Award Documents From Brandykegs

Brandykegs offers award documents that can be personalized with your information, visit our store for more details.  This is a great way to commemorate that special win.

Northern California St. Bernard Cluster

This is the final day of the Northern California St. Bernard Cluster; the Sacramento-Sierra Saint Bernard Club, Inc., will be hosting the Specialty today.  Mr. James M. Frankhauser will be judging Conformation and Junior Showmanship.  Megan Strickland Brinkdopke will be judging Sweepstakes.  Brandykegs Saint Bernards wishes everyone good luck!

Northern California St. Bernard Cluster

The Sacramento-Sierra Saint Bernard Club, Inc., will host a Specialty Show today at the Red Lion Hotel Sacramento at Arden Village, 1401 Arden Way, Sacramento, CA.  Jane Lemieux will be judging Conformation and Junior Showmanship.  Mrs. Jennifer Hanger will be judging Sweepstakes.  Good luck to all the exhibitors from Brandykegs Saint Bernards.

There will be a practice freight haul today in the afternoon.  You are invited to bring your harness and cart. This event will be supervised by Linda Hunter.  Come join the fun.

This evening there will be a dinner banquet and auction.  Cost of dinner per person is $28.00.

Northern California St. Bernard Cluster

The Saint Bernard Club of the Pacific Coast Inc., will be hosting a Specialty Show today at the Red Lion Hotel Sacramento at Arden Village,1401 Arden Way, Sacramento, Ca.  Mr. Stan Zielinski will be judging Conformation and Junior Showmanship.  Michael Strasser will be judging Sweepstakes.  Mrs. Dee Dee Anderson will be judging Obedience & Rally.  Mrs. Margot R. McKereghan will be judging Utility A & B. Brandykegs Saint Bernards would like to wish everyone good luck!

There will be a BBQ Dinner for exhibitors on the pool patio deck.  Barbecued baby back ribs, coleslaw and green salad, BBQ beans with bacon, corn bread, dessert, and coffee or tea.  Cost for dinner is $18.50 per person.

There will also be a weight pull this evening; hosted by the Sacramento-Sierra Saint Bernard Club, Inc.  Jann Hayes will be judging the weight pull.  The weight pull will be held outdoors on carpet, loaner harnesses will be available.

Northern California St. Bernard Cluster

The Saint Bernard Club of Greater San Jose is hosting a Specialty Show today; at the Red Lion Hotel Sacramento at Arden Village, 1401 Arden Way, Sacramento, Ca.  Mr. John C. Ramirez will be judging Conformation and Junior Showmanship.  Mrs. Jessica Kuster will be judging Sweepstakes.  Good luck to all the exhibitors from Brandykegs Saint Bernards!

Special Note:

The Saint Bernard Club of Greater San Jose, Inc., will be making a special presentation of two canine 02 kits to the Sacramento County Fire Department.


There will be a weight pull this evening hosted by the Sacramento-Sierra Saint Bernard Club., Inc. Paul Bodeving will be judging the weight pull.  The weight pull will be held outdoors on carpet, loaner harnesses will be available.

Brandy Kegs For Dogs

Brandykegs offers 1/2 liter and 1 liter barrels for your dog.  We also offer 1 liter trophy barrels for your next Specialty, great trophy for the Best of Breed.  Visit our store to purchase.

More On Novartis Animal Health Plant

In conclusion of this topic; when and if the Novartis Plant in Lincoln, Nebraska will resume production is not known at this time.  Many of us have already moved on to alternative products.  It didn't matter if you were happy with the product or not; you cannot continue to use the product if you cannot purchase it.

I still have the same complaint I had when I started writing about this, why are websites still offering this product for sale when they don't have it in stock?  These website are more than willing to take your order and payment even though they don't have the product in stock.  Then as a customer you are given the runaround about canceling the order or refunding your money.

I don't recommend purchasing the Program Flea Control product from the Canadian website at all.  I had to wait 14 business days before they would even discuss my next step.  I had to wait 28 business days before they would process my refund.  They blamed the fact I had not received the product, on the United States Postal Service.  I use the United States Postal Service for all our orders and they are received within two or three days.  This place was just giving me the runaround, I don't think they had this product in stock nor do I think they ever shipped it.  They sure were quick to take my money, but have been very reluctant to refund my money.

