Best In Show Daily February Issue 2017

Best in Show february Issue

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editor’s welcome March

A Word from Our Editor........................................................................................... 2 AKC & Girl Scouts USA Launch Patch Program............................................ 7 Peeling the Onion - Creatively Solving Show Ring Issues........................... 15 Jay Kitchener - Farewell Firebrand....................................................................... 19 Megaesophagus - Living with a Dog with Digestive Issues......................... 28 Opportunity Knocked! The AKC National Championship........................ 39

Westminster Kennel Club Rates Regular Page................................................................................................................... $200 Regular Spread.............................................................................................................. $400 Front Cover (includes 2 pg spread)...................................................................... $800 Inside Front Cover Spread....................................................................................... $750 Preferred Pages (pg 3-10).......................................................................................... $450 Inside Back Cover........................................................................................................ $400 Inside Back Cover Spread......................................................................................... $750 Back Cover...................................................................................................................... $800

Who’s Who at BISD Publisher/Founder

art & photography Director

Kayla L. Kurucz

Helen Tillmann

Associate Publisher

candid photographer

Richard F. Goldman

Diana Han

editor-in-chef

sales

Leah Bertagnolli

Jess Pearson

associate editors

website editor

Laura Reeves Elizabeth Tuner-Brinkley Marlene Groves

Ruben Alanakyan Creative director

Keith Fleming social media director

Jen Smith social media intern

Amanda Mowery

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AWord FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017

From Our Editor

Celebrating O This year has been an amazing year.

Best In Show Daily celebrated our fifth birthday in November and we are proud to continue to set the pace for digital media in the dog world.

I am grateful to our powerful community of breeders, judges, handlers, owner handlers, owners and fanciers, who continue to support purebred dogs, our sports, and Best in Show Daily.

And, I am profoundly touched by how often someone will see me at a show, or contact me through PM, to tell me an article, or post, was meaningful to them. This time, I will share a story of a community member saving one of my dogs.

In a recent FaceBook post, it came to light that a dog had a condition called EIP. This dog had

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been neglected, lost, and finally recovered but it was too late to save her. However, the symptoms described were similar to one of my Beagles that we had taken to our vet a number of times to be diagnosed.

We returned to the vet, post in hand.

My Beagle had the same disorder!

This poor dog’s suffering, and our community’s sharing, saved my dog’s life.

It likely saved others as well.

Thank you to all of our community participants that post, write comments to articles, and grab us shows - you’ve probably helped so many people that you may never meet.

But, you share a passion for dogs.

P hoto g rapher : D aniel C arter - D anter B ea g les

Our Fifth Year - Thank You. I would like to touch on things that have affected the fancier community this year; we have lost members that were very dear to us, prominent judges, breeders of excellence, young handlers coming into the sport and dedicated hobbyists. Not everyone can be mentioned, but if all of us could take a moment to pause and reflect on the special people in our sport that have passed on, and the lessons they’ve taught us about sportsmanship, judging, and quality. They have been a guiding light, and as a community, we are strong.

I think about all of these greats leaving us as I grieve for one of our best writers, and activists, Jay Kitchener. Jay was not a gentle, quiet light.

Jay brought gasoline and matches to a fire.

He was passionate and outspoken. You saw it

his way, or you better prepare yourself to get the heck out of his! He was an Animal Welfare Advocate. Full stop. Jay brought retail rescue to the forefront of our fight. He saw, before anyone, the churning of dogs, and the outrageous fiction of bookkeeping that shelters were doing, all the while raking in piles of cash. He also noted the skirting of laws by rescues, and shelters, claiming that obvious, commercially bred dogs, were rescues. My phone was on fire over the “wild golden retrievers of Istanbul.” He spoke out, everywhere. He stood when others would not, or could not. We extend our condolences to Jay’s vast circle of friends and family, his beautiful Gordon Setter, and constant companion, Maya, and to his husband, Philip.

Sincerely,

Leah Bertagnolli, Editor, BISD.

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Over 100 Girl Scouts from the Citrus Girl Scout Council Championship Dog Show. For most it w

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ncil attended the AKC National was their first dog show ever

AKC Dog Show Patch Program Launch in

O r land o

By Marlene Groves The prestigious 2016 AKC National Championship Dog Show was the choice for the launch for the new AKC Dog Show Patch Program, and what a wonderful way to roll out this educational program. The program was developed by Marlene Groves, a lifetime Girl Scout, and dog show enthusiast and it first ran, six years ago, at Plum Creek Kennel Club in Colorado.

