Deerhound in general
Just a quick update from 2025
11 January 2026 | 
Author 
The year 2025 started badly for us. After I had Brandir given a Librela injection on January 6th due to severe pain and lameness in his right front paw, there was no improvement but a deterioration. Within three weeks, his wrist had become enormously swollen and felt warm. On Thursday evening, January 30th, I walked a short distance with Brandir through our forest, and suddenly he was standing on three legs. He didn’t want to take another step and was clearly in terrible pain. Very slowly we walked home, and he lay down on his bed. He didn’t get up again until the following afternoon around 12:00 when he urgently needed to go outside. He didn’t even get up for his food, and that told me more than enough.
Our dear neighbors, who have always been crazy about the hounds, and especially Brandir, came by to say goodbye to him. They will miss him terribly as well.
Brandir was a super easygoing Deerhound, always a gentleman, he had a great sense of humor and could snuggle intensely but didn’t like the shows, and coursing wasn’t his thing either. He traveled a lot with us, visiting about 12 countries, from northern Finland to Italy.
He lives on in his daughter, granddaughter and grandson, and great-grandchildren.
Just after one o’clock, Victoire came to relieve Brandir of his pain.
Brandir was allowed to live 12 years, 8 months, and 2 weeks.
Nicky with Brandir and his great-granddaughter Cephyr.
The first puppies have now left the house, but it still took a while before they were all gone. Most of them went, either in pairs or, to somewhere where there’s another sighthound. One puppy is an only child, but he gets so much attention and has so many playmates, he lacks for nothing.
The last ones left on March 7th for Slovenia and Serbia. A very long journey, but luckily all three traveled together. On the way, Caelen James was dropped off in Slovenia and ended up with a young Borzoi, with whom he has now become best friends.
How quiet and peaceful it became here afterward!
Cephyr (on the right) and Chenea were fortunately still there for each other to play and run around with.
On March 9th, WRV ’t Haasje held its General Meeting followed by a coursing training. Here, Cephyr and Chenea took their first steps on an ‘official’ coursing field. Of course, we had already practiced a bit at home with them using the old hand-operated machine, and they were very interested in this new game. But here it was somewhat different, a different, unfamiliar environment with more distractions. However, the second time went much better.
On March 22, we had the first coursing of the year at Ronostrand. Once again, only Crumbaugh and Charlaigne were entered. Cranston was able to have a good time on Friday.
On Thursday, April 3, we departed for Alphen where the coursing of WRV ’t Haasje was held. On Friday, first the training where Cephyr and Chenea also got a chance to sniff the hare again. They both did fantastically!
This time, Augusto Frade had also entered his Deerhound female Teresa of Muma, so there would be 3 Deerhounds at the start. But unfortunately, Crumbaugh did not pass the veterinary check, so only the two girls, Teresa and Charlaigne, ran. In the second round, Charlaigne caused a mess again by cutting corners significantly. However, she ran out of position so badly that she could never catch up with the deficit.
Two weekends later, on April 19, we had the coursing in Lelystad. Here again, only Charlaigne and Teresa were at the start. They did not hold back from each other, and even though both know the terrain well, they ran almost the entire course without cutting too much. They ended with the same points, but because Charlaigne in the morning and Teresa in the afternoon, having 3 points more, Teressa became first again.
On May 29 & 30, it was Sighthound Weekend with the Championship Club Match on the 29th. Unfortunately, only 15 Deerhounds were entered, 1 absent.
BOB was Victor Prince Jr. Sense of Beauty by Ineke and Jasper de Vos, and Charlaigne became BOS.
For the Sighthound CAC Show, only 9 Deerhounds were entered. In the honor ring, Chenea was Best Puppy and Charlaigne was Best Working Dog.
On Saturday we organized a fun coursing event, and all in all we had about 50 sighthounds who wanted to let off some steam after the shows. Very impressive was a young Magyar Agar who entered the coursing field for the first time. But he quickly understood the game and showed his talents. There were also 9 Azawakhs, a unique number!
On June 4th, we set off for Tüttleben for one day of show and two days of coursing. The coursing was again organised by CC2000. For the show, only Cephyr, Chenea, and Charlaigne were entered, and for the coursing, unfortunately only Crumbaugh, Charlaigne, and Islay’s Scara Brae. The latter went home with the honor.
Chenea found the Red Kites, which constantly flew over the middle area of the racetrack and the coursing field, very interesting.
From Tüttleben we went to a campsite near Berlin, where we stayed for a few days before continuing on to Poland.
The campsite was by a lake, in an extensive forest of almost nothing but very tall pine trees so that you only looked up at the trunks.
The pitches were minimally marked and the ground was not exactly flat.
The road to get there was almost impassable, so with the caravan it took half an hour to cover one kilometer!
But still, it wasn’t a bad campsite.
In the evening, when the little beaches were empty, the hounds could really let loose, and you could go for good walks in the surrounding forests.
After the weekend, we headed to a campsite before Poznan. Here too, there was a small lake and a nice forest where the hounds could run and play.
When we arrived, we were the only ones there and thought we could enjoy the peace, but during the afternoon, a huge group of campers started to arrive, and shortly after, we were surrounded by a large group of caravans and campers who were going to celebrate a golden wedding in the evening!
Well, that was the end of the peace!!
On Friday, June 20, we packed up again and went to Gniezno, on the other side of Poznan, because Simon had to judge a two-day coursing event there. When we arrived there in the early afternoon, they were still busy harvesting the grass. Several huge machines were moving across the two enormous fields at record speed to make the grounds suitable for coursing.
Very impressive to see.
We were placed on top of a hill with our caravan, with no trees in the wide surroundings and, unfortunately, no other option but to walk the same sandy path up and down with the hounds all the time. It was scorching hot and therefore incredibly tough.
On Saturday, we still let the hounds run, as guide dogs for license runs, but Sunday it was really too hot, and we left as soon as possible after the awards ceremony. Back to the campsite just before Poznan.
The next morning we were just able to leave in time before a huge thunderstorm broke out; we were incredibly happy that we were no longer on the hill in Gniezno with the awning and everything!!
Since I got a new hip on July 3, we had a few weeks of rest and could enjoy our own little paradise.
On August 11, the caravan was packed again, and we set off for Hermannsburg to visit Sonja and Karl Heinz. It was too hot to do anything, so we just lazed around. The hounds had fun, though, because for the puppies it was a new environment which they really enjoyed.
Wednesday morning, we hit the road again because we had to go to Poland once more. This time Simon, with the help of Benny de Winter, had a field to prepare for the Polish Coursing Championship. Together with Benny and Ghilaine, we also stayed at a campsite where it was forbidden to put up a fence. So we set up the awning again to keep the hounds in check, but that didn’t go very well. They still wanted a bit more space and occasionally escaped.
On Thursday we were in Racot, near Poznan, where the championship took place. Fortunately, we could set everything up under large trees so we still had some shade because it was very hot. Especially on Friday, when Simon had to set up the course, it was scorching hot!
A beautiful sunset in Racot.
I hadn’t entered any hounds for the Championship. In hindsight, it’s a pity since there were actually four dogs from the Czech Republic competing, but fortunately Charlaigne, Crumbaugh, Cranston, Cephyr, and Chenea were still able to stretch their legs on Saturday afternoon.
Left Crumbaugh under red with Charlaigne. Under Cephyr.
Left Chenea, under Cranston.
On Monday morning we set off for Göhlsdorf where Simon was once again in charge of the coursing. We stayed together with Benny and Ghilaine on the large camping meadow and could freely use the fenced coursing field. On Thursday, the first participants began to trickle in, and by the end of Friday, the camping field was completely full. As usual, a fair number of Deerhounds were entered, a total of 9, including Crumbaugh and Charlaigne. Cephyr, Chenea, and Cranston got to try out the course on Friday.
On Sunday, there was the Landessieger Show for which only three Deerhounds were entered. Charlaigne was awarded BOB.
On Monday morning, we packed everything up again and headed towards Rijsbergen.
Crumbaugh under white.
Charlaigne under white.
On Saturday, August 30, CC2000 hosted the Barsoi Funcoursing in Baarle-Nassau. As usual, our hounds also ran the course. Cephyr was incredibly enthusiastic and stole the show with a spectacular kill.
