I thought it would be fun to take Dax to the vegas shows with us and enter him as a special and the Breeders sweepstakes they offer. Dax won the very first Breeders Sweepstakes when he was a puppy.

Dax went Select Dog at the show and won the breed at the sweepstakes. He is such a dream to show!!

Shady was Winners Dog and Best of Winners at his very first show!!! We were 1 bitch shy of a major!! Good boy Shady!!!

Smacker was RWB at her very first show!!! I bitch shy of a major.

Click here for the full article with all the links written by Lew Olsen

By Lew Olson • February 2007 Newsletter

The information contained in this newsletter should only be used as a guideline. Always make sure you have a correct diagnosis from your veterinarian before proceeding and always follow their directions and protocol.

Skin Problems

B-Naturals Newsletter

February 2007

By

Lew Olson,

PhD Natural Health, LMSW-ACP

!!NEWS UPDATE!!

UPDATE ON BERTES DAILY BLEND, IMMUNE BLEND AND DIGESTIVE BLEND

B-Naturals is proud to announce updates to our Berte’s Daily Blend,
Immune Blend, and Digestion Blend. Updates in ingredients and product
availability highlight these changes.
The primary ingredient change for the Berte’s Daily, Immune, and
Digestion Blends is a change from beef liver powder to a chicken liver
based ingredient. This change was implemented for two primary reasons.
We had an inconsistent supply of the beef liver powder and we received
many requests from customers with pets prone to beef allergies.

In order to better stock Berte’s products, we are employing a new
manufacturing company that should solve the backorder situation that has
plagued us in the past. We sincerely apologize for inconvenience that
our backorders have caused you and your pet.

With the new products, you will see some subtle changes in color,
texture, odor, and labels as we go through these changes. One thing that
remains the same, however, is our continued commitment to product
performance and quality that you and your pets have come to know, trust
and expect.
Thank you for your support and as always, feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

Thank You,
Lew Olson
Mike Liberato
B-Naturals Website and K-9 Nutrition Chat Line
1-763-477-7001 Phone
1-866-368-2728 Toll Free
1-763-477-9588 Fax
Orders and Shipping
Consults, Seminars, and Catalogs
Email Newsletter
DotBravo Co, LLC

Skin Problems

Of all the inquiries that I receive, the most frequent questions are
about itching, scratching and skin problems. This is such a big topic,
that I will only ‘scratch’ the surface here, but I will put in quite a
few resources to pursue further information.

Skin problems can pop up suddenly, be long term or even seasonal.
Dermatology is a complex field and the causes of itching, redness and
rashes can be hard to diagnose. But a diagnosis is important, as that
not only leads the way to the correct treatment, but also on how to
treat nutritionally and with supplements.
Causes of skin problems can come from a variety of reasons, and that is
why it can be hard to diagnose. These include allergies (food or
environmental), skin parasites (mites, flea bite allergies) or from
bacteria or yeast. And the problem is that once itching, biting and
scratching starts, it can spill over into bacteria or yeast, which can
camouflages the true origin of the problem.

Once a skin problem occurs, along with itching and scratching, it is
important to have a skin scraping done on the affected areas. This can
show you several things. It can demonstrate if skin mites are present. A
skin scraping will also tell you if yeast and or bacteria are present.
These are often not the original causes, but become opportunistic if
skin sores develop. Yeast and or bacteria can make the problem much
worse, but they are easily treated.

Occasionally steroids such as prednisone are prescribed, but these
drugs can make yeast problems worse. It may be wiser to use
anti-histamines for temporary relief of itching until a cause is
determined.

If these results don’t show anything, a blood panel and urinalysis
would be helpful, to see if any underlying condition is present. Things
that might cause skin problems include hypothyroidism, Cushing’s disease
and a few autoimmune disorders. Trying to diagnose the problem is a lot
about ruling things out, but it most often gets you to the source of
the problem.

Allergies can cause itching and scratching, and these can be either
environmental or food related. These can also imitate other causes of
itching.

