Hi everyone! I just want to apologize in advance if i am posting in the wrong area, i cannot seem to find out how to post a new thread. I have a Sharp Eagle 8 month old puppy. She is half beagle half shar pei and i am unable to find any information about her breed. She seems to lean more towards the sharpei side with the tempermant, allergies, ear infections etc but I was just wondering if anyone had any information on this breed. For the Shar Pei owners, do you think it is more beneficial for the breed to be on a grain free diet? The vet keeps advising me to switch her to Blue Buffalo grain free but i would like to hear some feedback first. She has had 3 ear infections, anal gland problems every month, allergies to vaccinations, allergy to sedative from her spay. Any information would be greatly appreciated!! I feel so lost and it kills me that even where we got her from cannot provide much information on her breed. Nothing comes up on an online search. Please help!!!!!
Welcome to Breedia Rachel. I suspect you are finding out that so called designer breeds are not, as their inventors claim, healthier than pedigree breeds. Your puppy does appear to have inherited more Shar pei characteristics than Beagle ones, and I think that someone with experience of that breed might offer you some specialist advice. However, in general terms, it is possible that you have a puppy with a food allergy, and it might be worth trying either a raw food, or an exclusion diet. Have you noticed any change in her poop, when she does have grains? The exclusion diet can be rather a slog as you need to strip her food back to basics, - usually lamb or chicken and rice - and follow a test feeding programme, by gradually introducing new foods and observing the results for 4 - 6 weeks at each stage, until you identify the allergen(s). Personally, I do feed my dogs on a grain free kibble, not the very dearest available, but better than mid-range. To this I add some cooked veg., and a garnish, (about 100 gm), of the wet tray food, - usually grain free, but they do like the duck and rice, and the salmon and rice varieties! Hope this helps. Happy Christmas, and take care with all those festive extras!
@Azz Could you please give the poster of #13 her own thread heading. Personal care doesn't really suit the topic. Thanks.
@CaroleC - would it not perhaps be better for Rachel to post on the cross-breed section, as a "Sharp Eagle" is a cross-breed and not a pure breed?
Hi Rachel! Welcome to the forum and a Happy Christmas.I have a Shar-Pei who's 2.5 years old, she's the 2nd one I've owned. As has already been said Pei should always be given a grain free diet. Georgina has been fed "home cooked" food from 9 weeks old which contains no grains, rice and very little potato. She occasionally has a meal of kibble which is normally Acana Grassland. You should also make sure that any treats she's given are also grain/preservative free. For anal glands try adding a tablespoon of cooked, mashed pumpkin to her diet as well as a probiotic such as natural yoghourt or kefir. Butternut squash is best which you should be able to buy fresh at any supermarket. Once you have her on the correct diet you should find an improvement with her ears as diet not only affects skin but also ears. With a Shar-Pei that has health problems unique to the breed, it's very important to have a vet that's Shar-Pei "savvy". On FB you'll find the Shar-Pei Club and Shar-Pei Health-Education, both of which are well worth joining, and have a list of vets who specialise in the breed. Something else I would advise you to do is to have a digital thermometer, a jar of vaseline, and baby aspirin in your medical kit. Pei have a high pain threshold and often the only way you can tell they are ill is by a rise in their temperature. Each dog though has a "normal" temperature which should be between 101 - 102F and to find what is "normal" for your dog, you should take her temperature daily over a period of a week. Georgina's normal temperature for example is nearer to the 102F mark. Hope that helps, but if you have any more questions con't hesitate to ask.
I'm not surprised your dog takes after the Shar Pei side, the genes seem dominant in most crosses I've seen. Nor am I surprised you can't find much information as your dog isn't a breed as you keep saying. Your dog is a cross breed and I don't think it a common cross either. I'd listen to your vet and Pork1epe1. She has a lot of information about Shar Pei.
I have the same designer breed with the problems you have....on the other hand, my sharp eagle's sister, from the same litter, is completely healthy....I have learned to control the allergies/yeast skin and ear infections some what, naturally...... an extremely low carbohydrate grain free raw meat diet in conjunction with keeping her ears and coat extremely clean....I bathe her often and wipe her down with a solution of apple cider vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and water after each outing; it works! Malaseb....a brand of ear wash and dog shampoo works as well....you can probably find a different brand with the same active ingredients cheaper.....Sharp Eagles are great dogs..Good Luck.
I know this is an old thread but I thought I'd share some of my experience. I have a 3 year old female Shar Pei Beagle. My girl is mostly like a Shar Pei also. The only thing she got from the Beagle is the tail and some ticking. She has an extremely sensitive stomach and skin issues. She is also extremely picky and i have a lot of trouble finding foods that she will eat. Please DO NOT feed Blue Buffalo. I highly recommend a grain free diet. I recommend Health Extension kibble if you can find it or Earthborn. Health Extension is basically the exact same as Orijen but a LOT cheaper. Many show breeders I know use it. Mine does occasionally get some grain. I don't bother only buying grain free treats because she doesn't get many treats. With the skin issues, I've noticed hers are mostly seasonal, related to fleas, or food reactions. Weekly baths with Vets Choice protein shampoo and Vets Choice puppy conditioner, which is also made by the Health Extension company, have been the best I've found to clear up the irritation, help the scratching, and make hair grow back quickly. Mane and Tail horse shampoo and conditioner also work very well. Mane and Tail makes a "Pro-tect" medicated version of their shampoo which also works very well on hot spots but do not use it on puppies. If hot spots get infected (Lady's tend to get pussy before you even realize they're there), i go to the farm store and get Blu-Kote. Its a wound dressing for animals. It will stain anything it gets on but i spray it on outside before she goes into her kennel for the night. The hot spot is cleared up and healing by morning. If Lady gets really bad, I give her benadryl but that is a last resort. My vet wanted to put her on prescriptions and I wouldn't do it. It's very manageable if you work at it. You just have to find what works for your dog. All of the things I listed are a good place to start. Make sure you give any food you switch to at least 30 days to see results. I also spray her food with a holistic probiotic spray to help with the stomach issues.
