Articles published in this Newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor. Nothing may be copied unless the Editor grants permission. 

Dates & News:

ZimDog News, can be accessed from: www.vanerp.net.

Zimbabwe Kennel Club:

The Zimbabwe Kennel Club office will now only be open on a Friday each week, 14.00-16.00 CAT.  

Dear Paul

This letter will most probably come as a great surprise but we felt we must write and find out if you are still living in Zimbabwe?

We are very sad to have to tell you that Cherub of Zilletal passed away 3 weeks ago, on the 27^th December. She suddenly became ill and was diagnosed with Lymphoma. It was obviously a very aggressive type of cancer because she went down very quickly. Both Spencer and I are heartbroken. She was a very special dog and we had an amazing relationship with her. We miss her terribly.

We left Triangle, Zimbabwe in August 2003, and went to live in Swaziland for the next two years. Then Spencer was transferred to Mozambique in April 2005. We are still living here. Kita came with us of course and was a very big part of our lives, camping, running, walking with us everywhere we've been.

We would like complimenting you on your excellent breeding of German Shepherds as well as the love and care you gave to all your dogs and their puppies. This is partly the reason Kita was such an extraordinary and wonderful dog. Are you still breeding German Shepherds? We would love to know how you are doing and where you now are. Please email and tell us?

Best regards

Spencer & Cheryl Morrison 

Christmas chocolates became fatal to our dogs

In Holland two dogs died after eating Christmas chocolates. The chocolates were on the lounge table and were eaten by our dogs before we could have stopped them. Especially pure chocolate is very poisonous for dogs. It contains theobromide and that causes the heart muscle of dogs, to paralyze according to the Veterinary Dr Fred Dankers. He tried to save our dogs to make them vomit and to connect them to a drip, but they were too far-gone to help them. 

10 October 2008 Breed show. Some pictures to see, no news yet about shows in 2009. Will publish them asap I know.

STRESS IN ANIMALS

Hi jan cashel,

Here's one thing we can all agree on. Our lives are filled with stress. The pace of our lives alone is brutal, and we worry about everything. So is it any wonder that our dogs are stressed out, too? The truth is, our dogs pick up on our emotions and react to the chaos in our lives. When we're tense, they're tense. When their lives feel chaotic, they become agitated. Our stress certainly impacts our four-legged friends. And there are plenty of other things that can put your dog on edge... A strange environment, being home alone for long periods of time, loud noises or thunder, long car trips ... all of these things impact your dog's sense of well-being. Your pet's nervous anxiety can manifest itself in many ways - a physical or behavioural issue, digestive problems, a change in appetite, hypertension, even depression. When you and I are trying to unwind, soothing music or the gentle sound of the ocean's waves can really help. Music really can be good for the soul, but that doesn't just apply to humans. It's also true for our pets. Studies of household pets have shown that music can definitely help them to relax. They have even identified certain sounds, songs and instruments that seem to work best. For instance, dogs and cats prefer classical music. Cats will relax in front of a stereo speaker when classical music is playing. Dogs will actually bark less - especially when they listen to Bach. Household pets under stress-inducing situations will often slip into a very serene and peaceful state of mind after listening to classical music for only a few minutes... ahhh To be an effective relaxation tool, music must have a consistently smooth, soothing dynamic from start to finish with no abrupt changes in tempo, volume or rhythm. That's not usually the case with radio broadcasts or most "off-the-shelf" classical music CDs. But recently, I discovered a new music CD called Music My Pet . "Music My Pet" was developed for the specific purpose of calming our pets and the science behind it is very sound. It re-orchestrates classical pieces by popular composers like Bach, Beethoven and Brahms using the instruments, sounds and musical dynamics proven to calm dogs, cats and other household pets. The musical genius behind this pet-friendly relaxation CD is Tom Nazziola, the award-winning musician who was the principal performer on Disney's acclaimed Baby Einstein children’s CD’s and DVDs. I think you’ll find it as innovative and relaxing as I did. And you'll probably enjoy it just as much as your dog. Hope you are having a relaxing weekend

Dr. Jon

ZERO ODOR

Hi jan cashel,

Yes, life sometimes STINKS... with pet odor. We love our dogs, but we hate some of those "doggy odors". You know what I mean; doggy odors can come from vomit, diarrhoea, drool and urine to name a few. At one point in time every dog owners encounters some type of odor problem...Do you think you have a tough odor problem? Well, wait until you hear this story about a house that had been vacant for three years. The previous owner was an elderly woman with seven cats that she was unable to care for, so the cats basically used the house as one big litter box! Literally, you could stand at the door and smell the urine from this house! The walls, floorboards, carpet - everything had been ruined. The urine had completely penetrated the carpet, which was now black and mouldy. And you would not believe how bad it smelled! They weren't even sure the house was salvageable. I saw this house with my own eyes (and nose), and it stunk. I mean it really stunk. After being in the house for a short period of time I became nauseated. I'm a veterinarian, so I'm used to stinky smells - especially stinky pet smells. But this was different. The odor in this house almost made your eyes run! I wanted to help the new owners of the house, but what could I do? Well, I knew of a new odor control product that claimed to "bond" to the odor molecules and change them into molecules that no longer cause odor. (Yes, I took Chemistry in Vet School, and I understand how molecules can bond together, but this claim made me a bit sceptical.) Given the severity of the situation I decided to give this product a try. After all, if it could work in this situation, it would work anywhere. I asked the new owner to see if he was interested in trying this new product called "Zero Odor". We both wanted to see if Zero Odor lived up to its claims of destroying the odor molecules... and fix this very big odor problem in this house. First he pulled out the carpet, which had originally been a light gold color. Next they pulled up the urine-stained carpet pad only to find that the urine had soaked through, penetrating and staining the plywood floor underneath. He sprayed the floor with Zero Odor , and when he returned the next day, it was as if he was in an entirely different place. He told me there was no more smell. Zero. He told me this on the phone, but the smell was so bad that I had to go see (and smell) it for myself. I went to the house and I couldn't believe it was true... the odor was really gone!

Until next time,Dr. Jon