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Mojo was due to have her first litter the end of September/first part of October. I had a feeling she wasn't expecting a very big litter. Very likely a singleton - meaning only 1 puppy. She started nesting and doing the typical pre labor stuff on Sunday. That first stage of labor can take 12-24 hours. It was close to 11 PM and the puppy was presenting breech and I couldn't help her get it through the canal as it was just plain stuck. So off we go to the ER Vet in Sioux Falls. As I suspected it was 1 very large puppy. She had her c-section and the puppy didn't make it. It's things like this that make me wonder why I even do it? These are the times I just want to throw in the towel and be done. I try to remain positive and keep remembering the good always outweighs the bad. Breeders tend to get a bad rap and a lot of judgment. The cost of Mojo, the travel expense to get her, the anticipation of her litter, the costs of producing a healthy litter in turn to have an emergency c-section on a Sunday night and to go home with no puppy. It's not all sunshine and rainbows. 
I retired these girls most recently.
Ursula found herself a wonderful home in the Black Hills with a family that had gotten a MZBT pup in a rehome situation. They had lost their other Boston and he needed a new friend. Emmylou (formerly Hedy) went home with the parents of young man with a MZBT pup. She'll spend half her time in Minnesota and half her time in Texas on South Padre Island. Lucky Bostons! These are initial screening questions I utilize when someone is interested in a puppy.
Granted most folks do have Boston experience, but some don't, and I want them to do their research on brachycephalic (short nosed) breeds before hand. Boston Terrier Questions ~Have you read through the buyer’s info page on my website? If not, please do so: https://www.mzbostons.com/buyer-info.html ~In what instance are deposits refundable? ~Is everyone in your household on board with a new puppy? ~Anyone have any allergies to dogs? ~Are you familiar with the Boston Terrier breed? (It is typical for short nose breeds to vomit by eating/drinking too quickly or just because, pass gas, and snore) Puppies tend to be a lot of work. They are babies when they go home so they are not housebroken/potty trained or crate trained (they are newspaper trained here), those things take time. They sometimes whine/cry for a week or 2, especially at night. There is a period of adjustment and transitioning for them. No 2 Puppies are the same. Each has their own unique personality. They might be easier or harder than a previous puppy. ~Is this something you are prepared for? ~If renting, is the landlord on board with a new puppy? ~Do you run a daycare inside of your home? ~Will this puppy grow up to be a pet or do you have plans for breeding? (Effective September 2023, I will no longer sell puppies with full AKC rights. What you do with your dog is your business, not mine, but I am no longer mentoring up and coming breeders as my faith and trust has been tested too many times) ~Do you understand that puppies can get injured if they are dropped by kids and/or adults or fall off of furniture or from heights? Puppies can/do get sick and injured, will this be something you are able to handle and are prepared for? ~Are you able to pick up your puppy in person when he/she is 8 weeks old? Puppies go to the vet at 8 weeks of age and can go home during the week that they are 8 weeks old, prior to turning 9 weeks old unless I would need to hold back a puppy dependent upon my discretion. Vets are very booked out right now, it is important to have a vet visit scheduled within the timeframe I require to ensure a healthy puppy.
Something new!
