Emma repawing in! This is a tip to everyone who wants to buy a basset hound puppy from a AKC - BHCA breeder who does opthalmologic examinations. This exam is called a gonioscopy. The breeder has several reasons for doing this examination. First and foremost they do not want to keep a puppy with abnormal angles in their breeding program. The goal of a reputable breeder of any kind wants to better the breed.  Secondly, they can present the potential educated buyer (other show people) with the documentation that the puppy has normal angles and therefore is not at a greater risk for developing glaucoma.

Make sure you buy a puppy with normal angles!  You do not have visions of the show ring but you do have the right to a hound that grows old with vision.

Most reputable AKC breeders of basset hound puppies do angle checks at their opthalmologic office because the breed is pre-disposed for glaucoma. Again, they want to make sure they do not keep and breed a pup with the potential for this disease.

The pups are taken to an eye doctor for what they call an angle check or gonioscopy. The doctor puts a lense on the eyes and determines if the pup has normal drainage angles or not.

The eye doctor will then fill out a form from the Canine Eye Registration Foundation to certify what the health of the pup’s eyes are.

Do not buy a puppy from the breeder unless the word normal on the right and left sides are checked. It is NOT worth the risk. Cover all of this up front before you even look at pictures of available pups.

The reputable breeder will provide you with a copy of the eye examination report. Make sure you get a copy of it. It is wise to keep this in your medical records file.

Both of Emma’s eyes had abnormal angles. I did not know an angle from a circle so I had no idea what this meant when I drove from KY to TX to buy a basset hound puppy. The breeder selected Emma for me.

Buyer beware! Once again, Basset Hounds are pre-disposed for Glaucoma.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER,
buy a pup that has abnormal angles, unless you are fully aware of the disadvantage this pup has in life. Glaucoma is painful for the hound and your other family members. It is also extremely expensive. Emma began going blind from glaucoma at age 2.

 

Why would you go to the trouble to research/select a top notch, reputable breeder and then buy a hound that is more compromised to health problems? Get the results of the eye report prior to the visiting the breeder. I speak from experience. I only wish I would have had this information.

I will eventually have my own list of questions on this blog for you to ask the breeder you are considering. If you need it before I post it, just e-mail me via the contact page and I will send them to you.

 

More Later from Emma, the hound that sees with her heart and her nose!

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Howllo Fellow hound and hound nose lovers!  You gotta love a hound that can find his way home after 2 1/2 weeks lost after a tornado rips through the neighborhood.

This just came across the wires.

Dog finds its way home
By JOANNE BRATTON
Bulletin Staff Writer

Katresa Harris of Gassville was shocked Friday when she saw the family dog, Pongo, peek out of his dog house.

The 9-year-old basset hound and blue heeler mixed-breed dog had been missing for nearly 2 1/2 weeks, since a tornado damaged the family’s home and the dog’s outside pen Feb. 5.

Friday morning, Harris went to her house on Kirkland Street, just as family members had every day, to see if the dog was back home.

“He poked his head out of the dog house,” said Katresa Harris’ husband, Tim. “He was running — he was so excited to see her.”

As the tornado hit Gassville, Katresa Harris and her two children, Justin, 13, and Kendra, 9, were inside their home with their two indoor Chihuahua dogs. The storm had torn the outside fence and broken a fence post, and Pongo immediately ran away.

The family made posters with a picture of Pongo, included a cell-phone number and plastered them around the city. They checked with animal shelters and searched the area, trying to find their dog. Since they cannot live in their home until it is repaired, they drove by to put out food and water in case Pongo appeared. A few neighbors would say they saw Pongo, but he was nowhere to be found.

On Friday, Tim Harris picked up his children from Cotter school and took them to Animal Clinic of the Ozarks in Flippin as a surprise, where they were reunited with a thin but happy Pongo. Other than being dirty and hungry, Pongo was fine, Tim said.

“I knew he made it,” Tim said. “We never gave up on him, that’s for sure.”

When they pulled up to the veterinarian office, Kendra first thought they were getting a new dog, she said.

“It was very exciting,” she said, repeatedly hugging Pongo while sitting on the floor in the veterinarian office.

Her brother had carried Pongo’s leash in his pocket for a week and a half, hoping to find his dog.

“I wanted to find him,” he said, adding he figured Pongo had been found when his father mysteriously drove to the veterinarian office. “I’m glad to have him home.”

