westiemum

Luvsdogs I admit I'm sold on it, just don't die at the price - I think it's worth every cent and certainly cheaper than vet bills. I've just bought some more online after ringing around locally. Much cheaper to buy online (I ordered from Green Health in NZ but I'm sure there are other good suppliers too) :)

Precious boy!!! :)

Bianca that's a kind and amazing offer. Thank you so much. But my boy has a cast iron stomach and views almost anything as a treat. So I'm sure he'll love them. So no need to worry or feel guilty - I'm sure Mac will be fine and loving you for suggesting them! So I'll get a bottle next pay day and it will be good to compare notes with you on how we think our guys are going. :)

Hi Bianca, Thanks for posting. I've finally had a good look your link and the cholodin certainly looks very promising. The reviews are cosistently good. So I'm going to order some for Mac too. How are you going with your girl?

Sorry double post - again!

I'd say yes. I used honey on sanitary pads on a horse which degloved its leg in a fence accident with very good results. PS. Westiemum, I may have commented in a kennel cough thread but Erny wouldn't have been specifically telling me anything new about the benefits of honey as I've been using it for a very long time. Ellz I'm not sure why but you seem to have taken offence where none was intended. Who told who and who knew before who isn't the point of my discussion which was simply about sharing my experience and asking others about theirs. And maybe helping someone else? My name was mentioned and I was merely correcting you. Actually you weren't 'merely correcting' me if you re-read your comment. For some reason you felt the need to point out some sense of superiority in relation to Erny which in the context I think was unnecessary. Unless you have some problem with Erny - and if that's the case then I suggest that you take it up with her. Happy to agree to disagree. I won't be responding any further.

I'd say yes. I used honey on sanitary pads on a horse which degloved its leg in a fence accident with very good results. PS. Westiemum, I may have commented in a kennel cough thread but Erny wouldn't have been specifically telling me anything new about the benefits of honey as I've been using it for a very long time. Ellz I'm not sure why but you seem to have taken offence where none was intended. Who told who and who knew before who isn't the point of my discussion which was simply about sharing my experience and asking others about theirs. And maybe helping someone else?

Thanks Rappie - my thoughts as well - but you said it much better. My vet keeps my westies ears under frequent review cos of recurrent ear infections - legacy of their puppy farm days- and talks about what the drum looks like in detail. He somehow straightens the canal by manipulating the pinna - similar I suppose as in humans - but not something I care to try myself with my dogs! :)

Thanks for the update Sheridan. Macs a bit the same. He seems to have got a bit worse again in the last few weeks. He will often come to a halt and stare at, say, a dog bed as if he can't quite decide what he needs to do next or has forgotten what he's there for. Although the night wanders don't seem any worse. So we plod on here. :)

Thanks your post was very helpful and informative - wondered if they would be useful to the average untrained person. With the onset of spring and numerous grass seeds around I thought they might be useful for general ear checking. Yep I see your point. But I still think there's a fairly large danger that an untrained person might miss something - and even if you did see a grass seed or something I'd be really reticent about digging around in a dogs ear to get it out. I think you'd probably need to see a vet anyway given the danger of irritating the ear canal or even damaging the drum - using an otoscope is really quite invasive - and if a dog has a sore painful ear it's probably not a great idea to dig around in it. I find a dog who is scratching the ear, is showing pain behaviour or whose ear posture has changed, is a reasonable indicator that you need to see a vet pronto. Giving them a good sniff and smelling a yeasty or pussy/infected smell too is often a good indicator that a vet needs to have a look IMO. Anyway just my thoughts. :) Hope it helps. :)

Oops double post.

Jo i know Kerri is helping out - but if you need a hand feel free to give me a call - will pm my number in case you don't have it anymore.

Jo I think the only logical explanation is it was two human intruders. Time to change the locks, install a camera, alert the police, look at the home security fact sheet on the SAPOL website, see if there is a neighbourhood watch in your area. Ask neighbours and friends to keep an eye out. And if you have anyone you trust to check on your dogs when you aren't there randomly, then I'd do that too if you can. Hope that helps as I'll be doing the same thing here. Thanks for the thread.