Charlaigne walked with Crumbaugh, but she made such a mess of it that, as it unfortunately became clear much later, she had so badly gotten both her hind legs tangled up and injured herself so severely that I had to go straight to a veterinarian. Luckily, I was able to see the on-duty doctor in Hoogstraten, who, after examining it thoroughly, determined that it was only superficial. But serious enough that it had to be stitched under anesthesia.
He was stitching for over an hour, but unfortunately, the following Monday it turned out that some of them had not held. We put in a few more staples and rebandaged. Even though the wounds weren’t in a position that would be under tension when walking, the stitches didn’t hold, and by the end of the week most of everything was open again. That’s when we started blue light therapy, and it worked fantastically! Within four treatments, the wounds were closed without coarse scar tissue!
I was very happy that we have a very good type of thread that almost doesn’t cut. If, for example, it had been nylon, she would never have been able to walk again.
So if your hound ever has an injury that is slow to heal, think about blue light therapy!
Exactly one week later, on Saturday evening, September 6, Cephyr broke a toe and I drove to Hoogstraten again. It was not a complicated fracture, but the bone fragments were not neatly aligned. The only option was taping. After three weeks, we took an X-ray, but no bone growth was visible. At six weeks, there was a little, but minimal. Meanwhile, the doctors were talking about amputation, but I absolutely wasn’t willing to go for that. Finally, after 10 weeks, the bone fragments had grown together enough that Cephyr was allowed to run and play again.
Everyone was happy!!
Charlaigne with daughter Cephyr in the infirmary.
WRV ‘t Haasje held its Dommel Coursing on September 27 & 28 in Borkel & Schaft. A new and very nice location. You can go for a great walk with the hounds, and the campsite is spacious with good sanitation. Also very nice was that you could enjoy a BBQ with the whole group in the restaurant! The owner prepared the meat on a large BBQ, and along the wall there was a full buffet with various salads, sauces, and baguettes. Super tasty and well organized.
A pity that part of ‘the coursing field’ had just been sown and couldn’t be used, but Simon still managed to set up a nice course of sufficient length and with some challenges.
Since Chenea has developed the strange habit of sneaking up on the hare, we decided to let her run with another hound. This went well with sloughi Azra from Els Siebel. She had to start immediately, otherwise she wouldn’t get the chance to run. Hopefully she will continue to do well now.
Unfortunately, once again only Charlaigne and Crumbaugh had signed up. I found it nerve-wracking because Charlaigne, of course, kept cutting in, but luckily everything went fine and she came off the field safely.
On Thursday, October 2, we set off again with the caravan towards Welzheim, in the south of Germany, to participate in the Deerhound Annual Show. With one overnight stop on the way, we arrived there on Friday afternoon. At that time, it was still dry! Unfortunately, the weather gods were not on our side, and soon it turned into a big mud puddle.
So Saturday was the show. There were 34 Deerhounds entered, with 5 absentees, judged by Ali Morton from the Cotherstone kennel in Scotland. A judge after my own heart! She gave 3 Very Promising, 6 Excellent, 18 Very Good (still too many), and 2 a Good (there could have been more).
Chenea came second in the junior class and Cephyr fifth. Cytaugh was third out of the three veterans, and Charlaigne first out of the two working dogs. Then Charlaigne beat the open class and champion class bitches and became second best bitch behind the junior bitch Lady Ness of Scottish Arrows from Lidia Pitek from Poland.
Working Class.
Left: Lidia Pitek (left) and Ali Morton with Best Male Elton Pinehurst and Best Female and BOB Lady Ness of Scottish Arrows. Below: the same Deerhounds in a nice picture.
The coursing was held on Sunday, but unfortunately, of the 5 entered hounds, only 3 were present. Very disappointing. Alyesha Under Sharp Hill by Gabriele Klenk came first, Crumbaugh second, and Charlaigne third, but she still received the title “Schönheit und Leistung Jahresseigerin” because she had received an Excellent at the show, while Alyesha received a Very Good.
Charlaigne with her won challenge trophies for Best Working Dog, the Wanderpreis “Of the Scottish Highlands” from Ruth Oess (left) and the “Quodlibet Drambui Trophy” for Beauty and Performance Annual Winner from Gerd Zekkert.
Of the 21 names attached to the “Of the Scottish Highlands” challenge trophy, 7 are O’Cockaigne hounds and my Terichline Thistle appears 3 times. Pretty nice!
Since everything was soaking wet, clammy, and muddy, we just drove straight home the next day.
October 25th was once again the time for a CC2000 event. Nearly 60 hounds had registered, and many stayed overnight at the campsite. Unfortunately, the weather gods did not cooperate again, and on Saturday afternoon it started raining so heavily that we couldn’t do a second round without damaging the entire area with the quad. But everyone still had a great time, and in the evening about 24 of us enjoyed a BBQ in the restaurant. Very cozy!
A few more fun little videos of what’s happening at CC2000.
Of course, this wasn’t entirely the intention!
Our last event of the year was the coursing in Ravels, Belgium on November 8. We still decided to go with the caravan because it’s the easiest way with all the hounds and it’s also a bit more enjoyable. After all, that’s what we do it for! All the hounds were able to stretch their legs and made it to the end of the coursing season without any additional injuries.
Just took the Christmas photo on December 8 and then everyone went into hibernation!
It was an eventful and busy year with many fun things but also intense sadness and a lot of worries. Hopefully this year will be a bit more even. In any case, there are plenty of fun things on the agenda again!
Posted in 2026, Abroad, Deerhound in general, Lure coursing, O'Cockaigne Estate, Show | 
Tags: Charlaigne O'Cockaigne, Chenea O'Cockaigne, Chephyr O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Crumbaugh O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir | 
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Just update.
After my last update in August, my laptop crashed and after missing it for weeks I got it back but it didn’t work then! It also turned out that there was almost nothing on the backup made!! All gone! Taken away again and after a month we were told that unfortunately it could no longer be repaired. All in all, it took several months before I got a new one and then it turned out that I couldn’t log in to my website anymore!!
This week I finally succeeded and now I could continue where I left off. Poop, poo!! But because of all the updates of my website, I have the biggest problems filling a page and it takes ages before it is to my liking. And it’s still not to my liking, but yes, I have to!
Let’s just start at the beginning of last year.
The first coursing of the year 2023 was on March 18 at the RONOstrand in Een. Since Cranston had been badly injured and Cytaugh was not in good shape at all, I only let Crumbaugh and Charlaigne run. Was actually so relaxed because you already have your hands full with this couple!
Charlaigne with her fast ears.
The following weekend, March 25th, we had our CC2000 coursing day. The weather forecast was fantastic but unfortunately they turned out not to be quite right on the day itself. The rain regularly poured down from the sky and in such quantities that everything became one big swamp. At the end of the day, when everything was cleaned up, the car, which was loaded with all coursing equipment, had to be pulled out of the mud by a tractor. He had sunk to his axles! But the people who had signed up were almost all present and had a nice day despite the weather. Hopefully they dare to come again next time!
On the 13th of April I left for Cumbernauld in Scotland to enjoy the Deerhound Breed Show. This is always a wonderful weekend with nice people and lots of Deerhounds, really enjoy!
Last year, in mid-October, Brandir started hydrotherapy. We drive weekly to Rucphen where Corinne Somers has her practice. Since there was a clear improvement in stability, and if we skipped a week a decline, we do this every week as much as possible. He now knows exactly what the order of treatments are; First massage and possibly some manipulation and then into the bath to then “swim” for 4 x 5 minutes. But… you can ask a lot of an old Deerhound as long as there is something in return, all this is not possible without pieces of cheese!
On the 10th of May we left for Sweden where I had to judge the thirteenth in Hässleholm. Then we went back to Denmark where on the 19th was the sighthound show in Vejen and on the 21st the Euro Dog Show in Herning. Charlaigne showed well, became 2nd and 3rd best bitch but didn’t get any further.
Meanwhile, Brandir celebrated his 11th birthday on May 17 at the Flyvesandet campsite in Denmark. We had hoped that we would be able to walk on the mudflats again, but because of the storm that raged exactly the days we were there, the water was too high. Very unfortunate.
I did take some pictures and a video of Brandir but unfortunately my phone was stolen in a fancy restaurant and I lost everything.
At the end of June it went back to Sweden, this time for the World Championship Coursing in Kristianstad. On Thursday, June 29, it was the turn of the CSS class, Kirjojax Harris, Cranston and Crumbaugh were entered for this. Crumbaugh emerged as the winner. He can now call himself CSS World Winner.
