Spaying or Neutering

Spaying is the sterilization by removing the ovaries & uterus of females, while neutering is the removal of the testicles of males. The advantages of spaying & neutering are numerous. With the epidemic of unwanted pets in our nation, spaying & neutering is necessary to reduce the occurance of unwanted pregnancy. Responsible pet owners take a proactive approach in ensuring that their dog is healthy and are not part of the problem of pet overpopulation. Females who are spayed before their 1st heat cycle, have a 99.9% reduced risk of mammary cancer. Neutering males prevents testicular cancer and prostate disease. Both males and females will not develop the negative behaviors associated with being intact if spayed/neutered before maturity or by 6 months of age. Females will not blow their coats with hormonal changes, males will not mark their territory by hiking their leg on everything in sight. Intact females also mark their territory and I even have females who lift their leg on things just like males!

At Crooked Creek Terriers, families who adopt a puppy agree to spay/neuter by 6 months of age. They place a deposit that is refunded upon proof of alteration by 6 months of age. I generally recommend neutering at 3-5 months of age, and spaying at 5-6 months of age. Some vets recommend early spaying/neutering as early as 8-16 weeks. This website gives a great over view of spaying & neutering. http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_SpayDay.php "Pets can become capable of reproduction as early as 6 months of age, so it is important to spay and neuter pets by that age. Early spay/neuter starting at 8 weeks of is endorsed by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Humane Society of the United States, the American Kennel Club, the Cat Fanciers Association, the American Humane Association and many other organizations. As long as a pup weighs more than two pounds and is 8 weeks old, he or she can be neutered or spayed."

Health benefits of owning pets

Pet owners experience a reduction in psychological and physiolgical ailments compared to non-pet owners. I knew pets could lower blood pressure, combat depression, stress, and loneliness. Pet therapy programs are successful in treating patients for various disorders. I found this list of specific data about the health benefits owning pets. Check it out! http://www.deltasociety.org/AnimalsHealthGeneralReasons.htm

Potential Hazards during the holidays

For a list of potential hazards to your Cairn Terrier during the holidays, please visit this article. http://www.designerdogavenue.com/shop/holiday-pet-safety.asp Dogs and cats have the potential to ingest odd things and these are things to be aware of. Also be aware of the dangers of Christmas decorations, salt and chemicals used to melt ice, and other things around the house during this time of the year.

• Aluminum Foil
• Plastic Food Wrap
• Anti-Freeze
• Poisonous Plants
• Christmas Tree Ornaments
• Bones
• Chocolate
• Corn Cobs
• Bloat
• Electrocution
• Candles
• Hypothermia
• Ice-Melting Chemicals and salt

Did You Know?

Did you know that Cairns usually blow their coat upon having a litter of puppies? The bitch often loses their undercoat and sometimes their top coat as well. The hormonal changes associated with pregnancy and whelping causes the hair to fall out and some bitches will go almost bald. By 6 months later, they have a full new coat that has grown in and is beautiful again. With humans, the hormones that maintain pregnancy cause the woman to maintain their hair throughout the pregnancy. They grow stronger finger nails and keep the hair that they would have normally lost during the time of the pregnancy. Upon having their baby, with the change in hormones, the hair then falls out. They are actually losing the hair they normally would have lost if not pregnant. This may be the case with the Cairn as well, but if you visit the dam of your new puppy and they aren't as beautiful as you expected, don't be alarmed. She's just blowing her coat due to having puppies and she'll grow it back after the hormone fluxuations. I've also had bitches blow their coat with their heat cycles, and this is another reason spaying is such an advantage.

Explanation of a Health Guarantee

So what is a health guarantee and what should I expect when purchasing a puppy?

The first guarantee that a breeder should offer, is an initial money back guarantee for any defects. This protects the buyer by allowing time to visit your veterinarian and ensure the health of the puppy that you purchased. For any health defects found, the breeder agrees to offer your money back or a replacement puppy if one is available. These guarantees are usually for a 3-5 day period, proving that upon receiving the puppy it was also free of communicable disease. Due to the gestation period of parvo and other communicable diseases, we require that our Cairn puppies be checked within 3 days of receiving them.

