand, it is then better to brake with the rear brake, with your right hand.

Dogs between 1 and 2 years maximum time of cycling will be enough between 15 to 20 minutes. Two years and older still need rest days in between, change the distance [worked out in time] between 15 and 45 minutes per day. Build in rest periods. Too long cycling can get tired muscles. To keep the dog in good cycling condition after he has been trained slowly to a maximum time: follow the following time schedule:

Peracute Necrotizing Haemorrhagic Gastro-Enteritis Syndrome
(Canine Redgut) In German Shepherd Dogs

By: DR K G M DE CRAMER (BVSC) S~IALL ANIMAL PRACTITIONER

TREATMENT: (May be attempted by attending veterinarian).

All the dogs in a study of 28, presented with circulatory hypovolemic shock. They all received a combination of drug and intensive fluid therapy. Unfortunately none of the treatment protocols appeared to have any effect at all. Various treatment regimens involving the following were attempted.

• Intravenous fluid therapy

• Blood transfusions

• Coritiosteroid therapy

• Intravenous antibiotics/metronidazole

• Gut resection

• Anti serum for gangrene patients etc.

PROGNOSIS:   (Chance of recovery)

Prognosis in our experience was zero with respect to the cases seen in this study as no dog survived despite any form of treatment.

AETIOLOGY & PATHOGENESIS: (Causes)

The aetiology and pathogenesis of the peracute haemorrhagic intestinal syndrome (or HGE) is somewhat obscure and very complex. It has not been possible to replicate the condition in laboratory conditions. Under favourable circumstances Costridial organisms grow profusely and produce toxins in overwhelming concentration. It is these toxins that are thought to cause disease and subsequent death. Clostridial organisms are widespread and ubiquitous. A critical factor is almost certainly the presence of starch in the small intestine, providing a suitable substrate run these saccharolytic bacteria and they proliferate to immense numbers and produce correspondingly large amounts of enterotoxin. It can be speculated that this syndrome has a multifactorial origin and that nutritional factors and nutritional management play a major pre-disposing role.

• Insufficient gelatinization or dextrination of the starches in the feed may permit the starches to act as substrate for the clostridial organisms and lead to increased multiplication of the organisms.

• High percentage of fat in the diet inhibit growth of clostridial organisms and toxin production. This condition has not been noticed in dogs fed premium diets containing high fat % or highly digestible diets. Preliminary trials indicate that inclusion of Clostridial Bacteriostatic drugs in even marginal diets seems to prevent the condition. Further research is, however. required and investigation into the pathogenesis, aetiology in order to explain the breed pre-disposition and its sporadic occurrence. Prevention may be possible by vaccination with specific Clostriditim perfringens Type A and Type D bacterin and toxoid vaccine as is done with sheep but at this stage the use of such a vaccine still requires further research and funding.

CONCLUSlON:

Canine REDGUT is a fatal condition that affects mainly German Shepherd Dogs. There is no vaccine available and the condition cannot be treated to date. Inclusion of Bacteriostatic agents in dog foods have to be approved prior to its standard use. No dogs fed a high quality premium/ultra premium diet have yet been known to suffer from REDGUT.

Poisonous Plants If your dog (or other pets) do ingest one of these plants, be sure to call the National Animal Poison Control Center.   Hemlock (seeds, stems, fleshy taproot often mistaken for wild parsnip or anise) Jack-in-the-pulpit (all) Jumson Weed (all--very dangerous drug too often used by teens) Amanita Mushrooms (all) Nightshade (all) American Bittersweet (berries, roots, leaves) Deadly Nightshade (all) Pokeweed (roots, shoots, leaves) White Snakeroot (all parts) Morning Glory (seeds) Tobacco (leaves) Tulip (bulbs) Iris (corms)

This is not a complete list but covers most of the worst ones. Note that poinsettia is not considered toxic.