On Sunday, Charlaigne was allowed to run. She wasn’t in great shape after her heat and wasted too much energy beforehand so she made a mess of it and finished in 14th place out of 22.
From Kristianstad we left via Gothenburg by ferry to Frederikshaven in Denmark where we had to prepare a field for the International Coursing in Nørresundby the weekend after the World Cup. On Saturday, July 8, the sighthound show was held where Charlaigne became Danish Champion and later in the day BIS. Judge was Agneta Doverholt.
On Sunday the coursing for which only Cytaugh, Cranston, Crumbaugh and Charlaigne were registered. After the first round, Charlaigne was in first place but again she messed up the second round and ended up third! I had withdrawn Cytaugh after the first round because of the heat.
On the 18th of August we left for Arnhem where the Deerhound Clubmatch and the Sighthound Show would be held that weekend. On Saturday the clubshow with 23 Deerhounds present for judge Carina Ekwall from Sweden. Charlaigne became BOB again and also on Sunday with only 8 Deerhounds present she became BOB under judge Kay Sneath from Australia. Cytaugh became Best Working Dog both days and on Sunday she also got the Reserve CAC!
Charlaigne was both days BOB.
From Arnhem we went to Göhlsdorf, east Germany, where on Saturday a National Leistungcoursing was held (provided by CC2000) and on Sunday the Jahresausstellung of the Deerhounds.
There were 2 males and 12 females entered for coursing. For the second round there were 11 left and Charlaigne was tied for 2nd and Crumbaugh for 3rd place. But Crumbaugh made a mess of it and finished in 6th place and Charlaigne was 3rd.
For the Jahresaustellung 25 Deerhounds were entered. The judge was Pascal Thiery from France. Cytaugh got the reserve CAC from the Working Dog class and Charlaigne became BOB and later in the day BIS!
But just like her mother in 2018, she also won the ‘Quodlibet Drambui Trophy’ for the combination of beauty and performance!
At the beginning of last year, there was a call from an American writer for a photo of an old Deerhound. Well, I have plenty of those!! After editing a Christmas photo with a.o. Amy and sending it to the author, Sky Blaine, she was very enthusiastic.
At the beginning of September, Simon flew to America for work and came back with the three books! Amy’s old face is featured on the cover of the third and final book of the series.
It’s a fantastic story and you can’t stop reading, highly recommended!
At the end of September we left for Brittany where Henriëtte has a cozy, small gite. We were able to park the caravan right on the property with her and the hounds had plenty of space to run and play on the large field. It is a beautiful area and there are many nice places to walk and cozy villages to visit. Mont Saint Michel is also around the corner and is of course very nice to go to.
Just have a look at her website: www.lepetitcoincosy.com
After doing some chores at Henriëtte’s we left after a few days to Gesves in Belgium for the coursing where Simon had to judge and the hounds could course.
On the 14th of October the German Deerhound Club organized its Open Club Show in Wickrath. The judge was Natalie Heathcote and there were 38 !! Deerhounds signed up for her. Charlaigne became BOB again.
The following weekend we were back at RONOstrand. It was Cytaugh’s last official coursing. Since Cranston has not been feeling well for a long time and is therefore not allowed to do coursing, only Charlaigne, Cytaugh and Crumbaugh were entered. And what was to be expected, happened, Cytaugh had to ran alone in the second round, really didn’t like that so didn’t run. She ended her coursing career with a dismissed!!!
Charlaigne won and received the CACNL with which she is now Dutch Champion for Beauty and Performance. She is the third O’Cockaigne Deerhound (and they are the only three) to carry this beautiful title.
On Friday 24 and Sunday 26 November, the Fryslân Cup and the Winner took place in Leeuwarden. We had rented a house in Appelscha for a long weekend so that I wouldn’t have to drive up and down that long way twice. Friday we had Rob Douma as judge and he had 5 Deerhounds to judge. Charlaigne became BOB and was selected in the group but did not advance.
Sunday we had the judge Jose Miguel Doval Sanchez from Spain and he had 7 Deerhounds to judge. He also did the final judging. Charlaigne was BOB again and in the ring of honour she was finally placed 2nd!
And then the last event of the year; the Christmas show in Gorinchem. André van den Broek judged the 4 entered Deerhounds and made Charlaigne BOB and in the mainring he placed her second!!
I was so proud of my little girl! The hard work on her confidence in the show ring has paid off. She now likes to go to the show which makes it so much fun. For next year there are already a few exciting, big things on the program such as Crufts, the Breed Show in England and the World Championship Coursing in Poland and a lot of fun smaller events. We won’t get bored!
Posted in 2024, Abroad, Deerhound in general, Lure coursing, O'Cockaigne Estate, Show | Tags: Charlaigne O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Crumbaugh O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
The test for DEPOH is available!
The genetic test for Delayed Post-Operative Hemorrhage (formerly called Delayed Bleeding Syndrome or hyperfibrinolysis) has recently become officially available through Washington State University in America. The study, http://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16643, is published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
It will be some time before it comes on the market in Europe, but breeders can order the test and apply it to their litters so that the status of the puppies is at least known to the puppy buyers.
This test tells us which dogs are affected by the genetic mutation that causes Delayed Post-Operative Hemorrhage (DEPOH), which is a disorder of coagulation stability, not clot formation. When it occurs, bleeding is usually (but not always) delayed, usually starting within 24-48 hours after surgery or major trauma. It is prevented or treated with aminocaproic acid or tranexamic acid. Deerhounds that are free of the mutation do not require medication. For Deerhounds that have one copy of the DEPOH mutation, the medication should be available if needed, and Deerhounds with two copies must be given the medication on the day of surgery and for five days after surgery.
DEPOH is a completely different problem than Factor VII deficiency – in fact it is possible for a dog to have both problems.
EVERY DEERHOUND OWNER SHOULD KNOW THE DEPOH STATUS OF THEIR DEERHOUND(S).
The test is inexpensive ($65) and is just a cheek swab, so it’s easy to do at home and cheap to mail.
Many thanks to dr. Court for leading this research and the literally dozens of volunteers who shared their experiences, DNA samples and vet records.
More information about DEPOH and Factor VII Deficiency can be found here.
Why It’s Important to Get Puppies Exercise
There are still breeders and owners who think that puppies should be protected by giving them or letting them take minimal exercise. A lot of research has been done in recent years and the opposite has now been proven.
When I see how many Deerhounds walk badly and have a wrong position, this can often be traced back to certain breeders who do not give their puppies the space they need. Puppies play and run for hours on end and then sleep for hours throughout the day. The space they need is of course dependent on their age, but you really can’t raise a puppy of 8 – 12 weeks on a piece of land of a few hundred square meters. Unlimited and unforced exercise is a ‘must’ for good, healthy Deerhounds.
This link with an interesting article about it comes from the Scottish Deerhound Learning Center facebook page;
A little bit of everything and a trip to Finland.
At the beginning of this year I sent DNA from Vision and her sons and from Cytaugh and her puppies to America for research on Post Operative Bleeding Syndrome because I suspected that Vision died from this. After several weeks I got the results and it turned out that Vision did indeed have the genotype SERPF2-VAR, meaning she had the highest risk, as much as 500 times higher than hounds that have no risk or the SERPF2-WT genotype. Due to the bleeding after her operation, the supply of oxygen was not sufficient for the organs and the nervous system and kidneys can be damaged very easily by too little oxygen; the haemorrhages were thus the cause of the eventual renal failure.
Her sons, Cranston and Callaghan both have SERPF2-HET, meaning they are 25 times more likely to have bleeding after surgery or an accident. It is therefore important that the vet has the right medication on the shelf. Unfortunately, it turns out that you are not allowed to have that medication under your own management, so if you are on the road you have a problem.
Also two of Cytaugh’s puppies have the SERPF2-HET variant while Cytaugh himself has SERPF2-WT. The owners have of course been informed immediately so that they can inform their vets and I have also informed the owner of the father of the puppies.
I am very pleased that, in addition to Factor VII Deficiency, we now also have the opportunity to test the hounds for this bleeding disorder, Delayed Bleeding Sydrome (DBS – also called hyperfibrinolysis)). You can avoid a lot of trouble with it.
The commercial test is not yet on the market, but if necessary one can simply send a swap to America for research. Unfortunately, there are still breeders who do not even test for Factor VII, which is very irresponsible as it carries great risks. I therefore recommend that when you want to buy a puppy, you ask the breeder whether it has been tested for Factor VII and DBS. You can read more about this via the following link, http://www.o-cockaigne.eu/?page_id=20680.