End of article 

Blogger’s note…Probably not a great idea to leave poor Pongo outside when a tornado is emanate.

What a smart boy.  Good job Pongo!  You are a hero!  Slurp

More Later…Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Hound and YouTube Lovers:  For the love of God, YouTube was down yesterday for a few hours. 
Thank goodness it didn’t happen during the work week.  How could we get though our jobs without YouTube!  Whew!  That was close.

More later…Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Emma repawing in: Little did we know this morning, the 4th of April, 2006 when we all woke up, Emma was experiencing her first signs of closed angle, primary glaucoma. Emma was only 2 at the time. Her 3rd birthday was in 17 days.

I noticed immediately that her right eye seemed a bit cloudy, even before I got out of bed. It was early spring and Emma suffers terribly from allergies. Maybe it was just a flower she got into out back the night before?

I kept looking at her all morning and it just did not look right. I called my vet and made an appointment that day. He agreed with my preliminary, diagnosis. He sent us home with some eye ointment.

Had I been more informed I may had been able to save vision in that eye for an undetermined time period. Emma had abnormal angles when I bought her. I did not know an angle from a circle.  I was given no warning about what that meant.  Poor Emma, I might have been able to do more according to my eye doctor.

I went home with my 8.00 eye ointment and in the process killed all hope of saving vision in that eye forever. I may have only been able to save her vision for a year or so, but a year is a gift when your hound is so young.

Glaucoma is fast acting and you need to be as well. My Vet and I were so used to her severe allergies he and I both over looked the dreaded glaucoma. Emma also has a dermatologist who has her on a special diet. Emma is allergic to protein in her food. She is also allergic to most everything else.

Poor Emma, she has so many problems.

No matter what your hound’s problems are, check the obvious. Glaucoma.

My little 2 year old girl just before she lost the sight in her first eye.

I have a glossary of terms to the right under the header Navigation. Here you can look up words that may be very helpful. Remember, Glaucoma is VERY FAST acting. Get to your vet or an emergency Vet ASAP!

More later from Emma who sees with her heart and her nose!

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Howllo Fellow Hound and YouTube lovers:

It looks like the videos that were playing last night on my blog are now not showing.  I am going to e-mail my website master and see if he knows what is happening.  All the links are still in place, so maybe it’s a YouTube thing???
More Later…Stay tuned!  Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Hound and no loving ads lovers:

Well, I might have answered my own question listed below.  Google is trying to make even more money than God!  My Mom cut this article out of the NYTs and it is probably why my ads are looking so funky and not dog related.  So, if you are interested here is the link:

New York Times Article 

More later…Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo fellow hound and not loving my ads lovers!

Some of you have seen firearms training and hand to hand combat video ads on my blog that are totally baffling moi??? All I can do is go into AdSense and block them which I have done.  I have a feeling why they are showing up.  I clicked on a Snoops link about protecting one’s self yesterday and this could be a clue.  Is Snoops selling e-mail addresses?  Seems pretty suspicious to me!

Do you have any ideas?  Let me know!

More Later…Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Hound and YouTube lovers: I was just checking out my YT account and was stunned by what I saw! We have had 99,813 folks view our videos! We started our account about a year and a half ago!  This is just bassetabulous! I bet we break 100,000 very soon. I need to get crackin’ and make some more videos! We also have 101 subscribers from all over the world. How kewl is this? Chaps and Emma are totally impressed.

OK, they are sleeping, but I am sure they will be impressed very soon! Slurp!

Videos Watched: 1,736 (these are videos I have watched on company time)
Videos Uploaded: 67
Video Views: 99,813 (rock on viewers)
Favorites: 9
Channel Type: Director
Channel Views: 5,191
Subscribers: 101

Chaps was wondering if he was going to the Academy Awards tomorrow? I had to tell him yes, he will be on the couch attending with Mommy!

More Later…Cat, Chaps and Emma

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This is just wonderuff!  See how all the elders at the HOP eat their dinner!  I just love how you can make a donation right from their YouTube page!  Marilyn cares for all of these elders who have no where else to go!  Please make a donation!

You can give to the HOP and help feed the hounds!  Slurp!

More Later…Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Hound and soon to be best friend lovers:

This video is sooooo cute.  I love this older hound and the tolerance for the pup!  I bet this will be a great bonded pair of hounds.

I look forward to many more videos of this couple!

More Later…Cat, Chaps and Emma

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