The greatest gift of health is delivered through love, care and hugs. That is the job of every new adoptive parent. I read a web site lately that kept saying that the owner was the "master". How sad that the breeder did not understand the relationship with a Mastiff. They will become a part of your heart, as you are part of theirs.
Your job is clear, love them, socialize them, guide them and help them to be a well mannered member of your family. This means taking the time to walk them and take them to new and fun places. My job is to do what I can to be there when you have questions or concerns. My job is to have done my best to get to you a healthy new member of your family. I try to make it clear that although Mastiffs tend to be a very healthy breed and are not terribly genetically predisposed to many problems, they certainly are not immune to them. The saying goes that if you have been a breeder long enough, sooner or later you will see it all. It is true. Beware of the breeder that says that they have never seen any problems. In our 20+ years we have been very fortunate and only seen a handful of isolated problems ranging from structural, to cancers, to neurological, which includes epilepsy and then those problems that no one could ever really figure out. Some had no genetic basis, some a hint, some no one knew and some did indicate genetics. The problem is that no matter the cause, the pain is still very real.
It is my goal to be there for you from 8 weeks to the geriatric stage. Please know that you can call with the good or the not so good... "he ate my couch" or "she is teaching my year old child to walk" or "he is 13 and still going strong" or "she is 7 and in trouble, what do I do?"
I have included a list of definitions, mostly boring. I pulled it from another web, but I did delete all the references that if anything was wrong it was the "Masters" fault, we are here to help one another get through the raising, parenting and loving of the Mastiff.
- Definitions:
- Osteochrondrosis
- A disturbance in the normal process of bone development which results in thickening or retention of the articular cartilage on the end of the bone. The long bones are the most frequently affected. This thickened cartilage is prone to breaking off and if a cartilage flap develops, inflammation and degenerative joint disease may result as Osteochondritis dissecans.
- Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD)
- Occurs most frequently in the rapidly growing male. Nutritional, hormonal, and traumatic factors have all been implicated in this process. OCD is confirmed by radiographs by a knowledgeable vet. It can be corrected with surgery. The most common sites of occurrence are the hock, stifle, elbow, and shoulder joint.
- Panosteitis
- An acquired inflammatory condition of unknown cause that affects the long bones. It is often called the “wandering lameness” as it seems to jump from joint to joint. It affects males more often than females and can be accompanied by lethargy, fever, and loss of appetite. The dog will outgrow this, but it is helpful if the dog receives long slow walks daily. Please call me for more information.
- Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy
- A disease of unknown cause. A genetic basis has not been established. Clinical signs may develop between two months and until the growth plate closes. It is easily diagnosed with a radiograph.
- Hip Dysplasia
- Said to be the most common developmental orthopedic condition that affects all dogs. It is influenced by many factors, environment, nutrition, hormones and genetics. Hip dysplasia has appeared in dogs and bitches that have many generations of OFA certified non-dysplastic hips. Technically any OFA rating other than excellent suggests an abnormality. There is much controversy on the genetic basis for dysplasia, the percentage of dysplasia today is very similar to the percentage 30 years ago when people were not testing and breeding only clear parents.
- Epilepsy
- A neurological disorder causing animals and people to suffer from convulsions. We do not understand it in humans and we do not understand it in animals as yet. The portion of epilepsy that has any genetic basis is rare. It can be caused by illness of all types, toxins, stress and the list goes on. It can be treated with medication very successfully in most breeds. The giant breeds are more problematic in relation to the medications. Many people have successfully sought out a natural approach to controlling the disease. The Mastiff club has been very aggressive in trying to aide in the isolation of the DNA gene for epilepsy. I have submitted swabs for all of our dogs to try to advance the effort. If the gene is found, it will only relate to the portion of epilepsy that has a genetic basis. It is a very important start.
If you have any questions regarding Mastiffs or have questions about the site, please email me at Beowulfmastiffs@aol.com
