Boxer Shorts
January 1996 Vol. 1 No. 8
Quarterly Publication of the Boxer Club of Canada
Inc.
Send your news to the Boxer Shorts Editor:
Sharon Simpson
2539 Princess Ave.
Brandon, MB
R7B 0J5
(205) 727-1429
FAX (204) 728-9288
Next newsletter deadline is Feb. 15
Boxer Health
It is not uncommon practice for breeder to vaccinate
their own puppies prior to sending them to their new homes. Often
these puppies are sold to the new owners without veterinarian examinations.
There are several reasons why this is a potentially dangerous practice
for breeders -- one of them being the detection of congenital diseases,
especially heart defects, prior to sale.
Correct auscultation of a puppy's heart at less than
8 weeks of age may reveal a heart murmur. This does not necessarily
mean that there is a disease process occurring; however, it may.
To define a heart murmur, an often used example is the
vibration felt, and the subsequent sound you hear, when you pinch
a garden hose between your fingers with the tap fully turned on. What
is heard when listening to the heart is a slurring of the normally
distinct heart sounds. This may be a continuous slurring, or it may
be intermittent at the point of each beat heard.
Heart murmurs are graded by intensity of sound, for
instance eon a scale of 1 to 6. It is not infrequent that one may
hear a grade 1 or 2 heart murmurs in a 6-10 week old puppy. Often
these murmurs disappear by the time the puppy is 12-16 weeks old,
and are therefore termed innocent murmurs. However, murmurs with a
greater intensity may mean that there is a congenital heart defect.
Because of the hereditary nature of many heart defects,
their detection and classification is extremely important to any breeding
program. The most common heart defects found are Patent Ductus Arteriousus,
Plumonic Stenosis, and Aortic Stenosis. Boxers fall into the category
of being one of the breeds most commonly affected by Aortic Stenosis.
Subaortic Stenosis is readily detectable by a very simple
test as early as 8 weeks of age.
Because such defects are devastating to the animal,
and are hereditary -- a concerted effort should be made to avoid breeding
the dogs who produce offspring with the defect. Since there is a stigma
attached to revealing the existence of such a problem in a line, with
such a smaller percentage of offspring actually affected, it is often
easier to ignore the fact. This results in the problem becoming widespread
in the boxer breed as a whole.
In the case of a disease cause by a simple recessive
gene, the condition would be spread in the following manner:
In a litter of 8 boxer puppies, one develops the disease.
This means that the sire AND dam are carriers of the gene for the
disease. Statistically only 25% of the litter will show the disease,
BUT 75% of the litter will carry the gene. The breeder chooses to
euthanize the puppy, but by continuing to use the littermates in a
breeding program, the disease could quickly spread through the breed
-- the result being that it would be virtually impossible to find
dogs of breeding quality who do not carry the gene for the disease
-- possibly resulting in the end of the breed.
The exact mode of transmission of Aortic Stenosis and
other heart & health problems in our breed has not yet been determined.
Research is being carried out and various registries and research
facilities attempt to identify the method of transmission by examining
pedigrees. An example is the Institute of Genetic Disease Control
in Animals. This registry will allow anyone who owns a dog to register
proven genetic conditions which afflict their dogs. Participation
in this registration process would eventually identify the carriers
of various conditions. Owners, vets and scientists could then trace
the genetic history of any particular dog.
Another method of identifying lines which carry a particular
genetic problem is the confidential pedigree research and statistics
complied by Dr. Jean Dodds in her testing for Von Willebrands, a bleeding
disorder in dogs. Each individual owner or breeder who test for VWD
must supply a copy of their dog's pedigree for inclusion in a confidential
database used for research tracking.
These and other methods are invaluable aids in pinpointing
the mode of inheritance for diseases which affect boxers & other purebred
dogs.
Boxer breeders should take advantage of every avenue
of testing available to them for genetic health problems in our breed.
Health checks of puppies at an early age by knowledgeable veterinarians,
testing for diseases known to affect boxers -- such as heart problems,
hip dysplasia, Von Willebrand's, thyroid and other autoimmune problems,
eye problems and other problems -- all these are invaluable parts
of a responsible breeding program.
Be a conscientious breeder and stop the spread of these
conditions.
Editor's note: Thank you to Dr. Corry VanderEnde
for her contribution to the above article.
Best Wishes to You & Yours For A Happy New Year!
AND THE WINNER IS...
