A message for March 2014:
The nominating committee consisting of Louise Brady, Linda Millstone and Fredda Rose have nominated the following Slate of Officers for 2014-2015:
President – Helen Finnerty
Vice President – Rachel Aguilar
Secretary – Louise Brady
Treasurer – Nancy Remeika
Directors – Doug Davis, Dan Finnerty, JoAnn Rosenberg
* Additional nominations may be made at the March Meeting for anyone interested in getting involved in helping out with Club activities. We need new ideas and new blood in this Club, so please volunteer!!
…
Litter Announcement:
CH Target’s Goode Knight Sweet Dreams bred to Ch Valmar’s Olympic Spirit whelped 7 boys and 1 girl on February 14, 2014. Breeders are Mitchell and Heide Llewelyn in San Bernardino.
www.goodeknight.com | goodeknight [at] hotmail [dot] dom | (909) 205-9970
Hunt Test News:
Ch Windchymes First Break All The Rules “Oakley” owned by Linda & Louis D’Alessandro, earned her Junuor Hunter title at the South Coast Vizsla Club Hunt Test on February 1, 2014 at the San Jacinto Wildlife Area in Lakeview. She earned a 5th leg (just for fun) the followingt day.
Silversmith Chiquita Bonita “Fin” owned by Dona Tanaka, earned her 4th leg and a Junior Hunter title at the California Brittany Club Hunt Test on 2/15/14 in California City. So now it’s on to Senior!
Valmar’s Moonstruck JH, “Cher” owned by Jeff & Linda Millstone, earned her 3rd leg of a Senior Hunter title, at theCalifornia Brittany Club Hunt Test on 2/16/14, while their Vaughn der Mensch SH, “Vaughn” received his 3rd leg of a Master Hunter title.
Obedience News:
GCH Silogram’s Rolls Royce owned by Bob & Vickie Margolis, is continuing his winnings ways in the Obedience ring. At the Papago Labrador Retriever All-Breed Obedience Trial on 1/30/14 in Arizona, Royce scored 198.5 – 1st place in Novice B class and later went on to win the coveted award of High Scoring Dog in Trial. Congrats Bob & Royce!!
The following day at the Sahuaro State KC, Royce earned a 194 and 2nd place and at the second Sahuaro State show on 2/01/14 he scored a 193 and 1st place. At the Superstition KC show on 1/02/14 Royce scored a 197 & !st place and on the final day of this circuit at the 2nd Superstition KC show he scored a 195 & 1st place again! Wow, what a great 5 day circuit that was for Royce & Bob!!
New AKC Titles:
MASTER BRONZE AGILITY 3
MACH7 Pearl Essence Scarlet O’Hara CD RAE MXC_ MJB3 – Michael & Vicki Lepenske
MASTER GOLD AGILITY 3
MACH10 Pearl Essence Aurora’s Echo CD RA MXS3 MJC3 – Vicki & Michael J Lepenske
MASTER GOLD JUMPER
CH MACH Mandm’s Silver Belle MXG MJS T_B – Michael Fields
TIME 2 BEAT
GCH Top Hat’s Hollywood Canteen At Mandm JH AX AXJ VX – Michael Fields & Stephanie Schuster
Lethal Household Items:
Via Valley of the Sun WC Newsletter, the Grayline
According to petplace.com, some common household items are lethal to pets.
While Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is safe for people, it should never be given to cats, and to dogs in only very low doses. Ask your vet for more effective, safer treatment.
NSAIDs such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve) are used for inflammatory condi- tions in people but are toxic to cats and may cause gas- trointestinal ulcerations, bleeding, and kidney failure in dogs. Other NSAIDs are used to treat pets at the direction of your vet.
Antifreeze is a well known toxin for pets due to its sweet taste. Unfortunately, it is sometimes used to poison pets so do not let your pet roam. Dogs may appear drunk or have seizures after exposure. Do not leave your pet in locations antifreeze is commonly found, such as the garage.
Gorilla Glue is a water- activated, expanding adhe- sive. Once a dog chews on the bottle and ingests the glue, the glue expands and hardens in the stomach. Surgery is generally required.
