Fingers crossed and a little serious stuff.

Well, a little over a week has gone by since the big date I will be very very surprised if Cinna is not pregnant. She is acting like her hormones are raging and like I definitely don't feed her enough. :-) But then again she always thinks that. She has an ultrasound scheduled for June 18th to tell for sure if she is "in a family way" and possibly how many little ones are in there (ultrasounds on dogs are not very accurate number wise though, so it will be a rough number). Super exciting!

Real quick I wanted to touch on some nutrition and health info for you to peruse before you take your new pup home.

Generally, Swissys are quite easy keepers if a few basic recommendations are followed:

Feed a high quality (grain free if possible) food. Some examples are: Natures Domain (Costco brand, this is what I feed), Blue Buffalo, Wellness, Evo, Taste of the wild, Canidae, Natural Balance, Solid Gold, Innova, Kirkland (Costco brand, this is what your pup will be eating while here with us). You must be aware that kibble is a processed food and therefore not always the best for a dog, however it is the most economical and if used correctly it is just fine for a dog to eat throughout its life.

It is a good idea to add digestive enzymes and pro-biotics to your dogs’ food to help him better assimilate his food. (We use Wholistic Pet Digest All Plus. http://www.thewholisticpet.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=551&ParentCat=40 but there are lots of different brands out there). Some dog nutritionists recommend putting water on dry kibble to help digestion. Additives like fish oil, and raw eggs are great for your dogs coat and skin.  

Note: If your budget allows it a ‘RAW’ diet is great (in our, BHS, opinion) for your dog though it is rather spendy. Raw diet products come in the form of either frozen, freeze dried, or dehydrated patties. Some examples of good Raw products are Stella and Chewys, Primal, The Honest Kitchen and others. The theory behind a Raw diet is the idea that dogs are still very similar to wolves, especially when it comes to digestion. Dogs do not handle grain and carbohydrates like people and ruminant animals do, they cannot adequately digest them. One day we hope it will be more affordable as well as awesome. :-)

The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is considered a border line "giant breed". Males stand approximately 25.5 to 28.5 inches at the withers and weigh anywhere from 105 to 130 lbs. Females stand 23.5 to 27 inches, with weight ranging from 85 to 110 lbs (AKC standard). They are big, brawny, and most of them think they are lap dogs. Your pup will be right within that standard as Cinna is 93-95 lbs and Doc is 115-120lbs give or take.

Swissys as well as other large/giant breed dogs are prone to several health issues:  Distichiasis/Entropian, Lick fit, Epilepsy, Bloat/Torsion, Splenic Torsion, Hip Dysplasia, Elbow Dysplasia, OCD of the shoulder. For more information about these medical issues go to www.gsmdca.org and look under health issues. We are happy to discuss any of them further with you as well.

A dog is a living being and not a piece of machinery that can be guaranteed to be free of defects. Most of the hereditary diseases are not just simple recessives but polygenic often making the prediction of eventual occurrence in a puppy an educated guess at best. We cannot guarantee the health of our puppies. Please do keep in mind that while breeding phenotypically sound animals will increase the odds for producing healthy progeny, it is not a foolproof guarantee that every single offspring will remain free of genetic disease as well. This is mainly due to the often complex mode of inheritance of many of the genetic diseases affecting Swissys.

 Deep breath. Enough technical jargon for you? I hope all the health class talk does not scare you away. :-) We hope everyone is doing well and we will keep you updated!

Megan and the hormonal "puleeeze let me in your lap while you type" Cinna :-)