Since inception, there have been approximately 2,000 girl scouts who have earned the patch by attending an all breed kennel club dog show and following a provided lesson plan. To assist with the launch, Marlene Groves, Donna Keihl and Elaine Noel, all with generous support from Plum Creek Kennel Club, flew to Orlando for the running of the program. Coordination with the Girl Scout Citrus Council was also required and it was greatly appreciated. There we over 100 scouts and they went through a brief orientation, learned how to properly greet a dog, watched junior showmanship and then a variety of dog show breeds of their choice. They were able to visit with many dogs, handlers and breeders, and enjoyed the Meet The Breed booths. Of course, an overall favorite for them was dock diving.

There are 12 lessons in the program, and it is an on-your-own and on-yourhonor type of program. Younger children will do fewer of the lessons and older children will do more. The children keep their lesson packet so they can take it home to their parents and share their dog show day! Examples of the lesson elements are: Learn the AKC groups and name a dog in each group, watch some breed judging and some other type of AKC event, tell what is your favorite dog, what type of dog would be a good fit (and not a good fit) for your family, a dog’s basic needs, some simple dog training elements, the costs of owning a dog, canine careers, and more.

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above: AKC Dog Show Patch Top right: Program Developer Marlene Groves with a small group of Scouts at the end of the day center: brownie and Daisy Girl Scouts taking a break from watching Junior Showmanship lower right: The team from Plum Creek Kennel Club & AKC that launched the Patch program: Elaine Noel (PCKC), Davis Alexis (AKC), Marlene Groves (PCKC), Samantha Seymour (AKC), Donna Keihl (PCKC) below: The Patch Program works for any youth from age 5 & up

Not only is there a complete lesson plan for children, there is also a tip sheet for leaders and adults. The tip sheet has the information for those not familiar with AKC dog showing to help them guide their scouts to learning the answers; and there are links in the lesson plan to many AKC educational documents.

The intent of the program is to come to the dog show and have FUN! What happens in the midst of having fun, meeting dogs and visiting with their owners? The kids and many adults learn some interesting facts, and are left with a positive impression about our purebred dogs, our dog show people, and our sport!

Generally those attending the program have never attended a dog show before, but interestingly most do indeed have a dog. We are not focused on pushing a purebred dog over a rescue, or pushing a dog at all, this program is intended for fun! A Lunch and Learn was offered for anyone from other kennel clubs who wanted to learn more about the program and how to implement it at their dog show.

“The Girl Scouts were warmly welcomed by the show’s organizers.

Several exhibitors gave detailed demonstrations on dog care.

It was a wonderful, educational experience for the girls”.

Currently the program is written with Girl Scout references, but in the very near future will be altered to be more neutral, as the program can be offered to other groups not just Girl Scouts. The program is only available through the AKC, and it is copyrighted so it may not be altered. The patches are also only available through the AKC at a cost of $2.00 each.

A personal thank you to all the kennel clubs in Colorado who have successfully run the program: Arapahoe Kennel Club, Colorado Kennel Club, Greeley Kennel Club, Rocky Mountain Hound Association, and of course Plum Creek Kennel Club. Now let’s see how many other kennel club names we can add to the list for 2017...Will your club be one? Please visit the AKC website http://www.akc.org/public-education/dog-show-patch-program/ where there is a link to the lesson plan and the tip sheet. Then to run the program at your all breed kennel club, please send an email to: publiced@akc.org.

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Peeling the Onion Creatively Solving Show Ring Issues — By Vicki Ronchette

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his past year I changed the direction and focus of my dog training

business to work strictly with show dogs. I love helping people shape

their dogs into successful show ring competitors. I offer a ‘Conformation

in the Park’ class, which is not unlike a lot of handling classes where we

basically run dogs through the show ring paces, individual exams, and group work like in the show ring. I also offer a ‘Skill Building and Handling for the Show Ring’ class, where we delve deeper into training the basics, working on specific issues that students are having, and peeling apart behaviors to creatively find solutions. Because my job is to help clients modify or build behavior in their dogs, I can’t help but look at every training issue as a behavioral puzzle. Regardless of whether we are working on a serious behavior issue, or teaching a show dog to trot on cue, it is still behavior, and it all works the same way.