Buyer beware!

More On Novartis Animal Health Plant

The Novartis plant in Lincoln, Nebraska is not their only facility under scrutiny.  Sandoz Canada Ltd., located in Boucherville, Quebec is under investigation as well; this company is a division of Novartis. Sandoz Canada Ltd. manufactures a wide variety of generic brand drugs.  The FDA does not have direct control over a facility located outside the United States; but those companies are subject to FDA inspections.  These inspections address good manufacturing practices.  The FDA found several violations of manufacturing rules at this facility.  One violation is in regards to prevention of microbiological contamination.  This plant was supposedly shut down in November 2011.

The company appears to be using the same tactics with this, as with their facility in the United States; no definitive date when the issues will be resolved.  The question I pose is this, what happened to quality control?  There used to be a sense of pride in products produced by a company, now it is all about a company's bottom line, money.

(conclusion tomorrow from Brandykegs)

More On Novartis Animal Health Plant

At this time the Novartis Animal Health Plant in Lincoln, Nebraska; is supposedly working diligently to resume production of their animal health products.  They definitely have a huge back-order issue to deal with, since their facility was shut down in December 11, 2011.  The plant is unable to provide consumers with a definitive date as to when production will resume.  Many of their customers will not wait this delay out, they will turn to alternative products.

Clearly this plant has not addressed consumer complaints or notified regulators of complaints.  They have not responded in a timely manner as to how they were even going to address the problems.  They have not been upfront about their plant closure.  They have said it was a voluntary shut down so they could implement process and compliance improvements; the FDA shut them down.

(more tomorrow from Brandykegs)

More On Novartis Animal Health Plant

In December 2011, the FDA launched a four week inspection of the Novartis Animal Health Plant in Lincoln, Nebraska.  In a 24 page report by the FDA, the following are listed as the root problems at the Novartis Plant:

• Human errors
• Sloppy procedures
• Improperly trained employees

The FDA ordered the Novartis Animal Health Plant to shut down production on December 11, 2011.  The plant notified the public 8 days later of the closure.

After consulting with the FDA, the Novartis Plant will be releasing to the United States and Canadian veterinarians their stocked animal health inventory.  These products were manufactured prior to the plants closure.  Some of the products they will be releasing are:

• Interceptor Flavor Tabs
• Sentinel Flavor Tabs
• Clomicalm
• Program tablets and suspension
• Milbemite

(more on this later from Brandykegs)

More On Novartis Animal Health Plant

You should also know that not only animal but human health medications are manufactured at the Novartis Animal Health Plant in Lincoln, Nebraska.  On January 8, 2012, Novartis Consumer Health issued a recall warning to consumers that chipped or broken pills may be found in the following products:

• Bufferin
• Excedrin
• Gas-X Prevention
• NoDoz

Consumers have also complained about tablet mix-ups and foreign object in bottles.  The FDA is aware of nearly 1400 consumer complaints that Novartis did not respond to or did not forward the information to regulators.  Some of these complaints date back to 2009.

(more tomorrow from Brandykegs)

More On Novartis Animal Health

In February 2012, Novartis warned veterinarians of a possible mixup of Clomicalm tablets.  Apparently they disclosed that incorrect tablets may be found in bottles of Clomicalm.  Clomicalm is an anti-anxiety medication for dogs.  Supposedly this affected 20 lots manufactured at the Novartis Animal Health Plant, in Lincoln, Nebraska.  These tablets are normally oblong in shape and speckled brown, if your tablets look different; report the problem.  I would report the issue to the FDA not Novartis.

The FDA(U.S. Food and Drug Administration) show that they have made several critical reports regarding manufacturing mishaps and failure to respond to consumer complaints at the Novartis Animal Health Plant.  The FDA clearly had a major role regarding the closure of this facility in Nebraska.

(more tomorrow from Brandykegs)

Novartis - Program For Dogs

After doing some research on line; I have found a little information about the difficulty in buying the Novartis product; Program (flea control tablets for dogs and cats).  The Novartis Animal Health Plant located in Lincoln, Nebraska stopped production of Interceptor, Sentinel, and several other drugs on December 29, 2011.  Supposedly this was a voluntary action taken by the company for a re-tooling of the plant to meet compliance regulations. Back in December they expected this to only take one month and production would resume, as far as I can tell the plant is still down.

