What do you think about???

[StandFirm]

Hi. I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on Gastropexy surgery for a Fila to try to help reduce the chances of bloat?

I was also wondering what anyone knows or thinks of the idea of trying to help correct a dog's bite where the canine on one side is not tilted out enough. It is going to dig into the roof of the mouth. Do you have any knowledge on others that fixed(or failed) this problem by having a dental insert/appliance fitted, that would be kinda like braces for a human, and managed to angle the tooth out appropriately to not poke the upper jaw and thus vastly improve the bite issue?

I saw a post where the Fila pup was gonna be sold with a nueter contract. What is your experience with noticing any/much of a change in activity or temperament of the nuetered animal? My 11 year old was not nuetered, but I am considering having it done for my new pup.

And finally..lol...how do you think one could check hopefully inexpensively, to see if their Fila had been cross bred with another Mastif to get a much larger puppy? I know I can check the standard and look for a few subtle but distinct differences in the looks/structure of the Fila that could indicate a cross breeding or research the last 3 generations pedigree and pics. I am wondering because my 5 month old weighed 91 lbs. when he saw the vet on his 5 month old birthday, and he is so large boned it is scary...lol...I pray I just managed to wait and choose one that I thought was a very good specimen of the breed.

Thanks for any answers/opinions

Mark

[girldogue]

gastropexy will keep the stomach from twisting if the dog bloats ( volvulus) - it doesnt stop them from bloating ( dilatation)
I have had 3 dogs pexy'd after they bloated over the years. If you are really concerned then get it done - ;-) you can have it done at the same time as the neuter if you are going that route. If it were me - I would wait until the male is over 1 year of age to neuter him so he has a chance to finish growing first

as far as the tooth - if he is only 5 mths - the k9's still have moving to do - do you have a pic of how bad the tooth placement is ?

do you have pics of your fila ? there is no DNA test for purity that is commercially available. what is your dogs pedigree ? did you see the parents ? do you have pics of them or relatives ?
some pups grow very fast and slow down later on - depending on his lines you can see what the relatives sized out at.. that helps

Suzy

[StandFirm]

Hi
I am working on pics now(don't have a camera, so getting a throw away). It is true the teeth will move in time. I was wondering if anyone had seen things being helped with the dental device. I can wait and try to be patient on nature, monitoring him and noting the severity of any penetration of the upper jaw(if it gets that bad).
I am glad to hear you think wait to nueter. I think so also. Give that testosterone(or whatever it is..lol) a chance to be in place awhileand let him grow Yes, I would have the Gastro done when nuetered...I don't like anesthetizing animals, but know at times it has to be done for proceedures. I should have worded the question better. I was aluding to the effects of bloating and how it can be very hard to save some that bloat, but others can , as an example, pass gas and be ok..lol Naturally there are practical considerations to take to help prevent bloat simply by the way you feed, amount of food, frequency, activity after eating, etc. I am very happy for you that 3 times it happened and they made it ok!
I do have the pedigree and pics of the parents(he is FCPR). I saw the parents and grandparents. They are all hefty, but I am just amazed at the structure of Gabriel and his size.
Thanks so much for this post! I like to hear all thoughts on something as I consider it.

Mark

[alphadogg]

Some of These dogs grow very large very fast and its not good at all go with a lower protien and don't. Try to make him grow any faster .90 lb is on the large side but not unheard of .always check the bite as wEll if possible and never chose size over function.my dogs need a good bite as rthey have to hold the sleeve correct an a bad mouth won't allow that to happen.remember that fila joints don't set until around 14 months so don't over work a large pup as it will lead to problems later. There is info on identifing a cross breed .