When a client is having an issue with their show dog, whether it is a gaiting issue, or a stacking issue, or an issue with the judge’s exam, I pull it apart using the behaviorist’s most helpful tool a functional behavior analysis. A functional behavioral analysis is a way of looking at the behavior to determine why the particular behavior is continuing to occur.

This is sometimes called the ABCs of behavior. It works like this: A Antecedent The antecedent is what happens just before a behavior happens, the behavior will not occur without the antecedent.

B Behavior The target behavior we are looking at changing.

C Consequence What happens just after a behavior.

If you look at this way, from a behaviorist’s standpoint, you realize that the behavior is driven by the antecedent and the consequence. These two things must be in place in order for the behavior to continue to occur. The great thing is that while the animal is control of the behavior, we can change the antecedent and the consequence which will change the outcome of the behavior.

Animals and humans alike use behaviors for an outcome. Most dog behavior that owners complain about are happening because the behaviors have been reinforced, usually by the owners complaining about them.

An example that I have dealt with many times: A show dog is trained not to pull on the leash but to walk at the owner’s side. The dog is reinforced for the behavior of walking and possibly punished for pulling. The owner shows the dog and is frustrated that the dog paces in the show ring. The dog is pacing because he has been taught to accommodate the speed and position of the owner. If they attempt to physically correct the dog they may confuse the dog as the dog is doing what he was reinforced to do. He isn’t really wrong, the owner just wasn’t clear or effective in teaching the behaviors in context, and putting them on cue, with strong stimulus control, meaning that the dog does the behavior when asked.

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far RIGHT: boooker always free stacks at an angle AT RIGHT: VICKI WORKS WITH OPIE, A FULL-SIZED SHOW DASCHUND BELOW: BOoKER is starting to get it and come in straight while MARCELLA is Seated

Is it fair to correct a dog for doing what has been the right choice in the past? How is he supposed to know the difference if we don’t teach it? If we did a functional behavior analysis, it would like this:

A owner walks dog on leash B dog walks at owner’s side C dog gets a treat to move forward on the leash

In looking at this example, it is clear that the behavior has a reinforcement history. The dog is actually doing exactly what he is trained to do but the owner has now decided that they want something else. My next job is to determine how I am going to build the behavior of trotting on lead, and reinforcing, that so we get it on cue, and the dog can either walk on leash when asked, or gait on leash, when asked. It is simple, but not always easy to apply. I am currently working with a dog who I have been challenged with correcting a behavior that we have actually trained and reinforced, similar to the example above.

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Booker is a very confident and social young French Bulldog.

He is being shown successfully by his owner Marcella, and she has taught him how to do a very pretty and reliable free stack on cue. If she says “stack it up” he will stomp all four feet into place, into a beautiful free stack. However, he will always do it

at an angle and her attempts to get him to straighten out result in him angling himself again. We used a stacking box and a platform with some of his stacking training and he will remain on the box, and straight. I am certain this happens because the free stack training, and practicing, has mostly been with him at her side, as if she returned from a down and back with her right hand out for Booker to look at. The antecedent is Marcella cuing Booker to “stack it up” in front of her.

Again, he is doing it correctly, exactly as he was taught but we have now decided we want to change it up.

“ I was inspired to write this post because so many times people want to simply make the dog’s behavior stop rather than figuring out why it is happening, and Figuring out the best way for the dog to have success at understanding what we are trying to teach. If an animal is exhibiting a problem behavior, or any behavior that the owner would like to change, the best course of action is to decide what you would like the dog to do instead.

In this case, stand straight, and then train that behavior.

This way, the dog is taught to do what is desirable, understands it and can get it right, And have success.”

The first thing we are doing is dropping the verbal cue “stack it up”, unless he is doing his pattern and coming up to the judge. He knows the behavior so now we just have to retrain it with him straight and give it a different cue. This is all, by the way, a result of really great training by his owner.

We have dropped the cue and I also needed to change the “picture” for him. Part of the cue is Marcella saying “stack it up”, but dogs are also very in tune to environmental cues.

Environmental cues are other things that happen while the behavior happens, or just behavior that give additional information to the dog. So, Marcella standing in front of him, holding his show lead, has become an environmental cue for him, much like you picking up the leash, or putting on your hiking boots can cue the dog that you are going to go for a hike. In order to make the picture different for Booker, I had Marcella sit in a chair. We still got an angle, so I then added a mat that was large enough for him to stand on square, but didn’t allow for him to be angled. We then shaped the behavior of coming to the mat right in front of her.

