Why are European dogs healthier than ours..... - Page 1

According to the author Richard H. Pitcairn, DVM, Phd - "Natural Health for Dogs and Cats"  he writes that the European dogs are healthier than ours - why is that?   He also talks about commercial dog food - which we all know is not perfect.  But I was reading on the post about protein and too much protein (how do we know) ........I am in the process of switching dog food and I know people out there that have researched and did a lot of home work on a good diet.  I realize there is no perfect one - but give me some information.  I have been feeding SOLID GOLD - Milleneum for 4 years with the Seameal supplement and we have some itching going on - so then I recently read up on SoJo 's made in Minnesota (they have good ethics) adding meat to the base.  However I tried it for a week and my dog lost 2 lbs - hardly drank water because it is mixed with 3 cups of liquid.   Thanks in advance for any information about food and or allergies.

 This is bunk. European dogs are not any healthier in general that are ours. He has a point of view and he wants to "sell". People can make any statement they like, and it is all the better when it is something like this.....most people being too lazy to even think about whether it is or is not correct and can be substantiated. 

I think that the amount of line/inbreeding done over a period of time affects health. I also think that the early DDR dogs  and possibly Czech dogs had harder constitutions and were less sucepitble to sickness/disease issues than other lines of dogs I have owned. This is not based on research, but on my own personal experiences.

 Renz,

Too many people immediately jump on a bandwagon and change food etc. when they note a dog scratching. Dogs scratch, just like humans. The important thing is to know whether it is excessive and if so, then one must look diligently for a cause. It is NOT always an allergy and often people miss the most essential and simple solution because they are attributing something to an incorrect cause.

For example, how often has someone posted here that a pup has loose stool, poor appetite etc. Next thing you know someone is telling them the dog has all sorts of ills, including EPI, food allergies etc. More often than not, it turns out the pup has parasites!

As a former paramedic I was trained to approach injured or ill patients in a sytematic manner and to rule out problems before going on to the next system of the body. This is also what I was trained to do as a scientist. More GSD people would be better off to do the same.

First of all, try to find out what might be the cause of the itching. At the same time, there are some very simple things to also try but be sure you make only a SINGLE change and GIVE IT TIME TO WORK....minimally three weeks (*and this is true in all situations unless a dog is going downhill from illness etc.).

Start simple. Add a fish oil capsule once a day to the food. After three weeks, let us know what is happening. Don't change food. Wellness, Royal Canin, Breeders' Choice, Solid Gold, as examples, are fine foods. Others prefer other brands and some feed raw. Stick with one thing for a while.

Good luck.

I'm glad you brought this up because I recently read that Australian dogs are reputed to be longer lived and healthier due to RAW diets. I'll see if I can find the link, honestly I just stumbled across it while looking for something else, but I'd curious to know how true this was.

I am with you here, Hodie. I would like to see the data types, sources, sampling size, and volume for the study by Richard H. Pitcairn, DVM, Phd before I believed anything he said. Statistics are easily massaged and manipulated depending on which analytic formula(e) one chooses to use. Yes, I said "chooses" to use, as there is not one (1) established empirical formula or formulae for the interpretation of statistical data-there are several, hence the ability to massage the data and its outcome. It sounds like a campaign to sell a book to me.

Regards,

Bob-O

just my opinion here being in europe and visiting the USA for dogs since 1987

IMO the medical industrie in the US is a zillion times bigger than in europe , resulting in a bigger need to sell

as the human docters , the vets live by this industrie , so the sicker your puppie is the richer the vet will be

so the dogs are not really sicker , but your just told so , by a zillion dollar industry

Ive seen diseases in dogs in the US , nobody in europe ever heard of in these breeds

in europe checking a breed for two things , same breed in us for six or seven breedspecific diseases

lots of dogs on thyroidmedication , any showdog out of coat eats it like candy

where europeans have a comb and a brush , you find big boxes of pills and powders on dogpeople

I even once was was asked what pills would help against a matting coat  , go figure

also my first encounter with a shop for human meds was mindwhopping to me , so huge