When we send puppies home, each pup comes with a Puppy Package. This ALWAYS includes a jar/container of the food they are currently feeding. We are now includingRoyal Canin Puppy Kits with your puppies, as I've been thrilled with how puppies have been taking to Royal Canin these past few litters I've sent home. Believe me, I've tried it all throughout the years. I just want our puppies to thrive on a food and this one seems to be such a hit! Those of you that have already reserved a puppy have already gotten an e-mail recommendation from me from Royal Canin with the food your puppy is currently eating. It comes with a 20% coupon on your first order. Some key pointers: Shipping through Royal Canin is always FREE! Unlike Chewy, you don't have to spend such and such amount to qualify for Free Shipping. You can get a smaller size and it's still Free Shipping! If you sign up for their Autoship, you save 5%. Friday will be 3 weeks since Wednesday has been gone. I've been doing a lot of thinking and reading these past few weeks. Then it finally dawned on me... As innocent as it may seem, she was on the floor playing at the Vet's office at the time of her Vet Check and vaccination at 7 weeks of age. When I went back looking through her breeder's page I just stopped when I seen that video. But had she not posted the video, I would still be left wondering. Was it this? Was it that? Now me on the other hand, I'm so overly protective about everything, this isn't something I would do, but not everyone knows that. I'm kind of an anal control freak by nature... Unfortunately, it's truly a gift and a curse. Not everyone knows about the NeoPar vaccine either. Wednesday did not get her dose of NeoPar at 5 weeks. I will never know for sure as I did not have her tested, but a lot think she probably had Parvo. The signs and symptoms really do match up. First there was the incubation period. She was absolutely wonderful the first 9-10 days I had her. Then there was the going off food. The lethargy, vomiting/diarrhea, fever, dehydration, the unwillingness to eat no matter what I tried. I really gave it my best shot those 3 days of her going downhill, along with multiple vet trips. They don't really pass from the Parvo, they pass from everything else. Let my loss be something you take to heart. Just like people, the very young and the very old are the most vulnerable. Puppies have such an immature immune system UNTIL they are FULLY Vaccinated. Going home, you still have to finish their Puppy Vaccination Series. They still need 2 more puppy shots. Don't skip out on those!!! I know, they are so dang cute and adorable, you want to show them off to everyone when you go home. PLEASE don't do that. Just wait until you can complete the entire Vaccination series to give them immunity to fight this awful disease. Stay away from dog parks and pet stores, places dogs frequent. My first thought was her color pattern and I still believe there is some correlation to it. Perhaps the genes of the tri pattern just make for an overall weaker immune system which in turn means more vaccinations need to be on board to protect them. In all my years of breeding I've never had an experience with Parvo. But in the last few weeks, I've heard of families having an experience with it. I had just never heard of it around South Dakota and the surrounding states. Obviously there's quite a strain of it going around now. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be cautious with your puppies folks! I really do believe Parvo has knocked on my door first hand. Do I blame Wednesday's breeder? Absolutely not. We ALL have something to learn from this.   Going forward we will be implementing a change here at Matthew Zane's Boston Terriers and Phoenix's Frenchtons and Valley View Farm Toy Aussies This has been our Vaccination protocol for many years now: NeoPar (single way-parvo) at 5 Weeks 1st Puppy Shot (5 way) at our Vet at 7 weeks While this is has worked really well in the past, I feel we need to do an extra step after losing Wednesday I will never know if she passed away from Parvo or if it had something to do with her color pattern. She only had her first puppy vaccination on board when I brought her home... no NeoPar. It's unfortunate she passed, but as a breeder who's grown up in this lifestyle, it's realistic and I'm better able to handle the heartache more so than a first time pet owner. Going forward starting with Phoenix's Frenchtons and Valley View Farm Toy Aussies current litters... We will be adding an additional NeoPar into our routine Puppies will be vaccinated at 4 & 6 weeks for NeoPar At 8 weeks they will see our Vet for their first Puppy Vaccine of the 3 Vaccine series. Keep in mind, you need to continue to do Puppy Shot #2 & #3 every 3-4 weeks after you take your puppy home to complete the series, along with rabies. I never like to do rabies and the 3rd puppy shot at the same visit as it seems that's when an allergic reaction typically occurs. Unfortunately we can't go home with you when you take your puppy home. I know I'd drive you crazy with, don't do this, don't do that. I'm so overly protective of our puppies. It is up to you to be diligent about completely the vaccination series on time and keeping your puppy safe until they are completely vaccinated. That means, no dog parks, no setting them down in pet stores and other places where they could pick up something.   Happy National Autism Awareness Day!
I can't believe this guy will be 18 this summer.  There's no real easy way to say this, so I'll just come out and say it.