To shape the behavior, I had Marcella sit in a chair with the mat right in front of her feet. She would toss a treat in order to get Booker to move off of the mat and reset himself, and then when he comes in straight, she marks it with “yes”, and then gives him another treat. She then tosses another to reset it. The idea is to figure out how to cause the behavior to happen repeatedly so that we can reinforce it, and cause it to happen more.

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Once Booker began to understand it, we added a new verbal cue. Marcella would say the new cue, “front” just before he comes in straight on the mat. We then removed the mat and began to cue the behavior with Marcella sitting, and then finally standing. She practiced at home, and in two group classes for fairly short periods of time with success. They will continue to work on this so it is reliable enough for him to do on cue in the show ring.

The training plan: — Stop using cue, “stack it up”.

— Shape behavior of coming in straight in front — Incorporate mat, helping Booker understand to be straight — Have Marcella sit. easier for Booker to learn to come in straight — Once consistently coming in straight, with Marcella sitting, add new verbal cue “front” — Once consistently coming in straight with front cue, Marcella stood, feet apart, as when seated — Ended session with Booker coming in straight and Marcella standing!

— Continued verbal cue and reinforced stacking straight in front of her.

— Success!

above: booker stands straight on his training mat below: the mat helps Booker to understand to stand straight rather than angled

REMEMBERING JAY

Jay Kitchener 1961-2017

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AT RIGHT: Maya’s first day with Jay & Philip included a walk along Wells Beach, Maine.

The sea gulls fascinated her below: Purebred Papillons give great kisses

above: Celebrating five months of marriage, “I met this guy thirteen years ago today, and five months ago I married him.” below left: Maya & Philip exploring Wells Harbor, Maine overleaf: Wells Harbor, Maine. Jay was forever the advocate for purebred dogs and animal welfare

IT

is with great sadness that we share the passing of Jay Kitchener, an iconic

figure in the fight to preserve animal ownership, particularly our rights and

privileges as dog owners and breeders. Jay was a street fighter, wily, passionate,

indefatigable. Round after round, punch after punch from the Aristas, he never

gave up. He never let us down, always ready to be put in, to write one more letter, one more column, attend more one meeting, demonstrate one more time.

A tough New Englander, with a strong sense of right & wrong, a rock solid belief in the Founders words, our Constitution, and its protection of Civil Liberties, Jay was born to be an activist.

Civil Rights was his first cause and one he pursued with great vigor. He was at the front of LBGTQ movement, insisting that every American had the right to enjoy the same benefits of American citizenship: to not have “special” rights but the same rights, including the right to marry. We celebrated that moment when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of love. In early 2016, he married his partner of thirteen years, Philip.

A frequent contributor to BISD, Jay was a giant among us. He brought all the skills learned during the many LGBTQ setbacks, battles and wins to the cause of fighting for animal welfare.

Jay’s tireless efforts on behalf of his passion and ours, particularly in his home state of Maine, were unparalleled. His work on social media was a thing of beauty, taking on all comers with great fervor, dedication, and an occasionally wicked tongue that could wilt even the nastiest Aristas!

With great pride, Jay knew how hated he was in radical animal rights circles, and said that he’d worked hard to achieve that status. His columns were deliberately provocative, designed to be thought pieces, to open our eyes and end complacency. The most enduring column, Dog Breeders Should Be More Gay, provoked more conversation and brought to the light the fractiousness of the dog world. The article illustrated the value of putting aside difference and find common cause.” It also illustrated that we still have so much work on acceptance. We reran the piece this week. It sparked the same level of debate and argument as it did on its first run. He would have been so pleased, it wasn’t enough to be heard, Jay’s battle cry was: “Take Back the Conversation!”

Jay’s last fight was one he could not win. We will share his last post: ‘Hello friends, It is with great sadness that I come to you after thinking there was a cure, and now due to complications along the way that vision in no longer in my sight. I’ve come to you through GoFundme to maybe ask for some financial assistance, to help me in these final days.

This illness has taken a huge toll on Philip and I. When a cure was in the picture, we new we could recover, but things change so quickly. After dealing with this disease for about a year, it has left us financially broke.

I ask this with great humility and any amount is greatly appreciated.

Love, Jay & Philip.”

