The following information is aimed to be informative and covers a wide spectrum. In some cases we know that there has been a problem but don't have sufficient information to pass on. This section will also cover diet. It is my belief that only a natural diet is really suitable but people have to make their own choices but I have to say that of the 8 puppies from the last litter 6 remain on a natural diet. Once you have fed this for a while you wonder how you could ever present your dog with a bowl full of processed dried rubbish. If you are interested in feeding any dog a natural diet don't hesitate to contact me. Hip Dysplasia Hip dysplasia is a known problem in the Bracco and it is vital that all breeding stock are hip scored and in future I will also be elbow scoring. Saying that in the UK the hipscores are not too bad, the mean average being 18 with only a handful of high scores. Responsible breeders have their puppies endorsed so high scoring dogs tend not to ever be bred from, but having said that you have to be open mined as if scores are not just hereditory then we could see outstanding dogs never being bred from. We must therefore look at the whole picture, weigh up the advantages/disadvantages and make an informed decision. There is just as much chance of a very low hip score mating producing high score puppies as highish score parents producing low scoring puppies. Many people believe dysplasia to be 100% hereditory but my personal belief is that there are many factors, a large one being diet, exercise and basic good husbandry whilst the dog is in the growing stages of life. Click on the following link to read more on the factors that can increase the chance of higher scores. Information on Hip Dysplasia Bendy legs in puppies Not a medical term but this is what it is known as amongst Bracco people. It occurs in puppies from around 12 weeks onwards but I must add that is is fairly rare. It is believed to be caused by growth spurts in the bones of the front legs but the ligaments don't spurt at the same rate and cause the front legs to literally bow outwards. This is extremely painful for the puppy but in 80% or so of cases cage rest and a good diet will bring them right. It can take several months and is pitiful to watch but veterinary intervention should only be sought (other than maybe pain relief) as a last resort in extreme cases. To help prevent this happening NO puppy should ever be supplemented with Calcium, this can be deadly. If feeding a complete food which I don't recommend then they should need no supplements at all. If feeding a natural diet then a puppy will get all the calcium required from minced raw chicken wings and marrow bones. Although goats milk is fed on a natural diet until they are around 8 weeks old to supplement the mothers milk, after this age there is no requirement and it is not reccommended to continue to feed and on no account should cows milk ever be fed as many dogs are allergic to this. So to sum this problem up, don't panic, contact your breeder who should be able to give you help and advice but don't think the worst. In most cases you just have to wait for the ligaments to catch up with the bone. Skin problems and allegies Over the past 6 years I have heard many people joke that their Bracco is "Allergic to life"!! and sometimes it really does feel that way. Bracco's seem to have very sensitive skin, I know of several with grass allergies and how hard is that to live with?? One thing I have found is that with regular dips in the sea the dogs seem not to be bothered with fleas etc as I hate putting chemicals in the coat but think that a high salt content is enough to put most blood thirst bugs off. It would appear that the dogs in Finland seem to suffer far less with these problems, they seem to have a far more sand based soil and the obvious harsh winters to kill off all bugs etc. Personally where I live the soil is rich in coal and tin and mountain run off which appears clear, but on evaporation in the gullies becomes deep orange. All my dogs, not just the bracco but also the cockers seems to suffer if this is allowed to remain on their skin so it is vital that they are showered off after mountain walks. Even ears become extremely inflamed if they scratch them with feet left uncleaned. If like me you live in a rural area, surrounded by wildlife or you make the effort to take your Bracco on stimulating excursions then fox mite (mange) is always a possibility. This mite can live off the fox in the grass for a period and can be picked up by the dog being in the wrong place or if like mine prone to rolling in all things smelly. If your dog experiences bumps which start to spread followed by hair loss in that area get your dog to the vet and request Advocate, it costs about £28 for 3 months worth (1 spot on per month) a simple spot on treatment. This treatment won't hurt the dog if the diagnosis is wrong but will also guard against fleas, ticks, ear mites, heart worm and several other nasties they can pick up in the countryside. This is a condition best caught early to prevent distress to the dog who will eventually begin self mutilation. The mite lives under the skin laying eggs, then she dies but the eggs hatch, move on, lay eggs etc and so the cycle begins and before you know it you have one very unhappy moth eaten dog with bleeding sores. If my dogs have skin problems I also use Arsenicum and Sulp 30 which is homeopathic and heals the skin. It won't kill the mite but it stops them continuing the cycle. But as for the allergies, that is a tough one. If your Bracco is suffering with sore feet etc then a trip to the chemist for a bottle of Hibiscrub will help. It's cheap and is an antibacterial soap wash. Make up a weak solution, wash amd rinse the infected area. Allow to dry and then put on a thin layer of Sudocrem (baby nappy cream) I swear by this, It's antiseptic and works miracles on inflamed skin but this routine will need to be carried out twice a day. Another useful iritation relief is Piriton, available from your vet at much cheaper prices than the chemist. This will reduce itching and can be taken two to three times daily but be aware that as with people it can cause drousyness!! so don't allow your Bracco to drive or operate machinery!!!! and if showing your dog give it a miss the day of the show!! Eye Testing Currently there is no testing schedule for the Bracco Italiano under the BVA Eye Testing Scheme but it is an easy test to carry out and one that I have done even though the breed is not deemed to have a propblem. Ear problems Some Bracchi seem to suffer with their ears for one reason or another. It is good practice to get into the habit of cleaning them once a week from an early age. Available from the vet Epi-Otic is a good cleaner and dries the ear. If ear problems are persistent with scratching, head shaking and the ear becoming inflamed, don't waste time and money trying all the veterinary lotions and potions, insist that