Vaccinations

Vaccines are necessary to protect humans and dogs.  The fatal disease rabies can be transmitted to humans.  Although there are shots that can be taken once bitten by a rabid animal, there is NO CURE once symptoms become present.  It is also against the law in the US to not vaccinate your dog against rabies.  Other diseases such as parvo are not contagious to humans but they have high mortality rates in dogs.

One of the traditional vaccination protocols is as follows:
 

(l) 6 weeks of age - initial DHPPC (distemper, hepatitis, parvo, parainfluenza, corona) vaccination
(2) 9 weeks of age - 1st DHPPC booster
(3) 12 weeks of age - 2nd DHPPC booster and begin Heartworm preventive
(4) 15 weeks of age - 3rd DHPPC booster
(5) 18 weeks of age - 4th DHPPC booster and initial Rabies vaccination
(6) 6 months of age - spay or neuter
(7) 1 year old - annual DHPPC booster & Rabies booster.
The DHPPC vaccination is boostered annually and the Rabies vaccination is boostered every 3rd year thereafter (some states require rabies boosters every year).

Protocol varies from region to region- depending on the prevalence of the diseases in the area. This protocol is designed for high parvo risk areas.  Other areas may only recommend three puppy boosters.

Here are some links explaining the diseases:
Dog Owner's Guide - Puppy viruses
 

Here's a link introducing how vaccines work:
Immune System & Disease Resistance
 

The Colorado State University veterinary school has proposed a new small animal vaccination protocol in light of the fact that unnecessary, multiple vaccinations stresses the immune system and might be linked to certain autoimmune diseases. This is a short overview of their recommendation:

Program 1701 recommends the standard three shot series for puppies (parvovirus, adenovirus 2, parainfluenza, distemper) and kittens (panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis, calicivirus) to include rabies after 12 weeks of age for cats and 16 weeks of age for dogs. Following the initial puppy and kitten immunization series, cats and dogs will be boostered one year later and then every three years thereafter for all the above diseases. Similar small animal vaccination programs to Program 1701 have been recently adopted by the University of Wisconsin, Texas A & M and the American Association of Feline Practitioners.

Other available small animal vaccines, which may need more frequent administration, i.e., intranasal parainfluenza, Bordetella, feline leukemia, Lyme, etc., may be recommended for CSU client animals on an "at risk" bass but are not a part of the routine Colorado State University protocol for small animals. Recent studies by Dr. Ron Schultz clearly indicate that not all vaccines perform equally and some vaccine products may not be suitable for such a program.

There are some other dog people who follow homeopathic methods of protecting their dogs against non-rabies diseases (however, state law dictates the rabies vaccine MUST be administered by a certified veterinarian).  I don't think there has been through testing of their methods so I can't recommend it, but here is a link that help explain their theory.

Animal Health- An Alternative to Vaccines
 

Whatever method you choose to protect your dog against disease, always do so in consultation with a good veterinarian, whether it be Western, holistic, or homeopathic.  You should be comfortable with your vet and be able to trust in his/her judgment when it concerns the health of your Jindo.  Take as much time in finding a vet  as you would in choosing your own personal physician.

Here's a link suggesting how to choose vet:
Choosing a Vet.

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Parasites

This is not the most pleasant of subjects, but it's still one that every dog owner should be aware of.  Dogs can be affected by both external and internal parasites.  External parasites include fleas, ticks, lice, and mites.  These external parasites, in turn, can carry other diseases or parasites.  Thankfully, there are various methods to deal with these external parasites such as topical applications, pills, or medicated shampoos, collars, powders, etc.

Internal parasites include various worms and bacterial infections.  These parasites can be diagnosed by a veterinarian (many times after a fecal sample is provided) and treated rapidly and effectively by prescription de-wormers.  Store-brought de-wormers are considerably weaker and less effective.

The Critters on our Critters
Flea Season for Fido
Canine Worms

There was one theory running around that Jindos are somehow immune to parasites like heartworm due to their natural selection.  My honest opinion is that theory has got to be one of the most ridiculous theories that I've ever heard of.  I don't have the numbers regarding Jindos being affected by heartworm, but I do know that natural selection has not protected other canines such as  wolves and Australian Dingos from heartworms.   I don't know the area of heartworm or the distribution of the mosquito vector that carries heartworm in Korea, but I do know that all 50 states in  the US have reported cases of heartworms in canines.  It can run over $300-400 to cure heartworm and is nearly 100% fatal if left untreated.   It would be folly to not protect your dogs in an heartworm endemic area.

It's a Matter of Heart
Dog Owner's Guide: Heartworm Disease
 
 

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Diet
 

Jindos as well as all dogs are carnivores with opportunistic omnivores tendencies.  What this translates into is that  a canine's main source of food is raw meat.  However, if hungry, they will consume grains and vegetables as fillers.  A dog's digestive tract is designed foremost to process raw meat and extract vitamins and nutrients from it.  With the used of commercial dry dog food, some of these vitamins and nutrients are lost in the dog's diet as the baking of dry dog food destroys these essential nutrients. (If you would like to know more about how commercial dog food is prepared, read the API Report.)

