Flaves

Oh Hun, i am so sorry you didn't get more time with Penny. and to you and your family. Thinking of you. Kristie and the fur kids Run free at the Penny, say hi to Barks for me

I wont be in future. I have found out the hard way there is no point as they have still go it. It is just annoying

My dogs have had it twice this year. I have kept them away from shows for between 7-21 days after the cough stops. It goes around. I am just annoyed that they have got it after being vaccinated I mean if they are going to get it why bother? Also i was reading up and i read that they can shed the virus for 6-14 weeks after they have had it. Is that true?

Hope everthing went ok today Kyra

Oh Anne. I am so sorry. :p Please give Sophie a huge hug from me and mine. Sophie has astounded us till now, i have no doubt she will fight a little longer. Fingers crossed for good news on friday. Kristie and the fur kids.

That is fair enough Shoshana, when you can think clearly then tackle it.

Poor little thing. Hope everythign goes well and she heals fully!

THere is a Royal Canin hypoallergenic food which has been giving some great results. It is based on vegetable prteins no meat proteins at all and is suitable for pups too It is only available from vets it is about $140 for 15kg. If you are in sydney i can giv eyou some stockists if in Melbourne then 4 paws in keilor may be able to get it in for you ETA with the beef protein make sure that if you do feed dry that there is no beef protein at all, even if it is the last ingredient it may cause a flare up. Good luck

Oh i am soooooooooo sorry! HUgs to you all Runn free Satu

Anne, I came in here with my heart in my throat! I am so glad that Sophie is doing so well considering the circumstances. YOu are an amazing woman for doing so much for your companion. to both you and Sophie. I think you have more than 3 weeks left also.

Glad she is ok Colleen

Fantastic news poochmad! Maybe add sardines every week too and reduce the amount of kibble that night for assisting further with the itching (great source of omega 3!) Instead of adding the sardines weekly, would it be ok to mix it in daily? Just concerned about him having a change of diet and also more than happy to eat the kibble one day and then not the next - without the sardines. YOu can. With one can of sardins i think there are 4 or 5 pieces of fish, just add one per day. I am so glad your little one is doing so much better

Both of you are never far from my thoughts Anne

Well done, keep it up

Will tell you a story WHen i got hunta i was up every few hours for about 4 weeks. Every single night, drove me batty, she would go to the loo, go in the crate then cry for ages, i would fall asleep then be wokn up to take her out again. Then one night i slept like the dead, i was that tired. She slept through too with no accidents. It will happen it will just take a few weeks of consistancy and he will get it, also remember that boys can be slower than girls.

Yes take him out every 2 or 3 hours, it may take hima few nights to get it. Now though you have to undo the damage as such of the last few nights letting him lay in it. Take him out, if he has an accident remove the newspaper (use newspaper far easier) and put fresh stuff - a 2 minute job. You should take him out for a wee even if he does NOT have a drink. He needs to wee before he goes to bed, then every 2-3 hours. ETA at night none of my pups had toys. The crate was to sleep in and sleep in only at night time - no toys and no treats

I was getting up and taking him to the toilet up until about 3 nights ago as he was peeing in it anyways so there was no point me getting up! THat was your first mistake. Get up EVERY 2 hours and take him to the loo. He is a baby and needs regulat toileting until he gets the hang of it. I thought it could have been a territorial thing so I stopped replacing the bedding but it hasnt stopped! THis was your second mistake Have you washed all his wee'd on items in vinegar or another detergent that gets rid of all smells??? If you haven't you should as this may also help reduce his peeing. Feed him a few hours before bed and make sure that you take him to the loo a couple of times before bed. Put him to bed with NO treats (food ones) and then 2 hours later take him again and wait till he goes - no playing at all. Put him back to bed and REPEAT every 2 hours. Yes it is a pain in the bum but it works. YOu need ot be consitent in your approach to toilet training other wise he gets confused. However liken him to a small baby and that is the size of his bladder, if you catch him weeing, growl at him a no, then take him out side and use a word for toilet to get him to finish. DO NOT smack him for weeing and dont tell him off if you did NOT see him do it. Keep at it but honestly consistency is the key Good luck

COngrats on your new pup Erny, he is just gorgeous., Hope you have many many years of happiness together.

RIP Sally. HUgs to you Pers

Still thinking of you both Anne.

Hard crates until you know they wont destroy. Personally i would get a 38" just my opinion as i like my guys to have a little extra room, when they are pups it means you can have bedding up one end and newspaper down the other if you go out for short periods incase they have an accident. I did that but none of mine ever used it. A soft crate is great when you have an older dog who just lays in it, a hard crate will see you through puppydom, training, chewing etc. If you are in Melbourne try Petstation on ebay, they are also in Kew, they have fantastic crates for really good prices. I got my 42" for under $100.

Thats right we do. It is a public forum and we are all very different in our thoughts and our deeds. I would NOT sleep them together, i would try and keep them a part as much as i could. THey will bond very closely to one another spending so much time together. My friend and i got a pup each last year. We kept them apart for a week to lessen the bond. For my pup it wa not long enough and could i do it again i would keep them apart for 3 weeks before i put them together again. You need to make sure they have enough ONE ON ONE time WITHOUT the other pup. So the family and one pup does stuff, then the other pup then both The pups need to be self reliant in the manner of not depending on one another or it could cause anxiety issues. Crate training is a wonderful thing I would think you would need a 36 or 40 inch crate for a lab, well 2 for you Maybe sleep them in our room on opposite sides of the bed until they are toilet trained over night, that could take a few days, weeks or months. Or even in the lounge or laundry but you will need to get up every couple or few hours to take them out to start with. I would do this seperately also so that they dont go to play, and that way it will be a quicker pit stop. I think that whilst you at 11 had a pup, you didnt have 2 and you may remember it with slightly rose coloured glasses. Good luck, i hope everything turns out for you, yout OH, your kids and the pups - because at the end of the day IF it doesnt work then they are the ones who will suffer.

THe pooing sounds like he either does not know he is doing it so it is an uncontrollable thing or he has not learnt the time and place to use his bowels. THe weeing could be anxiety related which would need to be worked on. Going to training sounds as though it could help. Good luck Ps maybe get a crate and bring Tyson inside for small periods of time - staffys are very people orientated

Anne, that is so wonderful the Onco listened to you. Well done. Good luck and i hope that all the natural treatments work for Sophie and you get many more weeks or months together. Hugs to you both

If it is a contact allergy and it is say the grass outside then youa re going ot have trouble stopping it. I agree with being tested for mites, also get him onto an antihistamine and a low allergen food - fish based with no chicken fat. Alot of fish based foods have chicken fat in them, if the dog is allergic to chicken that will set him off. Omega 3 tabs, biotin tabs and using cammomile tea as a rinse for the sores. IT is calming and cooling Good luck.