Belgian Shepherd, is a breed of dog slightly smaller than the German Shepherd.
There are four different types of Belgian Shepherd, namely the short-haired type (Belgian Malinois), the black long-haired type (Belgian Groenendael), the mixed long-haired type (Belgian Tervuren), and the rough-haired type (Belgian Laekenois). Among the four different types of Belgian Shepherds, the Malinois is the most spirited and confident, it is much stronger and more sensitive, and should not be treated roughly. Training must be strict yet gentle, and requires patience.
This dog is beautiful, strong, agile and muscular, alert and intelligent, easy to train, energetic, always tireless, but a bit nervous, sensitive and impulsive. It reacts particularly sensitively to stimuli, loyal to its owner, and may occasionally exhibit aggressive behavior towards strangers.
About Belgian Shepherd can be traced back to the early 19th century, when it and many other shepherds such as the inland shepherd were recorded in the pedigree book and began to participate in dog shows. The more unified statement about the ancestors before that is that the shepherds used to crossbreed with Mastiff from Central Europe or the local area and the deer hunting dogs introduced from England in the 13th century.
Before the 19th century, there were many breeds in Belgium that were highly related to shepherds. Later, due to the need for fewer guardian sheep, breeders improved these shepherds and bred four different basic breeds with different colors of fur, namely black long-haired, short-haired, mixed long-haired and wire-haired.
In 1912, Belgian Shepherd was first registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC) as a breed.
During the First World War from 1914 to 1918, the efforts of many dog owners were destroyed, resulting in the failure to implement breeding regulations for Belgian Shepherds, mainly manifested in hybridization between different breeds of Belgian Shepherds; at the same time, the certification of dogs also ignored the color and type of dog fur, and did not strictly select and match according to the standards of different breeds, resulting in different types of puppies with different fur colors in the same litter, making it impossible for these puppies to inherit the characteristics of their parents.
During the Second World War from 1939 to 1945, the loss of valuable pedigree dogs selected after the First World War existed in all four breeds of Belgian Shepherds.
In 1959, based on the good development of Belgian Shepherds, AKC registered Belgian Shepherds for the second time: it divided Belgian Shepherds into different breeds and stipulated that the Malinois and Tervuren dogs still maintain their original names, while the Groenendael dogs are renamed Belgian Shepherds and the Laekenois dogs are not recognized.
In 1965, the AKC Malinois Club developed detailed AKC standards for Malinois and included them in the working dog group. In 1983, the Malinois was also included in the herding dog group.
In the late 20th century, the superior working qualities of the Malinois were gradually recognized by people. It started as a shepherd and guard dog and evolved into a military and police dog, challenging the dominance of the German Shepherd. Today, the Belgian Shepherd has been recognized by FCI (World Canine Organization) as well as many dog organizations in the world, while BKC (Russian Canine Club) and UKC (United Kennel Club) only recognize all Belgian Shepherds as a separate breed.
Nowadays, many Belgian Shepherds are used as herding dogs, guard dogs, police dogs, tracking dogs, search and rescue dogs, customs drug detection dogs, etc. Among them, the Belgian Malinois is the most prominent. In the late 20th century, China also began to introduce Belgian Malinois from abroad and applied them to the police, military, customs, etc.
This type of dog is intelligent, brave, alert, and loves its owner. It is loved by many dog lovers and used for sports, guarding the house, etc.
However, due to the sensitive and active nature of the Belgian Shepherd, keeping them in confinement is not conducive to their personality development and training. It is more suitable to raise them in suburban residential areas.
1. Heart disease
Dog heart disease is often related to obesity and old age. When dogs have heart disease, the main symptoms are fatigue and shortness of breath. Dog heart disease is difficult to detect, and by the time the owner notices, the dog is often seriously ill.
2. Infectious diseases
Canine distemper and canine parvovirus are common and deadly infectious diseases in dogs. Dogs that have not been vaccinated in time are very prone to these two infectious diseases. Once they are infected, symptoms such as lethargy, loss of appetite, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea will occur.
3. Kidney disease
When it comes to common diseases and symptoms in dogs, kidney disease must be mentioned. The terrifying thing about dog kidney disease is the unconscious process of the disease. By the time the owner discovers it, the damage to the dog's kidney cells often exceeds 75%. When dogs have problems, the symptoms are usually blood in urine, abnormal urine color, and changes in urination habits.