A puppy's health can change from week to week for the first several months of life, and thereafter. Some defects such as lion jaw or luxated patellas may not be apparent until several months of age. Although ethical breeders attempt to breed healthy puppies, they can not guarantee against all possibilities. Therefore, a breeder should offer an extended health guarantee such as a 1-2yr guarantee for genetic and hereditary defects. This does not usually cover bites, hernias, or cosmetic defects for pet puppies (although you should notify your breeder if any of these occur so they can track them). Some breeders require that the puppy be returned upon diagnosis, and will replace the puppy or dog with a healthy puppy. Some breeders may offer partial refunds and allow you to keep your puppy or dog. These health guarantees can be difficult to put into writing and sometimes they are vague and cause problems when interpretted differently. It's easy for a disappointed buyer to penalize a breeder if their puppy develops an overbite or underbite, which usually doesn't effect the dog's daily life. It was a situation with a friend that proved to me that I would not offer partial refunds. The buyer felt that their puppy wasn't worth the value paid because they expected to purchase a perfect puppy, and after several months of age the puppy developed an overbite. He refused to return his pet of course, but demanded a partial refund. It was this situation that guided our policy of no refunds. We do not believe a 'defective' dog or puppy should be uprooted from it's home and be returned to a breeder who will only have to find it another home. We will instead, offer a replacement puppy for documented life threatening hereditary or congenital defects. Because diagnosis can also have such a gray area, we made our contract black and white and not open to interpretation by requiring that the animal die before 2 years of age. Our veterinarian guided us with the statement that most all serious genetic or congenital defects will cause death of the animal by this age. This is not to say that I couldn't be more lenient and compassionate to a family that I've grown to know through the adoption of one of our puppies. If a puppy died at 2 1/2 or 3yrs of age, I'm going to replace the puppy! But I didn't want placed in the situation if a dog that had a heart murmur and still lived to 10yrs of age, that the family expect it to be replaced.

Shipping Dogs and Puppies

I get frequent questions about shipping. Is it really safe? Isn't is scary for a puppy? Is it ok to ship an adult dog? Should the dog or puppy be sedated first? Isn't it better if I travel by car 10hrs, to pick up the puppy? Are there any other options?

Shipping has become common place. It's convenient for a buyer to have the option to shop for a good breeder across the nation.

There are 2 methods for shipping, ground and air. Ground shipping would be an option for relatively close distances. But it is usually more expensive ($300 and up?) and I do not recommend it for long distances due to the time necessary for travel. We want to make transport as short as possible for a puppy.

Air shipping is the other option. It's safe, convenient, and affordable at $225-300, depending on the airline, location for shipping, and this includes the breeder's expenses. The buyer keeps the crate the puppy arrives in, which at Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers is the perfect size for crate training your puppy.

A breeder usually chooses an airline based on cost, convenience for their location, and I personally only work with a few of the top quality pet shipping services. Temperatures usually limit shipping due to extreme hot or cold conditions. Puppies can not be shipped if temps are over 85 degrees. Extreme cold temps are also hazardous. However, Conintenal airline's pet services are temp controlled even during transport to and from the airplane. Pets are either hand carried to the plane, or placed on a cart specifically for pets. They are handled with care and personel that I have met are excited to see cute puppies arrive.

Since incident reports are public knowledge, you can check on different airlines and see if they have had any issues. The reports that I read were related to a crate that was not properly secured (therfore we zip tie crates closed), or animals that were elderly or had health problems to start with.

Is shipping overly stressful to a puppy? Cairn Terrier puppies are generaly fearless little creatures. I've had them run into the garage to investigate the loud noise when Rick was sawing a piece of lumber! Most of our puppies are not bothered by traveling in cars and loud noises. Puppies are resilient creatures, learning at a very high rate, and investigating new things and their surroundings. Is it stressful to take them from their litter mates and mother? Yes, they've never been alone before so just going home is stressful. Is traveling by car vs traveling by air, or being presented with new circumstances unhealthy? NO, not in my opinion. From 8-16wks, puppies are like children in that they soak up new experiences like a sponge. I recommend exposing them to scary and loud objects like blow dryers, traveling in cars, clipping their nails, visiting with strangers (after fully vaccinated), etc. Introduce them to as many things as possible and they don't know it's any different than exploring the world they're so inquisitive about! Start them early and they don't know it any differently than normal life. So is shipping too stressful? No, not in my opinion.