We were finally able to remove the caravan from under the caravan port in mid-March and muck it out. In the course of the winter it always becomes a kind of storage place and before you have everything back in place and cleaned, you are a day further. But in the course of Thursday morning 17 March, we could then leave for Lelystad where the first CC2000 event would take place. More than 50 hounds were registered and it was a very pleasant day with perfect weather for the hounds. It was very nice to see Mackenzie (and of course Bert and Mariëtte who belong) again and also Simone and Marco with Finn and Kick.
Unfortunately Charlaigne was not allowed to walk, he was still in the rag basket but there were 6 Deerhounds walking that day! Mackenzie had to get used to it again but in the end ran very nicely. In the afternoon she walked with brother Crumbaugh and that went perfectly!! Also very nice courses from Cranston with the Afghan Kimi from John and Karin, and in the afternoon with the Barsoi from Anneke. Everyone enjoyed it immensely.
On April 11 I had Brandir’s heart tested again and it has improved again! By adding Carnitine, Taurine and Q10, his heart becomes more and more powerful and I no longer have to worry that the same thing will happen to him as Chidish. Cranston has also been tested for the first time and found to be fine. Nice to know before he starts his coursing career.
Cranston, Crumbaugh and Charlaigne have now obtained their coursing license and Cranston has already successfully completed a number of coursings.
The last major event was the World Coursing Championship on May 27, 28 and 29 in Kalajoki, Finland. We left on May 18 and had planned for a few weeks with a few days Flyvesandet in Denmark and a stop at Sonja on the way back. At Flyvesandet it was great fun again with the low water. Even Brandir, who in previous years was afraid of the tide, now walked freely and cheerfully. He even went crazy on a regular basis!
It is a lovely area and the hounds always enjoy it. It is also a great terrain for a good fitness training because walking through such a layer of muddy sand is quite hard!
On the way to Kalajoki we stayed at various campsites, including in Sweden, including a very nice nature campsite in a very beautiful environment.
On Wednesday 25 May we arrived in Kalajoki and were directed to our spot, a strip of asphalt in front of the caravan with a large sandbox next to it. We stood right on the beach, or rather on the beach, and looked out over the Gulf of Bothnia where the sea ice was still floating. A strange sensation as it was nice and warm those first days and everyone was walking around in T-shirts and shorts. The hounds loved the sandbox and we swept the sand outside every day.
The three coursing parcourses were also on the beach and all had a length of about 800 meters. This was long enough as it is of course very hard to run through the loose sand. On Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday Crumbaugh and Charlaigne were allowed to do a test run but on Thursday I saw afterwards that both had a total of 6 broken feet from the sand that had sanded away the skin at the bottom between the toes. A very painful condition that unfortunately was not cured quickly – so no more test run on Sunday.
Cranston was in CSS class on Friday with two Swedish females and one English male. I judged this male, Kirjojax Harris, at the Breed Show in England last year and it was very nice to see that he was suddenly a lot more mature and changed in a positive way. Beautiful male!
In the first round, Harris ran under red and Grayrory’s Kestrel under white. Harris started very well but halfway through Kestrel came by and after this Harris actually followed Kestrel and at one point he also touched her twice, in other words he disturbed her. He got a disqualification for this which is of course very sour when you come all the way from England.
In the second lap, Cranston ran under red with Gray Mountain Maggies Aileen. As a young girl, Aileen usually walked closely behind the hare, but also made an error of judgment every now and then. Cranston coursed more with his head he read the terrain and cut where necessary. Three times the turner went wrong, he misjudged Cranston’s speed and this caused Cranston to come into contact with the hare. Luckily he didn’t care about it. Unfortunately there was one judge who most likely swapped the points and placed Cranston in third place.
In the afternoon he had to walk alone and that was very disadvantageous for him. Such a large, heavy male cannot be compared with the course before it of two females. He eventually ended up in third place. It’s a shame it went like this but Cranston really ran very well and enjoyed it.
Saturday it was Cytaugh’s turn. There were 12 bitches (6 German bitches, 2 Czech, 2 Swedish, 1 Finnish and my Dutch Cytaugh) entered for the CACIL class and not a single male! Cytaugh started in the first course together with Islay’s Quickstep of Ira Johannsen (DE). Cytaugh got 243 points and Quickstep 230. Cytaugh was in a provisional fifth place!! In the second round, Islay’s Luck Penny from Ira ran with Crathlint Dwynwen Dee from Satu Hakanurmi, the only Finnish rider. Luck Penny got 228 points and ended up in provisional tenth place while Dwynwen Dee was disqualified. Fernhill’s Rose at Grayrory from Åke Kack (SE) ran a very nice course and earned 245 points and Islay’s Peekeboo from Ira got 232. In course four, Islay’s Oonagh from Ira and Cotherstone Angrboda from Ann-Marie Boyle (SE) and they got 247 and 229 points respectively. Course five was for Andrea Jahelková’s Ailis Under Sharp Hill and Islay’s Quinn by Silke Eichhorn, who tied for first place with 257 points. In the last course, Andrea’s Aisha Under Sharp Hill ran with Islay’s Luighseagh by Claudia Oeljeschläger (DE) with 237 and 179 points.
In the second round, Cytaugh had to compete against Aisha Under Sharp Hill in course 4. Aisha got 1 point more than Cytaugh but that wasn’t enough to beat her. Cytaugh eventually landed in fourth place.
I was quite proud of Cytaugh, with her over 7 years she has done well!
As said, on the way back we went to visit Sonja for a day. Very strange to find only two Galgas and Brandir and Cytaugh hadn’t expected this either. After a lovely lazy day, we drove home on Sunday to see our new cork floor. The floor is beautiful, but we also found leveling everywhere; on the terrace, against the walls, even the door handles were covered. So that became a return for the floor layers to clean things up. It just meant that we couldn’t immediately start clearing out our house because everything, really everything, was in the shed, on the porch and under the carport. Well, as long as we’re ready for Christmas.
Posted in 2022, Abroad, Deerhound in general, Lure coursing | Tags: Charlaigne O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Crumbaugh O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
Liver shunt and health news from America
Recently I spoke to an Dutch Irish Wolfhound breeder who had imported a puppy from Germany. It turned out that this puppy had just been tested for liver shunt. Since I was told at the time that this test was not available in Germany, I inquired further.
The German Irish breeder had just had blood drawn from his puppies at his own vet and he did sent it to Laboklin. The next day the breeder had the results.
So if you want to get a puppy from Germany, the breeder can have it tested for liver shunt via Laboklin, insist on this, it can save you a lot of misery!
In the Claymore, the club magazine of the Scottish Deerhound Club of America, the Health and Genetics chapter appears in every issue. Always very interesting! In the latest edition (September/October 2021), Dr. Michael H. Court, researcher at the Pharmacogenomics Laboratory in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University, updates on the progress of studies on slow anesthesia recovery, perianesthetic stress hyperthermia (a stress-induced, life-threatening temperature elevation) and delayed postoperative bleeding. Below is an abbreviated version of his presentation at the National Specialty.
Slow anesthesia recovery
“The slow recovery of anesthesia after surgery or examination is a well-known phenomenon in Greyhounds and also occurs in other greyhounds. Usually it is after injected anesthetics such as thiopental and propofol (the latter to a lesser extent). This is related. with the low body fat content that greyhounds have.Normally the injected anesthetic passes out of the blood and into the body fat fairly quickly, allowing the dog to recover quickly, but due to the little body fat a greyhound has, a lot of anesthetic remains in the blood. , if first this blood is purified by the liver and that takes several hours. But there seems to be another factor involved and that is that the liver of greyhounds metabolize anesthetics more slowly than in other (non greyhound) breeds. There are two different mutations found in two different genes encoding enzymes crucial for the metabolism of pr opofol (CYP2B11-H3 and POR-H3). These mutations are most often found in Greyhounds and Deerhounds. Lab studies have shown that these mutations drastically reduce the metabolizing of propofol. The result of the latest study comparing Greyhounds with these mutations and Greyhounds without these mutations is still pending.
Perianesthetic stress hyperthermia
Another condition that has been studied is ‘stress hyperthermia’ which occurs in both Deerhounds and Greyhounds. Usually this is seen in conjunction with the anesthesia procedure before surgery. Signs are a very rapid temperature increase to above 41 C°, panting and deep red mucous membranes. Treatment consists of rapid cooling and the administration of sedatives and fluids. Stress hyperthermia can be prevented by judicious use of sedatives before an exhilarating experience (e.g. a vet visit) as well as taking steps to reduce stress.