Yep I was really surprised to discover a huge (relatively) Airedale terrier manages to wiggle through my Westie size doggie door. It wouldn't surprise me to find a small human can get through as well. Is making me re-think things here too.

Would love to have supported you Cassie but unfortunately we're all under kennel cough quarantine here.

Jo you mention a doggie door - is it possible the dogs bark at something coming In through the doggy door then it growls and departs ? It does sound a bit like a koala to me.

Yep same kayla. Had a quick look in Woolies on my way home just now and they only had 8+. So will come home via the health food shop tomorrow.

Varuna, I was a Speech Pathologist in a previous life and trained to use an otoscope on mucky kids ears. The truth is I don't think they are that easy to use, a good one is expensive to buy and you need to really know what you are looking for when you look down the ear canal. It's not always as easy or obvious as it might seem. You also need to learn to manipulate/straighten the canal so you can see the tympanic membrane (ear drum) and be a good judge of what a healthy drum looks like. So overall I'm saying save your money and leave it to the vet. I know others may think differently, but I've been trained in humans and even I wouldn't trust my judgement in dogs. Probably not what you wanted to hear, but I hope it helps. :)

Temperament first, when you say the wound dressing is that something you make up yourself or something you buy? Apologies if its a dumb question but genuinely interested...

Yep it's getting to the point there is an 'Erny shelf' in the pantry! The westies thank you from the bottom of their paws Erny! Thanks for posting kayla and Bjelkier :) Good to hear others reporting the same thing and that I'm not imagining it! :)

Honeybun don't forget a small piece of ham or cheese placed strategically in front of nose can increase learning exponentially! Worked brilliantly for Hailey! :D

That's great news honeybun. Don't forget to post pics and progress! :)

Honeybun, I understand your concern. But I think dogs are pretty sensible and I think they realise when someone or something is trying to help them. In Haileys case she had ten months of good quality life with her wheels before she finally succumbed to her progressive disease. And seemed very happy that she could get around. The other advantage is it keeps them 'on all fours' so to speak and moving around. Which is very good for their lung/chest health, not to mention their mental health. Immobile dogs like humans don't seem to do well. Anyway I hope that helps. :)

I've been reading some old threads on Kennel Cough 'cos I have three sick westies here... Two with Kennel Cough and the littlest Westie with a badly upset tum of unknown origin (not pancreatitis thank goodness). It appears all of these probs have likely come from a large dog gathering last Sunday... But that's another story... Vet said to quarantine and the cough would last around a fortnight. Anyway I did a DOL search. I was looking at the thread where Erny recommended Manuka Honey for kennel cough for Ellz and Staffyluv. Sceptical me thinks 'yeah right' but as I had some 20+ Manuka Honey in the cupboard I thought its worth a go. So I gave each of them a teaspoon at bedtime last night and woohoo! We all had a relatively quiet night - particularly when compared with the noisy night on Tuesday night. I then gave them another teaspoon each before I went to work this morning. Got home tonight and they all genuinely seem close to back to normal. Only one little cough from Sarah tonight yet 24 hours ago she sounded like she had whooping cough. And Mac hasn't coughed at all tonight (although he seemed to have a milder dose of it to start with). Is it possible that its the honey that's turned this around? It's only day three since the cough symptoms onset yet the vet said it would most likely continue for a fortnight? Anyway obviously I can't be sure but it seems the honey has really helped. Legend Erny strikes again! Others experiences?

A couple of mine are the same Westiemum. I'm going to put my thinking cap on, they could probably sit on another box type thing to make them higher and the box would be the first step. Something in light wood or plastic with a non-slip mat on it. As I said I'll put my thinking cap on and let you know what I come up with :) Came up with this :) Long, low storage box, non-slip mat, and the steps on the top. Doesn't look very beautiful but it does the trick and is just the right height for the bed. Here's an action shot of George using them ... edited to add that that's a night light on the floor next to it :) Jo thats ingenious! Why didn't I think of that! Mind you I'm not known for my practicality! :laugh: