DEEP RUN CANINE HEALTH CARE SERVICES Offered by Phyllis Giroux, DVM LABORATORY SERVICES In house Progesterone Testing (1 hour results available, 7 days a week) Brucellosis Testing (30 minute results) Vaginal Smears Thyroid Test for OFA Certification Bile Acid Testing for OFA Certification Gen Sol Genetic Testing for Hereditary Diseases IMAGING SERVICES Pregnancy Ultrasounds Digital Radiographs for OFA BREEDING SERVICES Semen Collection and Evaluation Side by Side AI Chilled Semen Collection and Shipping Frozen Semen Storage and Shipping (with Old Waterloo Equine Clinic) Consultation on breeding timing Coming Soon: On site Semen Freezing and Storage Deep Run Farm 13727 Blackwells Mill Rd Goldvein, VA 22720 540-752-4888

• Canine Reproduction
  
  I recently had the opportunity to travel to College Station, Texas to attend a three day seminar on Canine Reproduction. This course featured detailed information on ovulation timing in the bitch, and stressed the importance of doing prebreeding vaginal cultures to insure conception. The bitch has a limited number of viable heat cycles in her life, probably no more than twelve, and once we decide to breed, we should do everything in our power to ensure conception. This will involve culturing the female once she comes into heat, treating her if she is infected, testing her for brucellosis, and timing her to detect ovulation. This must be followed up by breeding at the appropriate time, with semen of adequate quality to ensure fertilization. The advantages of Artificial Insemination, with fresh, chilled, or frozen semen are numerous. First, we can evaluate the semen for quality of sperm, and check for infections in the male. Second, we can be sure the semen is deposited in the reproductive tract of the female, at the appropriate time. Third, by using chilled or frozen semen, we can breed to superior stud dogs that we might not be accessible to us on the basis of geography, or their availability due to training or competition. The course covered techniques for collecting and processing chilled and frozen semen. I plan to incorporate these ideas both into our own breeding program here at Deep Run, and into the breeding services we offer to you, our clients.

• Animal Chiropractic Care
  • What is animal chiropractic care?
    A method of health care that treats the biomechanics of joint functions. Chiropractic care corrects a misalignment of vertebral bones and restores proper functioning of the nervous system.
    
    
  • Why would my dog need animal chiropractic care?
    To keep your dog functioning as a canine athlete and operating at peak performance. Your dog may have suffered a trauma such as a slip, fall, automobile accident, or blow which caused a vertebra misalignment in its spinal column. (Even stresses during the birthing process could create misalignment.) The symptoms of even a very slight misalignment may include lameness, neck and back pain, epilepsy, stiffness and pain in older animals, bed wetting, and many other diseases.
    
    
  • How do I know that chiropractic care would help my dog?
    Your dog is first given a physical exam to determine if any health problems require surgical or medical attention. Then your dog undergos a chiropractic analysis to determine the health of its spine and any spinal vertebrae that may require adjustment. You will be notified of recommendations to pursue medical attention or chiropractic care.
    
    
  • What improvements can I expect to see in my dog?
    Owners tell us all the time about how good their dog feels after receiving chiropractic care. One of the most exciting things that happens in almost all the dogs we treat is an improvement in the dog's attitude.
    
    
  • How long will it take?
    Animals recover very rapidly as a rule, but older dogs and more serious problems take more time. Age and physical condition, extent of damage, duration of the problem, and owner cooperation are all factors in 'get well' time.
    
    
  • Additional animal chiropractic information can be found on AVCA Doctors - an American Veterinary Chiropractic Association approved site.
  
  
  
• Hip Dysplasia; find out more about it
  • Hip Dysplasia in the Canine* by Janet A. Welch, DVM, Assistant Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine Auburn University, Alabama.
    
    
  • Helping Dysplastic Dogs* (297K) Phyllis Giroux, DVM, CAC discusses hip dysplasia in the Whole Dog Journal.
    
    * You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these dysplasia articles. If you don't already have the reader on your computer, you can download a free copy from
  
  
  
• Great Health Article

Neutering and Spaying; read a research paper about how it affects aggression, fear and anxiety, and bone length

• Behavioral and Physical Effects of Spaying and Neutering Domestic Dogs (pdf) by Parvene Farhoody, submitted as a Masters Thesis in May, 2010
  
  
  

Ebola and Pets
Link to the American Veterinary Medical Association website, with special attention about the Ebola Virus and pets.





Got a question about pet care and health? Visit our Ask a Vet Forum today and post your questions about pet health and care to Dr. Giroux.


Health Tip

All Deep Run dogs stay on heartworm preventative medication year round. Our pups start on heartworm preventative when they reach 12 weeks of age, and will stay on it for the rest of their lives. We use TriHeart Plus (generic for Heartgard Plus)heartworm preventative, and give it on the first of each month. This not only prevent our dogs from getting heartworms, it also prevents them from getting roundworms, hookworms or whipworms. As many of our dogs compete in field events, or travel with us doing exhibitions and demonstrations, they are constantly exposed to many different types of parasites. We may travel south in the winter, to hunt, train, or compete. Keeping our dogs on a heartworm and intestinal worm prevention plan year round is a way to insure that they will be protected from Heartworms, Roundworms, Hookworms, and Whipworms regardless of where we travel. If you live in an area where fleas are a big problem, consider using Sentinel, another product that prevents heartworms, intestinal worms, and interrupts the flea life cycle. I would certainly recommend you keep your dog on one or another of these medications. Some people try to save money by mixing up a solution of injectable Ivermectin and giving this to their dog once a month. Ivermectin is the active ingredient in Heartgard. The cost of keeping a 65 pound dog on an approved heartworm preventative is approximately $6.00 per month. This is about the cost of a sandwich, drink and fries at the local fast food franchise, or two beers at the local bar. In my opinion, if you are unwilling to spend that much to keep your dog free of parasites, you are not doing the dog justice. Isn't your dog worth the best you can give him?

If you decide you want one of our puppies, please fill out Puppy Adoption Questionnaire so that we can help you select a puppy to suit your lifestyle. That is the first step in getting a Deep Run Puppy.

About CAPC
The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) is an independent not-for-profit foundation comprised of parasitologists, veterinarians, medical, public health and other professionals that provides information for the optimal control of internal and external parasites that threaten the health of pets and people. Here is an example of their March, 2019 report for Fauquier County (home for Deep Run Farm).

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Deep Run Farm
13727 Blackwells Mill Road
Goldvein, VA 22720

(540) 752-4710/4888     FAX (540) 752-4775     deeprunfarm@gmail.com

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