Those of us out there who use the product; Program for flea control, have not been kept in the loop on the shut down of the facility.  We are in good company, veterinarians were not kept in the loop either.  Many veterinarians have turned to alternative products for heart worm medication administered monthly in a tablet form, another product affected by the shutdown of the plant in Nebraska.  It sounds like one of the alternative heart worm products being used has some nasty side effects; one of the reason veterinarians were not using it in the first place.

It is really unfortunate that the Novartis Animal Health Plant in Nebraska has not been more forthcoming with the shutdown of their facility.  They manufacture products that consumers and veterinarians alike have found effective, you would think that they would like to maintain their customer base.  In order to do that; keep the public informed on what is happening and when we can expect to see the products they manufacture available again.

After this length of time and pretty much silence on the plant's side; one wonders if these products will ever be available again.  Is what happened at this facility related to our economic downturn?  Many companies were forced with hard decisions during these difficult economic times, most often staffing is greatly reduced.  If you don't have sufficient staff, corners are cut and that leads to problem in production.  Quality control seems to be one of the first thing to suffer when staffing is reduced.

(more tomorrow on this from Brandykegs)

Program flea control for dogs

I have used the Program flea control tablets for my dogs for many years.  I prefer this once a month treatment to keep the fleas away.  Much to my dismay I discovered that the facility which makes this product in the United States was shut down in December 2011.  Initially it was to be shut down for one month, but apparently it has taken longer to make changes at the plant.  I discovered that most all the websites that offer the product online are out of the product.  Some sites indicated that the product was not available at this time while others indicated they had the product.  Most of the sites had a dramatic price increase for the product as well.  I have only found one place that actually had the product in stock.  It is a real shame that so many sites are not letting their customers know that they do not have the product in stock and don't even know when they will get it in stock.  One site indicates they do not expect stock till July.  Beware of purchasing this product online while this facility is shut down, too many sites are letting you purchase the product even though they do not have the product in stock. Then you are faced with the nightmare of trying to cancel your order or get a refund, I am currently dealing with two places that took my order and apparently did not have the product in stock.  One place has really given me the runaround about the length of time the order will take to get to me; once that time has passed then they added another 28 business days before they would refund my money.  This has been a true hazzle.  Websites should stop allowing customers to purchase the product when they don't even have it in stock.  The websites that are selling the product and don't have it in stock are also not replying to customers emails regarding why they have not received their order.

Tips For Driving Safely With Your Dog

You may enjoy fresh air while you are driving; but if your dog is with you; don't open the window all the way.  If your dog is able to hang its head out the window; then they are being exposed to a lot of road debris.  The debris can get into their eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.

You should consider using a crate or a safety belt extension(made for restraining dogs) when driving with your dog.  You keep your children and yourself safe in your vehicle with seat belts, consider keeping your four legged friend safe as well.

I shudder every time I see a dog in the back of a truck.  This is so dangerous for the dog.  Sudden stops or swerving of the vehicle can be disastrous for the dog.

Keep in mind our dogs depend on us to keep them safe.

Extended/Retracting Leads

These leads are very popular with people as they allow the dog and person walking them to move at varying speeds.  If you use this type of lead; then you do not have control of your dog if something unexpected occurs.  This can lead to injury to yourself, your dog, or both of you.

In public areas like sidewalks, green belts, and parks where there are a lot of people on foot or on bicycles, the lead on your dog should not be longer than six feet.  Many cities have local ordinances regarding things like that.  Be courteous to those around you and keep your dog on a four to six foot lead.

No AKC Papers

I have received a few inquiries from individuals asking for advice on what to do when they have no AKC papers.  This is a hard lesson to learn; but you should never buy a purebred puppy without papers. People are told I will mail you the papers later, don't accept this.  If they are unwilling to provide you with the necessary papers then don't buy the puppy.