There are several kinds of diets.  Here is a list, starting from good to bad according to what is the current feeling among dog-owners.
 

1) A BARF (Bones and Raw Food) consisting of meat uncontaminated by steroids or pesticides, with the appropriate fruits, grains and vegetables, with additional supplements as needed. (Determined on an individual basis).

2) A BARF diet using store bought meats, fruits and veggies, with supplements as appropriate for the individual.
 

The BARF diet was introduced in the books "Give Your Dog a Bone" and "Grow Your Pup on Bones" authored by Dr. Ian Billinghurst of Australia.  So far, I've found the books available at www.dogwise.com.

Here's a good site regarding the BARF diet:
BARF!!! Bones and Raw Food

There are disadvantages to feeding a raw meat diet that do need to be addressed though.  Here are some links that caution against the raw meat diet:
Raw Meat Diet- not recommended
Is raw meat safe?

In addition to the raw meat concern, it should be noted that it is extremely important that people research how to feed a BARF diet correctly.  Feeding BARF with deficiencies can turn out to be more harmful in the long-run than feeding a dog a premium commerically-prepared dry dog food.

3) A home cooked diet from store-bought meats, fruits and veggies, with appropriate supplements, a la Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide To Natural Health for Dogs and Cats

4) PHD non-commercially prepared diet.

5) All natural commercially prepared dog foods, such as ABADY or Flint River.

6) High quality foods not available in supermarkets.

7) Supermarket brands of dog food, with the best of the worst being the Purina Formulas.

8) Gaines Burgers, Gravey Train, Old Roy, etc.

If you would like to know how your current dog food ranks and what's it's made of, visit the Dog Food Comparison List. (The list is located on the bottom of the page.)   When deciding what dog foods to feed your dog, consider both the recipe and the source of the ingredients.  As a rule of thumb, avoid anything that has corn as its main ingredient.

As far as I know, Koreans have usually given their dogs leftovers from their table mixed with some dry dog food.  This practice probably isn't that horrible as some may make it as 1) it reinforces the lower ranking of the dog in the pack (lesser eats last), and 2) it might actually add nutrients to the dog's diet.  However, remember that onions are toxic to dogs and "human food" might make your dog more finicky.

For those of you curious about what I feed my dogs, here is a list of what they've had, roughly starting from most current to oldest.  I don't remember the exact labels on the older listings and I could be wrong on which dogs were fed what.
 
 

	Dog #1	Dog #2	Dog #3	Dog #4
Natural Blend for Seniors (by Royal Canin)	ok	ok	ok	n/a
Solid Gold  (blue bag)	n/a	took a while to accept.  ok now. noticeable smaller stools.	took a while to accept. ok now.  noticeable smaller stools.	n/a
Nutro Max Natural	n/a	n/a	loose stools	n/a
Eukanuba  (newer recipe)	ok	n/a	n/a	n/a
ProPlan Chicken & Rice (original recipe)	ok	ok	ok	ok
Canidae	ok	a bit picky	ok	ok
Science Diet (puppy recipe?)	n/a	BAD!!!  Dry, itchy skin	n/a	ok
Iams  (puppy recipe?)	n/a	n/a	very gassy	ok
Nature's Recipe  (old puppy recipe)	n/a	ok.	n/a	n/a
Pedigree Small Bites*	ok	ok	ok	ok
Eukanuba (old recipe)	ok	n/a	n/a	ok

*The Pedigree was given before I really knew much about dogfood.  I think I just didn't have the eye to notice whether a dog was thriving on a food or not.
 

Dog #1 was switched to dog foods with smaller nuggets.  Due to a throat injury, he would gulp his food without chewing, causing an upset stomach later on.  He was switched to Natural Blend for Seniors after his arthritis started.
Dog #2 was switched from Nature's Recipe after NR changed their labels.  She was switched to Science Diet, which she liked, but her skin was in extremely poor condition.  These days, she seems to prefer chicken-based foods.
Dog #3 has a bit of a sensitive digestive track.
Dog #4 had a cast-iron stomach and wasn't picky at all.  We would often mix some Korean scraps with her dry food.
 

One thing that a person should take from reading this chart is that what works for one dog, doesn't necessarily work for another.  It's been a trial-and-error process to find the appropriate food for my dogs.

Whenever switching dogfoods, remember to make the transition slowly.  Gradually increase the proportion of the newer dogfood into the old.  A sudden change will give a dog extremely bad gas and discomfort even when switching to a better quality food.   Also, remember that some changes in diet will trigger a shed.   The quality of the dogfood is reflected in the new fur that comes in rather than the shed itself.