Adults who have not had proper socialization or who are fearful of car travel should not be shipped. Since it is not known how a dog or puppy would react at high elevations under sedation, we never sedate an animal for shipping. If there are concerns about an adult, don't ship them. But I've never had a puppy that wasn't wagging their tail and happy to see their new family upon arrival.

For those that live 5-6hrs or more from their breeder, we do not recommend traveling by car. Frequent stops are not healthy for a puppy that is not full vaccinated before 14-16wks of age. With so many people traveling with their pets, rest areas, gas station grassy areas, and stops along the way could be contaminated with parvo, distemper, etc and your puppy can get sick and die even after 2 vaccinations. It is somtimes best to place a puppy in a crate and send them straight to their destination than to risk stops along the way by car.

Another option would be to fly to your breeder's location and pick up your puppy in person. Small dogs and puppies can be carried on to an airplane and hand carried home.

A Sad Day in the Life of a Breeder

When people tell me they want to breed to make a little extra money, I cringe and try to explain the heartache, time, and expertise involved in breeding. There is so much more that can and does happen. I had once told a fellow breeder how lucky I was. I had never even had a still born, no c-sections, no loss of puppies. She said "You will." I fully believe her now. Eventually it all happens and you're lucky if you can recognize the symptoms early and treat them appropriately for the best outcome possible.

Camille delivered in June and had 5 healthy puppies. Since she usually had puppies that were small and we had lost a couple to unexplained deaths beyond failure to thrive, I planned to treat the puppies early and vigorously. I dewormed them more than our normal protocol and started early. I also did a full 10 days of Albon when the puppies had mattery eyes and seemed to be small. In case Camille was a carrier of coccidia and she had passed it along to her puppies, we would treat them early and prevent the puppies from having any problems.

The smallest female of the litter then had an acute case of hypoglycemia at 4 1/2wks. She was tested for a liver shunt since we hadn't explored that avenue previously. We also did a fecal for parasites and coccidia. All was negative and normal and she made a recovery after 2 days of treatment by Dr Gail. Her growth continued to be stunted and she fell well behind her litter mates by failing to grow. But nothing was cuter than a 7wk old 1.1 lb puppy, with a tail going 100mi/min! We explained everything to the families waiting for puppies and planned to keep the puppies an extra week and delay their vaccination schedule by 1wk.

Yesterday, all seemed normal on the video monitor. I had been letting the dogs run, and had done some bathing and grooming. I noticed Camille's male seemed sleepy. I watched him a few minutes later and he was mopey and didn't feel good. I thought he may have been overheated and brought him in. His temp was low, and I offered him puppy formula to boost his blood sugar and he refused. I syringe fed him some formula and he vomited it back up. I then gave him subq fluids, placed him under a heat lamp to stablize his temp, and called Dr Gail. She's offered to come over and see him on her way back into town. His blood sugar was low so we supplemented him and it took 3 testings and supplementing before it came back into normal range. Everything else including his temp seemed normal except for vomiting. We left him under the heat lamp and went into the clinic to run some blood tests and get some Reglan for the vomiting. The testing came back with some slightly low electrolytes that only said that he had been vomiting. So all seemed normal and he just needed a little Reglan to settle his stomach, eat, and keep his temp and blood sugar stable through the night. The Reglan didn't help and although he was thirsty he refused to eat. I force fed him supplement to keep his blood sugar stable and since he continued to vomit all fluids, I gave him subq fluids throughout the night, every 2-3hrs.

