Wachusett Chinooks and Natural Rearing
At Wachusett Chinooks, we feed, raise and care for our Chinooks guided by the methods of “Natural Rearing”. This includes feeding a totally raw diet, a minimal vaccination schedule and holistic/homeopathic treatments for flea and tick control and general ailments we can treat at home.
Our Chinooks’ raw diet is based on the principles of Richard Pitcairn DVM, Tom Lonsdale DVM, CJ Puotinen and we follow the advice on natural remedies and herbal care recommended by Juliette de Bairacli Levy.
A quote from Juliette de Bairacli Levy:
” Remember that every ounce, every particle of food contributes to the strength of puppy limbs, therefore let every meal given be of maximum health in natural concentration and preparation. It has come into the world with a set of brand new organs: heart, brain, liver, kidney’s, etc. All are new, clean, unspoiled. It is each puppy’s right that it be fed foods which will not damage or degenerate it’s new body, but improve and safeguard it’s health.”
We believe in the strength and health that this type of “Natural Rearing” provides for our Chinooks, their immune system and general well being.
The only medication we routinely use is for the control of Heart Worm, which is figured and dosed based on the weight of each dog and given during active mosquito season. In the case of emergency, we do seek the help and care of the highly technical resources available in Veterinary Medicine today.
All puppies born out of Wachusett Chinooks will be weaned to a raw diet with the expectation that new owners will educate themselves to the long term benefits of this way of feeding, before they make their final choice of feeding practice for their Chinook and take their puppy home.
We will be continually available to answer questions and offer guidance to all of our Chinook puppy owners who are new to and choose to continue feeding a raw diet, as Nature intended, and those of our puppy owners who choose to feed in other ways, so they will feel confident in the brand and quality of dog food they have chosen.
A most important issue concerns vaccination. The practice of multiple vaccinations given at one time and a yearly “booster” schedule, has been shown to increase the incidence of vaccine reactions, environmental sensitivities and allergies. Dogs who are given repeated vaccination over the course of their lives are more apt to develop auto-immune diseases, such as arthritis, diabetes, stomach/intestinal problems and neurological illness (seizures, motor control issues with age, etc). Puppies are especially at risk for reactions which could be severe and cause permanent injury or death.
Wachusett Chinooks will not vaccinate puppies as they go to their new homes. They are still carrying the Passive Immunity they gained from their Mother’s Colostrum at birth and if given too early, that vaccination will be neutralized by the passive antibody immunity still present.
We encourage and contract with new owners to follow a minimal vaccination schedule, recommending their Chinook Puppy is a minimum of 14 weeks old and preferably 16 weeks old to be vaccinated with one (1) Parvovirus/Recombinant Distemper/Adenovirus-MLV vaccine. Titer testing should be done 4 weeks later to confirm immunity. Rabies to follow at 6 months of age.
We encourage them to not allow vaccines be given which contain multiple disease agents and have any vaccination be given early in the day, in case a problem arises.
By following this vaccination schedule we have found that titer testing has proven immunity with the one vaccination and continued positive titer values in our dogs, seven years after their only vaccination and beyond.
We encourage our puppy owners to be educated and ask questions of their chosen Veterinarian, insisting they keep up with the most recent information and research regarding Canine Vaccination and care and not be afraid to ask for discussion, answers and then say “No” if they are not comfortable with a situation.
We encourage new owners to be an advocate for their new Chinook puppy by educating themselves to the consequences of “Early Vaccination, Over Vaccination and Vaccinosis.
We require owners of puppies who are placed as pets to wait until their Chinook is a minimum of 24 months of age before Spaying or Neutering. Research has shown that growth, development, and bone density are affected if spaying or neutering is done at too early an age. The hormonal influence achieved up to this age will result in stronger, healthier bones, of proper size, density and closure of the bony growth plates at the appropriate age. This will result in a decreased risk of injuries with more strenuous activities and provide for adequate support as they reach adulthood and into older age.
Our goal is to help insure a healthy and long life for our Chinooks and your Chinook; free from chronic illness and debilitating diseases.