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ALOPECIA
- *Hair
loss*
Our first
experiences with the Blues and
Fawns was a total and disheartening
and EXPENSIVE disaster. Even
though we THOUGHT we knew what we
were doing when we went to purchase
our first Blues we were completely
wrong as both of our first girls
broke with Alopecia before 1 year
of age and needlessly to say were
placed in pet homes before they
were ever used in our breeding
program. I learned from that
experience that the Blues and Fawns
come with a PRICE TAG beyond the
initial expense of purchasing
them. I also learned that you can
NOT look at a 8 week old puppy and
tell whether or not Alopecia will
surface at a later age. It is my
opinion that Alopecia is GENETIC
and runs in Bloodlines. It is also
NOT just a skin condition that
affects Blues or Fawns as it is
also found in the Browns, Blacks
and Reds of the same bloodlines of
the Blues and Fawns that are also
affected with Alopecia.
Alopecia is an
affliction of the hair root
follicle causing the hair to become
brittle, course and easily broken
leaving the dog what appears to be
hairless. Often times on severe
cases the skin becomes severely dry
and cracks. A dog with Alopecia
suffers from sun burn to the skin
as well making their lives one of
confinement in order to protect
them from further damage. A dog
affected with Alopecia often leads
a reduced quality of life.
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Typical Health
Problems:
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Leg injuries:
The Min-Pin has
a very slender
leg bone under
a muscled body
structure
making their
legs easily
broken if
fallen on or if
they jump and
land in a
compromising
position of the
leg structure.
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Patellar
Luxation
is a
dislocation of
the patella
(*Kneecap):
The Patella may
dislocate
toward the
medial
(*inside)
or lateral
(*outside)
of the leg, or
may move in
both
directions. It
may result from
injury or
congenital
(caused during
embryo
development)
deformities.
Both legs may
be affected.
The crippling
effects of
patellar
luxation are
related to the
severity and
duration of the
luxation. The
milder forms,
especially in
small breeds,
show little or
no signs, and
only minimal
treatment is
required.
Severe cases
cause more
intense pain
and obvious
limping.
Treatment
ranges from
rest
(decreasing
your pet's
activity for
1-2 weeks)
to surgical
reconstruction
of the knee
joint. Dogs
with Patellar
Luxation should
NEVER be used
for breeding.
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Legg's Perthes
Disease:
A condition
often confused
with congenital
hip dysplasia.
Although the
final result is
the same, a hip
joint with
arthritic and
osteopoetic
changes, the
primary lesion
is different.
Legg's Perthes
disease is due
to the aseptic
death of the
head of the
femur. This
causes wearing
and promotes
arthritic
changes. Thus,
after the
condition has
progressed for
some time it is
difficult to
diagnose
whether the
resulting
degenerated
joint is a
manifestation
of hip
dysplasia or
Legg's Perthes.
This condition
is congenital
(caused during
embryo
development)
and has
no known cure.
The
accompanying
pain and
arthritic
changes can be
controlled with
cortisone
compounds.
Restricted
exercise while
under
treatment, or
during an
attack of pain,
is helpful. An
operation for
the removal of
the head of the
femur, thus
leaving a
muscle joint in
the area, has
proved
successful for
prolonging the
useful life of
your pet.
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Mucopolysacchariodosis
type VI
(MPS VI)
is the
lysosomal
storage
disorder caused
by the
deficient
activity of
arylsulfatase B
(ASB; N-acetylgalactosamine
4-sulfatase)
and the
subsequent
accumulation of
the
glycosaminoglycan
(GAG), dermatan
sulfate. In
layman terms
that means the
mechanism
responsible for
destroying and
eliminating OLD
DEAD cells is
not working
properly thus
causing
improper future
development of
cells. Dogs
with this
disorder start
taking on a
different
structural
appearance and
deformities.
Dogs with MPS
VI seldom live
beyond the age
of 2 years.
There is a test
available to
check dogs for
MPS VI. 2
CLEAR/NORMAL
adults will
produce ONLY
Clear/Normal
offspring so
testing
offspring from
Normal/Clear
parents is not
necessary.
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