4. Parasites
Gastrointestinal parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, and heartworms are common parasites in dogs. When dogs are infected with gastrointestinal parasites, the main symptoms are emaciation, lethargy, diarrhea, presence of worms in feces, and pale gums. Heartworm is a parasite that lives in the dog's heart. Dogs infected with heartworms will have symptoms such as low vitality, coughing, anemia, wheezing, and ascites.
5. Canine pneumonia
Pneumonia is also a common disease in dogs, but it is often a complication of other diseases. It commonly occurs in dogs with abnormalities in the upper respiratory system, bacterial infections, canine distemper infections, viral infections, impaired lung function, and heartworm infections. The main symptoms of canine pneumonia are coughing, nasal congestion, and increased body temperature.
Diagnosis and treatment of Belgian Shepherd with Canine Distemper
Canine Distemper is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the Canine Distemper Virus, which affects dogs and many other animals in the order Carnivora. Belgian Shepherds have slightly different symptoms from German Shepherds.
I. Clinical Features
During the initial stage, affected dogs may suffer from mild diarrhea, with watery and slightly dark-colored stool containing undigested food residue. They maintain normal spirits, have a body temperature of 38.5-39.0°C, and drink a large amount of water. After one week, high fever occurs, accompanied by depression, loss of appetite, dry cracked nose, and severe keratinization of foot pads. Nasal secretions become purulent. Dogs have rapid breathing and excessive salivation, and their feces become watery with a foul odor. There may be small amounts of blood and mucus present. Around 20 days after the onset of the disease, neurological symptoms appear, with characteristic rhythmic tremors in the muscles of the biting group and muscle spasms throughout the body. There is congestion in the eyes, decreased eye pressure, and eventual death.
II. Postmortem Changes
The liver and spleen are enlarged and congested, irregular hemorrhagic spots can be seen on the gastric mucosa, there is accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity, bleeding and excessive mucus can be found in the intestinal tract, and the lungs show symptoms of necrotizing pneumonia. The meninges are congested, and the cerebral ventricles are dilated.
III. Principles of Treatment
1. Quickly isolate the affected dogs, thoroughly disinfect their kennels, and perform large-scale routine environmental disinfection. Absolutely prevent healthy dogs from coming into contact with affected dogs and eliminate human-to-animal transmission.
2. After diagnosis, administer a large amount of immunoglobulins for emergency treatment.
3. Intravenous injection of antiviral drugs.
4. Use antibiotics: Broad-spectrum antibiotics should be used in combination with systemic therapy.
5. Symptomatic treatment: Control diarrhea, prevent dehydration, prevent acidosis, and use energy preparations in a timely and appropriate manner.
6. Strengthen nursing care.
1. Can't bathe frequently
When bathing a dog, of course it cannot be too frequent. Bathing a dog depends on the dog's hygiene condition. In hot weather in summer, you can bathe the dog one or two more times, but in winter you can reduce it by one or two times. But overall, it should not exceed 5 times. Otherwise, it will damage its fur and skin!
2. Be diligent in brushing
Dogs shed fur almost every day, especially in spring and autumn. Seasonal shedding is more severe. To make the fur grow well, diligent brushing is an important step. Pet owners can use a pet-specific comb to help the dog clean naturally shed fur and prevent tangling. Brushing once in the morning and evening for about five minutes is enough.
3. Sunbathe
Sunbathing is beneficial for the growth of a dog's fur and can make the fur more shiny. Besides, sunbathing can also help to sterilize. While sunbathing, pet owners can let the dog exercise, which can help improve the dog's physical fitness, promote blood circulation, and help grow healthier fur.
4. Deworming
Poor fur quality is actually closely related to parasites. Parasites will absorb a large amount of nutrients from the dog's body, robbing them. So deworming is essential. It is recommended to do both internal and external deworming. Also, deworming medicine can cause great harm to the dog's digestive system, so it is recommended to feed probiotics to relieve gastrointestinal discomfort.
5. Pay attention to diet
In order to have beautiful fur, it is necessary to build a good nutritional foundation and pay attention to daily diet. On the one hand, feed the dog nutritious and healthy dog food, choose a dog food that is suitable for the dog and has sufficient nutrition to meet the dog's needs; on the other hand, you can also feed the dog a moderate amount of lean meat, boiled egg yolks, and vegetable oil, etc.
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