White Shepherds

[Wings]

Just want to know if anyone here own white shepherds? And want to know about them, esp. health issues :p

[GSDMom]

what a beauty !!! I would think White Shepherds would have same health issues as
Blacks, Bi's, Sables, Black & Tans it's just a colour

but I really couldn't say for sure!

[oriondw]

White is a recessive gene. They have more problems the normal one's

[Wings]

Like what kind of problems? I know they are prone to hip disorders and what else?

[oriondw]

Like what kind of problems? I know they are prone to hip disorders and what else?


Im not really an expert :) Yes, hips are one.

I also heard something about skin and eye's.

But dont quote me on that, and better yet discuss this with a GSD breeder ( I think we have a couple on here)

[GSDMom]

The German Shepherd Dog has some major health problems, ranging from hip dysplasia,to elbow dysplasia, and some minor concerns such as Panosteitis, von Willebrand's Disease, progressive posterior paresis, cauda equina, pyotraumatic dermatitis, skin allergies, malignant neoplasms, pannus cataract, dreaded gastric torsion, perianal fistulas, cardiomyopathy and Pancreatic enzyme insufficiency.

Knowledgable GSD breeders select only dogs from pedigrees that are free from health defects, and certify their breeding stock to be free from hip & elbow hysplasia before breeding is ever considered - Good temperament is a MUST ! Conformation is very important as well, we can not guarantee that something could not crop up from generations before - but take every precaution neccesary to produce healthy happy puppies

[Wings]

That sound dreadful...and I got my girl from some sickening puppy mill (which I didn't know till much later) She is definately not a very healthy pup but she is doing well now an I take extreme care to make sure she dun strain her hips n elbows and instruct the walking service not to let her run too much just 20-30 mins and rest is just walking on leash and of coz best food i can afford her

[GSDMom]

every breed has their own list of health issues, so don't be too frightened !
I give my guys 1 tsp of cod liver oil every day :)
helps keep them healthy, what food are you feeding ?


Bon

[Wings]

hmmm....lets see...raw with steamed vegs (brocolli, carrot & potatoe) with 2 tablespoon of yoghurt in the morn and in the nightfeed i will give a whole apple instead of yoghurt. In the weekend I will add a whole boiled egg and some cottage cheese.

[GSDMom]

is it the BARF diet ?
do you feed any organs, meat or fish ?

[Wings]

raw diet = meat? well i thot it was, please correct me if i'm wrong, i just added the steamed veg to make it healtier for her.
What is BARF diet?
No i dun give her fish nor organs. Her raw is a specially prepared meat diet recommended by one of the white shepherd breeder in Amsterdam. The link to the food is www.energique.nl
I tried to look for better kibbles here but I found NONE !!! They feed Ekanuba/Purina/Eagles Pack (not the holistic line)

[Bowowee]

I've heard of white shepherds before but this is the first time I saw one. Wow, they're beautiful...

[GSDMom]

http://www.barfworld.com/html/barf_diet/barfdiet.shtml
here is link to BARF diet I think is very similar to your dogs diet

I feed Royal Canin Large Breed

[Wings]

Never heard of BARF diet till now, I gather this diet from suggestions on this forum and I think she is doing very well on it. Her coat is shiny and soft, teeth is good and she is also very energetic.
She is on this diet for about 2 mths now and can't see any negative sign about it so I guess I must be feeding her good then :p Again correct me if I still need some improvement on her diet.
I dun find Royal Canin here much less to say Innova is non existence.

[Wings]

btw more pics of her on http://photobucket.com/albums/a215/Wings22/Pets/

[GSDMom]

she looks VERY healthy, I think her diet agrees with her :D

[Wings]

:p I'm glad...i have had a hard 2 mths to get her to this state. She was in horrible state before and I had read and read so much to help her with her physical & mental health. She was very afraid of EVERYTHING ...to even me pulling the chair out...and she wont burge to even go out of the house.
But now i'm very glad she is ok ..still fearful of strangers going near her but she already started playing with other dogs in the neighbourhood now and slowly getting near to other persons and sniff them.

[Mordy]

"white shepherd" and "white shepherd" isn't the same thing necessarily.

orion, you may not be aware of it, but they have been developed as a separate, legitimate breed and are recognized by the FCI as such (berger blanc suisse - white swiss shepherd), so not all individuals are at risk for genetic defects and all kinds of health issues - just like in "normal colored" shepherds.

http://www.bergerblancsuisse.com/health_survey.htm

http://www.bergerblancsuisse.com

[Wings]

They have a variety of names here...White Swiss Shepherd, White German Shepherd or just White Shepherd.

