Some Things You Should Know
Based on Our Experience
And Our Customers
Experience
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1. Feed only adult formula kibble. Never
"puppy" kibble. Even and especially those "designed"
for a large breed puppies. No! NO! NO!
2. What kind of kibble, should follow our guidelines; (meat
based not corn, no soy, preserved with Vit E, no more that 26% protein or
18% fat), but be sure to feed peak condition and meat. We choose to cook
our meat, you may choose raw, but either way, be sure your puppy/dog/bitch
receives real meat.
3. There are many "health issue" that exist for
fila puppies during their development. Most go away without
"help" from the vet. Vets, we have found often exaggerate
conditions to get an emotional and financial response from their clients.
Avoid the use of vets who make a big deal out of the following conditions:
We consider breed typical.
 | Umbilical Hernias, Very common, close all on their own by approximately
one year. - Hernias 25 cents or less in size, should of course be
watched, but do not represent a threat to the well being of your
puppy. Do Not Do Surgery. After eating they always stick out
more. |
| Male puppies get "puppy acne" more often and worse, but females
do get it too. Very Common. Feed only in stainless
steel dishes (Even when acme not present). Wash acne with pyoban
shampoo (from vet). In extreme cases, use cephabxin or cephabxin and
predmisone (steroid) we recommend this only if your god has an important
"date" (like a dog show) where the "complexion" should
be clear. It is thought "acne" is related to hormonal
changes and dogs grow out of it - similar to children. |
| Entropion and Ectropian - common in all molassers less than 12% ever
require surgery; As my vet once told me "It takes longer to put the dog
under anesthetic than it does to do the surgery. " He charges $85.00 per
eye. I have heard quotations 9 times that amount. So remember to
keep your emotions under control. Call Me! I will put you in
touch with my vet and then you can look for a new vet or enlighten your
original vet armed with good information from an experienced professional. |
| Puppy Vagintis in female puppies - a yellowish/greenish thick
vaginal
discharge. Comes and goes in some females until their first
heat. Very Common. |
| Female puppies who leak urine while they sleep or on their way to the door
(males do this too). Goes away after 1st heat. Related to muscle
control. Also occurs sometimes after spaying. Use
diethylstilbestrol to fix the problem in spayed females. |
| Some puppies experience intermittent limping, discomfort getting up and
down, soreness after exercise/play. This is due to rapid growth of a
giant breed. I am making an assumption here that you are following our
feeding and supplementation instructions. Exercise may help if the
reason is uneven growth pattern i.e.. bones, ligaments, tendons are not
growing in sync. If the cause is other; then lack of exercise maybe
the better choice. Your vet can help determine the cause and
treatment. |
| If your dog/bitch/puppy has evidenced no clearly defined limping in the
back legs and suddenly begins limping - Do not assume HD - This has become
the clecegue for rear leg limping actually what is most likely - your fila,
has a soft tissue tear "a hyper extended cruciate ligament"
"torn cruciate" or worse case scenario ruptured. It has
been my experience that due to the physical design of our breed (higher in
the croup than the withers and moderate angulation to the stifle
area) This is the most common cause of rear leg
unsoundness. Next and Important - Do Not Do the surgery to
correct this problem unless ruptured. There are many good reasons
for this recommendation. Please call me and I will be happy to
explain. If you can not reach me then immediately crate, kennel,
restrict activity, walk on leash only, not play with other dogs ( or your
for that matter) healing is slow .... 3 to 6 months. With surgery
about 1 year or never and you have used your ONLY SPARE PART.
Mis-diagnosed cruciate ligament damage. |
| Bites: |
*Overbites we
have seen 85% change to scissor bites at 14 months of age.
*Under bite (like a
bulldog) we have seen change to scissor. Level bits are acceptable.
| Coat color: All Fila puppies are born with guard hairs (black
hair) gradually they shed these hairs and typically have no evidenced
by 1 year. So, if your puppy still has some guard hair, do not be
concerned. |
4.
Swollen lymph nodes are
very common in fila puppies and young adults. This condition
seemingly has no relationship to poor health. The swelling comes
and goes thru out the Filas growth to adulthood. This is true w/
or w/out the use of antibiotics. Assuming there is not any change
in activity, appetite, vomiting and no fever (which would mean the dog
is ill and the lymph nodes are indicative )......it is a mystery why it
occurs. Unless your vet has seen a lot of Fila puppies they may
tell you to have blood work ups done etc., but unless there is some
other sign we do not ....we just observe and wait for them to go
down ...knowing that very likely the condition will reoccur.
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