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CORNERSTONE German Shepherd Dogs
461 FM 573 S, Mullin, TX 76864Phone: 325.985.3528 - 3359Misc Information
ABOUT HEALTH, TEMPERMENT
and Other GSD Stuff
Where you find health-care information, suggestions, or links on our website, they should not replace a visit to your veterinarian when necessary. We recommend that you take your German Shepherd to your veterinarian immediately at any symptom of illness or injury, or sign of odd behavior. Your veterinarian may discover changes in your pet's health condition that you have overlooked. If you really care about your German Shepherd, it is always better to err on the side of caution.
Having said that, the following data on this page is accurate to the best of our research and understanding. The information provided has worked well for our small kennel, and we are very confident in our procedures and practices outlined. However, we are not veterinarians, and advise that you research our conclusions and formulate your own opinions and guidelines—just as you trust your doctor, but protect your health via other sources of knowledge. In fact, we believe that the relationship between a breeder and those who purchase the breeder's puppies should be similar to a doctor and his patient—there should be a certain mutual confidence and trust. If you don't really trust a breeder, DO NOT buy your shepherd from that breeder. It is not worth the risk.
The Quality of Our Puppies
We breed German Shepherd Dogs. We breed ONLY German Shepherd Dogs. Our Shepherds are our pets, our companions. We want the very best home environment for every puppy we place; the kind of environment they are raised in. We do not sell to pet stores, nor do we sell through brokers. Every client deals with us directly.
When our puppies are placed, they will have had all vaccinations to date, will have been de-wormed, and will be in good health over-all at the time of placement. We keep complete records to document this.
Apollo is the usual sire of our litters. Ocasionally we use E.T., who is also a very excellent male. Both males have outstanding pedigrees. Our females are our pleasure; wonderful "moms" to their babies. We are proud of our Shepherds.
Keep in mind that we promote companion/pet German Shepherds. But from this excellent AKC registered purebred titled stock, we encourage you good people who adopt our GSDs to pursue the potential of your Shepherd in the competition available if that is your forté. (For more information, go to: http://www.akc.org/events/conformation/beginners.cfm .) But even if you choose not to show your Shepherd, remember, the health, beauty, intelligence, and temperament we breed for is found in every one of our magnificent friends.
A German Shepherd puppy is an important investment. What else can bring as much on-going pleasure to your family as this devoted friend? A Cornerstone German Shepherd puppy is a purebred German Shepherd Dog, litter registered with the American Kennel Club, and with a very excellent titled pedigree. Every puppy is microchipped because we care. Our puppies are loved and socialized and monitored in view of one day leaving us to live with families like yours, families that will be as devoted to its welfare as are we. We offer references, and will be here for you long after you take one of our puppies to your home. "A righteous man has care for the life of his animal..." (Proverbs 12:10).
Our Puppies Are Microchipped
We microchip our puppies for proper identification and registry. We use HomeAgain® microchipping. It is a permanent, non-migrating chip that will identify the German Shepherd for the rest of its life. Because we care about the future welfare of our Shepherds, we do not charge for this service. If the new owner cares to enroll in AKC’s Companion Animal Recovery (AKC CAR) program at a one-time enrollment fee of $12.50, an enrollment form is included in our information puppy-pak. The new owner can call 1.800.252.7894 for further enrollment information, or can visit http://akccar.org/ This is a recovery service operating 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year. (CAR claims to reunite an owner with their lost pet every 7 minutes.) However, there are other recovery services available, and the new owner is free to use the recovery service he/she chooses.
Feeding Your German Shepherd
Since your pet's digestive system is sensitive to diet changes, switching your pet to a new food should be a gradual process. Start by adding a small amount of your pet's new food with the food currently used, gradually increasing the new food amount and decreasing the current food amount at each feeding. One reputable dog food manufacturer recommends starting with 75% current diet, 25% new diet for 3 days, then 50% current and 50% new for 3 days, then 75% new diet and 25% current diet for 3 days, then 100% new diet. Most often, the instructions for feeding on the dog-food packaging is reliable. But we hasten to add, it is better for a dog to be a little underweight than to be overfed and overweight. Overfeeding a German Shepherd puppy can do great harm in his development in several ways. We will add to this "feeding section" later.
