westiemum

Hi Sheridan - good to hear from you and Grumpy. Mac continues to do really well - and I continue to be amazed at how effective the Herb Robert appears to be. He's been on it long enough for it be clear from the diary entries that it definitely appears to be helping. The purposeless barking and growling is much much less frequent and he's not developing any other signs as far as I can tell. So thanks tons again Boronia - in my case you seem to have suggested the one thing that really seems to help. Mac is a much brighter and happier old westie. So here its a case of 'when you're on a good thing, stick to it'!

Yep I think so. I also have a vague recollection that there is somethign nasty in things like dentastix?

Thanks tons B, might get the mother one for her birthday in early November since shes the one who is growing the herb robert! The live plants you sent are going great guns and she now has a pot full!! So thanks tons - yet again!

Donatella, those prices look pretty standard to me. But as others have said, its about quality service and value for money for me. If these are the prices you are paying and you are getting excellent service then I'd stay where you are. I want the most comfortable and safest experience possible for my westies, particularly as they get older. So I always blood test and have IV and pain relief. I just hand the credit card over and figure thats why I pay extra into the mortgage every pay - to pay for these things. I recognise vet surgeries are expensive businesses to run and if I want that level of service then I need to pay my bit. I paid over 10k to my vet for 2 ACL surgeries and a full left ear ablation and other bits and pieces in 2009 - and I don't care if I paid for his trip to Aspen that year - he deserved it - and I'd do it all again in a heart beat. But thats me - and I recognise that others see it differently. For me these are my family - and its simply part of the responsibility I took on - and would do again in a flash.

My 12 year old dementing westie has a stomach clock - you can set your watch by him each evening!

Sheridan I gently suggest you take up Boronia's very kind offer - I give Mac his 'herbal tea' twice a day with his 1/4 cup b/d in the morning and another 1/4 cup b/d and a little meat and veggies at night. Not completely sure whats working here - maybe its the combination of the b/d, herb robert and the vivitonin... not sure... but while we are doing so well I'm keeping on with it - even though it requires a bit of thought and discipline. And Boronia - thanks so much for the live herbs - my mother is growing them for me and she has a large pot full so is very pleased with herself! (I've killed every herb known to man in the last 30 years so it was much safer to press-gang the mother into herb growing service! ). So how do you go about drying it? ( I've never dried herbs before either - used to kill them instead! ) TIA. Do you want to give the Herb Robert a try Sheridan? it may help, it may not, but it wont harm him. I have HEAPS here that I have just dried, so just let me know and I'll post some off.

Yep its one of the few things I go to Woolies for - their Homebrand tuna in springwater for the cat and the sardines in springwater and the mackeral in oil for the westies. Have never had any bother with any of it. Woolies are definitely the best and cheapest for canned fish (I shop at Foodland for everything else)

Wow! Good for you. Good to see someone taking on these local tinpot tyrants. Good luck. Will be interested to hear how you get on.

Erin I must say this sounds like fairly poor customer service to me. Admittedly I'm in a big city but if I need the B/D I ring up my vet and its there in the next day or so. Ordering once a month? That sounds really odd to me. Surely for something like this they will do an order for you? Or is there another vet you can use? Maybe one in Adelaide? Or find the wholesaler/distributor in Adelaide and see if they can help? Personally I'd be putting pressure on your vet and telling them to lift their game!! Good luck!

Thanks chocolate and korbin13

Does this product go through customs OK? Or is there an Australian distributor? TIA

Hmn... I've flown dogs and cats in and out of Adelaide airport for years - both accompanied an unaccompanied - the only difference is that you drop off and pick up at the freight terminals eg Australian Air Express or Virgin Blue freight not the passenger arrivals and departures - never been a problem... and in fact it seems to stress them far less than a busy passenger terminal... from memory I think this option is only available at some airports as some, Adelaide being one, does not allow dogs within the terminal which happens when they are classed as baggage. i think, some time back, we considered doing this with Wilbur as my OH was travelling back from Melb on the same day, but we had to shelve the idea due to the terminal/live animal restrictions at Adel. Airport. If you did online quotes, i would suggest that you speak to someone from Dogtainers/JetPets directly etc. We did an online quote with JP and it was in excess of $500 from memory and i remember being horrified at the cost. The actual cost that we paid was more than half of what the online quote suggested.

Ordered! So lets hope it goes through customs without any bother. Found some information on dosage and since my westies are under 10 kgs bought the 180g to strart with. Will let you know how we get on - thanks for your help everyone. No, I havent tried to purchase the large so far. A friend has a medium size on the way. I will be in future purchasing the large size. Especially if our Iggy family increases.

