Pfizer Labratories Study:
In the fall of 2007 one of our members, Debbie Vann, and her dog attended the opening of their City's new dog park. While at the park this special girl was exposed to the new mutated strain of Parvo, now named Parvo 2 (c), which is suspect as coming in from Mexico and held on death's door for many weeks. The lot number from her vaccine was examined and found it did not provide coverage for this new mutated strain. Because she is only one of a handful of dogs who have contracted this new strain and lived, she now carries antibodies in her system to fight this and is involved in blood testing to help the Labs modify their vaccine so that other animals will not be put at risk. This little girl has been through so much and yet continues to willingly give more. She is representing our Biewers in an effort to help "ALL" animals against this new Parvo strain. It is an understatement to say that we are very proud of their efforts and that they were selected to participate in this important study. Our Biewers are representing us well!
Additional Toy Breed Concerns to Monitor
Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. When digestive enzymes that are normally excreted into the intestinal tract are activated in the pancreas instead, they cause inflammation. Foods high in fat, or a lot of greasy table scraps, tend to trigger pancreatitis. This is a serious and potentially life-threatening disease. Affected animals will have severe abdominal pain, loss of appetite, lethargy, depression, vomiting and diarrhea. Dehydration is also a danger.
HGE OR HEMORRHAGIC GASTRIC ENTERITIS
Particularly dangerous to the toy and smaller breed dogs. Any kind of bacterial diarrhea can quickly dehydrate a dog, and the tinies are at greater risk, as they have little weight to lose before they are dehydrated and need IV rehydration. Your dog can get infected anywhere. Then it can be from 2-10 days after exposure, that your dog can come down with this problem. The symptoms start with vomiting, lethargy, refusing to eat, and progressing to mucous covered stool, loose stools, severe diarrhea and bloody diarrhea. It is important to have a culture done first so that you know exactly what bacteria you are treating, and get them started on antibiotics. DO NOT waste time, especially with the tiny toy dogs , as they do not have the spare fluids to lose thru diarrhea, especially bloody diarrhea.
HYPOGLYCEMIA
Hypoglycemia is when the blood sugar levels (glucose) fall well below normal. Glucose is what the body uses as fuel and is necessary for the brain tissue and muscles to function. Hypoglycemia is often seen in toy breeds, and frequently in young toy puppies. It can cause your puppy to become confused, disoriented, drowsy, have the shivers,stagger about, collapse, fall into a coma, or have seizures. Typical signs are listlessness, depression, staggering gait, muscular weakness, and tremors -- especially of the face. Puppies with a severe drop in the blood sugar developed seizures or become stuperous and go into a coma. Some puppies may only exhibit weakness or a wobbly gait, and occasionally a puppy that seemed just fine is found in a coma. Most of the time the symptoms can be controlled by eating, or by giving some glucose such as honey water to the puppy. If not treated it can result in death.
Additional Information Coming Soon
Welcome to our Biewer Health information page. Consistent with our unsurpassed dedication to the breed, we are the only Biewer club actively involved in various health related studies identified throughout our website. The overall health of our breed remains a top priority for our club. Whether you are searching for your next pet, show dog or breeding companion, it is very important you understand all relevant health considerations. Please don’t hesitate to ask your breeder for more information.
At the BYTNC’s inception, a registrar was established to document the health of the Biewer and track relevant data regarding the breed’s progress in North America. This position has been and will continue to be instrumental to the club’s commitment to improving the breed’s overall health. One function of the registrar is compiling lab work from our club’s member dogs. Because Liver Shunt is a concern for all toy breeds, including Biewers, we have begun analyzing our dogs’ acid bile tests. Liver Shunt has typically been considered a birth defect, but there are also instances where this can be an acquired disease. Tracking these detailed records allows us to monitor the breed’s health progress as it ages.