The Health of Our Puppies
We love our Shepherds and do our very best to insure their good health. They live in a clean, healthy, country environment, and we are constantly reviewing behavioral traits and other things that may suggest genetic direction. If a puppy is to be shipped, it will be checked by our Veterinarian for good health, and will be accompanied by a State Certified Health Certificate. To insure ongoing good health for a puppy we have placed, we suggest that all new owners have their own veterinarian verify health within 48 hours of receiving their puppy. Our puppies are always current on all vaccinations and de-worming at the point of shipping or pickup date. As the puppy grows, it is the new owner's responsibility to take the time to provide proper care and nutrition to insure ongoing health, as well as providing proper socialization and the necessary discipline to develop the full potential of the puppy. It is very important that the importance of socialization be recognized...it is a vital key to good temperament. Complete vaccination and health records should also be kept by the new owner.
What About Hip Dysplasia?
The term dysplasia means "improper growth." Thus, Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD) simply means improper growth or development of the canine hip joint. This improper growth is usually characterized by lax or loose hips, which allows excessive movement in the hip joint which in turn leads to arthritis and sometimes lameness. No one can predict when (or even if) a dysplastic dog will start showing clinical signs of lameness due to pain. There are multiple environmental factors such as caloric intake, level of exercise, and weather that can affect the severity of clinical signs. However, there are a number of dysplastic dogs with severe arthritis that run, jump, and play as if nothing is wrong, and some dogs with barely any arthritic changes visible on x-ray that are severely lame.
It is important to point out that a good dog is more than just good hips. Care must be taken that the breeding of dogs is not based on one trait only. Otherwise we may end up with dogs that have excellent hips but have poor temperaments, bad coats and/or genetically related health problems. The whole animal should be considered, with hip status being important, but not the only consideration in breeding. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals reports that the increase in percentage of dogs classified as having excellent hip joint phenotype was greater for German Shepherd dogs, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Rottweilers than for all dog breeds combined. This reflects the care of conscientious breeders, and is directly related to why we favor limited registration in pet/companion circumstances.
Hip dysplasia has four major causes: genetics, diet, over feeding and too much exercise at a young age. It is estimated that genetics play between a 25% to 30% role in a dog developing hip dysplasia. This means that a new owner assumes 70% to 75% of the responsibility for their dog developing good hips. No matter how excellent are the hips of the Shepherds in a puppy's pedigree, these statistics illustrate that it is vital that the new owner gives proper attention to nutrition and exercise.
CHD can develop as a result of environmental factors such as a dog pushed too hard when young (including excessive exercise), poor-nutrition, obesity and surfaces the dog is raised on (such as concrete). Even breeds that are not at a genetic risk of developing CHD, if exercised too vigorously early in life and/or are fed diets that are too high in calories and protein can develop hip dysplasia, since hyper-nutrition and excessive exercise may interfere with proper joint growth and development. The premium dog foods that are so often recommended may actually contribute to CHD development by increasing the puppy's growth rate. A protein percentage of 22% (dry food) is generally all that is required for normal growth. But, because we all want our dogs to reach their full potential, premium dog foods that are much higher in protein are often fed. We recommend that our German Shepherd puppies be weaned off puppy food and put on adult (lower protein) by 4-5 months of age.
This nutrition factor just considered involves feeding a quality, large-breed dog food, while guarding against over-feeding (it is much better that a pet be a little thin than overweight). It also requires that a new puppy be exercised, but not be over-exercised, especially guarding against excessive running and jumping the first year or so. This is very important. Being overweight as well as over-exercising can cause irreparable damage in the soft and developing joints of a young puppy. Jogging with your young Shepherd may be a pleasant experience, but it can contribute to hip dysplasia. It is better to delay such strenuous outings until the puppy is at least a year old, especially if considerable distance is involved. After all, you want your puppy to grow into a healthy, active adult that will bring you many years of pleasure and companionship.
What About Hernias?
The "belly button" is a visible reminder that we were all intimately connected to our mothers at one time. Oxygen and nutrients travel from mom to baby via the umbilical cord, and when the baby is born, this cord is clamped off and cut. This is essentially the same with animals except most often there is little intervention with the umbilical cord by a breeder, allowing nature to take its course. When whelping, the dam will instinctively "chew" off the umbilical cord of each of her puppies.
Sometimes puppies have what appears to be an umbilical hernia, when it is actually only delayed closure of the umbilical ring. Merck's Veterinary Manual tells us that umbilical hernias are a result of failure of the normal closure of the umbilical ring, resulting in protrusion of abdominal contents into the overlying subcutis. (Underneath the two outer layers of the skin).