[Dreeza]

she is so beautiful!! That is so great to hear that you are taking such good care of her!!

hehe, she'd be a great contrast to my oakley!!

[DanL]

I take extreme care to make sure she dun strain her hips n elbows and instruct the walking service not to let her run too much just 20-30 mins and rest is just walking on leash and of coz best food i can afford her

Walking service? You don't walk your own dog?

Also, read up on a dog's dietary needs. Fruit and veggies are not required. Yes a dog will eat them but they do not need them to survive, and adding them doesn't make the diet healthier. Much more important would be providing organ meats and fish to provide vitamins and nutrients that only those types of meats contain. I think the whole "a dog needs veggies" thing is only done to make humans feel their dog is getting a "balanced" diet. That balance should be based on a carnivores needs, not an omnivore like humans.


GSDMon, I have read that cod liver oil is not good as a daily supplement- it is very rich in vitamin A and D, and vitamin A is stored in the body, so too much is not good. I think it's better to supplement with a fish body oil, which has the omegas without the overload on the A and D. Just something to think about.

[GSDMom]

thanks DanL for this information on cod liver oil

Bonnie

[Wings]

I do walk her in the morn before I go to work and when i'm home in the evening and before we go to bed. The walking service is engaged to bring her out to play with other dogs and run in the forest when i'm at work. I'm away for 10 hrs a day so I dun expect my girl to be alone for that long a time so she is taken out to play.
Her raw food is well balanced as its specially prepared, the vegs are there to act as fillers and I think alot of people here feed their dogs vegs too. She is very healthy now and I guess the food is doing her good
But thanks for your advice, I will read more into this and I'm sure Mordy can give her view here for food :)

[DanL]

I understand about the walking part now Wing, thanks for the explanation. BTW your dog is beautiful!

[yuckaduck]

Beautiful doggie.

White shepherds are not at any more risk then any other colour shepherd. However if yours is from a puppy mill then there is definantly more risk there, but not because of her colour.


Food ask Mordy she is the best one to answer your questions.

[gapeach]

My mom has a white shepard, she has no health issues. She does seem to be more sensitive to certain things, gun shots, thunder etc but I'm not sure if that's the breed or just in her personality.

[Mordy]

They have a variety of names here...White Swiss Shepherd, White German Shepherd or just White Shepherd.

berger blanc suisse or white swiss shepherd is the name under which the FCI has recognized the breed. :)

http://www.fci.be/nomenclatures_detail.asp?lang=en&file=group_provisionally#1

[Lexus]

I am not a white shepard expert by any means! But unlike the albino dobe, which is very prone to health problems- photosensitivity, skin lesions, temperment issues, etc, a white shepard is simply that - white (black skin, dark eyes). I don't know if in creating the white shep. they are more prone to dysplasia or not though. I do think they are beautiful dogs! And a lot of gs have issues now a days with dysplasia. Poor breeding practices because they are such a common breed have really damaged them. All of the shepards to date that have graced my life have all had dysplasia.

But keeping them clean - wow! Still a fan of the black with very little brown on them though!

BTW- I feed all raw too. My girl has improved in coat, skin, and overall well being 10 fold! But organ meat is an essential part of their diet, and one best incorporated. I add a little veggie substance now and then, but more for my peace of mind than her requirement of it. I'm talking an ice cube size everyday or two of pureed (sp?) veggies ( NOT cooked though).

[DanL]

The other thing to consider, is when people are breeding for a certain trait, like color, then other traits are often overlooked. Important things like temprament for example, or health issues like hips/elbows but the dog was bred anyway because it had the white gene they were looking for. I think this is why you see so many of the American line GSD's having health issues, because breeders are breeding them for their appearance and how they move, and ignoring more important things like temprament. This is why I like how the German breeders still enforce the dogs adhere to the standard and have to pass health and temprament tests as well as get titled before they are given the OK to breed. Quality control at it's basic form.

[DinoAndana]

I studied quite a bit about white GSDs and while the white is down to them missing a certain gene along theline, its widely believed that it doesnt affect them in terms of health issues, as in they are as prone/not as prone to tanned or black GSDs. Its jus a color chico!

Dino

[fillyone]

By the way the OFA stats for hip dysplasia for 1974-2004 have the GSD listed as 37th.
That's better hips than many other breeds that people don't even link with hip dysplasia! ( http://www.offa.org/hipstatbreed.html )
Of course the best way to know that your pup is going to have a good chance at great hips is to only buy from a breeder that breeds dogs that have had an OFA rating, a PennHIP rating or a SV stamp and to know what the different ratings mean.