Bluhouse Neapolitan Mastiff @bluhouseabout - Tumblr Blog

Osteosarcoma

I’ve seen my fair share of osteosarcoma at work, it’s a terrible disease. With over 10 years in the breed part of me feels fortunate to have gone so long before seeing it in my own pets. But with every limp it springs to the back of my mind, that sickening feeling deep in the pit of my stomach, and this time was no different.

She started limping after a fence-fighting spat, but when the limp…

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Anesthesia in the Mastino Even when they are routine, surgical procedures in the giant-breed dog can be stressful for the veterinarian and owner alike.

Children's Board book

Children’s Board book

BluHouse Mastini has published it’s own book! A bilingual Board book is now available for purchase at our Etsy Shop

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E litter

Puppies Now Available Vivella de BluHouse had 6 black puppies in May of 2016. 4 females and 2 males.

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Carpal Laxity

Carpal laxity syndrome is a common issue in the Neapolitan Mastiff. The predisposition for laxity is undoubtably genetic although environmental factors clearly determine the degree of manifestation of the condition. Signs typically begin begin between 4 and 8 months with a gradual plantigrade stance being the most common manifestation of the condition in the Neapolitan Mastiff, while Great danes…

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Hemingway

Noses

Basic Anatomy The front facial anatomy of the dog is straightforward. There is the plane of the nose (A) the nares (B) the philtrum (C) lips (D) tongue (E). Idiopathic nasal Hyperkeratosis Hyperkeratosis of the plane of the nose (A) is characterized by raised roughened skin on the top of the nose. The roughened skin can also appear on the foot pads. Medical conditions such as zinc deficiency,…

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Hemingway de BluHouse

Gitana de BluHouse Sire: Agripina's Gaius Grow on you Dam: Ophelia de BluHouse DOB: December 2014 Owner: David & Robin White, BluHouse Mastini Breeder: David & Robin White, BluHouse Mastini

handsomedogs

What’s the worst thing your dog has eaten...?

bluhouseabout

The turn signal off my bonneville

2002 Winter Neogram

#usnmc

Fall 2008 Neogram

#usnmc

badbreedingblog

The serious misinformation on your blog lately is concerning. You have a lot of followers who are going to take your word on things you don't understand. Please take a step back and don't answer questions you can't answer instead of making things up

I admit I don’t know it all about certain dog breeds and I openly ask people questions on what’s correct and what’s not. I let followers take charge of the discussions.

I am trying to make things better how I run this blog, and a lot of stuff I let followers answer if I don’t know.

I’m curious, what specific things are misinformation? Submit me evidence on them and I can fix attempt to fix what’s concerning you.

I’m aware of the “breed Line Split” post is very flawed and I’m letting my followers submit what’s true and what’s false. I’m going to delete that altogether soon.

simply-canine

I’m not this Anon, but I too have been a longtime follower of your blog and though I really liked it in the past, I do have to agree that the amount of misinformation posted lately is disheartening. :( Here are a few of the recent things I’ve noticed:

-A number of the breed health responses are off, the worst case of this being the Doberman. I realize it’s impossible to be well-versed in the welfare problems of every single dog breed, but perhaps in the future you could research with credible sources and then link to those sources? This is a good practice to have in general. :)

-Another thing that I personally found problematic in the Doberman health post was the insinuation that because a health problem has a genetic (or phenotypic) test for it, it is somehow less of an issue in the breed and that it’s possible to “breed out” diseases by health-testing. This is a common misconception amongst dog breeders which arguably causes more problems than it fixes, so it’s disheartening to find a blog which is about animal welfare in breeding to support these views. The absolute best source to read about how genetic testing should fit into a breeding program can be found in The Genetics of the Dog edited by Ostrander and Ruvinsky in the chapter on genetic counseling for dog breeders. However, I realize that it’s an expensive text that not everyone can afford, so as a second choice I would recommend reading through some of the articles on the Institute of Canine Biology’s website, in particular Managing Genetic Disorders: “Just eliminate the bad gene.” For something that’s a little more accessible, I recommend this article: Health Testing in Dogs is Limited.

-The posts on dog licensing in the US are also incorrect. In every state, you must legally get your dog vaccinated for rabies and get the dog licensed every 1-3 years, so it is essentially a tax. Many areas, both in cities and counties, also have strict limits on the number of animals you can own without a breeding license. And yes, the government can and will seize your animals if you are breaking the law, and even euthanize them if you cannot or will not comply with the legal ordinances in your area (like mandatory spay/neuter laws or BSL). There are also special restrictions on dog breeders enforced by the USDA. Hence, there are not only legal puppy mills in the US, but USDA-approved puppy mills. Lack of legislation is not the primary issue, and in fact many responsible hobby breeders are hurt more by the USDA regulations than puppy mills are, because the USDA standards tend to favor a factory-farming setting over a raised-in-the-home setting. Some cities have additional requirements for pet breeders on top of the USDA requirements. A good resource on US dog and dog breeder laws is the AKC’s government relations page.