It is our opinion that MANY of the umbilical "hernias" we see are not genetic at all, but due to the pulling and tugging on the cord by the dam at whelping. To help avoid the undesirable "bulge" and a possible resulting "outie," we intervene at whelping, manually clamping off the cords moderately close. This doesn't void the mother's instinct, but she doesn't have the extended cord to pull on. Still, early on, a good mother is almost constantly licking her offspring in the navel and genital areas, so this doesn't completely eliminate the trauma to the umbilical ring, and even this may contribute to the delay of the normal closure of the ring.
Most individuals do not differentiate between a "true hernia" (in the sense of a defect in the muscles of the abdominal wall), and a "delayed closure" of the umbilical ring, which is often temporary and usually disappears. A "delayed closure" of the umbilical ring sometimes allows a small bit of omentum to slip through the opening before the umbilicus closes, thus occasionally producing a small bulge (or lump) on the tummy. These superficial "hernias" are not a result of a rupture or defect in the actual abdominal wall and usually disappear, but they sometimes leave the dog with an "outie" belly button. But this is not always the case.
These superficial "hernias" are always larger than the actual opening from whence the protrusion comes. (The openings can usually be felt with the tip of one's finger.) Some have sugested that if your puppy shows signs of a delayed closure, carefully push the soft "bulge" in a couple of times a day, gently massaging the navel area, possibly aiding any closure problem that may exist. Over time, we are told, you should notice the existent opening getting smaller. This will not happen with a hernia resulting from a muscle separation. We agree with our veterinarian who advises that surgery be delayed. Wait. His opinion is that most of the time these small protrusions will go away on their own as the umbilical ring closes, reducing in size as the puppy grows. Other veterinarians advise the same. Generally, by the time the pup is four to six months old the umbilical ring has shrunk and the "bulge" has disappeared on its own. Spontaneous closure of small umbilical "hernias" has been reported as late as six months of age and older.
Such "hernias" are common in all breeds, and if dealt with correctly, one may avoid the unnecessary trauma of surgery on a pet. One veterinarian advises that operating on a very young puppy is risky because the liver is not mature enough to metabolize the anaesthetic drugs and the puppy could possibly die. Whether or not this is true, waiting is the safe choice. If the "hernia" is small, we advise against immediate surgery, working with it as described in the above paragraph. For some very excellent information on Canine hernias, visit these links:
http://www.showdogsupersite.com/kenlclub/breedvet/umbilical.html
http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/bulletins_read/44314.html
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So, if you choose to adopt a Cornerstone German Shepherd—happy "puppying." The bond you will develop with your German Shepherd Dog as he/she grows will be an attachment of pure pleasure. The experiences of the very first year of your puppy’s life will contribute immensely to the devotion and affection he/she will show you and your family in the years to come, so pay particular attention to health and interaction with the puppy these first few months. They will pass only too quickly.
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IMPORTANT! We will not be responsible for Veterinary services and/or other charges or expense incurred in treating a puppy from our kennel, unless such services and/or charges or expense have been clearly authorized in writing by Cornerstone German Shepherds. To accelerate this provision, an e-mail authorization from us is valid. However, in NO case will we pay more than what the identical care or treatment would cost if performed by our regular veterinarian, Dr. Miles. Moreover, if you are within reasonable driving distance, we encourage you to use his services where possible. In most cases, he will save you many dollars, even considering the drive to his Goldthwaite clinic. Although our puppies are healthy and full of vim when leaving our kennel, we have no control over health issues that arise days or weeks after the puppy is placed. A great deal of the health and welfare of a puppy is directly related to his/her new environment, including the gentle care that every new puppy should receive. We recommend each new owner take their new charge to their own veterinarian for examination within 48 hours of purchase. Remember, we are here to help. If you have any questions or anxieties related to your new puppy, feel free to call Lesa at 325.985.3528.
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PLEASE NOTE: If we place a puppy with you and circumstances evolve to where you cannot keep your Cornerstone German Shepherd Dog, we urge you to please first call us at Cornerstone before taking it to a shelter (325.985.3359).
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Cornerstone German Shepherds
Dedicated to the Magnificent German Shepherd Dog
In the Heart o' Texas, midway between Abilene and Austin on Hwy 183 ~ 461 FM573 S, Mullin, Texas 76864
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Call 325.985.3528, or 3359 ~ E-mail us at: info@cornerstonegsd.com
"Doesn't your family deserve the pleasure of a Cornerstone Shepherd?"
++ Lovable Companion * Devoted Protector * Noble Servant + +
3-1908
5.1409
