Björkelunds Rottweiler - a sunshine story of healthier nails
🐶 Rottweiler
📍Karlskoga, Värmland
🏡 Active kennel since 2001
Johanna and her mother Inga-lill have been running the Björkelunds Rottweiler kennel for over 20 years; a kennel with a focus on well-built, strong dogs with a good mentality. In the long run, such breeding focus gives healthy and sustainable dogs, says Johanna.
Even so, bad luck can of course strike at anyone. The female Sessan, an almost 9-year-old Rottweiler, contracted the disease SLO 5 years ago. SLO is an autoimmune disease that causes the dog to lose its nails, a condition that can be both painful and difficult to treat.
“We tried different treatments, both cortisone, salmon oil for extra fatty acids, and biotin supplements, but nothing helped. She had side effects from cortisone, so we had to end that treatment, and instead try to relieve her as much as possible when she lost her nails. This summer we heard about petgood from one of our previous puppy buyers, and decided to try to see if Sessan's stomach got better, as she can also be a little upset in the stomach from time to time. Imagine our surprise when her nails improved! Now, for the first time, she has nails on all her toes since her diagnosis - and we must trim them soon! But of course, we have to consider that a "luxury problem", haha! ”
One of the kennel's males has also been put on petgood. In the background you can hear the result of his participation in the kennel, seven just over a week old Rottweiler puppies are now crawling around and sniffing in the puppy box, taken care of by their mother Björkelunds Bra-ssa, also called Mio. The very first litter of puppies came already 20 years ago, a year after the kennel was founded. The choice to work with Rottweilers for Johanna, was more or less a coincidence.
“I was actually a little scared of dogs before - but when I ran an equestrian shop we had an intern there with two Rottweilers, and since then I'm sold. After that I got my own first puppy and have been very active in the Rottweiler kennel club and trained with my dogs. ”
The Rottweiler may seem like an unusual choice for someone who has been afraid of dogs, but Johanna explains that the Rottweiler is a very direct dog that is easy to read. They clearly signal their mood and what they think, which makes them easy to communicate with. The mentality is everything in Johanna's breeding, to give open and happy dogs who have a natural curiosity about life. The dog's physique and anatomy also play a big role, as this lays the foundation for a healthy and sustainable dog. It is then important to keep track of the dog's anatomy and be able to see early on which dogs have characteristics that are suitable for further breeding. But despite her long experience, Johanna remains humble.
“I think as a breeder you should always be open to ask questions and learn from and help each other. It is important to trust your gut feeling, but also to ask for help when needed and lift each other's strengths! ”
With those wonderful words, we thank Johanna and Inga-lill for being a part of our petgood breeder's club, and look forward to following the growing litter of puppies on their journey!