-I know you have already addressed this, but the working vs. show split post was at least 50% incorrect. Two that really jumped out at me personally were Azawakhs and Salukis, since both of these dogs are still being bred in their countries of origin as landraces! There are even several breeders just in the US that breed landrace drop-eared sighthounds using country of origin stock.

-The post on dwarfism in Dachshunds “being the least issue in breeding ethics” is extremely misguided. ¾ of ALL Dachshunds have at least one calcified disc, thanks to their dwarfism, and ¼ will require some form of medical treatment. In two years of working at a vet I have seen 3 Dachshunds euthanized at 3 years-old or younger due to problems caused by severe IVDD. I know of several more that became partially paralyzed around the same age. The rate of IVDD in Doxies is outrageous even compared to other hypochondroplastic breeds like Corgis. It is definitely a welfare issue. Also, the assumption that the Doxie’s problems with IVDD are caused by extreme conformation rather than the dwarfism itself is incorrect. I have written on this in the past. Several studies have been done analyzing the various risk factors for IVDD in Dachshunds, and none of them found relative conformation (i.e. the length of the legs compared to the back) to be a statistically significant increase in risk for IVDD in the breed.

-The blog overall seems to focus really heavily on issues of extreme conformation in breeding, which is only a small part of the overall problem with genetic diseases in dog breeds. The reality is that only a minority of dog breeds suffer from qualzucht or sine qua non disorders, but all dog breeds are burdened with relatively high rates of genetic disease due to the poor population management practices encouraged by the closed registry system most large registries continue to utilize. This is dangerous because it can lull people into a false sense of security that because their breed is of moderate conformation or is bred for work over aesthetics, that they are somehow largely immune to genetic disorders. For a blog about animal welfare in breeding, it would make sense to address the major issues behind genetic disease rather than just the minor ones, as horrible as qualzucht is, and present a more balanced view of promoting health in breeding.

If you’re interested in learning more about canine genetics, here are some starting resources I recommend as basic background information on the subject:

-The Institute of Canine Biology

-Articles by Jeffrey Bragg especially Population Genetics in Practice: Principles for the Breeder and Purebred Dogs into the Twenty-First Century

-Canine Genetics and Epidemiology

-Canine Inherited Disorders Database - VERY useful for researching breed-specific health concerns, but it’s still good to compile multiple sources when researching breed health

-Here’s my collection of canine genetics studies and articles; some of these are very specific whereas others are more broad.

-If you can afford it, Dr. Beauchat of the Institute of Canine Biology is teaching an online course on Basic Population Genetics for Dog Breeders which is scheduled to begin on September 1st. Only $95 for a 10 week course in such a specific subject taught by an expert in the field seems like a steal to me.

Hope that helps!

bluhouseabout

Some great resources here

danubedogs

List of Dog Documentaries

Dogs Decoded- Explores the relationship between dogs and humans, and also looks at the genetic and scientific history to find when and how this bond began. [watch here]

Tough Love- Traces the history of the “alpha dog” concept from its origins in 1940’s wolf studies to its current popularity among ordinary dog owners and professional trainers. [watch here]

Me and my Guide Dog- The history, raising, and training of Guide Dogs. [watch here]

The Dog Factory- A BBC investigator follows the trail of puppy mill operators and backyard breeders to find the root of the rampant animal exploitation problem. [watch here]

The Wonder of Dogs- Charts the remarkable journey of the domestic dog from one common ancestor, and the relationship that ancient and modern dogs have with humans. [watch here]

The Science of Dogs- The scientific exploration of dog genetics and how hundreds of breeds were bred to serve different purposes across the world. [watch here]

Pedigree Dogs Exposed- Eye-opening documentary about the health and welfare of purebred dogs in the UK. (Personal notes: At times it can be very broad but the overall tone of the doc is important and it actually caused the British Kennel Club to review and change their breed standards.) [watch here]

One Vision- A short documentary about training Guide Dog puppies and the challenges that the learning puppies must face to advance in their training. [watch here]

Air Lyra- The story of Lyra the Border Collie and her human, Jean McCollister, who became dog sport champions and later pioneered the disc dog sport in Slovenia. [watch here]

The Truth About Your Dog’s Food- Investigating the ingredients inside cheap dog food, and the implications what these have on dog health and welfare. [watch here]

Dogs and More Dogs- Another documentart about the history of dogs, why they have such physical variation, and the different jobs they can perform. [watch here]

And Man Created Dog- The journey of dogs from wolf to human companion, and how dogs became the most varied species on the planet. [watch here]

Until There are None- This documentary follows a group of animal rescue volunteers as they travel to overcrowded rural animal shelters in West Virginia and Kentucky to rescue dogs before they are euthanized. [watch here]

DOGS- A documentary about the treatment of shelter dogs in Russia. [watch here]

Naki'o- A short documentary about the world’s first dog to receive four prosthetic limbs. [watch here]

Dog Fighting in the USA- An older documentary highlighting the world of dog fighting. [watch here]

I see you. How fast can you run?

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