bark

My dog is 7 yrs old now and had a scale and clean once when he was around 3yrs old as part of his surgery at the time. The vet recommended Hills T/D and whilst it's expensive it does help. Yes it's fatty so I adjusted his diet to accommodate the extra fat and the kibble is supposed to be large so it cleans the teeth. As others have suggested there are alternatives such as bones, brushing the teeth or Petzlife gel. I used Plaque off and Aquadent but I didn't find they made any difference and stopped using them.

Lucky you. I've tried to stick to a healthy diet for my dog which avoids additives, preservatives and the other fillers that are put in alot of commercial pet foods and started with the Health Booster to add to my homemade BARF diet. Then I learn't about the Complete Mix and moved to that to mix with roo mince, human grade beef and lamb from the butcher/supermarket and my dog was fine on it. He was on that for a couple of years but then it was time consuming to make the meals, package them in meal portion sizes and freeze them, so now I've moved to Big Dog BARF for the convenience. I still have a bag of Complete Mix on hand for those odd meals I make.

I've used the green liquid which is added to their drinking water, I've used Plaque off, Hills Prescription TD chews, Petzlife gel and Fragaria Vesca (derived from a strawberry plant and in liquid form) which has been mentioned on this site before and a variety of natural chews. So far Petzlife has made a difference especially on the K9s and inside of the bottom lower front teeth. My dog doesn't like me applying it with my finger and running it over his gums and teeth but it works. I've tried both flavours and neither appeals to him but I persist because it works. There's still some tartar but it's slowly disappearing.

My dog and I were in the large oval at St Ives Showground and this man's big black dog lingered too long around my nervous small dog (victim of an attack and wary of all dogs) so I asked the man to call his dog away. The man replied "If you don't like it you shouldn't be here". This happened about two years ago and since then we no longer walk in the oval as that sort of attitude really ticks me off, where owners have no consideration for others.

Have you tried Animal Welfare League NSW,11 Cicada Glen Road, Ingleside (past Terrey Hills). There's no contact with other dogs and you can pay for additional walking time.

There are also fresh pig trotters. I bought some from my local butcher and will see how my dog likes them

When I used to make a veg mix for my dog I added cooked beetroot and he was fine with it but his poop would come out a dark colour

I also use Paw Paw ointment and I also have Mushers which is great because it doesn't leave any marks on the carpet and there's no strong smell

My dog has eaten grass since he was a young pup with stomach problems and he'll still eat it now and then if he's had something that doesn't agree with him.

What size/s and cost please Bark? How long have you had them and is there a "used-by" date on them? I bought them about 1 yr ago. The DAP one is a small, expires in Jan 2012 (this one will be going cheap) and the other brand expires in 2013 (I have two of those ones) which I think is a one size fits all and you cut to adjust the length. Let me double check the details and I'll get back to you with a cost (postage will extra). The real details are: DAP collar 45cm/18in exp 13 Jan 2012 cost is free provided it's purchased with the 2 Beaphar collars. 2x Beaphar Calming Collar 70cm exp 01 Feb 2013 cost for both $50 plus postage.

For anyone who is interested I have two unused collars; one is a DAP still in the packet but no box and the other is another brand still in the box. I bought them online from the UK but never needed to use them and forgot about them until I saw this post.

I bought some about 2 years ago and as far as I could tell it didn't make a difference.

My brother in law drove from Sydney to Adelaide and back to collect their Visla puppy.

For a few reasons ... barks at magpies and the brush turkeys so the neighbour gets REALLY annoyed, it breaks up her week while I'm working and I want to improve her social skills in a supervised environment. I've found that she's more comfortable with other dogs the longer she's with them, hence the day care.

I dont' think there's any training or entertainment come to think of it. The carer takes the dogs to the park then they come back to the house and stay in a room. Comparing what Linda provides makes my carer look like the budget package Unfortunately Penrith is a hike for me especially week days, but I would be interested in Linda's details as I'm always on the look out for good boarding facility when I go on hols.