Page 209 - Showsight April 2013

Almost all states and municipalities
have laws and ordinances regarding rabies
vaccinations. Make certain you know and
obey these vaccination laws with your
Stafford! All Staffords should be vacci-
nated for common and serious canine ill-
nesses, including parvovirus and distem-
per, and your Stafford’s fecal specimens
should be checked by your vet for parasites
at least yearly. Dog vaccination protocols
are a current hotly debated issue, and are
beyond the scope of this brief summary.
However, one authoritative place to start
is by reading the American Animal Hos-
pital Association 2011 Canine Vaccina-
tion Guidelines. This website gives a great
deal of information which will serve as a
sound basis for your future investigation
of this fast-changing subject, and allow
you, in partnership with your veterinari-
an, to make the best vaccination decisions
for your dog.
Following is a brief listing of illnesses
which are known to occur in the Stafford-
shire Bull Terrier. This listing is not meant
to be completely inclusive, and is provided
for general information purposes only.
Atopic Dermatitis (Skin Allergy)
Certain Staffords are prone to various
skin allergies, causing them to bite, scratch,
and lick their itchy places continually until
the source of the problem is corrected by
the owner or their vet. An afflicted dog
may lose huge patches of hair or develop
large “lick sores” in the process. Second-
ary infections may then occur in the raw,
exposed skin. A “flea bite allergy” often
plays a considerable role in this condition;
aggressive “flea control” measures (both on
the dog and in the premises where the dog
resides) throughout the year will often by
itself ameliorate this condition in milder
cases. Contact allergies to pollens, dusts,
molds, and other environmental allergens
may be to blame. (One indoor allergen
responsible for much atopic dermatitis in
dogs, the feces of the ubiquitous house
dust mite, is a major allergen for humans,
as well.) Less frequently, food intolerances
may play a role, and the dog must be rele-
gated by the veterinarian to a strict dietary
protocol. For milder cases, some dog own-
ers and vets have seen improvement using
fish oil supplements; the omega-3 fatty
acids contained in fish oils act as a natu-
ral anti-inflammatory and help to relieve
the itching. Severe cases of atopic derma-
titis can be difficult to manage, and the
advice and help of a veterinarian are need-
ed to bring the afflicted dog relief. Often
treatment to control the itching (such as
antihistamines or even prednisone), iden-
tification and removal of the source of the
allergen from the dog’s environment, and
treatment of the secondary skin infections
are all necessary in order to control the
condition in especially severe cases. While
no studies have been done specifically on
Staffords, research with dogs in general
show this condition to have, at least in
part, a genetic mode of transmission.
Demodectic Mange
(Demodicosis)
Demodicosis is a skin condition caused
by the tiny mite Demodex canis. Nearly all
dogs carry this tiny skin parasite, but most
adult dogs’ immune systems are able to
keep the mite in check, and no symptoms
are observed. (Even most humans carry
this mite in limited numbers in their skin!)
Frequently in puppyhood and adolescence
(4 months to 18 months of age is most
typical), puppies of many breeds (includ-
ing Staffords) may develop a few quarter-
sized bald patches on their face and chest;
these usually resolve in time without treat-
ment. Unfortunately, certain dogs are not
so lucky; the condition becomes general-
ized and wide-spread over the entire body.
In these cases, veterinarians must be con-
sulted for treatment, and the problem is
often not easy to permanently resolve. Pre-
viously, only rather toxic dips, usually con-
taining the compound amitraz, would be
used to control the mites in dogs with gen-
eralized demodicosis. More recently, the
heartworm preventive ivermectin has been
successfully used to treat demodicosis;
however, it is not yet approved by the FDA
for this purpose, although it is licensed for
use as a heartworm preventive in the dog.
Ivermectin is highly toxic to many individ-
uals of herding breeds, but most Staffords
appear to tolerate it well. Certain lines of
Staffords appear to be particularly prone to
generalized demodicosis. Whether or not
a Stafford with generalized demodicosis
should be used in a breeding program is a
controversial subject at the moment, how-
ever, the tendency towards the condition is
thought be many to be an inherited one.
Elbow Dysplasia
The term Elbow Dysplasia is used to
describe a degenerative disorder of the
elbow joint caused by improper develop-
ment of a portion of a particular bone in
this joint (anconeal process of the ulna).
Young dogs that have this condition
often exhibit pain when jumping or turn-
ing quickly, or may show variable foreleg
lameness. It is thought to be hereditary in
nature, and tends to run in canine fami-
lies. However, exogenous causes, such as
“CERTAIn STAFFORDS ARE pROnE TO vARIOUS SkIn ALLERgIES,
CAUSIng THEm TO BITE, SCRATCH, AnD LICk THEIR ITCHy pLACES
continually until the source of the problem is corrected by the owner or their vet.”
ShowSight Magazine, April 2013 • 209