Environmental and food allergies can have very similar symptoms,
including face rubbing, eye discharge, rashes, redness in the armpit or
groin area and crusty sores. Dr Pinkston, DVM states that most often ear
problems are the result of food allergies. They may develop yeast
infections, but she feels food allergies are the cause. She also reports
that dogs with allergic symptoms under a year, or that develop in mid
age are most often food related allergies.

Nutrition can play an important part of the treatment plan. Whatever
the cause of the itching, helping the dog with the best nutrition will
help promote better immune response and give your dog more defense to
develop a better immune system. If you are using a commercial diet, look
carefully at the ingredients to make sure good animal protein sources
are used and that it doesn’t contain cheap fillers. Mary Straus has an
excellent website on feeding dogs, with many links and comparisons on
all types of dog food, from commercial to pre-made raw diets.
http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html

Supplements can be helpful for many skin problems.

One of best things to add to your dog’s diet is EPA Fish Oil Capsules.
These are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which help the skin and coat,
and which also help the immune system. These are added to the diet, at
about one capsule (180 EPA, 120 DHA) per 10-20 lbs of body weight daily.

Adding Probiotic Powder
is helpful, especially when the dog has been on antibiotics. These help
replace the flora and fauna that are lost during antibiotic use.
Probiotics also help fight yeast infections.

Bertes Immune Blend contains antioxidants and vitamins for the immune system, including Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and B complex. It also has enzymes and acidolphilus, which is helpful for allergic conditions.

Tasha’s Skin and Hair Support
is an herbal tincture that is taken in the gum line, that contains
nettles which helps to reduce itching and reduce inflammation.

Derma Dream Salve helps heal skin irritations and is healing to the skin. Another good topical is the Thayers Witch Hazel and Aloe.
The witch hazel helps to kill bacteria and temporarily stop the
itching. The Aloe vera is cooling to the skin and helps the skin to
heal.

For environmental allergies, bathing is important to wash the allergens from the skin. The Purepet Shampoo
is oatmeal based, so it has a drying action to sooth the skin and
contains herbs to help with healing. It is also helpful to rinse after
bathing with a solution of half white vinegar and water. The vinegar
helps kill yeast and make sure all shampoo residues are removed.

When it comes to yeast problems, two good products are the HAC Yeast and Fungal, and the Tasha’s Olive Leaf Extract.
The Yeast and Fungal contains a blend of herbs to help fight stubborn
yeast infections and is given a few drops daily, mixed with a small
amount of food daily. The Olive Yeast Extract also helps fight yeast and
bacteria when given orally. It can also be used as poultice on the skin
to help with relief from rashes.
Remember to keep the dog’s bedding, yard and flooring in the house
clean. Treating skin problems is about treating the dog internally,
keeping the skin and coat clean and also the environment.

Nutrition is also important for maintaining healthy skin and coat.
Trying to use foods with limited amounts of ingredients or even removing
grains can help in some situations. For more information on preparing
home made diets, look at the recipes here:

Home made cooked diets: http://b-naturals.com/Apr2006.php

Home made raw diets: http://b-naturals.com/May2006.php
I hope you have found the above suggestions helpful. The links provided below provide more information on skin problems.

Overview of skin problems
http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/itch.html

More on skin problems:
http://www.peteducation.com/category_summary.cfm?cls=2&cat=1581

Excellent web site with symptom charts and many good links
http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/health/skin.htm

Dr Mike’s questions and answers on a variety of skin problems and conditions
http://www.vetinfo4dogs.com/dskin.html
Yeast Infections on the Skin
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_yeast_infection_of_the_skin.html
Yeast Skin Infections on Dogs
http://www.vetinfo.com/dyeast.html
Differences between food allergies and environmental allergies
http://www.dog.com/vet/dermatology/01.asp

How Hypothyroidism can lead to skin problems and importance of testing
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/hypothroidism.asp

Atopic Dermatitis
http://www.priory.com/vet/vetatop1.htm

Some information on canine autoimmune problems and skin
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/autoimmn.html

Chronic Skin Disorders and Illustrations
http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/dermatitis.html

Cushing Disease Symptoms, including the skin and hair
http://www.kateconnick.com/library/cushingsdisease.html

Both of the girls are doing great!!!! The repro vet has been out to see them and she was pleased with the condition of the girls – minus there long feet….. I don't have a sqeeze chute so toe trimming is pretty tough here.