(We ask that those that are able to please contribute to his GoFundMe. https://www.gofundme.com/family-support-for-jay-kitchener) Best In Show Daily extends our sincerest of thanks and condolences to Jay’s husband Philip, his mother and other family members, and his many friends and extended family. Most of all, we hold his beloved Gordon Setter, Maya in our hearts. Rest in peace, Jay. Thank you for all you’ve done and for the lasting legacy your efforts left for our animals. We will continue the fight.

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We asked our Community to Eulogize Jay and his impact on them. The memories on the following pages show a man that was vital, of huge intellect, energy, serious, sarcastic, funny...missed.

We were never introduced to each other, in fact,

we never met, but in the vast “cocktail party” that is FaceBook, we found each other’s voice and quickly recognized in each other a purebred dog owner whose frustration had grown into anger, and then action.

I created National Purebred Dog Day, and Jay advanced to the front lines in the battle with animal rights extremists. He had the harder job. Almost daily, he dealt with the vitriol of people whose arrogance astounded the best of us, but Jay gave as good as he got, and kept his humor intact. I have no doubt that the stress took its toll on his health, though I never dreamed it would claim it. Jay leaves an enormous gap in the lives of the people who loved him, admired him, and like me, relied on his presence that was larger than life because of his convictions. Jay was nothing less than a warrior, and in the end, he didn’t lose to the animal rights crazies. He lost to an opponent that very few defeat.

I will miss him deeply.” - Susi Szeremy “A huge loss. Jay was well the best. Loved to read him ripping up the AR’s, and especially the real haters who tried their best to shame him. The more they tried the better he liked it. I cherish the private messages we had about them and his public persona was one of a fearless leader. I will not say “rest in peace” because that is never how I see Jay, peace was just not his gig.

Fighting for us was, and still is. We still hear you Jay a nd will, far into the future. Thanks buddy.” - Jan Dykema

“He will be greatly missed. I never met Jay in person, but the impact he made in my life as a Standard Poodle Mom and groomer will forever be remembered fondly.

He was a friend to the purebred dog as well as many reputable breeders around the country. I will miss his political rants and posts and his articles revealing radical groups. I’m so sad right now and sending my love to Jay’s husband, Phillip and family.” - Victoria Blair

“SO what can one say about Jay that has not been said by

his many friends and followers. He was truly a leader in the fight against retail rescue and a foe of many anti-animal activists. He championed animal owners big and small and lead the charge when it was time to “take back the conversation” - Randie Blumhagen “I had the honor to meet Jay many years ago at an NAIA conference, when he was just getting involved in animal welfare and fighting the AR groups. Even then, his passion and determination were great. He was such a role model and inspired many to stand up against the AR Groups.

He will be sorely missed. - Linda Hartheimer

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“He was a Warrior, and his loss was a huge one for the world of purebred dogs. We should honor him by taking up the cause in his name. Condolences to Phillip, Maya and family. - Karen Jennings Turnbull And, one of my favorites...

Jay: “What do you call a book based on propaganda?

More propaganda. The Dog Merchants by Kim Kavin is one activists’ opinion trying to pass as balanced journalism.”

Jay never played footsie with the enemy. EVER. - Mindy Patterson “My heart is heavy at learning of the loss of Jay Kitchener.

Jay was a breeder and an outspoken voice for animal welfare, and just as outspoken against AR (animal rights). He will be missed.

Jay’s last article, “Dog Breeders Should Be More Gay” is nothing short of a masterpiece of writing and logic. That the article came near the end of his personal battle makes it is even more amazing, considering what it must have taken him to write it. I hope that those who continue the fight for animal welfare will consider it to be his legacy. Although I did not know Jay personally, he and I were, on many issues, at polar opposites of the spectrum. What we had in common is severe autoimmune problems and our love for our dogs. That love of dogs, translated into the fight against the AR agenda, is how I met Jay on FB. I had no problem putting aside our d differences, because it is only by doing so that we as breeders, and our dogs, will survive. And that is the whole point of his article.

Rest in peace, Jay. Thank you for standing. You have left a void.

You will not be forgotten. - Benjamin Lodebar

This is such terribly sad news. Jay Kitchener and I became FB friends a few years back. I always admired his tenacity and fierce defense of purebred dog ownership.

He was so courageous in his final battle, the one for his life, and I’m heartbroken it was one he couldn’t win.

Rest well my friend. - Zoya Thomas I’ve only known Jay for a little while via Social Media.

He opened my eyes to what is going on and that short time I’ve known of him is invaluable. May he truly Rest in Peace.