After the 2nd dose of Reglan this morning and continued vomiting, I called Dr Gail to ask for an IV and some dextrose fluids. We took him into the clinic and she decided to explore his abdomen to ensure he didn't have an obstruction or anything. The xray and ultrasound didn't show anything abnormal and he was neg for parvo (although we didn't think that was it, at least we could rule out one more thing). We started an IV with D10 fluids. Our plan included Reglan, antibiotics, and IV fluids to get him through his vomiting. I fully expected him to perk up with the D10 and feel better soon. He was stable and resting and I laid down for a few minutes. I got up to check his IV drip rate and he had died. I felt complete shock and disbelief.

I realize most breeders don't take all the precautions and do IV drips at home. Dr Gail knows me personally and since I'm an OB nurse, she knows I'm fully capable of doing these cares for my puppies, particularly when she's not even on call and has other plans. But in the sense that in less than 24hrs, things can go very badly, this is what I want to communicate about why breeding should be left up to experienced breeders. It isn't just the knowledge of confirmation, breeding lines, and being an expert in the breed. It's about giving a life the best chance possible.

I'm tearful and it's been a very sad day. Nothing hurts more than to have to wrap up a little warm body and know you did everything possible and it still wasn't enough. Nothing is harder than to not know. Why did he die when "there is no good reason for him to feel bad". I exhaust my bank account with what some may consider extreme measures. But in my mind, this is just basic, quality care that every puppy deserves. Nothing is harder than to tell a family that the puppy that was supposed to go home on Sat has died and I have no explanation. I just try to cope the best way I know how, and give a tribute to a little guy that was part of our life for the last 8 weeks.

Now I'm headed into another long night as my son started vomiting this evening. There seems to be a virus going around that although is short lived, must be pretty contagious and causes wretched vomiting. This is child #2 to get it and we have one more to go! Nothing is worse than small children and vomiting. For some reason they don't know how to contain it in one spot, and unlike puppies you can't contain them in a crate for easy clean up. Oops...here he goes again.....gotta go!

Parasites in Cairn Terriers

Internal parasites (or worms) are common in dogs and include roundworms, hookworms (A. caninum), whipworms (threadworms), heartworm and tapeworms. Animals are also susceptible to coccidia and giardia, protozoa that upset the digestive process. The most common ways of contracting parasites are through contaminated soil, food or water, mosquitoes, licking the ground, transmission from mother to the offspring (before or after birth) and by fleas. Although a breeding bitch may be clear of worms in their digestive tract, the worm larvae are harbored in the muscle and migrate to the fetus inutero. Therefore all puppies are born with intestinal worms and need to be treated starting at 2-3wks of age, every 2 weeks for 3-4 doses. At Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers, we treat our puppies with Nemex 2 at 3 and 5wks, and Panacure at 7wks.

Puppies can be started on monthly heartworm prevention such as Heartguard at 11-12 wks of age, but due to the lifestage of the heartworm, they can't be tested for the presence of heartworms until 7 months of age. So it's important to test your Cairn puppy, even if they've been on monthly preventative. The monthly Heartguard also acts as a dewormer.

Coccidia may be present in adult dogs and only their immune system kills it. But because puppies have an immature immune system, they are not able to fight the coccidia infection and need treated with Albon to inhibit the growth of coccidia, allowing their immune system to overcome it. It's not uncommon for puppies who are stressed when taken from their siblings and going home with their family, to suddenly have bloody diarrhea. They may have gotten the coccidia from their mother, but were able to fight it with their immune system, until the immune system was depressed with the stress of going home. Take them to the vet for diagnosis, and a simple 5-10 day treatment with Albon will clear it up. As a breeder, if I see soft stools, I put the puppies on a 5 day treatment of Albon. It coats the stomach and is safe. Giardia is also found in the environment and puppies can easily be infected. Flagyl will treat a case of giardia.

Parasites can be transmitted to humans from their pets. Humans acquire these parasites through ingestion of the eggs of the parasite which have passed through the pet's feces. Not washing your hands before eating or putting your hands in your mouth after playing with your infected pet are common ways of transmission.

Internal parasites can be seen in the feces, but not always. Some symptoms may be a pot-bellied appearance in puppies, poor growth, decrease in appetite, bloody stools, diarrhea, and/or a decrease in activity level. But because not all infections involve observable symptoms, it's important to visit your veterinarian regularly.

