Health Care

Health is a critical issue in life and it is vital to do one's homework in selecting new additions to the family to ensure there are no hereditary diseases in the bloodline and the puppy has been cleared from deformities and declared healthy after a check up by the vet. Inbreeding is a contenscious issue and close inbreeding should be avoided as the negative consequences will normally outweigh the positive intentions, particularly with regards to weakening the natural immune system in the puppies. It is not pleasant to watch puppies suffer from ill health as a result of an irresponsible decision by a breeder. In addition to the associated pain and suffering the vet's bill could in time add up to astronomical numbers. There are many healthy Shar Pei around producing very healthy offspring. The trick is just to screen those on offer and not end up with one of the problem kids. Most reputable breeders developed good reputations over many years through breeding quality animals of good health and this is a solid start in screening those on offer. Also, it helps if one knows what to look for which should be avoided when making the choice.

ENTROPIAN

A common eye condition amongst Shar Pei where the eyelids curl inwards and cause the hair to scratch the eye, causing infections, which can easily lead to blindness. Shar Pei breeders learn through experience to identify this at an early age and to treat the condition by applying the correct ointment till 4 weeks of age when a tacking procedure can be performed under anesthetic. Stitches are inserted as one row in the top lid and one row in the bottom lid in such a way that it pulls the lids outward and form proper folds of both lids. This is a tricky operation which veterinarians need to be informed about if they haven't dealt with Shar Pei in particular before. As a matter of routine they only learn the entropian operation in which a piece of the lid is cut out. The latter should only be employed as a permanent solution to dogs at age 6 months if the condition wasn't sorted out during the puppy stage or only appears later in the growth stages. A puppy with stitches in the eyelids look worse than what it really is and when the stitches are removed after three weeks, the eyes will normally be fine.

HIP AND ELBOW DISPLACIA

Displacia is a more serious problem, particularly because it cannot be detected visibly when looking at the puppies or parents. In the show ring it will often be seen that the judge presses on the dog's backside in a downward way to test it's reaction to the pressure on the legs. If it is in pain which severe hip displacia will certainly cause, it will either yelp or collapse at the back. Also, the problem of hip displacia is much more serious than elbow displacia. It is common amongst fast growing dogs and Shar Pei appears high on the list of breeds most affected by the problem. Some bloodlines tend to produce faster growing animals than others and these are at greater risk of falling pray to the disease. Calcium supplement must be restricted in the growing phase to prevent the bone texture from hardening too fast while it is still growing though too little could also do damage. Best is to consult the veterinarian and use a well balanced diet. In practical terms hip displacia can be described as a condition where the femur's rounded top end doesn't fit tightly and closely into the hollow shape of the hip bone and in fact a clear gap is visible between the two on the x-ray film. This gets progressively worse from degree one to two to three when the bone top literally sits outside the socket. In the case of a degree three classification it often happens that when the dog reaches 7 - 8 months of age, one winters morning he suddenly can't get up! He then endures agonising pain and from this point on the vet's bill skyrockets. The eventual outcome will be having to put him to sleep to relieve him of massive pain. This can be avoided from the word go by inspecting the registration of the puppy, which should show a ND 00 classification with the parent's registration numbers. This will ensure that the puppy was bred from unaffected adults and almost guarantee structural soundness in the offspring. The official classification of individuals is only done when the dog is fully grown and in the case of Shar Pei, this is done at 1 year of age when the dog is x - rayed and the classification done by a professor at Onderstepoort in South Africa. He endorses a copy of the registration and then submits this to the registering body for inclusion in their database.

SHAR PEI FEVER

Shar Pei fever is a terrible disease, which eventually results in kidney failure and putting the animal to sleep. It is hereditary and although not activating in every carrier dog, when it surfaces it causes much pain and high costs. It could appear at an early age of merely a few weeks old, or could suddenly activate when the dog is a year or two old. One day, the dog doesn't want to eat, looks miserable, and on closer inspection is found to have a high fever. This will in cases coincide with swelling of the hocks (bottom joint of hind legs) which will be extremely sensitive to touch. The fever can cause kidney damage or failure and so it is important to see the veterinarian then as soon as possible as it is critical to break the fever before permanent damage occurs. The situation could repeat itself at regular intervals, the frequency depending on how serious the condition manifested itself in the particular individual. If a veterinarian can't be reached immediately, half a Disprin could be given to break the fever. Unfortunately in this case there is no policeman to tell the prospective puppy buyer whether there is such a problem in the bloodline, other than relying on honesty from the breeder, and asking for contact numbers of owners of offspring from the parents to get some history on the health of relatives

For more info, please contact Hendrik Momberg.

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