Our Linen was featured in this Nuvet & NuJoint Commercial
Welcome
To Our Labrador Health Page!
Kenny and Teresa Bergquist Welcome you to
Susana Labradors
We are breeders of Exceptional Black, Yellow,
and Chocolate Labrador Retrievers
Building a Dog-Run for Your Lab
Is your landscape damage costing more than you paid
for the dog? If so, you need a
kennel or dog-run: somewhere to secure the
dog when you're not outside with her. You can call a Fence Contractor; you
can order an expensive kennel from a tack or feed store; or you can drive
down to your local MEGA home improvement store, and in the Fencing
Department you will find something for the "Do-It-Yourselfer". Hmmmm, but
what size do I get? There is this 6' x 6' x 4' tall thing, It has chain link
roof, and they even have a sun-shade cover for it. Hey, its on sale for $99!
Hmmmm...You kind get what you pay for in this decision. They also offer
these chain link panels, 6' x 6' only $39 each, and a gated panel for $67.
For $260 that's a 6' x 12' run, 6' high. Well, $260 is less than replacing
the roses, but check the thickness of the chain link. If you can bend it
with you fingers, the dog can too with one bite. Where are you going to put
this new dog-run? What I'm asking is: what type of floor will it have? If
it's out on the lawn, the lawn wont last. And what will the sprinklers do to
it? If you put it on the patio, there goes your patio! If you put it on
the side of the house, will it be on dirt? Ok, now it's on dirt, and the
dirt is full of bacteria.
Ok, Here's that solution
The follow directions are for a 6' by 12' dog run,
Check actual measurements of the panels you purchased. First, go down to the
lumbar yard, and buy (3) pressure treated 2" x 6" x 12'. Cut one board in
half. Use 2 1/2" deck screws and build a 6' x 12' frame (it will be 6"
tall). Assemble the panels around the frame. Now dig 9 holes 14" round, 12"
deep, evenly spaced inside the frame. Fill the holes and frame with WASHED
pea-gravel. You will need 0.8 yards of pea-gravel. At the gardening supply
store, buy a yard sprayer. Fill it with bleach, (or "ODO-Ban" from Sam's
Club), and set it on the highest setting. After picking up waste from the
gravel, spray the bleach, the follow that with fresh water (Make sure the
dog isn't in the run when cleaning).
Inside, your dog will need fresh water and a dog
house. If you get the dog house with a flat roof, not only can he sunbath on
top of the dog house, but he can also jump out of the dog-run! However, I
have yet to see a dog that can balance on top of an "Igloo" or "Dogloo." He
will need a pad, or bed for the Igloo. If you buy an expensive bed for the
puppy, she will be sure to shed it. I suggest carpet remnants. Cut 3 or 4 to
shape. When they get nasty, throw them out and cut up some more.
OK! now you have a first rate dog run! Is this just
for when you're gone? Or will this be a permanent habitat? If this is the
new residence for your family dog, don't get a Labrador! At least not from
us. Labradors want to be with you. Do not get a "trophy pet" and lock him
up, out of site and out of mind. If that's the kind of pet you want, I
suggest you get a fish!
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4212 East Los Angeles Ave. #3242 Simi Valley, CA 93063
Phone (805) 526-2828
NuVet Plus & NuJoint Plus Product Videos
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Safe & Healthy Environment
Creating a Safe Home for Your Lab
Labs are curious. Both puppies and adult Labs like to
"check things out."In the yard, make sure that poisons and chemicals are out
of reach and secured. The same applies for in the house: a common household
cleaner or insecticide in the kitchen or bathroom cabinet can be harmful or
life threatening to your lab. If your dog just ingested poison, bring him
outside and administer 1 TSP (1/2 TSP for puppies) of salt on the back of
his tongue, allow him to vomit, and call your Veterinarian.
Make sure your dog can't escape your yard. Check all
fences and gates. If you can find a way for him to go under or over, fix the
problem! He doesn't want to run away from you, but when you leave without
him, he may want to go with you.
Is your pool or spa fenced? If not, Swimming Lesson #1
is: "How to get out." Do not leave him in the yard alone until he gets out
on his own, from every corner of the pool. Remember, a puppy can walk right
through an Iron pool fence!
Lab Health Concerns
Surgery isn't always the answer to the problem. Be
careful of "knife-happy" Vets. Anytime a Veterinarian gives you some
bad-news, double check his suggestions with your breeder. Additionally, this
website has some great information regarding veterinarians, and diagnosing
dysplasia and many other dog ailments.
Hip & Elbow Dysplasia
This is why we screen our dogs prior to breeding.
Although, even if both of the breeding pair is clear, a dysplastic puppy
could still be produced. Always remember, a dog with mild dysplasia can live
a normal life, without any evidence of pain.
General Hip Dysplasia Information
The following info was found at the Orthopedic
Foundation For Animals (OFA) website:
Hip Dysplasia is a terrible genetic disease because of
the various degrees of arthritis (also called degenerative joint disease,
arthrosis, osteoarthrosis) it can eventually produce, leading to pain and
debilitation. The very first step in the development of arthritis is
articular cartilage (the type of cartilage lining the joint) damage due to
the inherited bad biomechanics of an abnormally developed hip joint.
Traumatic articular fracture through the joint surface is another way
cartilage is damaged. With cartilage damage, lots of degradative enzymes are
released into the joint. These enzymes degrade and decrease the synthesis of
important constituent molecules that form hyaline cartilage called
proteoglycans. This causes the cartilage to lose its thickness and
elasticity, which are important in absorbing mechanical loads placed across
the joint during movement. Eventually, more debris and enzymes spill into
the joint fluid and destroy molecules called glycosaminoglycan and
hyaluronate which are important precursors that form the cartilage
proteoglycans. The joint's lubrication and ability to block inflammatory
cells are lost and the debris-tainted joint fluid loses its ability to
properly nourish the cartilage through impairment of nutrient-waste exchange
across the joint cartilage cells. The damage then spreads to the synovial
membrane lining the joint capsule and more degradative enzymes and
inflammatory cells stream into the joint. Full thickness loss of cartilage
allows the synovial fluid to contact nerve endings in the subchondral bone,
resulting in pain. In an attempt to stabilize the joint to decrease the
pain, the animal's body produces new bone at the edges of the joint surface,
joint capsule, ligament and muscle attachments (bone spurs). The joint
capsule also eventually thickens and the joint's range of motion decreases.
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 and phenotypic expression
(radiographic changes). There is no rhyme or reason to the severity of
radiographic changes correlated with the clinical findings. 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 radiographic
changes that are severely lame.
General Elbow Dysplasia Information
The following info was found at the Orthopedic
Foundation For Animals (OFA) website:
Elbow dysplasia is a general term used to identify an
inherited polygenic disease in the elbow of dogs. Three specific etiologies
make up this disease and they can occur independently or in conjunction with
one another. These etiologies include:
Pathology involving the medial coronoid of the ulna
(FCP) Osteochondritis of the medial humeral condyle in the elbow joint (OCD)
Ununited anconeal process (UAP) Studies have shown the inherited polygenic
traits causing these etiologies are independent of one another. Clinical
signs involve lameness which may remain subtle for long periods of time. No
one can predict at what age lameness will occur in a dog due to a large
number of genetic and environmental factors such as degree of severity of
changes, rate of weight gain, amount of exercise, etc. Subtle changes in
gait may be characterized by excessive inward deviation of the paw which
raises the outside of the paw so that it receives less weight and
distributes more mechanical weight on the outside (lateral) aspect of the
elbow joint away from the lesions located on the inside of the joint. Range
of motion in the elbow is also decreased.
