Another NotAJerlandFan - Page 1

I came across the two-year-old thread by NotAJerlandFan, and just wanted to say that we could echo every word she wrote. Nine years after buying an incredibly expensive male GSD from Jerland's, we still feel embarassed and ripped off to have fallen for Larry Jerland and his "products." Worst of all, we bought this dog at 10 weeks so that we could raise him to be a companion and service dog for my husband, who uses a wheelchair and works in the community, and that never became even remotely possible, despite serious training.

While our dog is a physical beauty, he has had to be a lonely, and often frustrated, pet (no work for him!), and:

1. His high-strung temperament means that he cannot be trusted in public with someone who cannot physically control him.
2. His allergies mean that he stinks and is often tormented by itching. (And we futilely spent $$$ on diagnosis & treatment).
3. At the age of nine, his rear end is starting to weaken and his feet to drop when he walks. We've had to reduce exercise.

We love this boy, but know, through an early contact, that Larry Jerland won't honor a guarantee--or take any responsibility.

He's a puppymill. Always surprised when people don't do their research fist and buy a dog from there. Sorry your dog didn't turn out the way you hoped.

I am not a fan of Jerlands either, nor would I ever do business with him; but I will say that the dogs that I have met from his kennel have had lovely stable temperments (they worked as service dogs and excelled at their job), however they were also plagued with allergies and mobility issues as they aged.

I am sorry your dog did not work out the way you wanted him to; I know Larry Jerome's dogs are very expensive and it is very disappointing spending all that money and not having the result you hoped for.

I am so sorry for your problems. Thank you for loving and caring for him all these years. I actually think that skin problems/allergies are  a major problem that often gets overlooked in the list of issues that dogs have and yet it is one of the most difficult to deal with because each animal is different and there is no one quick solution or fix. Plus many often end up on what I call the hamster wheel of treatment - prednisone, antiobiotics, antifungals - recycle.

There are a number of good previous threads about people dealing with this issue that offer some great ideas that have worked for people including some that were able to get off the hamster wheel tho it is tough because it is a long process that needs to be stuck with. here is a link to a recent thread http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/forum.read?mnr=787562-constantly-itchyskin-allergies&pagen=2#788302 .

Something new in the human world of allergies is Quercetin which is a bioflavonid. It calms the inflammation of the mast cells which become inflamed with hystamine. I recommended it to two friends with severe allergies and it has helped them immensely. It falls into the category might help won't hurt so might well be worth a shot - plus it is antimutagenic ( anti cancer). You can get it online or at helath food stores.

Re your guy's mobility problems. Can you find a way to swim him so he retains his muscle mass? Also are you saying that he knuckles over on his feet? That can be an early sign of DM ( pick up his food, deliberately turn the bottom over so the top of the foot is on the ground - does he pick it up and put it in the right position or does he appear to not know it's upside down? If the latter that is usually a sign of DM and you may want to read up on that and the treatments for it. PM Marjorie on the board she is an expert in that area. Also you may want to start him on 800 mg NATURAL vitamin e since DM dogs are deficient in it. At a minimum put him on 400 mg as a support even if you do not think it's DM but make sure it's the natural vit e. Artificial vit e comes from kerosene.

A natural Vit E with Salmon Oil caps. 400 Vit E, 2000 Salmon oil.