Although stress hyperthermia is very serious and life-threatening, there have been no reports of fatal cases in the Deerhound. This is different from the malignant hyperthermia which is invariably fatal.
Since not all Greyhounds and Deerhounds are sensitive to stress hyperthermia, it is thought to be a genetic predisposition. With the support of the SDCA, we identified a mutation in the RYR1 gene in dogs with a history of stress hyperthermia. This mutation appears to be a milder form than the mutation of the gene that causes malignant hyperthermia. Since we have only studied 8 Deerhounds and 1 Greyhound, the usefulness of the clinical trial for this mutation is unclear. Therefore, we continue to recruit cases to see if the RYR1 mutation can explain all cases. Please contact courtlab@vetmed.wsu.edu if you have a dog that has suffered from hyperthermia and would like to donate DNA.
Delayed postoperative bleeding
Finally, we worked on a problem initially identified in Greyhounds, delayed post-operative bleeding. The clinical picture of this condition concerns dogs that have undergone major orthopedic or abdominal surgery (castration/sterilisation). Although no bleeding occurred during surgery, bleeding was noted within the next 24 to 48 hours. Symptoms range from bruising around the surgical site to overt bleeding from the wound. For abdominal surgery, internal bleeding may go undetected until the dog is seriously ill. Treatment consists of blood transfusions and intravenous administration of anti-fibrinolytic medication (Amicar). These bleedings can also be prevented by administering these agents before the operation and for 5 days after the operation.
We have conducted several studies (funded in part by the SDCA) implying that a mutation of the SERPINF2 gene is the cause of the delayed bleeding. SERPINF2 stands for alpha-2 antiplasmin, which is essential for protecting against the premature breakdown of blood clots (hyperfibrinolysis).
A case-control study was conducted using information gathered from the SDCA health survey and DNA samples from bleeding and dead dogs. We found 7 dogs that had postoperative bleeding after surgery and 55 dogs that had surgery without postoperative bleeding. All dogs were genotyped for the SERPINF2 mutation. The result indicates that the risk for delayed bleeding is 40 times higher in dogs that have at least one copy of the mutation and 500 times higher in dogs that have two copies, compared to dogs without a mutation. Important; all affected dogs had this mutation while none of the dogs that did not have the mutation had delayed bleeding.
In another study in healthy Greyhounds, we showed that dogs with two copies of the SERPINF2 mutation had significantly lower levels of antiplasmin in their blood than dogs with one or no copies of the mutation.
Taken together, it shows that testing for the SERPINF2 mutation can be useful to identify dogs that may have an interest in prophylactically administering anti-fibrinolytic drugs (Amicar). And just as important; the test can also identify dogs that will not benefit from this medication.
The SERPINF2 test is available now (free of charge) by contacting courtlab@vertmed.wsu.edu and requesting a DNA sample pack.
Like all genetic testing, we realize that the post-operative bleeding test can and will be used by Deerhound breeders to inform themselves about breeding plans. The SDCA Health & Genetics Committee is preparing guidelines for breeders on how or how not to use the test .
In this regard, it is important to emphasize that breeders should not attempt to eliminate the SERPINF2 mutation from the breed or a particular breeding line, as the disease causing the mutation can be effectively prevented in dogs at risk.”
And that is why the Dutch breeders test their Deerhound puppies for liver shunt!
In the meantime, all Deerhound breeders worldwide know that liver shunt is a condition that occurs in Deerhounds. A responsible breeder therefore tests his puppies when they are about 7 weeks old to make sure he is not selling a puppy that has liver shunt. About 2 to 3% of the puppies born can have this abnormality. But in Germany they are convinced that this deviation does not occur with them!
Unfortunately: recently a Deerhound puppy came to the Netherlands from Germany who became ill after a few days and she also showed deviant behavior such as walking in circles and along the walls. At first it turned out that there were stones in her stomach and after these were removed, the puppy recovered. But that was short-lived; after three days the bitch again showed the deviant behavior, she was very sick and she was taken to the vet again. After taking a blood sample, he found that the ammonia level in the blood was almost 5 times higher than that of another healthy dog. This combination of behavior and ammonia levels confirmed the great fear: liver shunt.
Since the puppy was so very sick, it could take weeks before she could possibly be operated on (while first she had to be diagnosed with what kind of shunt it was and whether it could be operated or not) and the amount requested for this was more than abnormal high, the owners decided on euthanasia.
Can you imagine how terribly sad this is? Have a puppy in the house for two weeks but after the first few days dive into misery with euthanasia as the end result? And in this case, the owners had also taken a brother so that they could grow up so nicely together. Any idea how much the remaining puppy missed his playmate?? It is very sad to have to experience all of this!
You would expect that the breeders would assist the owners in this matter, but after the first bump (whereby they had assisted with advice and action because they know that their puppies eat stones) and when it turned out that it was a liver shunt, the breeders gave up. “Liver shunt does not occur with us, we have never had it, the whole litter is otherwise healthy, it must be stones again” was all the owners were initially told. After this, the breeders stopped answering the phone and did not respond to messages left behind.
After a week there was some contact again and eventually the owners were able to pick up a new puppy. They could choose from three males, there were two more from the litter that was born a week earlier and a brother of the deceased female from the last litter. They chose the brother. However, they had to sign a paper that they would not declare any (future) costs, for any puppy. The owners also had to pay for the autopsy to prove what caused the bitch’s death. Were the breeders not interested in the results?
When the autopsy report was sent after three weeks, it turned out that the bitch didn’t just have a liver shunt. She was really very, very ill with everything wrong, including a number of chronic conditions that had been going on for much longer. Surgery could not have saved her.
It is of course very strange that the breeders themselves did not see that the bitch was not well. She must have shown the deviant behaviour there too because the ammonia level in her blood was so incredibly high that she must have been quite poisoned already. But then again, if you have to grow up outdoors in a shed, and the breeders only come a few times a day…….
I find it in and in sad that Deerhound puppies (anyway all puppies) are bred and kept in such a way, I really couldn’t do it like this. When I see how often they, even at night, need contact for a while and after a hug they go back to sleep, play or scratch around, I don’t have to think about keeping them in a shed or outdoor kennel. Research has also been done into the difference in behaviour between puppies that are raised in the house and that are kept outside in kennels. A small piece of text: “Puppies raised outdoors showed an elevated tendency for submissive behaviour, a greater risk of aggression through fear, and a lowered capacity for coping with novel conditions”.
The latter was clearly noticeable in all three puppies; they were not socialized at all, they were even afraid to come in the house! They were not toilet trained, they were startled and afraid of everything and they couldn’t walk on a leash either. In terms of growing up, the owners might as well have gotten a puppy from a Hungarian puppyfarm.
I would therefore strongly advise, if you are interested in a Deerhound puppy, born in Germany or anywhere else, to insist that the puppy is tested for liver shunt and that you also receive the result in black and white, before you purchase is about. A good purchase agreement, in which the rights and obligations of both parties are stated, can also protect you against a lot of financial misery and last but not least; look for a breeder who largely raises the puppies in the house, gives the parents a good health check (including heart examination) before breeding with them and who socializes the puppies well (even in a non-home environment!). It can save you a lot of grief and misery.
And isn’t it that too what distinguishes us responsible, purebred dog breeders from puppyfarms???
Very interesting articles
From Barb Heidenreich, of the famous “Fernhill Scottish Deerhounds”, I received the following very interesting articles. You have to take the time for it, but they are pieces that are definitely worth reading.
The first article is about nutrition and cardiomyopathy and the second about the long-term health risks of neutering.
http://www.o-cockaigne.eu/?page_id=19823
http://www.o-cockaigne.eu/?page_id=19846
The wonders are not over yet!
From 1979 to 1981 we had Irish Wolfhounds. I don’t remember how I got to it, but they got Taurine and L-Carnitine every day through their food. That should be good for the heart.
In 1996, when some of our Deerhounds developed heart problems and were treated by Dr. Andrea Vollmar, they were able to participate in Vetmedin’s development project. This drug is said to counteract the weakening of the heart muscle. Luckily my hounds got the real Pimobendan (the active substance) and no placebos and lived on it very well for a number of years. Vetmedin is now THE medicine for DCM.
In 2018, a mild form of DCM was diagnosed at Brandir and as my experience with Vetmedin (Pimobendan) was very positive, I had no hesitation in giving him this as standard. His heart did not deteriorate further.
Two years ago Sonja had Bernice, Brandir’s sister, checked on her heart and she was diagnosed with a very slight abnormality but she did not need any medication. After checking last year, Dr. Tobias (the cardiologist in Hannover) advised to add Taurine to Bernice’s diet. After half a year, Sonja had Bernice checked again and her heart had improved!
I also started adding Taurine to my hounds’ meals last year. After a few months another heart check took place at Brandir and it turned out ….. his heart had improved! A few months ago I also started adding Acetyl L-Carnitine and Omega 3 to the diet after reading some articles about this. Very interesting! Here are the links to the articles;
Nutritional therapy in the treatment of heart disease in dogs – http://www.o-cockaigne.eu/?page_id=19621&preview=true
Taurine, dog food, and heart disease in dogs – http://www.o-cockaigne.eu/?page_id=19619
Last Friday it was time again for a check of Brandir’s heart and it turned out ….. Brandir’s heart had improved even further !!! This trend continues despite Brandir’s fairly advanced age, he will turn 9 years old on May 17! The combination of Vetmedin, Taurine and Acetyl L-Carnitine really works wonders. Brandir is still very active, just like Bernice, doesn’t skip any walk and occasionally plays with his daughter or grandchildren.
I therefore urgently recommend adding Taurine and Carnitine to the diet not only in case of existing heart defects, but also preventively. 1 gram per day of both is sufficient. But … it is of course also very important that you regularly check the heart and/or have it checked to prevent (more) serious problems !!!
Posted in 2021, Deerhound in general, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Nimloth Bernice, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
PetSavers funded “genetics association with DCM” project in Deerhounds
From Emily Dutton (Dr. Emily Dutton BVM & S DVC MRCVS RCVS Recognized Specialist in Veterinary Cardiology), I received notice that the DCM (Dilated Cardiomyopathy) Research website is ‘up and working’. This means that blood can be collected for research into the genes that cause DCM.
Earlier this year I had heard from Emily that there was going to be hard work on this project and they are now so far that they need blood samples. How wonderful it would be if they found the causative genes! Then the breeders can have their hounds tested in the future and thus prevent Deerhounds from being born with DCM.
So herewith the call; if you have a Deerhound with DCM or an older Deerhound (preferably older than 8 years) who 100% certainly does not have DCM, would you like to send some blood?
Via this link you will find out how and what to do; http://www.deerhoundgenetics.com/index.html
Unfortunately the costs cannot be reimbursed but it is for more than a good cause and it would be really great if the evil genes were found. I also sent blood from my hounds and I hope many will follow.
Thanks in advance!
Found: the gene for hairlessness in Deerhounds !!!
Tuesday evening I got a very excited Marjan de Raad on the phone who told me that they found the gene for hairlessness in Deerhounds.
Research into this problem took place in both Canada and Finland, but the University of Helsinki was the one to come up with this great message.
Marjan contacted the professor from the University who told her that the hairlessness test is likely to be available in America and Europe in mid-April.
The research showed that 12% is a carrier of the hairless gene, so it is advisable if you have a Deerhound from the lines in which hairlessness occurs or have produced, and you have plans to breed with it, to have it tested for this as well as his / her partner.
You can read the entire article at:
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/news/life-science-news/a-bald-gene-finding
Puppies on arrival!
Last Friday I received a call from Iris Coppee that Olórin is pregnant. The scan showed a large number of embryootjes. Also, Olórin is pretty sick.
Now we hope that it will keep going well and that around 21 January a good number of healthy puppies can see the light of life.
If you are interested in a puppy, please contact Iris (tel. 0315-654859).
October
October has been in the sign of RONO Beach for many years. We've been there almost every year, mostly with coursing hounds but in recent years only with hounds running on Friday. Sonja has also consistently been present in recent years. This year, during the training, Brandir started halfway through the trail after Bernice had walked the first piece. Brandir started full surrender and walked a good second half together with Bernice. The puppies also walked a quarter of the course with great enthusiasm. The days after were pure relaxation, a little walking and courses watching. Monday the 19th everything is packed again and home. 
Thursday 22nd of October I left for Hermannsburg. I would stay a long weekend with Sonja and walk the show in Hanove
r on the Saturday. In order not to make it Stressig we had the Friday load. For the puppies it was the first time they came to Sonja but they found everything fine and beautiful. Only the stairs running to sleep above with me, gave some problems. After two nights we decided that they would have to stay downstairs. And that went fine! Saturday to the show. Brandir still needs one CACIB and I had hoped to address him here. Unfortunately, this kite did not get up, he got the reserve. Chidish and Cytaugh behaved exemplary and this time became Chidish best Jüngsten. So We were able to go home in time to make another big walk. 
The next day it was fine again to take pictures and.. They have succeeded
! 
It took some time but the result is also there! 
On these photos are Cytaugh and Chidish 7 months young and Brandir nearly 3.5 years.
And on Monday another nice piece walked. It was again beautiful weather and the trees were brilliantly discoloring! The hounds were very run loose and had fun for ten!
Tuesday morning my mess packed up again and home. Quickly cleared the car and cleared the caravan because Thursday we left again for a weekend CC2000. Again we had beautiful weather! Simon and Gert Jan had a nice trail with an obstacle in it. In Total there were such a thick 60 hounds, but the most beautiful courses were those with 7 Afghans and 4 Saluki's, always a joy to watch. Brandir and Bernice have walked together with a Barsoi and also Chidish and Cytaugh were allowed to have a piece. It was again a wonderful weekend!
Brandir about the obstacle!
Posted in 2015, Deerhound in general, Lure coursing, Show | Tags: Cockaigne Chidish van de Meirse Weiden, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Nimloth Bernice, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
September
The month of September started with the Puppydag in Waalwijk. For this day some 50 puppies of all breeds were reported including Aislinn, Cytaugh and Chidish. Cytaugh and Chidish thought it was great to see Marijn, Theo and Aislinn again! In the first game round, where in each group five puppies were judged by two masters, both Cytaugh and Aislinn were first and Chidish second in their group. In the second round, with four puppies per group, Cytaugh and Aislinn were again first and Chidish had a shared first place. The third weds battle round is a second chance round, the puppies that were previously last placed. In the fourth game round, Cytaugh was second, Chidish third and Aislinn first. In the fifth round, Cytaugh and Chidish had to enter the same group while Marijn ha
d to Aislinn in the ring simultaneously. So I had to arrange a handler for Chidish. Yes, and a Deerhound show is something else! So this was the last round for Chidish, he was placed fourth and flew out. Cytaugh became first in the group and Aislinn third. So Aislinn and Cytaugh went on to the sixth game round and were fourth and third in their group of 9 puppies. Now it became exciting because there were only eight puppies to the final and there were really some wonderful puppies! Aislinn was finally eighth and Cytaugh sixth. The puppies were after all that show of course tired but they have gained a great experience and that was what it was about. Two weeks later we had the young dog-Veterans Day of Stichting group Greyhounds. There were 15 Deerhounds reported of which the veterans male was absent. Chidish was only in his class and Cytaugh and Aislinn stood with their two in class from 4 to 6 months. Aislinn became first and Cytaugh second. In the end Barnes more Energy of Viola and Wolfgang Müller became Best young Deerhound. It was a nice day, slightly fresh but fortunately dry! 
The weekend next was the coursing in Lichtenvoorde. We always like to go here; The atmosphere is pleasant, you will be fine with the caravan, a large coursingveld where a good route can be put on, friendly people and you can walk in the surroundings. On Friday afternoon was the training and of course Brandir, Chidish and Cytaugh also walked. First we let Chidish walk a bit, he went like a spear behind the hare. Meanwhile, Cytaugh was on the side barking of excitement, when she was finally also allowed to run very well. Next, Brandir was allowed. When Brandir is started on the turntable, he runs the stars of Heaven. It's not to believe how hard he can! So that's why his straight abdominal muscle is soured so quickly, he gets hurt and really doesn't want to walk anymore. The next day we let them run in the break again, but then Simon made the start more or less next to the turntable to make it easier for me. But for Brandir this did not work; He did not start but when Cytaugh Losschoot and behind the Hare, Brandir did join. With such a small circle of a few hundred meters he gets no trouble and if he has it, we might be able to build it. But in the meantime we have to go cycling a bit more, his condition really leaves to be desired. Anyway, unfortunately Cytaugh and Chidish may still not participate next year, but we hope to be back from the party in Lichtenvoorde.
