Recommendations...
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The following information is provided to help you make informed decisions regarding your dogs health and wellbeing. I have been raising my dogs with the following protocols for the past 15+ years. Please check back often for updates, as we are all still learning! If you have any specific questions, I am always available for discussion. ~Kara |
Food:
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I have fed many foods over the years and have seen the best results with Purina and/or Royal Canin.
These companies have backed their products with years of research and feed studies.
My personal dogs do not experience allergies, hot spots, or sensitivities to certain ingredients. For those dogs that do, other diets are optimal and I am happy to discuss those with you.
I DO NOT recommend grain free diets!
These diets cause puppies to grow too fast and can lead to obesity and joint issues. There is also new research linking these foods to Taurine Deficient Dilated Cardiomyopathy - which can be fatal.
For more information about the recent Taurine discussion:
https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/06/a-broken-heart-risk-of-heart-disease-in-boutique-or-grain-free-diets-and-exotic-ingredients/
These companies have backed their products with years of research and feed studies.
My personal dogs do not experience allergies, hot spots, or sensitivities to certain ingredients. For those dogs that do, other diets are optimal and I am happy to discuss those with you.
I DO NOT recommend grain free diets!
These diets cause puppies to grow too fast and can lead to obesity and joint issues. There is also new research linking these foods to Taurine Deficient Dilated Cardiomyopathy - which can be fatal.
For more information about the recent Taurine discussion:
https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/06/a-broken-heart-risk-of-heart-disease-in-boutique-or-grain-free-diets-and-exotic-ingredients/
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Purina Lifespan Study - Dogs that maintain ideal body weight live longer!
Supplements:
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I use and recommend NuVet Plus and NuJoint Plus for your Golden Retriever. To order call 800-474-7044 and use code #32626 to order or visit: www.nuvet.com/32626
Whether you choose to supplement with the NuVet products is up to you. I DO NOT mandate that your puppy must be given this supplement. I suggest that you supplement with the NuVet products as this is what I do with my Goldens and my puppies before going home to you. |
Free radicals are a major cause of ill health in our beloved pets. NuVet Plus and NuJoint Plus uses human grade, natural ingredients that contain no fillers, no artificial flavors, and no binding agents that are completely safe and nutrient rich. Combatting disease where it starts - from inside and also strengthens your pets immune system. Never heat processes as heat destroys essential nutrients. Safe for animals of all ages, including pregnant females. Scientifically formulated to provide everything your pet needs for perfect health.
NuVet Plus significantly reduces the risk or eliminates many problems that may affect your pet:
- Allergies
- Ithcing and Scratching
- Hot Spots
- Arthritis
- Digestive Issues
- Tumors
- Cataracts
- Low Energy Levels
- Heart Disease
NuVet Plus Ingredients: Alfalfa, Alpha Amylase, Amino Acids, Beta Carotene, Blue Algae, Brewer's Yeast, Cat's Claw, Chicken Liver, Copper, Evening Primrose Oil, Folic Acid, Iron, L Methionine, Magnesium, Manganese, Oyesterday Shell, Papain, Pine Bark (Pycnogenol), Potassium, Selenium, Shark Cartilage, Taurine, Vitamin A, Vitamin B Complex, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc.
NuJoint Plus keeps your dogs hips and joints healthy, pain free and will protect their hips and joints naturally. NuJoint Plus improves the overall joint health and mobility for breeds that are prone to develop hip and joint problems. NuJoint Plus will help keep the critical areas in the best health possible. For dogs suffering from arthritis, osteoarthritis, joint pain and hip dysplasia, NuJoint Plus will help heal problem joints and bone ailments with natural healing ingredients, easing the suffering of your pet.
NuJoint Plus Ingredients: MSM, Glucosamine, Chrondroitin, Vitamin C (Ester C)
NuJoint Plus
- Protects Healthy Joints
- Rebuilds Cartilage
- Lubricates For Fluid Movement
- Reduces Inflammation
- Expands Mobility And Flexibility
- Improves Quality Of Life
To order: Call Toll Free 800-474-7044 or visit
www.nuvet.com/32626
Please use code #32626 when ordering. Thank you.
