Please visit the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Club of America website. There is much good information there about the breed and potential health issues.
To Spay, or not to Spay?
There is much evidence that has been accumulated that indicates the old standard of early spaying/neutering your dog is NOT necessarily the best for their health and longevity!
There is a lot of controversy and potential risk associated with flea and tick control chemicals. Here are a couple articles about alternative (non-toxic) treatments...
Oh, boy! Here is a hot topic. Because of a disastrous set of circumstances with one of our most recent puppies and his reaction to his first "vet recommended" vaccinations, I am taking a step even further back (I had already decided to minimize as much as possible and do titers on everything we can) and re-examining our protocol as we move forward. Please understand that I am not criticizing any one veterinarian or the group as a whole. Many puppies and kittens have survived very well following the advice of their family's veterinarian in terms of the best practice to help prevent disease. I will continue to post new information here, but here's an excellent article relative to the "hot button" that has caused me to re-examine the protocol we will use in our breeding program (Bordatella)...
There is a lot of conflicting information out there relative to Heartworm treatment. Number one, please don't let anyone convince you that the "treatments" most veterinarians will sell you are a "preventative". They are NOT. They act as neurotoxins to kill the heartworm larvae IF they are in your dog's bloodstream. Number two, if you decide that it is advisable to treat your dog, it is our recommendation that you DO NOT treat year-round (unless you live in an area where mosquitos are a year-round problem). Do some research. Make a decision based on what you feel is best for your family and puppy/dog. The articles below explain the complex series of events that have to happen in order for your dog to become infected, and present an alternative viewpoint.