the vet take a swab of the ear which will be sent off to the labs and the cause identified and the best treatment reported. It is relatively cheap, approx £30 to do and saves repeated trips to the vet to find something that works whilst the ear becomes worse and your bill increases. Ectropian/Entropian in the eye This is another ugly problem which has raised it's head in the UK, unfortunately as will all problems for legal reasons it is not for me to say which lines. Any dog from a line suffering with either Entropian or Ectropian should never be bred from. This is an extruciatingly painful problem for the dog, entropian being the worse as continued abrasian of the eyelashed on the surface of the eye will eventually cause blindness. Kidney failure Kidney failure is not uncommon in any breed but generally associated with the much older dog. But it can happen in young dogs. The first Bracco I imported very sadly died from kidney failure at a tender 2.5 years old. Being so young all tests were taken to find out what the cause was and it was concluded that she was suffering from an incredibly rare hereditory kidney disease almost unseen. Several of her litter also died and also several from a repeat mating which happened long before any of the dogs had died. All breeding stock was neutered and it is hoped that this is never seen again. All reports and information is held with the Renal Specialist Vet who looked after Lydia at the top vet hospital at Newmarket. Unfortunately with kidney failure you have no clinical signs until only 25% of the kidney is still functioning, this shows itself in the dog probably being unable to hold on for the toilet, the urine smelling quite acrid and lots of it, excessive drinking and eventually loss of appetite and sickness. The dog can be given time with steroids etc but sometimes this is crueller than letting them go, a heartbreaking decision but with kidney failure there comes a point whereby the body becomes so poisoned by it's own toxins that the dog will start to hallucinate and become distressed. Hard a decision as it has been twice I would never again go for treatment that may buy the dog a week or two. Elbow Dysplasia It has recently come to light of the occurance of Elbow Dysplasia in the breed, otherwise known as OCD/FCP/UAP/DJD Basically covers several problems of the joints in the front legs (Elbow) Ununited anconeal process Fragmented medial coronoid process osteochondritis of the medial humeral condyle The type apparent here is the ununited anconeal process also known as late fusers. This creates a piece of cartilage which is detatched. In some cases the problem will sort itself but generally an operation is required to remove the floating piece of cartilage. This causes the dogs to show signs of lameness from 6 months onwards for no apparent reason. Any dog diagnosed with this problem should under no circumstances be bred from. This is a serious problem often leading to painful arthritus in the dog. It would appear that because only a few, and not just one case of this has been diagnosed in the UK that it should be dismissed, wrongly so. How many of these Bracco are in pet homes flung far and wide with no contact with the breeder since leaving, who knows the problems these have incurred but are unknown of. Link to information on OCD Statistics on Elbow Dysplasia Diet This is a subject that many people will argue but these are my personal views. The Bracco is a large breed dog with high energy requirements. They are prone to bloat and several have now died from this. I totally believe that this is down to the feeding of dried food. Have you ever taken the amount of dried food you give a large breed and soaked it in water? watch how much is swells and imagine that amount inside the dog being bounced around...... it makes me cringe. Dogs are naturally carnivores feeding on raw meat, the only cereal they ate would be a small amount consumed from the stomach contents of their prey along with berries, grass and other natural foods. All my Bracco's are fed on a varied diet of raw minced chicken wings, tripe, mackeral, chicken backs, marrow bones and breast of lambs together with a daily portion of vegetables lightly cooked, liver and heart (cooked) very small amounts of rice several times a week, and a selection of fruit including strawberries, bananas, apples and tomatoes, cucumber, sprouts, and during the late summer months we go blackberry picking.... and they pick their own gorging on the ripe fruit. They adore bio-yoghurt and basically all things natural and healthy. No dog fed on a natural diet should ever suffer from bloat and the dogs absolutely love their food. The extra bonus being about 2/3 less mess to clear up in the garden!! no bad doggy smells and lovely clean teeth, glossy coats and good pigmentation. All puppies are weaned onto this diet at 3 weeks old and can't get enough minced chicken the first time they get to sample it..... they blossom with excellent bone, strong healthy puppies with bags of energy. Click on the following link to find our more on bloat and to see why a natural diet is always preferred especially in large breeds. Bloat or Gastric Tortion General care of your dog First and foremost you need to remember that the Bracco sat in front of you looking all sweet and loveable is a working gundog from the tip of it's highly sensitive nose to the tip of it's very expressive tail. If you take on this high energy breed then you must be a person who wants to walk. An hour a day is plenty if the dog is free running and being allowed to follow it's nose and hunt. At a full extended trot and gallop in the space of an hour the dog will cover a huge distance. We also have to consider that in the wild dogs only exercise whilst hunting for food, not just out for a jolly but we have taken that requirement away so need to provide plenty of stimulation. Too much exercise can be as bad as not enough. Too little and your dog will be climbing the walls and driving you mad, too much and he will barely raise an eyebrow in the house if someone knocks the door. You need to find a happy medium. So if you are more the couch potato then this breed really isn't for you. Clean the ears weekly, trim the nails as and when required, long nails can cause arthritus and flat feet. Don't bath your Bracco unless they smell really bad and if this is for no reason i.e. they have rolled in something nasty which they like to do then look at the diet. If it does not suit them then it will show in the coat being greasy and smelly. Dogs given marrow bones should have lovely clean teeth but keep a check on them and clean if required. In general take note, look for bumps, small lumps could be a tick or a grass seed, treat them with the respect they deserve and love them for what they are. Amazing, mezmerizing, funny, active dogs with a mind and a wicked sense of humour. If your Bracco irritates the hell out of you then the fault is with you.....not the dog!! |
