Ceilidh

A cotton ball dampened with warm water is best.

Thanks for that photo. I have been speaking to a few greyhound racing people and they say they use a hacksaw blade daily from an early age to get the fluff out. After training they hose them down then scrape them. Twofold, get rid of the fluff and the water. The lazy ones clip.

I had a lab x poodle come in yesterday and the owner said that a few days after the last time he was here he got an ear infection and the vet said it was from the groomers I said maybe you better take him elsewhere then. She left him. When she picked him up I said if he gets an ear infection in a few days I would appreciate a call then, not 10 weeks later.

Hmmm, the lengths some people go to to get out of doing certain jobs ;)

I take any stitches out myself. The vet gave me a stitch cutter ages ago and I keep it in an airtight tupperware container and before using it I soak it in Dettol. The only time I did take the dog back to the vet was when they had to remove part of the old mans ear and used a running stitch all the way around. I just wasn't game to do this one. Glad I didn't because Sue had a bit of a battle getting it to come out in one length. It broke up considerably. I see you are near Wagga Sarasmum, which vet do you use? I use Moorong.

If the puppy is staying in the crate for long periods the best thing for water is a lickit bottle. They attach on the outside of the crate so no chance of being knocked off and the pup/dog learns extremely fast to use them. My adult dogs learnt in like about 10 seconds. If the pup won't lick the nozzle you can put just a smear of honey, vegemite or something on the end and it will soon start licking and realise that water is coming out. I never had to put anything on the end for my adults or pups, they just smelt the water I think.

I am also interested in knowing if the dog was badley matted. That is an extremely short clip. The only time I use a #10 is when the dog is badley matted and I have no other choice, however, even using a #10 I have never had a dog with clipper burn. Brookie?

Sorry if you don't like what I am about to say but...I find it hard to believe the owner didn't know the condition of the mother and pups. If she really didn't know then she just didn't care. Who on this earth has a litter and doesn't keep an eye on it? Oh yes, back yard breeding puppy farmers who have absolutely no idea and don't give a fig about dogs. Lets all just go and let our dogs mate with whatever they want and when they have the pups, probably out in the dirt is the best place, give them to someone else to 'care' for (and I use the word 'care' very loosely) and not check on them at all cause we don't care about them. :D :p

OK that's all very warm and fuzzy but....WHAT ABOUT THE POOR POOR MOTHER? Is someone going to rescue her?

I just crack the egg slightly and sit it on top of their dinner. They all just eat around it then eat the egg last, shell and all. They get an egg once or twice a week, depends on how the chooks are laying.

If it comes in I will certainly get one.

This dog is actually racing. This man said he was talking to another trainer who clips his own dogs so thought he would get his done. Go figure. Thanks people, I thought maybe I didn't know as much as I thought I did :D ;)

I had a man ring me this morning to say he has a racing greyhound and he wants it clipped, how much do I charge. What the?!? After I could speak I said I'm sorry but I thought all greyhounds have a short coat, is he sure it isn't crossed with a saluki? He said that no it is a pure bred racing greyhound and all greyhounds have long hair till they are about 2 years old. The hair is 6 to 7 cm long. Am I being taken for a fool or is this actually true? Is this man maybe cheating and crossing his dogs with something else? What is the truth? Please.

Well see that is a new one on me too cause I didn't realise a vet could write a script for a human drug. You learn something new everyday don't you.

So were you able to just walk into a chemist and buy Prozac over the counter?

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: $55 bucks for a Fox Terrier Smooth Coat What in the hell do they do for $55!! A bath, dry, nail clip and coat spray would cost you $25 here. Sheeez, I need to change my prices. I charge $45 for a cocker. $50 if it is disgusting.

Dougie, fantastic They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

Well for a start you shouldn't have got a 6 week old puppy but that is back yarders for you. If the nails are still pretty thin you can use a large human nail clipper to cut them. If they are a bit thicker then you will need a dog/cat nail clipper. You can buy one from your friendly groomers. Be sure not to cut them too short or they will hurt and bleed. Maybe a good idea to get the vet to do the nails when you take it for its 1st vaccination. In case you don't know, that is due now.

Answer me a question if you will: would you take a babies nappy off and rub its nose in the mess?

Oh, so true, all of you! I have found that a lot of my lovely old dogs are dying lately (not in here ). I hate the ones that come in with a poodle cross something and they want it to look like a poodle I usually ask why they didn't just get a pure bred poodle? And then there are the ones that have a pure bred poodle and say 'oh don't make him look like a poodle will you?' Can't win. And the ones that get brushed EVERY day! Yer, right. I know exactly what you mean dear, I know you brush every day, its just the type of coat And yes, when you have so many booked and half don't come in. Like I am going to be around a long time cause I can pay the rent NOT! And the ones that come in half an hour late and still want the dog finished at the same time. What the? And the list goes on and on doesn't it.

And then there are the border collies that come in once a year for a #10 clip off and the poodles that live on a farm and come in maybe twice a year with all the burrs and grass seeds still intact And I could go on and on. I am also getting to the stage where I can't take much more. It is soooooo heartbreaking. I am sick of trying to see through the tears while trying to clip.

Sophy, how are you going with your cocker? Have you contacted the breeder? I am sure they would be able to help you, they should know cockers well and if you take their advice you should have success.

Just normal protective behaviour that is maybe a bit over the top and needs to be checked somewhat. Cocker Rage? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but there is no such thing. There is Rage, which can be present in cockers, springers etc. Rage is rare in cockers whereas, bad temperaments are more common (and I don't mean to imply that it is common for cockers to have bad temperaments, just that it is more common than rage). Rage is where the dog can be asleep and suddenly jump up biting for no reason, or can be calmly passing you by and suddenly turn nasty for no reason. It has been linked to epilepsy. Please, please, please, don't automatically assume if a cocker has a bad temperament that it has rage. Oh, and rage is not more likely to be found in a gold rather than a roan. Back to the op, you need to get your cocker under controll a bit more. Make sure you treat him as a dog, not a human. You love him for looking after you and your belongings but he needs to know what is excessive. A good trainer would be able to help you.

I thought B1 was like an upper and B Complex was calming? Lucky I don't need either.

Huh? Never heard this one. I had a 2 day old puppy and the bitch accidently scratched his back with a claw and he ended up with a staph infection covering nearly his whole back. The vet cleaned it up and gave me Betadine ointment to apply twice a day. Cleared it up a treat. Mjosa, I also keep Medipulv along with Neocort. Two best things to keep in your doggie first aid kit. (that reminds me, note to self, self, get some more Medipulv)