NuVet Plus significantly reduces the risk or eliminates many problems that may affect your pet:
- Allergies
- Ithcing and Scratching
- Hot Spots
- Arthritis
- Digestive Issues
- Tumors
- Cataracts
- Low Energy Levels
- Heart Disease
NuVet Plus Ingredients: Alfalfa, Alpha Amylase, Amino Acids, Beta Carotene, Blue Algae, Brewer's Yeast, Cat's Claw, Chicken Liver, Copper, Evening Primrose Oil, Folic Acid, Iron, L Methionine, Magnesium, Manganese, Oyesterday Shell, Papain, Pine Bark (Pycnogenol), Potassium, Selenium, Shark Cartilage, Taurine, Vitamin A, Vitamin B Complex, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc.
NuJoint Plus keeps your dogs hips and joints healthy, pain free and will protect their hips and joints naturally. NuJoint Plus improves the overall joint health and mobility for breeds that are prone to develop hip and joint problems. NuJoint Plus will help keep the critical areas in the best health possible. For dogs suffering from arthritis, osteoarthritis, joint pain and hip dysplasia, NuJoint Plus will help heal problem joints and bone ailments with natural healing ingredients, easing the suffering of your pet.
NuJoint Plus Ingredients: MSM, Glucosamine, Chrondroitin, Vitamin C (Ester C)
NuJoint Plus
- Protects Healthy Joints
- Rebuilds Cartilage
- Lubricates For Fluid Movement
- Reduces Inflammation
- Expands Mobility And Flexibility
- Improves Quality Of Life
To order: Call Toll Free 800-474-7044 or visit
www.nuvet.com/32626
Please use code #32626 when ordering. Thank you.
Health: Spay & Neuter
I highly recommend you allow your puppy to mature fully before desexing. Non-traditional spay/neuter is preferred (ovarian-sparing spay for females / vasectomy for males). Allowing your dog to fully mature and/or keep their beneficial hormones significantly reduces their cancer, thyroid, ACL tear, and joint disease risks. If you do choose to let your female cycle, I recommend spaying 2-3 months after the end of their first cycle. Males should be neutered after 24 months old but a vasectomy is preferred (and can be done anytime).
More information and studies are posted below.
https://www.avma.org/news/javmanews/pages/131101a.aspx
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0055937
More information and studies are posted below.
https://www.avma.org/news/javmanews/pages/131101a.aspx
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0055937
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Golden retriever study suggests neutering affects dog health
February 13, 2013
Neutering, and the age at which a dog is neutered, may affect the animal’s risk for developing certain cancers and joint diseases, according to a new study of golden retrievers by a team of researchers at the University of California, Davis.
The study, which examined the health records of 759 golden retrievers, found a surprising doubling of hip dysplasia among male dogs neutered before one year of age. This and other results were published Feb. 13 in the online scientific journal PLOS ONE.
“The study results indicate that dog owners and service-dog trainers should carefully consider when to have their male or female dogs neutered,” said lead investigator Benjamin Hart, a distinguished professor emeritus in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
“It is important to remember, however, that because different dog breeds have different vulnerabilities to various diseases, the effects of early and late neutering also may vary from breed to breed,” he said.
While results of the new study are revealing, Hart said the relationship between neutering and disease-risk remains a complex issue. For example, the increased incidence of joint diseases among early-neutered dogs is likely a combination of the effect of neutering on the young dog’s growth plates as well as the increase in weight on the joints that is commonly seen in neutered dogs.
Dog owners in the United States are overwhelmingly choosing to neuter their dogs, in large part to prevent pet overpopulation or avoid unwanted behaviors. In the U.S., surgical neutering — known as spaying in females — is usually done when the dog is less than one year old.
In Europe, however, neutering is generally avoided by owners and trainers and not promoted by animal health authorities, Hart said.
