BMDCA list

Pat, Could you please repost on the Berner-L info. on how BMDCA members can access the internet discussion for BMDCA members--or email me privately? Thanks, Christy Kabler

Chair

Hi, To any berner owner who is reading this list and is currently attending the dog show in Calgary this week: I had to leave the Calgary Show early on account of illness and left a blue canvas chair by one of the rings. If anyone attending the show is also planning to attend the upcoming Castlega

Bumps--Pemphigus Foliaceus?

Hi, Veronique, Last spring a colleague at work had a newfie mix develop a skin condition on her face quite rapidly. The skin condition involved blisters, pastules and bleeding sores that later crusted over. She asked me if I had any idea what was going on with her girl, so I checked Padgett's Con

leporine misadventures (i.e., carting with rabbits)

Hi, all, When I recently returned from a dog show after having been away for four or so days, there was a little black bunny in my yard, which I guessed had been drawn to the salt lick (for the deer), grass and flowers; he was obviously no ravager of gardens & seemed content with dining on wild dai

bungie cord leads

Hi, all, At a dog show I recently attended, a berner owner showed me a lead purchased at a pet store in Oregon that looked quite nifty as a humane tool for training strong and eager puppies not to pull on the lead and that would also spare the arm of the dog owner. It was basically just a bungie c

fireworks noise phobia

Hi, Freya, There was a recent article in DogWorld about canine storm phobia sufferers that might have useful info. for owners of dogs who have phobic reactions to fireworks' noise. The article relates that a new study was conducted at the College of Vet Medicine at the U.of Georgia; the study was

AIHA/Evan's Syndrome/Histocytic Sarcoma

When my first berner girl was diagnosed as having "Evan's Syndrome" by a vet at a teaching hospital (she was thought to have an autoimmune problem causing the increasing anemia and increasingly low platelets) because no cancer could be found, she was put on pred. Later on, two chemotherapeutic dru

Tilly

Hi, Pam, Very sorry to hear about Tilly. I had a girl who died of histiocytic sarcoma (a form of MH) more than three years ago. She too had anemia that would not respond to drugs (diagnosed initially as AIHA), inappetence, swollen spleen and liver. She was transfused three times (a universal don

harness adjustment

Nope, no problem with her rear legs hitting the tree--plenty of room there--and her traces are adjusted so that the tree is flying; also her loops are consistently in front of the brakes as they should be so no problems going down hill. Her length seems to "fit" the cart length. Thanks--Christy Ka

Distance of carting shafts

No carting practice yesterday as there was a bear in my neighbor's yard near the hill where I've been practicing--and that might have been a bit of a distraction (for me. It appears this bear has previously bedded down near my bird bath at night--ah, spring in Montana when one lives in prime grizz

carting/shafts/dog size

PS: Regarding shafts and cart size: Taz is a tall girl for a female berner--about 26 1/2 or so inches--and weighs around 100 pounds. She has a Dog Works low-profile two-wheel competition cart--the small cart--unless there's a smaller 2-wheel low-profile competition cart for adult dogs that I don't

backing with a cart

Thanks to Harriet, Tom, Lisa, Kathy & Jim & others who posted to the list or to me privately with suggestions for backing with a cart. Regarding harnesses, Taz has two. A leather chest strap harness that we bought at a carting workshop we attended in Canada when Taz was 6 months. The person runi

Backing while attached to cart

Hi, I've been working with my berner girl Taz (Taslima, not tazmanian devil) on her carting. She will obey all commands unattached to her cart. She is coming along nicely and obeys all of her commands unattached to her cart and most of them when attached. I can also now work with her with a loose

livestock guardian breeds

I have owned a kuvasz for eight years and own(ed) two bernese. A kuvasz (like a pyr) is a livestock guardian breed. The livestock guard breeds include the Akbash Dog (which is used to protect sheep from grizzly near Glacier National Park), the Anatolian Sheperd, the Kangal Dog (or Karbash), the C

Correct phone number for Dog Works?

Hi, Anyone out there know how one can speak directly with someone at Dog Works? I've called the voicemail number listed at their website twice (1-800-787-2788) since last week and left a couple of messages-- and have also emailed them (last week) once at the email address listed on their webpage

Long post! Fibrosarcoma treatment

Hi, all, I'm the person who posted to the list back in March regarding my kuvasz having developed an perianal tumor (fibrosarcoma). Although I've been told that my girl has a poor prognosis, she is so far doing quite well after surgery--no return of the tumor yet; no signs of spread. I wanted t

Carravet (Acemannan)

Hi, all, Has anyone ever tried Acemannan Immunostimulant (Carravet) in the treatment of a dog's fibrosarcoma--or does anyone know much about it? If you have used it, what were the results (regarding tumor shrinkage, tumor necrosis, or prolonged survival)? Did you use other therapies in combinati

Not a perianal tumor

Hi, all, My kuvasz girl's (Nefi's) tumor turned out to be a fibrosarcoma, not a perianal carcinoma as the vet had thought, so I've been reading about fibrosarcoma and have found out the following --common in dogs and cats --locally invasive, slow growing --no site predilection --metastasis is rare

Perianal gland tumors in berners

Hi, Kristin--The dog who has the perianal gland tumor (Nefi) is a kuvasz, a live stock guardian breed (big white dog that is used to protect sheep from predators, such as wolves). The reported incidence of perianal gland tumors in berners is very low--almost nil. Pat Long related that there has be

some info. on perianal gland adenocarcinoma

Hi, all, My kuvasz girl Nefi came through her surgery fine yesterday. Unfortunately, the vet could not remove all of her tumor because it was wrapped around vital structures, such as nerves. Complete removal would have meant paralysis. We do not know if she will be incontinent; any surgery tha

perianal gland adenocarcenoma

Hi, All, My seven-year-old spayed girl (kuvasz, not berner) has developed a rapidly growing tumor that her vet feels is a perianal gland adenocarcenoma. I've checked in my vet books and the internet and haven't found much info. on this kind of cancer. If anyone has had experience with perianal gl

Pacing as the result of structure

Hi, all, "Structure and proportion in a dog have a direct influence on its inclination to pace." A helpful book that has been mentioned many times before on this list regarding the links between structure and movement is Dogsteps A New Look by Rachel Page Elliott. Much more helpful (and fascinat