As paper shredders become a more common household item, the risk of pet injuries has increased. “Dogs are exposed most often when young children insert food items (think: peanut butter sandwich) into the ma- chine, and the dog’s in- stincts precipitates a lick into the opening.” Protect dogs and kids: NEVER leave the machine on auto- feed and get in the habit of ALWAYS unplugging the shredder when not in use.
In Loving Memory:
CH Valmar’s Hot Streak, UDX3, OM6, RN, NSD, VX
“Shaq”
January 19, 2002 – January 3, 2014
Owned and loved by Bob and Vickie Margolis
Breeders: Lee Meadows, Joan Valdez and Bob Margolis
—
Ch Greyoak’s Valmar El Dorado
“Solo”
Passed on January 31, 2014 at 14+ years of age
Owned and loved by Bob and July Millner
Breeders: Rachel Aguilar and Joan Valdez
HUU in Weimaraners:
By Amy Anderson and Bonnie Lane, Co-chairs of WCA Breeders’ Education Committee
This is a true story.
A new Weimaraner puppy owner noticed that her 8 week old puppy urinated excessively. Housebreaking was very difficult as the puppy squatted constantly. When blood appeared in the urine, the owner took the puppy to her vet. The vet prescribed a trial course of antibiotics, thinking the problem was a urinary tract or bladder infection. When the pup did not respond to antibiotic therapy, the vet performed a bile acid assay, to rule out the possibility of a liver shunt, which proved negative. The puppy soon passed a large stone in her urine, which the owner took to the vet to have analyzed. The stone was found to be 100% uric acid.This pup and others like her suffer from an inherited disorder; Canine Hyperuricosuria.
Hyperuricosuria means elevated levels of uric acid in the urine. This trait predisposes dogs to form stones in their bladders or kidneys. Hyperuricosuria (huu) is inherited as a simple autosomal recessive trait. The trait can occur in any breed but is most commonly found in the Dalmatian, Bulldog and Black Russian Terrier. Dalmatians are considered to be homozygous for hyperuricosuria; this means that ALL Dalmatians carry this trait. Additional breeds that were found to have a high frequency of the trait are: Weimaraners, German Shepherd Dogs, Giant Schnauzers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Australian Shepherds, Large Munsterlanders and South African Boerboels. A DNA test for this specific mutation can determine if dogs are normal or if they carry one or two copies of the mutation. Dogs that carry two copies of the mutation will be susceptible to develop bladder/kidney stones.
Hyperuricosuria Testing Information
The Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/Hyperuricosuria.php) offers a DNA test for hyperuricosuria to assist owners and breeders in identifying affected and carrier dogs. Breeders can use results from the test as a tool for selection of mating pairs to avoid producing affected dogs.Research of Hyperuricosuria is ongoing to determine other breeds with this problem. It is recommended to test any dog that has formed kidney or bladder stones composed of urate or uric acid. If the dog has the mutation, then treatment modalities for Dalmatians (e.g. low purine diet, keeping the dog well hydrated by adding water to the kibble and monitoring for signs of urinary obstruction) can be used to treat the affected dog.
In Weimaraners, reports from treating veterinarians suggest that there is a clinical presentation of recurrent urinary tract infections in very young pups. It is recommended to send for analysis any urinary stones (voided or surgically removed) to rule out urate or uric acid stone production. The Bannasch Laboratory at U.C. Davis offers low cost HUU DNA testing (using a cheek swab) for any dog, and free HUU tests any 6-9 month old Weimaraners participating in the HOD study as normal controls. The HUU test is now an “optional” test in the CHIC Weimaraner profile. http://www.caninehealthinfo.org/brdreqs.html?breed=WE
In closing, when testing your breeding animals please do not be alarmed if your dog turns out to have carrier (N/HUU) or even an affected (HUU/HUU) status. This need not be the end of this Weimaraner’s breeding career. Careful selection of a mate that is HUU clear (N/N) will result in puppies who are at most merely “carriers” and not affected by HUU. This is one area where responsible, knowledgeable breeders can easily eliminate an uncommon, but troubling condition form our gene pool without losing any bloodlines .
For more information about Hyperuricosuria in Weimaraners or about the HOD study please contact Dr. Noa Safra: email: nsafra@ucdavis.edu phone: 530-754-7289.
See also:
Board and Membership Meeting Minutes (members only, password protected)