During the past decade, some studies have indicated that neutering can have several adverse health effects for certain dog breeds. Those studies examined individual diseases using data drawn from one breed or pooled from several breeds.
Against that backdrop, Hart and colleagues launched their study, using a single hospital database. The study was designed to examine the effects of neutering on the risks of several diseases in the same breed, distinguishing between males and females and between early or late neutering and non-neutering.
The researchers chose to focus on the golden retriever because it is one of the most popular breeds in the U.S. and Europe and is vulnerable to various cancers and joint disorders. The breed also is favored for work as a service dog.
The research team reviewed the records of female and male golden retrievers, ranging in age from 1 to 8 years, that had been examined at UC Davis’ William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for two joint disorders and three cancers: hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tear, lymphosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma and mast cell tumor. The dogs were classified as intact (not neutered), neutered early (before 12 months age), or neutered late (at or after 12 months age).
Joint disorders and cancers are of particular interest because neutering removes the male dog’s testes and the female’s ovaries, interrupting production of certain hormones that play key roles in important body processes such as closure of bone growth plates, and regulation of the estrous cycle in female dogs.
The study revealed that, for all five diseases analyzed, the disease rates were significantly higher in both males and females that were neutered either early or late compared with intact (non-neutered) dogs.
Specifically, early neutering was associated with an increase in the occurrence of hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tear and lymphosarcoma in males and of cranial cruciate ligament tear in females. Late neutering was associated with the subsequent occurrence of mast cell tumors and hemangiosarcoma in females.
In most areas, the findings of this study were consistent with earlier studies, suggesting similar increases in disease risks. The new study, however, was the first to specifically report an increased risk of late neutering for mast cell tumors and hemangiosarcoma.
Furthermore, the new study showed a surprising 100 percent increase, or doubling, of the incidence of hip dysplasia among early-neutered males. Earlier studies had reported a 17 percent increase among all neutered dogs compared to all non-neutered dogs, indicating the importance of the new study in making gender and age-of-neutering comparisons.
Other researchers on this UC Davis study were: Gretel Torres de la Riva, Thomas Farver and Lynette Hart, School of Veterinary Medicine; Anita Oberbauer, Department of Animal Science; Locksley Messam, Department of Public Health Sciences; and Neil Willits, Department of Statistics.
About UC DavisUC Davis is a global community of individuals united to better humanity and our natural world while seeking solutions to some of our most pressing challenges. Located near the California state capital, UC Davis has more than 34,000 students, and the full-time equivalent of 4,100 faculty and other academics and 17,400 staff. The campus has an annual research budget of over $750 million, a comprehensive health system and about two dozen specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and 99 undergraduate majors in four colleges and six professional schools.
Additional information:
Neutering health effects more severe for golden retrievers than Labradors
Media contact(s):
- Benjamin Hart, School of Veterinary Medicine, (530) 752-1555, blhart@ucdavis.edu
- Pat Bailey, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-9843, pjbailey@ucdavis.edu
Health: Vaccinations
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I feel very strongly that over vaccination plays a large role in the health and longevity of Goldens.
My dogs are vaccinated for Distemper/Adenovirus/Parainfluenza/Parvovirus (every 3 years or titer), Rabies (3 years, by law) and Bordatella (only when out showing). That is it. I DO NOT recommend Lyme or Lepto vaccines! Your puppy will be given it's first series of "puppy shots" at 7.5 weeks old, they need to be repeated twice more with 4 weeks in between. See below chart. Please be your pets advocate! I have also put together a letter for your Veterinarian, link below. |
Puppy Vaccination Schedule
7.5 Weeks DAPPv (distemper/adenovirus/parainfluenza/parvovirus)
11.5 Weeks DAPPv (distemper/adenovirus/parainfluenza/parvovirus)
16 Weeks DAPPv (distemper/adenovirus/parainfluenza/parvovirus)
6 Months Rabies (1 year)
Annual Rabies by law (New Hampshire - every 3 years)
Remember: I DO NOT recommend Lyme or Lepto vaccinations!
