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Canine Health Naturally           Naturally Reared Fawns
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>>Just as a point of information, there was a giant breed of dog called the
>>Molosser in ancient Babylon,
>
>Pretty interesting stuff. Also now used as a group name for Danes/
Mastiffs/
>bulldogs etc. Nifty page at http://www.molossermania.com/ .
>
Thanks for the info..I'll check it out.

>>If the Molossers were huge solely by selection by humans, I wonder why the
>>ancient Babylonians were not more advanced in other, more immediately
>>rewarding forms of genetics....
>
>I don't doubt that different canids developed different traits well suited
>to their environment. Nor do I doubt that humans would be quick to take
>advantage of this added "tool". However, I still think that today's large
>breeds, with their relatively recent changes, can't really be used to
>prove/disprove any ideas about protein and growth.

There have been veterinary studies about protein and growth in
canines..Danes and giant breed dogs are very prone to bone/joint
problems..HOD (Hypertrophic Osteodystraphy) is just one of many. In this
disease the pastern joints are inflamed with extremely painful and swollen
joints. They can become crippled and the growth plates close causing a
stunting of the animal. The consenus of most vets and breeders is that this
is caused by a high protein diet. Of course these studies were done using a
grain based diet (kibble), and my contention is that going for a paleo
(Barf) diet for these giants is a totally different ball game.

In my own research I have discovered that vaccines, primarily the distemper
(similar to measles) causes the parathyroid gland to mal function.
Parathyroid glands regulate the calcium/phosphorous ratio.

Eliminating kibble and vaccines..vaccines alter the DNA BTW,.is one way to
preserve these giant breeds and ensure a relatively long life. It will take
several generations (3-4 minimum) to get them back to supurb health.
With my own dogs I have been feeding Barf (raw meat and bones) for almost 7
years and am going into 3 generations of no vaccines...the proof is in the
pudding, with almost nil vet bills.

Danes were originally bred to hunt wild boar..they need the size and
strength of a Molosser type dog and the speed of an Irish Wolfhound..most of
the breed today would fail miserably.

Sandra

 (Back to where this all
>started). :) IMO, while naturally large breeds may have been perfectly
>healthy, today's breeds of many dogs are not even very much like they were
a
>hundred years ago. (We've done a good job at very inept tinkering, in some
>cases.) The molosser site has a nice comparison of a Bulldog skull in 1890
>and 1935... and frankly, from skull structure alone I wouldn't have
>recognized them as the same dog breed (http://www.molossermania.com/origin/
.com