Western Canada Boxer Club Specialty
October 28, 1995
Best of Breed, Ch Mephisto's Guns & Roses
Best of Opposite, CH Ajay's Turn Back Time
Best of Winner & Winners Bitch, Ajay's Something to Talk About
Winners Male, Crossroad's PVS On My Honor
Best Puppy, Crossroad's On The Move
Best in Sweepstakes, Crossroad's PVS On My Honor
Boxer Club of Canada Regional Specialty
Hosted by Western Canada Boxer Club
October 29, 1995
Best of Breed, Crossroad's PVS On My Honor
Award of Merit, Ch Mephisto's Guns & Roses
Award of Merit, Ajay's Something to Talk About
Best of Opposite, Ch Pengalli's Salute to Legacy
Best of Winner & Winners Dog, Tradonalee's Classic Centurion
Winners Bitch, Annarva's Liberty Belle
Best Puppy, Mephisto's Femme Fatale
Best in Sweepstakes, Ch Ajay's Wildest Dreams
Congratulations to
WALTER PINSKER
chosen by Pedigree Canada as
Judge of the Year
LITTER BOX
- Am/Can Ch Mephisto's Rosenkavalier x Ch Dauntae's Kaleidoscope,
3 females born October 19th, Lee & Brenda Muirhead
-
-
Ch Shadowdale's Ivy League is the proud mama of
2 females born November 7th, Mary Curl
-
Am/Can Ch Zaracon Raised on Jazz, owned by Dave
& Patti Gilmour, is the proud father of a new litter. The mama
is CH Britnee v Hunn of Galwood and she is nursing 3 males, 1
female
-
Sharon Simpson has a new litter sired by Ch Turo's
Kristian Dior x Zephyr's Custom Maid - 3 males, 1 female born
September 14th
MY BOXER
Who ran to help me when I fell
And licked my face till I was well
Then jumped around and based like hell
My Boxer
Who creeps up on my bed at night
And snuggles up all nice & tight
Although he knows it isn't right
My Boxer
Who sticks by me through thick & thin
And cares not if I'm steeped in sin
And thinks more of me than kith & kin
My Boxer
And when his earthly days are done
Who will I miss when he is gone
And home to be with later on
My Boxer
Volunteer Heaven
Many will be shocked to find
When the Day of Judgement nears
There's a special place in Heaven
Set aside for Volunteers;
Furnished with big recliners
Satin couches and footstools,
Where there's no Committee Chair
No Group Leaders, no car pools.
No eager team that needs a coach,
No bazaar and no bake sale
There will be nothing to staple,
Not one thing to fold or mail.
Telephone lists will be outlawed,
But a finger snap will bring
Cool drinks and gourmet dinners
And rare treats fit for a king.
Who'll serve these privileged few
And work for all they're worth?
Why
All those who reaped the benefits
And not once volunteered on earth!
A Big Boxer Club of Canada thank you to everyone
who volunteers their time and energy to keep our national Boxer Club
going strong -- your help is appreciated.
Welcome New Members
Jim & Pricilla Kilman
Barbra & Harry Cotton
Kevin Carter
Write to:
Mary Dulong Membership Chairman
678 MacLaren Dr.
Burlington, ON
L7N 2Z2
for membership application forms or more information.
OUT & ABOUT
Thank you to everyone who passed along information for
this newsletter -- via the internet, fax, letter and phone. Your news
is appreciated! A special thank you to Corry VanderEnde for contributing
to this month's feature article on boxer health issues.
Congratulations are in order for John & Angela Smith
of Ajay's -- Ch Ajay's Something to Talk About picked up a
specialty major under J. Cheryl Robbins at the Sacramento Valley Boxer
Club, giving her 12 US points and both majors. She also recently completed
her Canadian championship at the cluster of shows held in Vancouver.
She is owned by Mercer Harris. This new champion completed the requirements
for Am/Can Ch Ajay's Ralph Lauren as a new Sire of Merit! And
Angela also reports a new Dam of Merit -- Ch Ajay's Chanel
(four champions from the same litter!) Ajay Boxers have finished ten
champions in 1995 with more pointed, assisted by handler, Kimberly
Clark. They are very proud of Savoy's Satin Shadow of Ajay's
DOM. Phoenix has produced a total of 10 champions to date with two
others pointed. WOW! Is this a record?
Shirley Bell is very proud of her Linebacker daughter,
Syrr Run's Fortune Tella, bred by Beckie Horne. Tella picked
up a major recently and a Grand Sweeps win -- all handled by Shirley!
From Sault St. Marie, Halina Gendek proudly boasts of
her new champion -- Ch Mephisto's Brandy's Spirit. In limited
showing, Laddie completed his title with six Puppy group wins plus
a Group 3rd and Best Puppy in Show.
Edmonton boxer obedience enthusiasts went wild when
Josie O'Reilly's Starview's Kafka received his first Utility
leg at the NACA shows. Josie also reports that Kafka is now a Scent
Hurdle Dog Champion (SHDCh) keep up the good work and good luck in
the Utility Ring!
Debria Boxers reports that their new puppy bitch, TKO's
Desirable Darla at Debria was handled expertly by Harold Butler
on her first weekend out -- she won the bitch points two days out
of three at shows held in Montreal recently.
We were sorry to read recently that well known judge,
Len Reece, of Gaylord Boxers, has not been well and is spending part
of his time in a nursing home. As well, BCC member, Rita Smith, who
bred under the kennel name Teridon, passed away this fall. Rita was
an all breed judge and honorary member of the BCC. Boxer breeder,
Carole Connolly of Huffand Boxers recently suffered an aneurysm and
spent some time in Intensive Care -- she is recuperating and her husband,
John, and partner, Linda Huffman, would like to thank everyone for
their kind words, caring cards and support. You can write Carole at
30345 W. Jefferson Rd, Gibraltar, Michigan 48173.
Our sympathies go out to Lee & Brenda Muirhead on the
loss of their foundation bitch, Ch Karmel's Dante's Sassafras
DOM, BCC's top producing dam for 1992 & 1993, she produced 16 puppies
-- including 7 Canadian Champions, and 2 American Champions. Check
out their tribute to her
memory. And watch for other boxer breeders home pages throughout
the coming months!
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