SHELTIE HEALTH

 

 

 

Good Nutrition: Diet should be of a 'premium' nature and come highly recommended by folks who also use the diet. Do not decide on a diet based upon the wording of a package or the prompt of a salesman. Do the footwork, talk to other dog people using the diet before deciding what is best for your shelties. We feed premium dog food, with some fruits and veggies and the occasional raw, meaty bone, but this does not mean this diet will work best for you, too. Not everyone's dogs will do well on the same diet. If you are replacing your current diet with another, please allow at least three months' time before a decision is made on whether the new diet is good for your Shelties. Coat color and texture, energy levels, overall fitness and attentiveness, are items that most often will tell you if the food or diet you are feeding is working.

 

For more information on the differences in dog foods, I invite you to ask us about different Nutrition products.
 

Exercise: Exercise is as important to your sheltie as it is to you, for keeping muscle tone healthy and the body lean, and in warding off other problems to which your sheltie will be more susceptible if he is not fit. Without proper exercise a sheltie can grow fat and lazy, conditions which encourage things like poor circulation, diabetes, hypothyroidism, and can create undue cardiac stress, as well as structural problems by putting too much strain on legs, feet and joints. Lots of running and chasing, games of retrieve, are all excellent ways to exercise your sheltie. Proper conditioning and muscle tone will affect the way a sheltie moves, how quickly the sheltie tires, as well as the general, overall feeling of wellness your sheltie should enjoy.

 

Flea and Tick and Heartworm control.

Our contract requires the use of these products for your Sheltie.  You may use either of these combinations. Shelties should not use Heartgard. The Ivermectin is known to cause seizures in Shelties and Collies. You may use; Sentinel, or the Intercepter / Frontline combination or Advantage/Intercepter.   Flea and Tick Collars, and preparations that you can buy in the grocery, or pet store seldom work.  Please stick with the products your vets offers.  You will need to use these products either year round, or 9 months a year.  Please follow the recommendation of your vet.    Here are the differences in the three combinations of products:    When used together, all produce about the same results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shetland Sheepdog Disease In Perspective

by Corina Olsen, RavenWyn Shelties

http://www.RavenWyn.com

 In 2005, American Kennel Club "AKC " statistics noted 14,278 Shetland Sheepdogs, along with 6,981 Shetland Sheepdog litters were registered.  So, we can approximate that a total of 42,000 Shelties were accounted for by the AKC.  Using this number as a basis, but knowing full well that there are Shelties out there not registered with the AKC, we can theorize how many Shelties are affected and/or are carriers for certain diseases.  

DISEASE	% Affected / Carriers compiled from Stats.	Approx. # of Affected / Carriers based on 42,000
Autoimmune Thyroiditis	12.7 % Affected	5,334
Hip Dysplasia	4.9 % Affected	2,058
vWD	7% Carriers	2,940
vWD	1% Affected	420
MDR1 Genotype	10% Carrier	4,200
MDR1 Genotype	19% Affected	7,980

 After reviewing these numbers "In Perspective", it would be naive for any breeder and/or individual to safely assume that their Shetland Sheepdogs are NOT affected, nor carriers of any of these diseases.  It would even be ignorant to assume that these percentages are too low to concern oneself with even testing for these diseases.  Yes, I know that there is only a 1 percent chance that your Sheltie may have von Willebrand's Disease.  But, when we look at the figures I've provided above, that means there are at least 420 Shelties running around out there that are affected. AT LEAST being the keywords here!

 

Another way of looking at this information is to look at our pedigrees. How many of them intertwine?  It's safe to say that today's Shetland Sheepdogs in the United States are in some way related to each other.  Especially when using a popular stud at any given time.  Without beating this issue into the ground, I can end in saying that these genetic defects are out there. It's time to start thinking in perspective and looking at the big picture. Something to think about.

 

References:

Brewer, G.J., & Venta, P.J. Sheltie von Willebrand's Disease: Can Now Be Diagnosed by a DNA Test. Retrieved December 2, 2005 from World Wide Web http://www.vetgen.com/sheltvwd.html

Orthopedic Foundation For Animals. Hip Dysplasia and Hip Dysplasia Statistics, Hip Dysplasia by breed. Retrieved December 2, 2005 from World Wide Web: http://www.offa.org/hipinfo.html.

Orthopedic Foundation For Animals, Michigan State University Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory Breed Prevelance Data, MSU Thyroid Statistics. Retrieved December 2, 2005 from World Wide Web: http://www.offa.org/msustats.html

The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Genetics Laboratory. Canine Genetics, Affected dogs in breed populations with MDR1-1. Retrieved December 2, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/research/canine/projects/mdr1b/.

---------------------- Corina Olsen, copyright 2006 ----------------------

Permission to distribute the above article is only allowed in its entirety with note to Author, references, website link, copyright notification, as well as this permission usage stipulation. Thank you for supporting Canine Health Education!

 

 

Common Sheltie Diseases

 

Canine Thyroiditis   

Hip Dysplasia

Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease (LCP)

Eye Disorders in Shetland Sheepdogs

von Willebrand's Disease (vWD) in Shetland Sheepdogs

Dermatomyositis (DM)

MDR1 Genotype

 

Please visit for more medical information  http://www.RavenWyn.com