Mange in a brood gyp.

[thefoodchain]

The gyp in question hasn't been over bred. The irony is she's has only been bred twice and I've had her since she was 9 weeks. As a pup she had the most beautiful black coat that shined so much she looked slick. When she was around 3 her coat began to present the described problems. So I treated with the thought that I had eliminated it. Then she was bred at the age of 7 and out of a litter of 5, 4 was presented with the condition.

I treated again and waited. We bred he again March of this year under the impression that we cured the condition. She whelped 4 pups 2 buckskins & 2 blacks. My brother in life picked out 1 of the black females. And all was looking good but then the female we kept here started the signs of coat and skin issues. The very next day my bro calls me with ther news that his was going through the same concerns. Now get this the buckskin ones that went in two different directions are unscathed. With her age my plans are to get her bred one last time. And this will be #3 and if all works out, her first and last back to back litters.

[No Quarter Kennel]

Take it for what it's worth, from a guy who has tried a ton of health problems on for size in the hope of perpetuating the best of said dog......most times, it don't work out and is not worth it.

I'm not trying to discourage anyone, but the fact is, dogs who throw health problems really shouldn't be bred unless there is a level of positive that is truly, extremely unique. To be honest, there's not that much of that category out there as much as some may try to sell that there is.

There are too many very good animals out there with little to zero health issues or behavioral problems to use instead of dogs that will perpetuate a problem. Life is too short.

With that being said, I did just happen to pick up an outstanding bitch, in her day, who has a pretty severe gum disease problem. However, that's not something that should pass along, but rather is something environmental. LOL....SO, I guess I'm still out there trying to create or re-create that something special too. However, I've been burned BAD with the mange stuff so I stay very far away clear with that stuff now.

Good topic of discussion.

[Officially Retired]

The gyp in question hasn't been over bred. The irony is she's has only been bred twice and I've had her since she was 9 weeks. As a pup she had the most beautiful black coat that shined so much she looked slick. When she was around 3 her coat began to present the described problems. So I treated with the thought that I had eliminated it. Then she was bred at the age of 7 and out of a litter of 5, 4 was presented with the condition.

I treated again and waited. We bred he again March of this year under the impression that we cured the condition. She whelped 4 pups 2 buckskins & 2 blacks. My brother in life picked out 1 of the black females. And all was looking good but then the female we kept here started the signs of coat and skin issues. The very next day my bro calls me with ther news that his was going through the same concerns. Now get this the buckskin ones that went in two different directions are unscathed. With her age my plans are to get her bred one last time. And this will be #3 and if all works out, her first and last back to back litters.

Two things come to mind then:

1) Are you feeding raw or kibble? I have seen certain dogs with "mange problems" while fed kibble go on to have superb coats when switched to raw ... there are, literally, thousands of testimonials all over the world to this effect. Therefore, at the end of the day, a lot of the so-called "coat problems" dogs get in fact simply turn out to be dogs that can't take being fed kibbled dogfood (which they're really not designed to eat) ... but prove to be perfectly normal and healthy dogs when fed raw, which is what they're supposed to eat.

2) Is the bitch a truly badass bitch? Or is she just "another dog"? If she is just another ho-hum dog, then maybe it's best to breed in another direction. But we are breeding PERFORMANCE ANIMALS, after all, and as such I would take a hit in "coat quality" to breed an ACE bitch over taking a hit in "performance quality" to breed to an average bitch with a pretty coat. Case In Point: The owner of Ch Robert T Jr never bred to the dog because "he had mange on his feet," and yet the dog stopped FOUR 4xWs from making Grand Champion, and he did so without a cutter in his head. I don't know about you, but I personally would rather have a yardful of dogs with that kind of ability, and deal with the "mangy feet" issue, than I would to have a yard full of dogs with "perfect coats" that could never win or compete at that level.

Word!

So those are the two key points I would come to terms with myself, to help clarify my position on the matter.

Cheers,

Jack

[Dogman]

The gyp in question hasn't been over bred. The irony is she's has only been bred twice and I've had her since she was 9 weeks. As a pup she had the most beautiful black coat that shined so much she looked slick. When she was around 3 her coat began to present the described problems. So I treated with the thought that I had eliminated it. Then she was bred at the age of 7 and out of a litter of 5, 4 was presented with the condition.

I treated again and waited. We bred he again March of this year under the impression that we cured the condition. She whelped 4 pups 2 buckskins & 2 blacks. My brother in life picked out 1 of the black females. And all was looking good but then the female we kept here started the signs of coat and skin issues. The very next day my bro calls me with ther news that his was going through the same concerns. Now get this the buckskin ones that went in two different directions are unscathed. With her age my plans are to get her bred one last time. And this will be #3 and if all works out, her first and last back to back litters.

If its Demodex mange , then there is something wrong with her immune system. You could try to boost her immune system by feeding her better quality feeds like Raw like Jack mentioned and also by supplementing with immune boosting supplements like antioxidants etc etc, while still treating your dog for demodex at the same time.

Like I said earlier not all the pups will inherit the same level of genetic immunity disorder pass down from the mother dog, and some dogs will only show symptoms when they are stressed.

Basically you have to do what you think is best and see if the pro's out weigh the con's.

[skipper]

I have been feeding raw for some years. To this day I haven't had one single health issue with any of my dogs. When fed kibble I had some problems, it ended up with me having to buy 3 different foods. I doubt that our dogs are that much healthier than others, they just get fed better. With that said I think it's all up to you if you think it´s worth all those vet bills and the headache. I'm not saying I never would breed such a dog. I'm just saying it had to be THE BEST bitch by far for me to consider it. Good luck!

[Officially Retired]

[thefoodchain]

Thanks for the input from everyone. She's an outstanding animal but it might be best to exclude her from the program.