Dancer the boar was moved into a pen inside where the girls live. He was put in a separate pen so they can be introduced gradually. They can touch noses and get used to eachother safely before we introduce them "officially".

I can't believe how small he makes the girls look 🙂

The girls made it safe and sound to their new digs in Oregon!!! We will give them a little while to settle in and they have an apointment with a pig repro vet tomorrow. Hopefully she will give us a better idea of when we can introduce them to the boar.

The Josephine Project ~

It all started when Daneen casually mentioned " We should get some pigs" …… Well anyone that knows me knows that statements like that are pretty dangerous to say around me. It didn't take me but a flat second to get on the internet and start looking at pig breeds 🙂

As I was cruising around the web I saw a photo of spotted piglets!!! OMG!!!! They were the flipping cutest things I have EVER seen!!!! Turns out they are Glouscestershire Old Spots and there are only about 1000 here in the US!!!

Photos of GOS Piglets from the GOSA site.

I somehow found the name of a GOS breeder in Oregon and had 2 gilts shipped to me. ADORABLE!!!!!
They are a very sweet breed and get really huge!!!! Since I am a breeder at heart I knew I had to find a boar for the girls. GOS breeders use a color wheel to figure out what is a best match for their sow because there are so few here and the gene pool is tiny. Each line of pigs belongs to a color group… either Blue, Green, Black or Red.
Another interesting thing is all the girl pigs are named after their mother. So my girls are Josephine I and Josephine II.

I bought and shipped a black group boar from New York to "hang out " with the girls. Since my mothers name is Josephine I thought I was being clever and named my new boy pig Andy ( My fathers name ) …. My mom didn't really appreciate the humor in that.

Andy was doing great until we found him dead in the stall one morning. I think he was bit by a rattlesnake.
All my pig breeding dreams went up in smoke. I am not located in the pig hotbed of the country so as life and other priorities took over my pig breeding days were pretty much over. The girls are getting up there in age and even if I bought another piglet it would take time to get him old enough to breed.

While at the Dalmatian National in Kansas a short time after Andy died I saw that there was a GOS breeder not too far from the host hotel!!! I asked a couple of friends if they wanted to go look at pigs with me… They said sure!!! It was fun and ride over to the GOS farm my friends started freaking me out by telling stories about how they had heard of people killing people and throwing the bodies to the pigs and not a trace of evidence would be left!!! Then they started in on that they would ask the farmer " sooo how many pigs would we need for … let's say a 180 pound man"  I turned to them and laughed then in a very stern voice " Don't you guys dare say any of that stuff to the farmer, I REALLY want him to sell me a pig!!!!!"

Turns out he didn't sell me a pig 🙁

So now we are 5 years later after bringing both Josephine's here to our ranch and no boar and no piglets!!!
Last week I was reading posts on the GOS Yahoo group and come to find out that it looks like my girls are the last of the Josephine line!!!! Daneen said " You're kidding me! Sell them and get a good price!!!" Um…..Nooooooo
They are my girls and the right thing to do is get them bred….. and continue the Josephine line!!!!

I guess me and the girls have been quite the topic in the GOS circle and the cause of some excitement in the US GOS world, and I do think that this Josephine Project is important. I love my girls and would hate to see the Josephine line die off.

I was contacted by email by several people in the GOSA club and got a call from a man named Luther.
He sounded like a very kind man and was interested in seeing what he could do to help me get these girls bred.
He and his wife Julie have a farm in Oregon and have several GOS pigs including 3 GOS boars!!! Turns out he got his original pigs from Rich in NY who I bought Andy from ….. IT really is a small world.

