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MOST GOOD Shar-Pei breeders are truly interested in the welfare of the breed and have tried to repair the damage done out of greed and ignorance. It has been a long, uphill battle and progress was being made until the breed was again hit with a devastating illness...an illness that strikes without warning and eventually causes renal failure. The disease I am referring to is AMYLOIDOSIS, simply known as kidney failure. There are no tests to determine if a certain dog will be afflicted with this disease. There is no known cure. It rarely appears until the animal is well into its prime and (possibly, if it has been used for breeding) responsible for numerous offspring. Amyloidosis is considered a genetic disease, and by the time a dog has passed away from it, there are hundreds more possible victims or carriers. As you can see, this is a never ending problem...unless everyone quits breeding Shar-Pei until a genetic marker is devised to separate carriers from non-carriers and the afflicted from the healthy. Unfortunately, that may NEVER happen. So, where does that leave you, the buyer? First, DO YOUR HOMEWORK. The initial step is to find the right breeder...Someone who knows the breed and can guide you to choosing the best puppy for your situation...Someone who will be willing to be available at all hours to answer your questions, give advice, and help you with problems...Someone who will sit down with you and explain all the important issues of owning a Shar-Pei, including health issues you must know, such as SWOLLEN HOCK SYNDROME, SHAR-PEI FEVER, and AMYLOIDOSIS. If the person you are going to buy a puppy from cannot explain these issues, claims their puppies won't have any health problems, can't tell you where it exists in your puppy's pedigree, or offer you some guarantee then you may be talking to the wrong breeder. Second, PLEASE FIND YOURSELF A KNOWLEDGEABLE SHAR-PEI VET, that likes the breed. If the first things they tell you are NEGATIVE (i.e., always have skin problems, are bad tempered, need ear, nose, lip or eye surgery........LEAVE and find a better vet. Don't just assume that all vets know everything about every breed. They know medicine. They don't know what is common in each breed or what you might expect as each puppy grows up. With the Shar-Pei, you MUST have a vet familiar with the numerous growth stages and health issues...One who will not just lump all problems together and claim it's normal for this breed. This is most critical for a Shar-Pei experiencing unexplainable fevers, swollen hocks, etc. DO YOUR RESEARCH AND FIND A GOOD VET, even if you have to travel for a good one. If you have purchased a Shar-Pei and for no reason at all it begins to vomit (a foam-like substance), pitches high fevers (104-107 degrees) for no explainable reason, seems to limp or carry one of it's rear legs, stands with a roached back, and stops eating...DON'T AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME YOUR DOG HAS KIDNEY PROBLEMS! If these symptoms should occur numerous times, then I might be cautious, but this breed is prone at certain times during its life to have one or more of these symptoms without being a candidate for kidney failure. The immune system of a Shar-Pei puppy is at its lowest from 3-6 months. They can at this time run a fever after vaccinations, during 'Teething' or during a stress time, even moving to a new home. If this should happen, call your breeder first. DON'T PANIC. Have a digital thermometer on hand, pups temperature should be 101-102. Rushing off to the vet for expensive tests, having I.Vs with antibiotics is not necessary, this usually lasts for a period of 24-36 hours. An aspirin will usually bring down the fever. CALL YOUR BREEDER FIRST. If you are in doubt, ask your vet to do a Protein: Creatitine Ratio test (from urine). This test may indicate a serious kidney problem brewing long before it will be seen on any CBC test (from blood) but that still doesn't mean that it's Amyloidosis. To build up a pups immune
system, I recommend and give the following supplements:
Vitamin C1000mg Read about other health issues in Shar-Pei
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