Posted in 2015, Deerhound in general, Lure coursing, Show | Tags: Cockaigne Chidish van de Meirse Weiden, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
Puppies???
Bibelot of the Meirse Meadows as everything lucky around 24 March puppies are born with Marijn van Irishl, Deerhoundkennel "van de Meire Weiden". The mother is Bibelot of the Meirse Weiden-Dutch junior champion, Dutch champion and Profiter 2013. 
The father is Nimloth Brandir-Dutch, German, Belgian youth champion, Europa Jugend Sieger ' 13, Dutch and Belgian champion, Benelux Winner BE ' 14. If you are interested in a puppy, please contact Marijn via vdmeirseweiden@hotmail.com
Cosequin for sale.
For years I have given my older Deerhounds Cosequin. As soon as they showed some form of osteoarthritis or stiffness when standing up, they got Cosequin. You usually saw a tremendous improvement within a few weeks; The movement in general and the rise went smoothly again. Even if one of the athletes suffered a thick toe or severely injured a joint, I put the same on the Cosequin. The consequences of that injury were much milder. Since at the time I had a good number of oldies and athletes wa
lking around, I bought the Cosequin in large quantities. But at a fast pace the number of users dropped and now I still have some pots standing. I would like to sell these before the expiry date. The Cosequin I have is the ' Double strength Cosequin DS ' and there are 250 tasty tablets in a jar. Composition: Glucosamine hydrochloride Minimum 500 mg, Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate minimum 400 mg. and Manganese minimum 5 mg. I have been told this is one of the best Glucosaminepreparaten as this ' excellent ' can be picked up. I ask €95.00 per pot and 7.50 shipping costs but I can also take it to a show or coursing, which saves something again. If you are interested, please send an email to o.cockaigne@planet.nl
DNA Research.
During the Saturday, April 5, of the English wide Show in Telford, a number of students from Nottingham University, at their offered Deerhounds, have taken DNA material for research into Osteosarcoma (bone cancer), Bronchopneumonia/respiratory tract disease (simply put; inflammation of the respiratory tract), stomach torsion and Fibrocartilagenous Emboli (FCE-See interesting articles). Of course we have also dropped the DNA from Bernice and Brandir. After having thought about it, I offered to take home from Calhoun and Caintha DNA. Calhoun is of course very interesting with its bone cancer! Very sorry that Coney, Calhoun's mother, no longer lives but Aunt Caintha might also be interesting. And… Marijn, of course, lives Calhoun's brother Clarence, a daughter of Clarence and two sons of Chazz (who is a brother of Coney and died of bone cancer). At all six we have taken a swap by their mouths, completed forms and then everything is packaged well sent to England. And now we hope that the research will be progressing quickly and soon! It would be nice if the Dutch Deerhound Club would support this research and would also regulate a DNA decrease day and send the collected material to the University of Nottingham. The more material the better.
Brandir and Bernice are purity!!!
O'Cockaigne Deerhounds-purebred Deerhounds.
Since last year it is possible to have a greyhound tested on varietal purity via the DWZRV. Through the following link you can read all about the nomination of Ms. Dr. Wimmer. Vortrag von Frau Dr. Wimmer über den DNA-Test zur Rassebestimmung bei Windhunden… For the Deerhounds you can here können Sie die Ergebnisse der Studie Herunterladen (PDF)… Find more. In the article below, written by Dr. Dominique d Caprona, the same is treated but you will also find everything about the other greyhounds and halfwind dogs. Http://sloughi.tripod.com/preserving/geneticswesterbredsighthoundsgermany
.html In the past year has shown that many hounds are not purity and as you can read/See, this is also the case with the Deerhounds. Last year, Sonja had her hounds take part in the test and also the blood of Cheytah was then investigated. Fortunately, she appeared to be purity. 
In the meantime we find that there are several breeders selling dogs as Deerhounds while this is longdogs and/or lurchers. (A longdog is a cross between greyhounds and a lurcher is a cross between a greyhound and another dog, usually a shepherd or terrier.) A very well
known Deerhoundfokker, who has been in the breed for many decades, has recently announced that he has never seen a Deerhound with Hubertus claws and also the colour ' wheaten ' according to Dr. Jödicke (He has already reported this in the last century) for quite some time ' Extinct '. But there are also ' grey ' crossings where in most cases you can see certain forms of body parts that the dog is not purity. If you doubt the varietal purity of your greyhound, you can let it be tested by having some blood (EDTA) in your vet. It must of course also check the chip number using the union booklet or the pedigree. This should be along with the form completed by you and your veterinarian, which you can find on the site of the DWZRV (www. DWZRV.de → Formulare → DNA Fingerprint) sent to Frau Ursula Arnold, Schlierbacher Weg 56, 64678 Linden Felsen, Germany and accompanied by a letter stating that it is the "DNA Test zur Rassebestimmung bei Windhunden". If you send it somewhere else you will most likely not get a correct result. The cost of the test is approximately 80,-euro, you will receive a later account.
Anyway, in order to be all misery in the future, we have also tested Brandir and Bernice and fortunately this Deerhounds is also a real Deerhounds!
Posted in 2013, Deerhound in general, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Caintha O'Cockaigne, Cheytah O'Cockaigne, Claire/Coquette O'Cockaigne, Commander Cody O'Cockaigne, Craffitsh O'Cockaigne, Cscarf O'Cockaigne, Cute Coney O'Cockaigne, Cwillyaigne O'Cockaigne, Edle Emmy vom Welzerberg, Nimloth Bernice, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
The Deerhound standard in Word and image.
After having worked for months, I have now published it; "The Deerhound standard in Word and image".
You can find this under ' De Deerhound '. For a long time I had the idea to do this because there are many people who actually have no idea what is meant in the standard or if there is no image. Since I have been in the Deerhoundwereld for a while and when judge has learned some about anatomy, I think I am doing well. If you have any questions, additions and/or comments, I would be happy to hear that.
New DEERHOUND Standard!!
New Deerhound Standard.
Because I'm working on the Deerhound standard with pictures and explanations ready for my website and because the Deerhound Club is working on the VERENIGINGSFOK regulations, it just came to me to see on the FCI site whether the standard in my possession of 1998 is still correct Is. Since I as a judge regularly check this from all the Windhondrassen, I knew for 99.9% sure that the standard of 1998 was still gold but who outlines my surprise when I see a different date on the FCI site after opening the relevant page at the Deerhound Standard!!!! After opening, printing and comparing, there appears to be a very peculiar change in addition to the welfare and health rules already added to all other standards. The hair length has changed!! From the original "7 to 10 centimeters" it is changed to "8 to 10 centimeters". Where this comes from and what this is good for, I am puzzled, I am going to inquire in England. What I find a useful addition is "… and on its ability to perform its traditional work". The only problem here is that there is almost no judge who has ever seen a Deerhound really work!
Granny Amy
Granny Amy
Meanwhile, Amy is 13 years and 4 months. She has come through the summer quite well despite the enormous heat we had every now and then. Fans and wet keeping with the plant spray do wonders. In terms of nutrition I changed it a bit. Her nierenergie was in spite of her holistic droplets somewhat on the low side and not to load the kidneys too much, I now pour boiling water over the flesh. In fact, she doesn’t like this as well, but with some tuna or cheese it goes back to it as a cake. Standing up is very difficult to do. We usually have to help her here. The distances they are running are also getting shorter but occasionally they feel like it and walk just a short kilometer. She also lately leaves her urine running. She usually beeps when she needs to but when she really sleeps, and she can do it very deeply, she doesn’t notice it and she has a wet bed. Now we lay a placemat and a towel underneath her bips. Only a coaster made sure that her bed was not wet, but the urine pulled too much into her rich coat which, of course, had to be cleaned again. An extra towel underneath ensures that her fur remains “dry”.