- Janelle Marie

What a blow for the dog world. Jay was the best of us.

- Sharyn Yetter Hutchens It’s like a giant redwood has fallen.

He was a tireless warrior. - Julie Ward

Farewell Jay Kitchener, we hope you’ve made your presence known to Saint Peter with your charm and grace, and that you are busily organizing the Souls in Heaven.

- Kayla Kurucz, Publisher

Megaesophagus

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Living with a Dog with digestive issues — ­

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by sherri wilson, dvm, dacvim - vetzinsight

M

y dog has a problem with his

esophagus, the tube that connects

the mouth to the stomach. Normally the workings of the esophagus are not even something that you and I or your dog have to think about, as muscle movement in the esophagus is one of those automatic things that is carefully coordinated when we eat or drink. That way, food and liquid go right down to the stomach in less than a few seconds.

But when the motility (muscle movement) in the esophagus is not working correctly, food and water don’t make it easily down to the stomach. Instead, they sit in the esophagus, usually for minutes, but sometimes it can be for many hours.

When the dog changes position, such as just jumping off the couch, the food or liquid comes out.

How it comes out is interesting; well, it’s interesting when it’s not on your carpet! We call it regurgitation, which is different from vomiting. Regurgitation is passive, meaning that the material comes out because of a shift in position, which sends the food/liquid sitting in the esophagus out through the mouth, surprising everyone.

This differs from vomiting, which know is coming because the brain coordinates it: first there is nausea (drooling, hanging of the head, licking the lips), then the abdominal contractions and the retching sound, then the material comes up.

Most of the time, what you see your pets doing when they’re sick is vomiting; they retch first, then bring something up. Maybe one percent of the time what you’re actually seeing is regurgitating: it’s this passive ‘flying out of the mouth’ business with no retching first. It makes a big difference to what we think about where the problem is, so be sure to tell your veterinarian if you see regurgitation and not vomiting so we can focus on the esophagus.

Note that if you just find the puddle of vomit on the ground, you can’t tell how it was brought up. You have to see the dog vomit, or regurgitate, to know which is which, or you could hear the dog retching, and then you know that you’re hearing vomiting.

When the esophagus has completely lost its motility (its ability to contract its muscles), it widens or dilates with air.

We can see this on x-rays, and it’s called megaesophagus.

This is my SECOND dog with megaesophagus. Say what?

What did I do in a previous life that prompted this?

Megaesophagus, also known as M.E, is a condition in humans, cats, dogs and horses where peristalsis fails to occur properly and the esophagus is enlarged. Normally, when the animal’s esophagus is functioning properly, it acts as a muscle and pushes the food down into the stomach.

When a dog suffers from M.E., the esophagus muscles loses its function and is no longer able to drive the food into the stomach

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Bailey was the name of a dog who developed megaesophagus as a puppy.

His devoted owners developed a wooden stand for him to sit in to eat, and then rest in after eating, allowing him to be fed vertically without the owners needing to physically hold him up.

At the time, this challenged the prevailing advice in veterinary medicine, which was to give water and food from an elevated position (e.g. feeding the dog with the bowl on some steps).

This elevated position, though, is not NEARLY as effective in moving food and water from the mouth to the stomach as is a vertical position, like in the Bailey chair, seen at left.

Apart from being a congenital disease, Megaesophagus can also be acquired at any stage of life especially, during adulthood. In younger dogs, Megaesophagus is usually idiopathic, that is, it will be caused by an unknown cause, or, it can be caused by an abnormal ring anomaly.

Megaesophagus can also be caused by a persistent right aortic arch in young dogs.

The first dog had an underlying disease that caused it, a disease called myasthenia gravis that developed when he was two years old. That is a rare disease where the immune system wipes out the junction between the neurologic system and the muscles.

If the neurologic message (the electrical message in the nerves) is a boat, it needs to dock at its receptor in the muscle to be able to send its message. But the immune system has destroyed a lot of the docks, so the boat circles around trying to find a dock to connect with.

When it finds one, the message is given to the muscles, and they move. Myasthenia results in a lot fewer docks (receptors), so the muscles don’t contract well. Sometimes they just contract in the esophagus, sometimes in all the leg muscles as well.

