Thank you both! I have lost so many dogs to things that other people don't understand. Even my husband doesn't understand why our dogs die over and over. It's certainly not from lack of care or "good" food. At least the last ones were never bred. The heartache and tears were just mine. Kathy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Penny & Bill" <Ketchy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: helenfranklin520@xxxxxxxxx, showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Tuesday, June 11, 2013 6:23:24 PM Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: Our German Shepherds Helen, You are so right. It just kills me when a dog of mine dies at 5 or 6 or worse than that, a year. (I HEAR of dogs dying every day of the week--many between 5-7, which I personally consider the danger period.) Bloat, torsion, toxic gut, DM, and other would-be killers. There are problems in all pedigrees and OUR OWN lack of knowledge is killing us. I do not have the answers, but we should all bathe ourselves in honesty and try to work together for the betterment of the GSD. Penny in NC The Farm Dog Forever Member, GSDCA since 1981 When I think back about some of my dogs and the special relationships we had, I cry. There is nothing I value more then these memories and there is nothing more worth fighting for then this breed. The health issues are killing our dogs and driving away the public. I don't have the answers but this is the most important and most serious matter facing us today. We must save these beautiful soulful brown eyes that look at us with love and devotion. We must make all efforts to cure their bodies of diseases that cause them pain and early deaths. We are their caretakers. We owe it to them. We must unite in honesty, in cooperation, and in communication...and that is just the beginning. Helen Franklin ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2012. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Each Author is responsible for the content of his/her post. This group and its administrators are not responsible for the comments or opinions expressed in any post. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org SUBSCRIPTION:http://showgsd.org/mail.html NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/ ============================================================================ ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2012. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Each Author is responsible for the content of his/her post. This group and its administrators are not responsible for the comments or opinions expressed in any post. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org SUBSCRIPTION:http://showgsd.org/mail.html NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/ ============================================================================