Black Tongue Archives - Edie MacKenzie

The Chinese Sharpei

February 27, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Chinese Sharpei History and origin:

Formerly known as the Chinese fighting dog, the Chinese Sharpei is an ancient breed who was revered by the nobility during the Han dynasty, around 200 B.C. The Sharpei and the Chow Chow are the only two breeds with a blue-black tongue; this may point to common ancestry. The Sharpei has been used as a fighting dog, with loose skin that enables him to swing around and bite even while being bitten by another dog. He was also used to hunt wild boar and herd flocks.

Description:
The Sharpei stands 18 to 20 inches at the shoulder and weighs between 40 and 55 pounds. He has a medium-size muscular body, a fleshy face, a curled tail, and wrinkled skin on his face and body, though the wrinkles become less exaggerated as the dog matures. The shedding coat is short, harsh, and prickly to the touch and requires only periodic brushing. Coat length can vary from extremely short to just over an inch in length. The color may be black, chocolate, reddish brown, fawn, or cream.

About the Chinese Shar-pei:

The Chinese Sharpei is an intelligent dog who is loyal and affectionate toward his owner. On the other hand, he can also be an extremely dominant, controlling, moody breed that can be downright mean and dangerous. He will bond with only one or two persons and can be very suspicious of strangers. He is likely to bite if approached or petted by anyone he does not know and respect. He does not like being petted on the head even by his owner and is not for families with children unless he was raised with them from day one. The Sharpei is extremely territorial, dog-aggressive, and an excellent watch dog. There have been cases in which Shar-Peis have literally ripped another dog to shreds. This breed has a high prey drive toward small animals.

Training must start early and should be firm and consistent. This breed can be disobedient and defiant and will bite even his owner if so inclined. Tantrums and uncontrollable behavior often occur during training, particularly when the owner attempts to teach him the “Down” command. Socializing the puppy is mandatory and is the cornerstone of successfully owning this breed. Never spoil this breed. Spoiling creates a bossy, nasty, suspicious dog capable of seriously hurting someone. The females are less aggressive than the males. The Sharpei can suffer from hip dysplasia, entropion, hypothyroidism, respiratory problems, and skin allergies. He drools, snorts, and may snore. This breed has become very popular over the last decade and has suffered from poor breeding. Breeders of the Chinese Sharpei should take a long, hard look at the type of dog they are producing, and endeavor to breed a dog with a more stable, more predictable, less combative temperament.

Feeding:
Recommended feeding for this breed is about 1 ½ cans (13.3oz) of high-quality meaty product per day with biscuit added in equal part or 3 cupfuls of complete, dry dog food.

Ideal home:
This breed is best suited in a house with a well-fenced secluded yard. The owner of a Chinese Sharpei should be a strong, commanding no-nonsense leader who desires a protective, highly discriminating, territorial dog that will be at best reserved with strangers. The home should be quiet and predictable. Children will not be tolerated and could get badly hurt, particularly if roughhousing occurs. The elderly and the disabled should not consider this breed. Time to train, socialize, and exercise the Chinese Sharpei must be available.

Dog Food & Supplements – An In Depth Look At Nutrition For Your Pet (1)

September 10, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

Dog Food & Supplements

Big cans, little cans, heavy bags and cute packs, soft foods, dry dog food, semi-moist, candies, biscuits, chewies, people-like crackers and gourmet bon-bons…

Today’s dog owner is confronted with a bewildering array of food for his pet.

Years ago, when such a variety of dog food wasn’t available, dogs were fed foods that were most plentiful in the region. In the arctic, dogs were fed mostly fish and whale blubber; in the southern United States, a dog’s diet consisted mainly of cornbread; in Europe, potatoes were the main fare.

These diets led to diseases such as black tongue (pelegra in humans), rickets, and other less commonly known ailments, many of them fatal.

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In the wild, the canine did not just restrict himself to eating just the meat of his prey. He ate the entire animal, including the contents of the stomach.

Wild dogs were known to kill each other while fighting over the stomach contents of their prey. Thus, nature provided the wild animal with a diet considered nutritionally complete.

Domesticated dogs were not allowed that luxury, and usually were fed table scraps for their dog food. These poor diets resulted in serious nutritional imbalances and severe nutritional deficiencies.

After years of study, it was determined that even though the canine is considered a carnivorous animal, he requires certain carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals to satisfy nutritional requirements just as humans do.

In 1953, the National Research Council compiled and published nutritional requirements for dogs. The NRC is a federally established scientific body whose basic function is gathering research data.

After World War II, the pet food industry in the United States began an enormous expansion. Already a highly competitive business, pet food manufacturers quickly found themselves in neck to neck competition for a piece of this multi-million dollar a year business.

In order to survive and successfully compete in the market, pet food manufacturers knew that they must provide a dog food which was:

A) Nutritionally complete; containing all 26 nutrients that the National Research Council said that does need.

B) Palatable so that the dog would enjoy eating the food.

C) Easy and convenient for the customer to handle.

D) Economically competitive in the market.

Pet food manufacturers have established laboratories and hired nutritionists and dog food technicians to select those ingredients, which, when combined, will provide the sufficient nutrition to meet NRC standards.

Dog Food & Supplements: An In Depth Look At Nutrition For Your Pet (1)

July 18, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

Proper dog health can be confusing with shelves full of big cans, little cans, heavy bags and cute packs, soft foods, dry food, semi-moist, candies, biscuits, chewies, people-like crackers and gourmet bon-bons…

Today’s dog owner is confronted with a bewildering array of food for his pet.

Years ago, when such a variety wasn’t available, dogs were fed foods that were most plentiful in the region. In the arctic, dogs were fed mostly fish and whale blubber; in the southern United States, a dog’s diet consisted mainly of cornbread; in Europe, potatoes were the main fare. These diets led to diseases such as black tongue (pelegra in humans), rickets, and other less commonly known ailments, many of them fatal.

In the wild, the canine did not just restrict himself to eating just the meat of his prey. He ate the entire animal, including the contents of the stomach. Wild dogs were known to kill each other while fighting over the stomach contents of their prey. Thus, nature provided the wild animal with a diet considered nutritionally complete.

Domesticated dogs were not allowed that luxury, and usually were fed table scraps. These poor diets resulted in serious nutritional imbalances and severe nutritional deficiencies.