To get the food down to a dog’s stomach, one option is to put a feeding tube in the stomach so we can squirt a liquified canned food directly in there. Another option is called vertical feeding: taking advantage of gravity to try to move the food from the mouth down to their stomach. If you hold the dog up in a vertical position for 30 minutes after being fed, this helps get the food to the stomach and avoids over-stretching the esophagus It is a challenging procedure. No, that’s an understatement. Squirting a canned food through a small diameter tube tests your patience in ways you have no way of understanding until you do it. You find out what tiny fragments of ‘stuff’ are in canned food that you paid no attention to previously. Despite adding water and putting the food/water in the blender, these little fragments obstruct the syringe/tube and it explodes off the tube as you’re pushing it. About the 500th time that hits you in the face or hits the ceiling above you, you begin to question the choices that led you to this point in your life.

So, to say it was a MIRACLE when it went away is also an understatement.

If you can keep this vertical feeding going, myasthenia gravis will spontaneously stop within several months. That’s what happened with my little dog: after eight months of feeding him through a tube four times a day, he regained the motility in his esophagus. His immune system had stopped its destruction of the neuromuscular docks, and he hadn’t developed permanent over-stretching of his esophagus because he’d been fed through a stomach tube.

He never had that disease again for the rest of his life, which was another 11 years.

Now five years later, we have another little dog with a megaesophagus. Really.

My husband and I froze in horror when he regurgitated one day. Seriously, we’re not bad people: did we really deserve this? We’ve been down this road before and this time there was no underlying disease that could be found. This is likely to be his story for the rest of his life. Our shih tzu, Bear, is only seven years old, so we could be doing this for many years.

We first put in a stomach tube. It worked well for the first six months, but then broke and the replacement tube fell out repeatedly, resulting in the tract from his stomach to the body wall sealing up for good; unfortunately that was that. We could have started again with putting in a new tube, but decided to try feeding him vertically in a Bailey chair. (see top left).

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A little MORE on vertical feeding and the BAILEY CHAIR...

For years, Donna Koch (Bailey’s owner) and her husband have made available advice in measuring and assembling a Bailey chair for individual dogs, all for the price of shipping a DVD or VHS with the instructions. These plans are still available; check out the active Yahoo Megaesophagus Group that is co-moderated by a veterinarian; it is highly recommended.

Having a dog with a megaesophagus can be stressful and there’s no need to go it alone.

Also, there are now commercial web sites that will assemble a chair for your dog based on measurements you provide, which is what we did. Given the speed at which we were getting around to building one ourselves, it would have never happened, plus it would have splinters.

There are also many creative solutions for vertical feeding, depending on the size of the dog, e.g. putting the dog in a Exersaucer, a baby jumper, a baby backpack, a white construction bucket with towels stuffed around the dog, in a baby Bjorn front baby carrier, etc.

It took a few weeks for Bear to get used to the idea that he needed to stay in the Bailey chair.

That required a combination of sitting next to him giving him meaningful looks, followed by quieting him if he was wriggling to get out. It helps to use the beach towel to make him feel more wedged into it.

For the most part we can now walk around in the kitchen while he’s in it, still giving occasional meaningful looks and praising him for being such a good boy to stay there.

The other day, I actually forgot him in the Bailey chair and left the room to do something else.

After an hour and 15 minutes, I happened to come back and there he was, still sitting in his chair! He got a lot of praise that day.

Our other dog, Buster, is a pit bull. He is highly skeptical of the Bailey chair. It’s fine when it’s empty, but if Bear is in it, Buster acts like it’s the electric chair and will not come in the house even though he would never fit into this tiny chair. He skulks outside the dog door until Bear is out of it.

It may be harder now to explain to a pet sitter what this vertical feeding is all about, but living with a dog with a megaesophagus is very do-able. But please, I don’t need a third one…

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OpportunityKno

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ocked!

Honored to Show My Dog at the AKC National Championship.

By Karissa Groves, Junior Owner/Handler.

I’d

say I am an average 15 year old, who

attends high school, competes in gym-

nastics and enjoys participating with my family and friends in regular community activities. And yes, I also very much enjoy dogs and dog showing! I really only show maybe once a month as I can’t be at dog shows every weekend and on the road with a handler like many others can. But, that does not mean when I start my dog show year I don’t wonder what my dog and I will be able to achieve.

For some competitors, it is important to be very highly ranked in breed or in juniors. For me, I just take this sport show-by-show and do my best to present my dog to his best. That is really what it is all about for me, spending time with my dog and with my grandmother, Marlene Groves.

