Rysup

My 14 year old Lhasa still has dry at the moment and has no trouble, but he still has all his teeth. I quite like the 4 Paws, esp the Turkey one with gravy. That is great for mixing in crushed tablets The Chunkers go down a treat here too. Mine also love boiled rice with a bit of tinned food mixed through - they will scoff that down like there is no tomorrow. Basically I would just give her what she likes. A lot of trial and error, but Im sure the other dogs will eat the stuff she wont!

Why didnt the vet do a skin scraping for sarcoptic mites??

My experience is the same, once you kill the mites off, the regrowth was quite fast. The best way to encourage hair regrowth is massage of the skin.

So sorry for your loss. For years we gave the first vaccs at 6 weeks, but I have changed my methods the last few years and do not give the first until 8 weeks. I think by giving a 6 week vacc when they are potentially still covered by their mums antibodies (which effectively cancel each other out), and lowering their immune system, we are then inviting them to catch whatever disease is going around. I think it is better to wait a bit longer, until mums coverage has worn off, before we vaccinate. So the vaccine can 'take' at a time when we are reducing their immune system.

If I have to use tinned, it is Nature's Gift, or I would try the Eagle Pack tins too, never tried those.

Pineapple into their food is supposed to help. Be quick on the clean up or Dont look. LOL

It will get chewed....so if you dont want it to get chewed, I would get something metal :D

Interesting to know, thanks poocow. Definately going to try him on the Artemis Maximal

The reason Im not happy with the EP so far is that it has not fixed the problem I have been having. I thought my dog was allergic to wheat, but he is not completely cured, though he has much firmer stools than he was having. He still gets quite soft at times, so now I wonder if it is a grain allergy, so will try Artemis next and see how he goes. I am reluctant to take him to raw, as its not fair on the rest of his kennel mates that he gets raw 24/7 and they dont. If it comes to that then so be it, but I am putting that day off.

I would use a crate

I have been feeding Eagle Pack Holistic (the fish one) for about 2 months now. Can't really comment on it yet. The dog still prefers to try and steal Coprice, but he cannot have wheat. I am not overly thrilled and will be trying Artemis next.

Doubt you would damage the pump, just watch any heating elements, make sure there is always water covering them or running through them, depending on your set up. I burnt mine out LOL so now I dont have a heater.

I found that daily application of Paw Paw Cream worked the best on our Amstaffs bad ears. You had to do it at least once a day, twice was better in summer. I put it on thick, like vaseline, and it helped to heal and keep the flies off.

QUESTIONS 1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) I have been a breeder/exhibitor of other breeds since 1992, but got my first Amstaff in 2004. 2. Where and why was the breed first developed? USA. Developed as a show dog. 3. How common is it in Australia? Very - lots of BYB dogs around, lots of litters from registered breeders too. 4. What is the average lifespan? 10-11 years would be my guess 5. What is the general temperament/personality? I find them to be devoted to their humans. They have huge potential for dog aggression, and I personally would never trust an Amstaff with an unknown dog. 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? 30 mins to an hour a day. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? Would not be my choice for a first time dog owner, but if they are keen, religious about attening Obedience and put in the ground work, then yes. 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? Yes. So long as you know their boundaries. Some dig, some chew, some pull clothes off the line. They can be quite destructive if not given enough to entertain them. 9. How much grooming is required? Hardly any! 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? Yes absolutely. I have a 4 year old son, and our current boy is just too much for him to handle. There is a lot of dog in a reasonably small package, and they pack a lot of oomph into that too. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? Hips, Elbows, Ataxia, Hearts, Eyes are things most breeders should be testing for. 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be) You would only want to buy Ataxia clear or carriers. All other tests the parents should have acceptable results.

Thanks Poodlefan, I will contact them for a sample. I dont want to fork out all that money if it just goes straight through him.

There is a LOT of talk that Eagle Pack has changed, friends of mine used to swear by it, but have now changed to Artemis. I am trialling a wheat intollerant dog on Eagle Pack Hollistic, and its good, but he is very very hungry on the prescribed amount, so I have been adding a few chicken necks to his meal as well. I am thinking of trying Artemis, but would like to get a sample to try first, but have not been able to lay my hands on any yet.

You would know if you were breeding portosystemic shunts. I have bred two, slightly related and actually undiagnosed, but I am 99.9% sure they both had shunts. Both failed to reach size, they were very small for the breed. One suffered from seizures from an early age. Their vet was treating him for diabetes and epilepsy. I felt sure he had a shunt, but no one would listen to me. He was PTS at 12 months of age, and they refused me an autopsy. The second one was ill with gastro type symptoms from 6 months till she died, however they never told me, else I would have alerted them to have her tested. They rang me a week after she died, so again I could not get an autopsy done. I am terribly paranoid I have this in my lines.

I use a combination of Sards Wonder Soap, #1 All Systems Whitening & Brightening, and Bluo. Shampoo with All Systems. Then give extra attention to whites with the Sards. Final rinse with Bluo. Brings the whites up dazzling.

What breed? Will make a huge difference. Slickers CAN hurt, try it on yourself. You have to know how to use them properly. I've seen dogs made to bleed with a slicker.

I recommend Lhasa Apsos in show coat be bathed twice a week. I use human shampoo & conditioner on them a lot, depending on the dogs coat type. I would only use an oil in the diet on a dog with a dry coat. I have a bitch here with an oily coat, and I tried her on an oil. Well she would go less than a week before her coat was an oily rag.

Nucidol was removed from the market some years ago.

I have been giving my bitch folate from the supermarket. 5mg a day. Same one as you would buy for a pregnant lady.

Yes it is big for an Amstaff. All of mine have been under 30kgs.

Wow 36 kgs? That is Amstaff size, not Stafford.

Same here!