I lost Bindi last night. I am so incredibly thankful and grateful for her these past 4 weeks, she really kept them babies nice and chubby. But its been a bit of a struggle with her. I didn't want to say anything on here for fear of stressing out the families getting her little boys. But it is is now up to me to keep them going. I think we will be ok, I've been working on transitioning them for the past week to reduce the nursing demand they had on her. I'm fairly certain she passed from eclampsia/hypocalcemia (low blood calcium). I'll never forget what my Mom told me all those years ago when I decided to venture into my own breeding program. She said, you think long and hard about this because at some point, you will lose a female, and 9 years later, that time has finally come. An updated photo of Phoenix's pet Pug, Pickles. He's decided to name his Blueberry pup nicknamed Cloudberry.... Chips. Pickles & Chips  2023 - Dog Food
I’ve debated on whether or not to write this post for awhile now. Selfishly, I’d rather keep it my own “dirty little secret.” But it is worthy of sharing. Most of you will continue to do what you do. Some may read this post in it entirety, others will start and skip right over it. This is something you really need to have an open mind for if you’re one of those people. “Dog Food Snobs” I’ll admit many times throughout my breeding career I’ve been in the very same boat. I myself, have been a victim of a Dog Food Snob. I didn’t have an open mind. I followed the marketing, the things I read on social media, the commercials… I followed all of that. If Facebook says it’s true, it must be right? Facebook…. honestly, how credible is that? A meme told you so? Really? So far 2023 has taught me I have a low tolerance of many things. Perhaps I’m getting to that age where I just don’t have the time or energy to deal with the little things I once did. I was always the person to be there to lend a helping hand but I’ve been continued to be dealt with various situations that I no longer will take part in. I’ve learned to let it go and walk away. Starting out I’ve pretty much tried everything. I’ve fed Diamond, Taste of the Wild (grain free is supposed to be great right? — Ugh! Read up on DCM), Victor, Sport Dog Food, Pro Plan Sport (with great success for 3 years straight until something didn’t agree with my dogs… more on that later), Muenster (the owner ate his own dog food for 30 days, that must be ok? Right? Now I chuckle), Inukshuk (made in Canada), Purina Dog Chow & Puppy Chow, Purina One Adult & Puppy. Do you notice the trend? I did all these foods that really have no science behind them. Where am I now? Back to Purina. It’s where I’ll stay for the rest of my breeding days and pet owning days. Sure people (mostly other breeders) have come to me trying to get me to try their brands. Foods like Paw Tree and TLC, they are mlm type companies. I get it. It’s a tough time right now and breeders need all the kick backs they can get. It all sounds great. Fresh Pet foods you buy in a refrigerator section in your local grocery store? Those should be best right? I too, again, fell for a lot of the hype. I joined this group and learned so much, and I encourage you to do the same: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CanineNutrition/ Going forth, I will only feed/recommend 5 companies that understand the importance set forth by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association or WSAVA since that’s quite a mouthful. Those 5 companies are: Purina, Royal Canin, Eukanuba, Iams, and Hill’s Science Diet Yes, despite what you’ve been told about Beneful (oh no!) this is a great food option to feed your dog. Purina has so many options for EVERY BUDGET. Same with the other 4 companies. Things I’ve learned by joining this group. Do NOT mix foods together. You’re causing more harm than good. The food is already formulated and completely balanced for your dog. It really messes things up if you mix together different brands or different proteins. Don’t do that! DCM…. oh boy…. there are so many of those fancy boutique brands that cause that condition. You don’t want to unknowingly do that to your pet. There’s so much more! But you’ll have to join the group to see for yourself. Science. Yes I said it. We’ve got to stop believing what we read on the internet or because someone told you so. Chicken allergies? Highly unlikely a dog really has an actual chicken allergy. If you are one with an open mind and ready to give this group a go, please join it. There is so much to learn. Because when it comes down to it, we all want the same thing for our dogs. To live as long as they can and to be as healthy as they can.  Where are all my MZBostons and Phoenix's Frenchtons at?
I’ve had families move to California, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Nevada… that’s the reason behind those states. I have South Dakota snowbirds in Florida I think too.  This stuff works wonders when you have a bad bout of diarrhea.
Available on Amazon, Chewy, Revival, or Walmart Pet RX. Weaning and vaccinating tend to cause stress on puppies. We've been trying puppy electrolytes to help combat these GI upsets. Re-Sorb can be found at most farm stores, mix with a gallon of water. Puppy Lyte is available through Revival Animal Health. Basically, it's like gatorade for puppies and dogs going through a stressful time. I passed my second AKC inspection on September 7th. The old inspector has retired for my region so I got to meet the new inspector who lives in Lincoln, NE. I learned a few new tips and ideas from her. I also found out I can become an AKC Bred by H.E.A.R.T member because of the JHC testing I do. I took the opportunity to join that program of AKC.  |
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