If for some reason the registration application is not available at the time of the sale; the seller should provide you in writing with the following information:

• Breed of dog
• Date of birth of the dog you are buying
• Sex of dog, color and markings
• Registered name and number of the dog's sire(father) and dam(mother)
• AKC litter number - your dog cannot be registered until the litter is registered
• Name of breeder
• Date of sale 
• Signature of the seller

The American Kennel Club requires that your dog be registered within 12 months of when the litter was registered.  It definitely bears repeating do not buy a purebred dog without paperwork for registering them.

Mentoring Program For New Exhibitor

The American Kennel Club offers the New Exhibitor Mentoring Program to those individuals who have just registered their dog with them or to individuals thinking about getting a registered dog.  The program allows these individuals to meet experienced breeders who can assist them in getting started.  These veteran breeders can share their experience with the novice.

Once you have filled out the application for the New Exhibitor Mentoring Program; the American Kennel Club will provide you with a list of qualified mentors in your state.  They can help you with:

• Etiquette for basic dog shows and events
• Judging Procedures for dog shows and events
• Terminology used at dog shows and events
• Description of the types of events
• Instructions for filling out your entry form for dog shows and events
• Provide information on local dog clubs

Love Your Dog, Leash Your Dog

L          ove means never forgetting to use a leash.


E          very dog deserves the protection a leash provides.


A          lways leash your dog when you're outside.         


S          afety and peace of mind are assured when you use a leash.


H          ave a heart; if you love your dog, leash your dog.




(provided by AKC) 

Loud Noises

Is your dog frightened by loud noises?  Motorcycles, fireworks, thunderstorms are just a small sample of things that can frighten your dog.  To help your dog overcome these fears; you must work on each problem area separately.  Make a recording of the frightening sound; this way you can adjust the volume of the sound.  Slowly introduce the sound at a very low level; you don't want to startle them. Gradually increase the volume, take it slow, allow your dog to adjust to the sound.  Create a pleasant distraction while you are introducing the frightening sound. Use plenty of praise when you see any signs of improvement with the scary sound.  Work on the problem at least once a day for a brief period of time, try to increase the noise level with each new session. Your goal is to eliminate their fear with the sound as close to the real thing as possible.  When you achieve success then you should try exposing them to the real thing.  Be sure you have your dog on a leash, keep them safe while exposing them to loud noises that have frightened them.  You should be relaxed during all these training sessions; your dog will pick up on your tension and that will not help them overcome their fear.  Be patient, provide a calm environment when introducing the sounds, give them plenty of praise for their successes.

Be Courteous

Do you demonstrate canine courtesy in your community?  A community is an area shared by individuals and their pets from a variety of backgrounds.  We should all strive to be good neighbors.  Here are some suggestions for showing canine courtesy in your neighborhood.

• Pick up after your dog, whether you are at a park or in your own backyard.  Everyone in a community wants it to be clean.
• Don't allow your dog to be a nuisance with barking.  Nuisance barking can alienate your neighbors very quickly.
• Obey leash laws in your community.  Letting your dog run loose, can be a safety hazard not only for your dog but for individuals in your community.  
• Socialize your dog on a regular basis.  This encourages your dog to be friendly to new people and situations.
• Keep your dog groomed and clean.

 

Drool Bibs For Dogs

Brandykegs offers several different patterned drool bibs for your big dog.  These drool bibs are handmade with  colorful fabric on one side and absorbent terry towel on the other side.  Machine wash and dry.  Visit our store to purchase.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from Brandykegs Saint Bernards!

OCSBF Specialty Show

The Orange Coast Saint Bernard Fanciers will host a Specialty Show today at the Orange Empire Dog Club Clubhouse, 18225 Santa Ana Ave., Bloomington, CA  92316.  Anna May Fleischli Brown will be judging conformation.  Mrs. Janice Dees will be judging junior showmanship.  Mrs. Honey Gardner will be judging sweepstakes.  Good luck to everyone from Brandykegs!

Two Saint Bernard Specialties In California

The Saint Bernard Club of Southern California will host the am Specialty Show; and the Orange Coast Saint Bernard Fanciers will host the pm Specialty Show.  Mr. Paul Bodeving will be the conformation judge for the morning show.  Megan Brinkdopke will be judging the am Sweepstakes. Sandra Lane will be judging conformation for the pm show.  Mr. Howard Dees will be judging Junior Showmanship in the afternoon.  Brandykegs wishes all exhibitors good luck!