With that phone call from Luther & Julie was born " The Josephine Project "  There were a few initial obstacles that we had to figure out, first being the 1000 miles that stood between the sows and their boar. Luther and I agreed on a half way point to meet and exchange the girls…. then we ran into the second and third obstacles…. I don't have a trailer and have never actually pulled a trailer. So I got on the phone and spoke with every livestock/horse hauler and friend that had a trailer …. I even toyed with the idea that I could just load them up into our white sprinter and they could ride in the air conditioning all the way to our meeting point. I thought long and hard about that option ….. Daneen probably would not go for it and then there was the tiny detail of how were we going to safely transfer both girls from the sprinter to the trailer???? Visions of two big spotted pigs galloping down the I 5 sent shivers down my spine then chuckles because I could then visualize me running after them yelling "GIRLS come back!!!!"

After zero luck finding a hauler or a trailer, Luther decided that it would probably be easier and safer on the girls if he drove all the way here. I agreed. No transfer and less stress all the way around. Boy was I thankful!!!

Project Josephine is classified as highly time sensitive. I could hear the girls biological clocks ticking away every second. So the plans were set. We tried to think of every possible think to keep the girls safe and comfortable on their journey. Pigs don't sweat and can overheat very quickly and we have been having record high temps. Luther brought a generator and a huge fan that he could run to keep them cool if he needed to.

So today was the big day. I have been telling the girls all about their new adventure for a few days now. Luther drove up with a beautiful huge trailer that was filled with hay, straw and a big pile of shavings that we hosed down so the girls could keep cool. He also brought a bunch of zucchini squash the size that I have never seen before!!!!

We divised a makeshift chute from horse corral panels leading from the barn to the trailer. I didn't feed the girls today so they would be super hungry and maybe a little more motivated to load up into the trailer. We got a bucket of feed and had some apples and the monster zucchini in the trailer waiting for them. One of the Josephine's must have got a whiff of the food and hopped right up into the trailer. The other Josephine was not so keen and turned around to go back into the barn. We got her turned around facing the trailer again and she must have heard her sister making smacking sounds as she gobbled the first zucchini. Well that is all it took…. she then hopped right in and we shut the trailer door. Super easy peasy.

So with a tears in my eyes and wishing them a safe journey and sending lots of pink and blue thoughts (more pink than blue) for the girls, I watched them travel down our road and heading to a new phase in their lives.

I went out to water the plants and trees with a flock of little helpers 🙂 Cutter and Smacker jumped right into the mud and had a blast.

Smacker

Cutter is the worst little mud puppy

So we filled the pool to clean all the pups

Aiden usually stands outside the pool and just bites the water…. he actually got in the pool today!

Fun to watch each pup figure out if they like water or not. Demian jumped right in – Shady, not so much

Freeway got in on the fun too – She really likes the littles.

Stunner

Stunner

Demian was clever at her new trick

Shimmer really likes Freeway and kept trying to get her to chase her

Aiden

This is the dirtiest that Shady got – He is happier to just pose and look cute 🙂

 The trash or rubbish rules as it is called here, are very different and even after 3 weeks I still can't remember all the rules or what goes in what colored rubbish bin.

 We had another training day today at Eastbury. The part of Eastbury that is still standing is huge and magnificent – and it was originally the servants quarters!!! Before Eastbury was blown up it was the third largest house in England behind Buckingham Palace!!! The story is very interesting and I would love to read up about it some more.

Passed a funny little sign on a pub on the way to dinner

MMMMMM we had Italian this night and it was very tasty

We left the DINAS show a day early because of the heat. It was about 87 degrees and muggy. I have never gotten more sun than I did these last couple of days!!!

The motorway was pretty jammed so we cut across through the area called The New Forrest. All the animals are allowed to roam freely!!! We pulled over at a local pub and let the dogs out to stretch their legs.

 This foal was so friendly we were able to pet it.

 The mural on the wall inside the pub

 We were parked at the pub eating our sandwiches and these cows were about 10 feet from us.

We bar b qued and ate our tea in the summer house by the fire

Toasting marshies in the fire pit