If you feel you or your vet feel you need to vaccinate for Lyme or Lepto, please spread these vaccines out. Do not combine them with any other vaccine given and be diligent to watch for vaccine reactions.
After the above vaccines have been completed you have the option to vaccinate every 3 years, or titer.
The choice is yours. Links are provided below to offer assistance with your research.
http://drjeandoddspethealthresource.tumblr.com/post/33393350071/vaccines-titer-testing-animals#.WH7pKfkrJPZ
7.5 Weeks DAPPv (distemper/adenovirus/parainfluenza/parvovirus)
11.5 Weeks DAPPv (distemper/adenovirus/parainfluenza/parvovirus)
16 Weeks DAPPv (distemper/adenovirus/parainfluenza/parvovirus)
6 Months Rabies (1 year)
Annual Rabies by law (New Hampshire - every 3 years)
Remember: I DO NOT recommend Lyme or Lepto vaccinations!
If you feel you or your vet feel you need to vaccinate for Lyme or Lepto, please spread these vaccines out. Do not combine them with any other vaccine given and be diligent to watch for vaccine reactions.
After the above vaccines have been completed you have the option to vaccinate every 3 years, or titer.
The choice is yours. Links are provided below to offer assistance with your research.
http://drjeandoddspethealthresource.tumblr.com/post/33393350071/vaccines-titer-testing-animals#.WH7pKfkrJPZ
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Heath: Flea & Tick Products
My dogs are not routinely given any Flea or Tick products. If for some reason fleas are found, I use Frontline. It is the safest product and has been around the longest. There is also a oral medication called Capstar that is safe and can kill all adult fleas in 3o minutes or less.
We DO NOT recommend any oral flea/tick products!
Example: Bravecto, Nexgard, etc.
Recent FDA warning regarding these products:
https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/ResourcesforYou/AnimalHealthLiteracy/ucm620940.htm
We DO NOT recommend any oral flea/tick products!
Example: Bravecto, Nexgard, etc.
Recent FDA warning regarding these products:
https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/ResourcesforYou/AnimalHealthLiteracy/ucm620940.htm
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This past year (2017) we have been testing the Seresto collar and have really liked it! The active ingredients in this product stay in the fat layer of your dog and if a reaction should occur the collar can simply be removed. https://www.chewy.com/seresto-8-month-flea-tick-collar/dp/46498 |
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Heath: Heartworm Medications
We give heartworm medication to our dogs year-round. We use and recommend Interceptor Plus or Heargard Plus.
Health: Insurance
All of our puppies are sent home with 30 days free from Trupanion.
We also highly recommend Embrace Pet Insurance - please contact us for referral info.
We also highly recommend Embrace Pet Insurance - please contact us for referral info.
Training:
We highly recommend everyone purchase Puppy Possibilities!
If you mention you have a SunKissed Golden, the Author will customize and autograph your book!
http://www.puppytrek.com
If you mention you have a SunKissed Golden, the Author will customize and autograph your book!
http://www.puppytrek.com
| Nothing In Life Is Free.doc |
Other Informative Links:
We’ve been using Kuranda Dog Beds for our dogs for years. They’re easy to keep clean, supportive and best of all, they’re guaranteed chew proof. Because it’s an elevated bed it has the added benefit of being the best tool to have if you train your dog to "Go-To Place."
If you plan to purchase a Kuranda bed, use this link http://partnerlink.kuranda.com/23187 and 5% of your order will be donated to Warrior Canine Connection – they have a SunKissed Golden named “Bea” in their ranks! This is a wonderful organization that trains dogs to be companions to war veterans with PTSD.
If you plan to purchase a Kuranda bed, use this link http://partnerlink.kuranda.com/23187 and 5% of your order will be donated to Warrior Canine Connection – they have a SunKissed Golden named “Bea” in their ranks! This is a wonderful organization that trains dogs to be companions to war veterans with PTSD.
Last updated: 4/21/2022