I must say that actafed worked well for me

Hodie,

You are very wise.  I am with you.  I am confused though.  We have a beautiful GSD who is the most precious asset we have.  Of course in the process of itching - 3 spots - which he did not do this before.  I took him to my vet who also practices homeopathic - I insisted on doing a full blood panel including TSH and T4 so I would know that is was not the thyroid.  He blood work came back unremarkable.  And she says he is a beautiful healthy specim - So at least I know that is ok.  But am concerned as a mother would be - she put him on Probotics and EFA oil by RX (a vet) and we were sailing along and then in December he started to have the itch thing............so then (I guess I have too much money to spend on him) I made an appointment with the UofM (Derm dept) on Friday and came home with a shampoo and conditioner and Otomax etc...........they are quick to say it is an allergy.......now they want to put him on an elimination diet by HILLS - which I am totally against - they still preserve with Ethoxiquin (sorry for spelling) and have no quality control.  So I ask you - Solid gold is a wonderful food and I believe in it - I want to know from you can a dog develope an allergy to a grain all of a sudden - if that is true do you believe I should switch to Barking at the Moon/Solid Gold product to eliminate the grain aspect?  Thanks for your help.  HELP I need direction.

Renz, switch to Eagle Pack Natural Formula, no other supplements and no treats. You should see improvement within a month. One thing you can add later are Omega 3s which help with allergies. But I would do the 'elimination diet' with just the Eagle and nothing else first. That formula is already rich in Omega 3s as it is and it may be enough. No treats means no treats, no morsel of anything else.
Wash all your dogs bedding in a hypoallergenic soap, rinse a couple of extra times with 2 cups of vinegar added to the rinse water (takes out all possible soap residue), and change bedding frequently (especially if you live in an area where there is a lot of salt used in winter). If you have carpet, have it steam cleaned and nothing else added to carpet. No soap, just steam. Use only Murphys oil soap for floors or half vinegar and water or a very basic dish soap in the water. Eleminate all harsh household cleaners, not good for you or your dog. No antibacterial anything, that stuff is cr*p.
Wash your dog in a mild hypoallergenic shampoo, rinse with apple cider vinegar in the final rinse water, towel dry. No conditoner. You can rub coconut oil into the hair and skin, takes a few days to fully absorb (can be messy to have oily hair on a dog but helps), then wash dog again only once to make sure you only take the excess oil out of the hair, in case some of it is still too oily after 2 days. If there is no oil left, do not wash again. The coconut oil (organic extra virgin) should absorb quickly though and will soothe the skin, is great for hair. Natural oils are actually absorbed by the body into the skin, vs petroleum based oils which only coat the skin or hair and trap moisture inside that coating.
In winter time, the air inside is often dry. Put pots with water on the wood stove to evaporate if you use one, or use a humidifyer. Dry air causes dry skin which causes the dog to scratch. You can also moisturize the skin by adding some oil to the diet, but first see if a change in diet, such as to the Eagle will do the trick before screwing up or overburdening the dogs system more than necessary. Some supplements are counterproductive, so go back to the basics first, then add and only as needed.
Summary: eliminate environmental irritants that might affect the dog (bedding, cleaning agents, salt, hair conditioners, dry air), and feed a food designed to be as trouble free as possible (Eagle Natural) without the major price tag.

As to which is healthier... from having experienced and lived with dogs on both sides of the big water, I would have to say that yes you do encounter fewer problems with dogs at least in Germany. Can't speak for the rest of Europe. In Germany there are fewer vets, and people are more critical of them and proposed treatments. People have a more practical and effective approach to things in general (ie lets get dog and environment cleaned up and change food before running full blood panel), do not fuss so much. Foods are expected to do the trick, less money is spent on supplements and then only as needed. There is a much stricter quality control in breeding, vs none in the US. Even some of the new not yet recognized breeds often have stricter rules than even the SV (apart from working titles the SV has very basic breeding requirements compared to some other breeds). There are also stricter laws on proper housing for the dogs (ie 110 sqft is mandatory for a GSD size dog kennel, with proper roof structure, and proper dog house inside the kennel). When I compare popular dog hang outs in Germany (meaning fav dog walking spots) vs the ones I have been to in various parts of North Americ