Last week she was suddenly very sick. 40 degrees of fever and a heart rate of almost 200. I really thought it was her last days but in consultation with the vet we put her on the Synulox (antibiotics) and after two days the Fever was gone and the heart rate returned to normal. She was going to eat again and after a few days she suddenly stood behind me while cleaning the chicken coop. Now every day she is at least 1x out of herself on what doesn’t really make me happy. The risk of slipping or making a mistake and then not being able to get on the end is of course quite large. If I am not at home… I get the 
pipzenuwen of it. But yes, I can tie her her bed! She loves to rummage around in our grove and can sometimes really be “gone”. Now I discovered where she stands, behind in a corner of the forest together with Brandir looking at whether there is not a cat or hare at the neighbors. Today she has been standing up five times and has walked together for at least one and a half kilometres. She also puts her feet down less often, it looks like she’s getting younger and more active! But we remain realistic and live day by day.
Posted in 2012, Deerhound in general, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Edle Emmy vom Welzerberg | Comments Closed
Cody is back home.
Cody is back home.
On the way back from Hungary, 12 June, we got an emergency call that Cody had to be picked up urgently. Angelique, the owner could no longer take care of him due to circumstances. As soon as we got home, I picked up Commander Cody, as he was officially called. Cody is a brother of Coney and Caintha, and is also already 9 years old! When I picked him up he was shaved two weeks before and looked like this picture. He seems like a great puppy and behaves, despite his slight heart problems, too. It was, of course, getting used to him but after a few days he started to play.
The funny thing was that he searched old toys! With this multicoloured donkey he played a lot as a puppy, 9 years ago. He also wanted to play with Calhoun but he didn't dare to play with your old uncle?!
By now we are a few months further and Cody feels completely at home. He has demanded the guest room and there is a prince Gelmatras that I have ever gotten from Angelique. It should be so! His fur has grown con
siderably again and he is going to look more like Cavanaugh, a real woolly. He is only much lighter in color and finer in construction.
Meanwhile, we decided that Cody will stay here. He is doing well and has a lot to his liking. He enjoys the forest walks and, like his sister Coney, loves to walk through the largest dredging puddles. The more dirty, the more delicious!
I hope we can enjoy this delicious Doug for a long time.
Posted in 2012, Deerhound in general, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Commander Cody O'Cockaigne | Comments Closed
New "Scottish Deerhound Primer" by Barbara Heidenreich.
The new "Scottish Deerhound Primer".
Since today, the new "Scottish Deerhoun Primer" by Barbara Heidenreich, Fernhill Deerhounds from Canada, is downloadable. Barbara wrote her first primer in 1970 to make her puppy buyers Deerhoundland. In the meantime it has been adapted and re-released several times and now it has been adapted to the digital age so that everyone can download it, print it and read it above all.
I really recommend it to everyone. There are an awful lot of important Deerhound-specific issues mentioned, all written by people who have a real sense of Deerhounds. For example, there is a recipe for the Magic Meetballs, a delicacy for Deerhounds who really do not want to eat or quickly use after e.g. An operation. Also the values of the heart are in it, so that if you have your Deerhound examined by your veterinarian you can show these values so that no misunderstandings arise about the dimensions of the heart as they are rather different from a normal canine heart. And so it is full of interesting facts. A real must! Go to http://www.fernhill.com/about-deerhounds/your-scottish-deerhound-primer/and enjoy and learn.
Barbara Thanks!!!
The older Deerhound: based on our old Amy.
The older Deerhound: based on our old Amy. 
Amy is now twelve and a half years old and for her age she is still pretty fit. Big walks with the other hounds of course is no longer and therefore I walk apart with her. It is of course very important that she moves regularly so we oblige her to walk twice a day. Usually this is about 20 minutes, sometimes longer. In addition, they rummages some more about our terrain. Sometimes she indicates that she wants to walk “a lot” and sometimes she is tired, then she returns immediately after she has done her need and goes home. While walking she doesn’t put her feet down well, she stands on the top of her cloves instead of on her pillows. That’s why I try to make her run as much as possible by sand or leaf and especially quiet, but if she has the Kaif in D’r head and wants faster than she can, it’s occasionally wrong. In advance her hand and foot massage helps somewhat.
In terms of fur care, there is also more time. The older Amy becomes the more hair she creates and the longer it gets. At least once a week she has to be combed very well to remove her woolly undercoat and long dead hair. I comb her while she is lying, because so long standing still is very much in demand. One day one side, the next day the other. There will always be a big bale of hair from each side. Long hairs on awkward places I cut short, as under her tail. I also check her vetbultjes and can detect any undesirable cases.
Since last year she has occasionally suffered from clogged tear ducts, sometimes very sometimes almost not. When she suffers, I clean her eyes at least four times a day. Fortunately there are no red tear streaks, which I find so ugly, but props that make you look so uitwipt with a piece of paper towel. And occasionally a wet patch over her yuling gives her a fresh face again. Her ears I actually have never had to clean, which are not dirty. Her teeth have hardly any attention, but in the meantime it has become somewhat yellow but Tartar does not have it thanks to the fresh meat food. That older dogs on a senior diet should be crap, as long as the organs still function properly they can just eat the same thing as before and that also gets Amy still. About a year and a half ago I found that she was somewhat hijgerig and tired so I took them to a heart specialist. This noticed that the left flap did not completely shut down, but there were absolutely no drugs needed, so it was very low. I didn’t agree with this because Amy didn’t feel good about it. In consultation with my own veterinarian I started to give Vetmedin twice a day and after a few days there was a clear improvement. When it was a little hotter she got the weather more narrow and again in consultation with my vet she got one Fortekortje. Then the weather went totally super! The Fortekortje ensures that the heart rate does not become too high, but if necessary it will increase the heart rate. And believe me, with Grandma Amy that is really still needed! With Vetmedin I have had a very good and long experience with Cinéad and Prudence, both of whom have benefited very much. It supports the functioning of the heart muscle in such a way that it loses little in strength and hardly increases.
To be sure that Amy will get what she needs, I’ll go to her every now and then to the holistic practice for animals “Den Hoek” in de Bilt. Here they can measure exactly what is in the apron and what they need. So far I am very satisfied with this natural healing method and Amy is also more or less a testament to this. Thus they observed the osteoarthritis. In many cloves, both wrists, the right heel and now stuck at even more places, Amy, like many other older hounds, has osteoarthritis. To alleviate this she gets 4 tablets Cosequin a day, this stuff is really fantastic! Also the other ex-athletes get it and run fine. I also lubricate Amy’s knees, heels, wrists and all the cloves with Omni Gel every evening. If it is forgotten a few times, we notice that it is similar to its meaning to walk. To keep her muscles on strength she gets muscle Support, a powder that goes through her food in the evening. Also L-carnitine is good for her muscles. Lately, Amy drinks a little more and has to do a little more. I thought of course similar to her kidneys and that maybe she should have a certain diet. But recently one of the veterinarians of “Den Hoek”, through a photograph of Amy, has found that she has a mild form of bladder infection and too low a kidney energy. Here are her holistic 
droplets now adjusted and after several days it went a lot better. When Amy was suddenly a bit around in the middle of the terrain to bark a little year ago, I knew it was time to give something against dementia. Via “Den Hoek”, I got Cholodin. First one tablet a day and indeed, after a short time Amy was clear again. Now she gets 2 tablets a day and she still makes it excellent. She can very well indicate if she wants something. Getting up to drink she finds crap, she just beeps and knows that I arrive with the drinking trough. Sometimes she is not nice, a hind leg that is too much under her can also produce a beep concert. Occasionally she does not have the power to push it down, I can do much better. Just after the death of Craffitsh, she had trouble getting up. I had to help her then by grabbing her behind her head and pulling up slowly. Stood them once then it went fine again, a bit the back hand muscles massaging and walking though. Fortunately, the weather is a lot better. I think it was a reaction to Craffitsh’s passing anyway. In the meantime we have put a lot of rugs and mats in the house so that she can not slide out because she gets a bit more unstable on her feet. Fortunately our house is ground floor, because of this I can always hear if Amy wants something, although it is in the middle of the night. I really sleep and the smallest beep will let me jump out of bed, because even at night she needs to go out. All in all, an older hound is a whole concern but it is worth it!
Granny Amy and the hare.
The colder it gets the more delicious Grandma Amy finds it. The last days she even goes back for a whole round! The day before yesterday she walked about 6 kilometers and she was almost 2 hours outside. She loves that, that cold. This morning after her walk she met the newest toy of Calhoun on our site, a hare! Well that had to fly here of course! I was again terrified because of the weird antics she got, but could still quickly grab the camera for a few "unique" pictures. For, say, what Deerhound of twelve years, six months and twenty-eight days is still playing? 
Posted in 2012, Deerhound in general, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Edle Emmy vom Welzerberg | Comments Closed