When to Call the Vet

It's important to recognize when your Cairn Terrier is not feeling well, and you should call your veterinarian as quickly as possible if your dog exhibits any unusual behavior, including the following symptoms:
• Vomiting, diarrhea or excessive urination for more than 12 hours
• Lethargy or Fainting
• Loss of balance, staggering or falling
• Constipation or straining to urinate
• Runny eyes or nose
• Persistent scratching at eyes or ears
• Thick discharge from eyes, ears, nose or sores
• Coughing or sneezing
• Difficulty breathing
• Shivering
• Whining for no apparent reason
• Loss of appetite for 24 hours or more
• Weight loss
• Dramatic increase in appetite for 24 hours or more
• Increased restlessness
• Excessive sleeping or unusual lack of activity
• Limping, holding or protecting part of the body
• Excessive thirst

Heartworms in Cairn Terriers

Heartworms are spread by misquitos. We can prevent heartworms with a monthly preventative such as Heartguard. Cairn Terrier puppies are started on heartworm prevention at 11-12 wks old, but testing for the presence of heartworms can't be done until a dog is 7 months old due to the lifestage of the worm. Therefore it's important to test your dog at about 1yr - 1 1/2yrs, even if they've had regular Heartworm prevention. It is possible to get heartworms before starting the preventative but rarely while on monthly prevention. If your Cairn Terrier is not on heartworm prevention, see your vet right away. Particularly during "misquito weather" the risk is great, and once infected heartworms is expensive to treat and is otherwise fatal. Monthly prevention also treats them for intestinal parasites.

Emergencies

It's always good to have reviewed a list of possible emergencies before they happen, so you know what to do. For a list of emergencies, treatment, and when to call your vet....click here.

Household Poisons

When exploring their environment, puppies can find things to get into, eat, and swallow. Adult dogs have even been known to eat something they shouldn't have. Symptoms may range from vomiting, skin irritation, to sudden death. It's important to be aware of what household products can be dangerous to your pet and keep them out of reach. Always seek medical attention immediately if you suspect poisoning. Here's a list of dangerous household items for your dog. To read about symptoms and emergency treatment click here.

• Acetone
• Antifreeze
• Bleach
• Charcoal Lighter
• Chocolate (all varieties) Lethal dose 1/3 oz per pound for dark chocolate, and 1 oz per pound for milk chocolate
• Deodorants
• Detergents/Soap
• Furniture Polish
• Gasoline
• Ibuprofen
• Kerosene/Fuel Oil
• Lead
• Lime
• Lye
• Organophosphate Insecticides
• Paint
• Phenol Cleaners
• Rat Poison
• Strychnine
• Turpentine
• Tylenol

Cairn Breed Health

The Cairn Terrier is relatively healthy as a breed, in comparison to other dog breeds. With a life span of about 12- 18yrs, they can offer many years of companionship. The associated health problems in the breed include: Allergies, Cataracts, Craniomandibular Osteopathy (CMO or Lion Jaw), Cryptorchidism (undescended testicles), Globoid Cell Leukodystrophy (GCL), Heart Defects, Hypothyroidism, Legg-Perthes, Luxated Patellae, Ocular Melanosis, Portal Shunt, Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Seizures and Epilepsy, and Von Willebrands. To read more about these disorders click here. Don't be too alarmed when reading this list. ALL breeds have inherent health disorders. In fact you won't find a living being that doesn't have some type of hereditary disorder. Ethical responsible breeders make educated decisions in their breeding program to reduce or rid the breed of these health problems. The goals are to screen breeding dogs and bitches, so that affected animals are not used in breeding programs which would propetuate the characteristics in their offspring. This is another reason that it is so important to buy a puppy from a reputable breeder and never from a pet store, puppy mill, or irresponsible breeder. The biggest control of the market is demand. If buyers are only buying from responsible ethical breeders, the market will be gone for those that are not responsible and ethical, putting them out of business and improving the life and conditions of Cairn Terriers as a whole.