At four weeks she developed a mild parvo virus infection and had an intussusception. This is where the small or large intestine rolls in on itself and is life threatening. It usually occurs in the ileo-colic area and surgery is necessary. Any problem that disrupts the normal intestinal peristalsis (movement), such as viral (parvo, etc), parasites, foreign bodies can cause this problem.

Fern had surgery at 4 weeks and Dr. Barr saved her life, thus becoming part of her name. She is still going strong at 10.5 years.  I mention this as we do see this problem in puppies and if not treated they can die.  Even with treatment, the problem can reoccur.   An ultrasound can diagnose the problem rapidly.

Purdue Bloat Study

Recent studies are shedding more light on gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV), otherwise known as bloat. GDV is the second leading cause of death in large-breed (50 – 99 pounds) and giant-breed (100 pounds and over) dogs. Approximately one in four large-breed dogs and one in five giant-breed dogs may develop GDV during their lifetime, with some breeds at even higher lifetime risk. GDV strikes suddenly and has a mortality rate as high as 30 percent.

In GDV there is a rapid accumulation of air in the stomach, causing distention and often rotation of the stomach, cutting off blood supply at both ends and causing the dog to go into shock. GDV is an acute emergency and rushing the dog to immediate veterinary care is essential. The risk of a dogdeveloping GDV increases with age. Other factors that increase a dog’s risk are having a first-generation relative with a history of GDV, having a deep and narrow chest or abdomen, being thin, experiencing a major health problembefore age 1, and having a fearful ornervous temperament.

Research primarily at Purdue University by Dr. Larry Glickman, VMD, Ph.D, (an AKC Excellence in Canine Research Award winner), and Dr. Malathi Raghavan, DVM, Ph.D. has identified a number of feeding management and dietary factors that increase the risk of GDV. These include eating only one meal a day, feeding only dry dog food, feeding food with only small particles, and feeding a large volume of food per meal. Other feeding factors found to increase the risk of GDV were eating rapidly, increased physical activity before and eating, restricting a dog’s water intake before and after eating, moistening dry food before feeding, and eating from a raised feeding bowl. Thus, some of the recommendations commonly made to prevent GDV were shown by the research to actually increase the risk of GDV. In the Journal of the American Veterinary MedicalAssociation, Vol. 17, No. 10, Glickman wrote, “In addition, in univariate analysises, many of the recommendations commonly made to prevent GDV, such as raising the food bowl, moistening dry food prior to feeding, and restricting water intake before and after feeding, were associated with a significantly increased risk of GDV.”

Recent research, not yet published, has shown an increased risk of GDV in dogs who consumed dry foods containing fat among the first four ingredients, and an increased risk in dogs who consumed dry foods listing citric acid as a preservative – with this risk rising when foods with citric acid were moistened. Although not statistically significant, researchers found that a modest increase in risk of GDV was seen with the  consumption of dry foods that listed more than one corn ingredient among the first four label ingredients, while in contrast, a pattern was observed of decreased GDV risk with an increasing number of protein
ingredients of animal origin, including beef, poultry, lamb, and fish among the first four ingredients.

Study Recommendations

• Feed two or more meals a day
• Feed no more than one cup per 33 pounds of body weight per meal when
  feeding two meals a day
• Feed an energy-dense diet, to reduce volume, but avoid a diet where a high
  amount of calories are from fats.
• Feed a variety of different food types regularly. The inclusion of human foods in a primarily dry dog food diet was associated with a 59 percent decreased risk of GDV while inclusion of canned
  pet foods was associated with a 28 percent decreased risk
• When feeding dry food, also include foods with sufficient amounts of meats and meat meals, for example: beef, lamb, poultry, and fish.
• Feed a food with larger particles, and include larger pieces of meat to the diet
• Avoid moistening dry foods
• If your dog eats rapidly, find ways to try to reduce his speed of eating
• Avoid raising the food bowl – place it at ground level
• Try to minimize stress for your dog. Stressful events have been reported to be precipitating factors in GDV occurrence.
• Restrict vigorous exercise one hour before and two hours after meals
• When you are not in close proximity to your dog, use a baby monitor to
  alert you if your dog is in distress.
• Learn to recognize signs of GDV, which include pacing and restlessness, head turning to look at the abdomen, distention of the abdomen, rapid shallow breathing, nonproductive attempts
  at vomiting, and salivation. These symptoms can progress rapidly to shock and death. Get to your veterinarian or emergency hospital the moment you suspect GDV.

Stuart brought Fern from Scotland when she was almost 5 years old.  She finished her championship and on her first breeding she had some problems.  She was pregnant, we saw embryonic vesicles.  A week later she had a bloody discharge, aborted the feti and we cultured bacteria.  We treated Fern with antibiotics and she was bred successfully on her next season, having a total of three litters past the age of  five years old.

A consciencious breeder  must follow the Akita Club of America’s ethics (http://www.akitaclub.org/procedures/ethics.html).  Our responsibility as breeders is to breed the healthiest Akitas who most typifies our standard.   Each female and male are screened for hip dysplasia, eye diseases and thyroid disease.  These are the basics.  I would also recommend that an older bitch have a complete blood panel and  a check up with your veterinarian or reproductive vet to make sure she is in good shape and healthy enough to breed.  Fertility decreases with age after about 4 years in Akitas. That gives breeders plenty of time to get the necessary genetic testing.  Older Akitas may have more problems whelping, and neonatal mortality increases with the age of the Akita. 

Rebecca Kestle, DVM

Bristol pups at 6 weeks

This is Bristol test.

Well, Koda is doing great. The kids were excited, and couldn’t believe he was ours to keep I’ve attached a few pictures from his first evening. He cried when we had him in the kennel, so we moved him to our bathroom thinking he is used to a larger space Well, he still cried, so I laid down with him, and he went right to sleep. He awoke at 3:00 for a potty break, and when I layed with him again, he went right to sleep.

Monday, he was in the kitchen area and laundry room. He did great - no accidents, in fact he used his pee pad at one point Of course, the kids played with him a lot in the afternoon and tired him out. We kept him in the laundry room, since this is where he seems most comfortable, for the night and he never woke up.

When I wake the kids in the morning, I just plop Koda on their heads and they wake up in a great mood. If I had tried this with any other thing, they would whine and be in a bad mood all day. So, if nothing else, the mood in the house is much better with our new addition.

We love him, and he is doing great.

Thanks,
Suzanne

3/15/09  Cinnamon’s new owners give us an update! Pups are now 10 weeks old.

I just wanted to let you know that the puppy is doing great..  We have had a break through… Dolce (oh yeah, we changed her name for convenience…Dolce is Italian for sweet and rolls off the tongue much easier) sleeps outside the kennel in our room and has not gone potty once at night. In fact she woke us up last night around 1 AM to go to out and she went.  She’s  become one of the family.  We weighed her on Wednesday and she was 20.6 lbs.  Also she has one ear popping up a bit and the other one laying down still

Chuck

Will you take me home?

We have one more female puppy that needs a home! She is a longcoated female born 1/2/09. This litter is Ch. Bristol and Ch. Kes.

This beautiful female long haired Akita needs a home.

This cute little puppy needs a home.