SBCSC Specialty Show Today

The Saint Bernard Club of Southern California is hosting a Specialty Show today at the Orange Empire Dog Club Clubhouse, 18225 Santa Ana Ave., Bloomington, Ca  92316.  Mr. Jack Terrio will be judging conformation.  Erin Hines will be judging Junior Showmanship.  Vicki Graves will be judging Sweepstakes.  Good luck to everyone from Brandykegs!

Hot Spot Treatment

Once you discover your dog has a hot spot, time is of the essence; in other words act quickly.  Examine your dog to determine the extent of the affected area; take scissors and clip the fur as close to the skin as you can in the affected area.  Cleanse the area with an antiseptic wash, pat the area dry after cleansing.  Avoid putting on salves to the affected area; a salve will keep the area moist and moisture is what you want to eliminate.  The area needs to dry out in order to heal.  Some people use tea bags for healing purposes (black or green tea); tea has a natural drying characteristic.  I have had great results with tea, use it four or five times a day.  I don't use the tea bag; I use already brewed tea and apply to the area with clean cotton balls.  Hot spots are very painful and itchy for your dog; application of witch hazel or tea helps to cool the area.  This is an inexpensive home treatment and I think worth giving a try.

Don't let a hot spot get out of control, if you don't want to try a home remedy then get to the vet quickly.  Many times they will prescribe a steroid spray and usually it is effective; you must use caution with a steroid spray avoid contact on your skin.

Tip provided by Brandykegs Saint Bernards.

Socializing

Socializing your puppy or dog is very important. They need to learn how to interact with other dogs and people.  This is something you want to begin right from the start.  Daily walks allow them to see other people and dogs.  Some people like to go to dog parks; I am not a fan of dog parks but that is a personal preference.  Many school districts offer inexpensive parks and recreation programs; they often offer basic dog obedience courses.  A basic dog obedience course is great for training and socializing your puppy or dog.

Tip provided by Brandykegs Saint Bernards.

Basic Training

Start training your puppy when they are young.  Make it fun and keep the training sessions brief.  It is a good idea to keep the training commands as one word. Here are some commands to teach them:

• Sit
• Stay
• Down
• Stand
• Come
• Over
• Wait

Training is something you should do on a daily basis.  You can use treats as rewards in the training process; but it is just as important to give them praise.  At first you may get frustrated with the lack of progress;don't give up try again later in the day or the next day.  Don't lose your temper with your puppy or dog.

Tip provided by Brandykegs Saint Bernards.

Useful Info From Brandykegs

Vaccinations and worming are very important for your pet.  The series of vaccinations that are recommended by most veterinarians for puppies should be given.  They will help to safeguard their health.  By four months of age, most areas require your dog be licensed and that means getting their first rabies shot, which is good for one year.  The second rabies shot they get will be good for three years.  It is important to have your puppy wormed.  The growth of a puppy can be stunted by worms.  A puppy that is a finicky eater might have worms, have them checked by your vet.  Loose stools or diarrhea might also indicate a worm problem.   A good vet will be careful to make sure the treatment they use for treating worms; will not affect the growth of your puppy.  

Tip provided by Brandykegs Saint Bernards.

Pyometra

Pyometra is an infection in the uterus.  The uterus is filled with a toxic pus.  It usually  occurs after a female has finished her heat cycle.  It can occur at any age but happens more often in an older female.  There are two types of pyometra; open and closed.  The cervix is open and a purulent discharge is present with the more common type of open pyometra.  In cases of the closed pyometra, the cervix is closed.  In closed pyometra; there is no vaginal discharge, making diagnosis more difficult.  The dog also becomes sicker because the toxic pus is kept inside the uterus.  Some outward signs of the problem are lack of appetite, vomiting, excessive thirst,  increase in urination, strong unpleasant odor and the purulent discharge (with the open pyometra type).  Pyometra needs to be diagnosed and treated quickly, or the dog will die.  In the past, spaying was the only form of treatment.  Today a veterinarian can prescribe some antibiotics to get rid of the infection.  If antibiotics are used and are successful in eliminating the problem; the female should be bred when her next heat cycle occurs.