Earlier this year we went to Westminster and while I really did enjoy that show, in all honesty it was a difficult for my bloodhound, Sebastian, to travel to and attend; so we did not initially plan to go to the AKC National Championship in Orlando. As the year progressed, however, I learned my grandmother was needed by the AKC to launch her Dog Show Patch Program, opening the possibility of taking Sebastian, and showcasing him there.

Then more exciting news was received. The 2016 AKC Ace Award winner for uniformed service, K9 Radar, was a bloodhound that my grandparents and I bred.

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Keep in mind the AKC National Championship is at a very difficult time for anyone who attends regular school, as it is finals week.

Luckily, I kept up with my grades and tests, and was able to attend the show.

On December 15th, my dog, my grandmother and I headed to the Denver airport to fly to Orlando. We arrived in Orlando at 11:30 pm and settled at the hotel by about 1:30 am. I was honored to show my dog at the AKC National Championship NOHS on Friday, to Judge Col. Joe Purkheiser. I do wish my dog and I were not so tired in his group ring, but it was a privilege to be there with my beautiful bloodhound Sebastian, and to be in the ring with so many other lovely top owner handled hounds! above: Karissa and sebastian on the go around

On Friday night, we attended the Regalia event which was for the special honorees of the AKC Ace Awards, etc. It was a fun night where we glammed up and walked the red carpet for all the photographers.

Saturday was a whirlwind of the best kind of dog show day, with over 120 of the best juniors competing in junior showmanship. Sebastian and I hung in there making each and every cut right down to the final 12. My dog is a 7 year old bloodhound. He is not a flashy breed for juniors as he does not fly around the ring, nor does he, as a bloodhound, nail a free stack.

But I somehow was blessed with a junior judge who appreciated the nuances of showcasing my particular breed. And, I did take pride in my efforts with my dog to be able to stand with and present, at this prestigious dog show, along with so many other talented juniors in the sport!

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I was very happy to have my friend Annessa Towell in the ring with me, down to the finals.

She and I both traveled to New York to WKC earlier in the year; and she has been a good

sebastian stacked handsomely on the red carpet waiting for the judge’s final decision

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junior friend and competitor who has now aged out. Sharing something special with a friend in the sport adds to the special memory.

Juniors started for us at 8am and lasted for many hours through all the cuts, and then the finals started at 11:45am. Right after juniors, Sebastian and I grabbed a fast photo with junior judge Whitney Perry, then Sebastian got in a 10 or 15 minutes rest before the bloodhound breed ring.

Sebastian ended up as the only veteran bloodhound, so he was the Best Veteran, and I’ll take it, as he is definitely my best veteran! One of my bloodhound mentors, and one of Sebastian’s breeders, Susan LaCroix Hamil, was there to watch and support the breed. Susan’s dog, Bob, took breed and we were thrilled for her and her handler Tara Schultz. Judge Barbara Pepper then gave Selfie, with handler Heather Helmer, best of opposite and rewarded Sebastian with Select Dog, and an Award of Excellence.

When we had finished showing, Sebastian was a tired veteran, and I was fighting off a head cold, so we headed to the Rosen Centre Hotel and rested for a few hours. My grandmother, Marlene Groves, however, was still on duty for the AKC Dog Show Patch Program. I am so proud of my grandmother for creating this program to help others learn about our sport. I am also very appreciative of the support she and I received from our Plum Creek Kennel Club in coming to Orlando.

By Sunday we were all extremely tired and my grandmother had picked up the Florida flu that was going around. But we pulled things together for an AKC photo shoot for Sebastian and my grandmother gave a seminar to other kennel clubs on the dog show patch program. Then, it was back to the hotel for hound and humans to rest.

These big shows are filled with so much fun and enthusiasm, but they are exhausting! Sunday night we went with our Plum Creek Kennel Club friends, Donna Keihl and Elaine Noel, to watch groups and support K9 Radar as he and his handler, Frank Hurst, were honored with the AKC Ace Award. What a wonderful achievement for Sebastian’s son, Radar, and a fitting end to the AKC National Championship! In a perfect world we would have loved to go to Disney World, or Sea World, as many others do on their trip but our Florida focus was never a vacation. It was the AKC National Championship Dog Show to showcase my dog, Sebastian, to launch the AKC Dog Show Patch Program, and lastly, to honor bloodhound K9 Radar as an AKC Ace Award Winner. I congratulate all the winners and thank all those who have supported and encouraged me in my passion for dog showing!

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making the final adjustments judges make their final decision

adjustments as the decision

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