Thanks Oakway and Boronia, Appreciate your advice - and yes I take your point about it working with some dogs and not others. I think I'll follow your lead O and B, and head down the seaweed path, Boronia particularly since you are having some success with your rescue westies with it - and your advice always works! So thanks tons - one more question - has anyone bought the big tub? The 420g and got it trough customs OK? (It seems like the cheaper option if I want to give it a good go). Thanks again.

Yep same problem here - when I first got my girl westie Sarah, as a four year old she hated the car, sick, trembling and utterly miserable. Managed to get her to the vet who suggested the following - and it worked like a charm... 1. Reward for getting in the car and sit there with her... repeat a number of times. When she's handling this OK... 2. Turn on the engine and sit in the drive until she's used to the engine noise. 3. Drive up and down the drive as many times as it takes to get her comfortable. 4. Drive out the drive and to the next block/street and back as many times as it takes. 5. Drive to the park three blocks away - let her out to have a run and associate the car with good things 6. Drive to a further park... 7. Drive to an even further park... 8. Drive her to the vet when she's not actually got an appointment and get one of the vet nurses to give her a treat. 9. And so on... continue to take her further and further to nice places... I also found elevating her on a foam cushion so she could look out helped a lot. Before her first long trip to the Clare Valley 2 hours away I also didn't give her any breakfast and gave her the Blackmore's Travel Calm (ginger stuff) half an hour before we left in the car - and that seemed to help too. Sarah can now do long car trips without difficulty - the only roads she still doesn't like are really windy... and even on them she just lies as flat as she can get and doesn't move... Hope that helps...

Hi All, Would really appreciate some advice. Mac, my 12 year old westie has only a few teeth left (quite a lot removed as soon as he came out of the dog factory) and at his age and with his dementia I'm desperate to preserve the few teeth he has and avoid further GAs and dentals if I can. I've read through the thread - there are two types of plagueoff, one available locally (Triple Pet?) and the other the Proden out of the UK (the seaweed one). Then there's the Petzlife oral care Ron mentioned which also seems to be available locally. So do I have that summary right? If so, what would people recommend for my old westie with few teeth, some plague already and slighty whiffy breath? Boronia how are you going with your rescue westies teeth? Is the seaweed product working do you think? And the irony is my 10 year old girl - unrelated to Mac - has the most glorious teeth - and until recently they were fed identically! TIA

Hi T and S, I'm so sorry to hear about Tara. I haven't used Clonicalm so can't comment. But I do suggest that you get some Herb Robert from here.I really think its helping Mac - his aimless barking and growling are certainly less frequent and less intense. According to the net there are no known side effects and the Romani people have used it for centuries. Mac's complete routine is 1/2 a 50mg Vivitonin twice a day, half an hour before food, a 1/3 cup of herb robert 'tea' and 1/4 a cup of the b/d (soaked in the 'tea'). At night he also gets a sliver of meat and a few veg added to the mix. Good luck - will be very interested to hear how you get on.

Absolutely agree dogmad - ear infections should not be mucked around with. After Mac's left ear ablation the surgeon rang me after the 4 hour op and said we made the right decision - the cavity behind the ear drum was so chock-a-block full of pus we would never have solved the problem clinically - and Mac must have been in terrible pain. So don't muck around with it - and get thee and thy dog off to the vet in the morning and get that swab! Good luck and will be very interested to hear how you get on.

Yes do go to the vet - and insist on a swab - it will cost initially but will be worth it in the end as you'll accurately identify the bug and the appropriate drug. Otherwise its too hit and miss. I learnt this the hard way - dog farm rescue westie with bad ears after he 'got out' - managed to clear up the right ear but the left was still chronically infected. For a long time we just guessed until a new vet receommended the swab and we discovered he had a highly resistant bug - pseudomonas - and after exhausting every antibiotic known to man and dog he had to have a complete left ear ablation (surgicalremoval of the left ear canal, cavity and tympanic membrane). And now he's pain free for the first time in years - although very deaf. Now I'm not suggesting this is the case with your dog - simply saying do the diagnostics despite the cost so you know exactly what you are dealing with - it will save you a heap of money in the long run and your dog a heap of pain. I so wish I had done that earlier and saved Mac a long period of pain. Good luck!

Yep same here - I sleep with three westies they have learnt to stay on 'their' side of the bed - and if they don't they get told (the word) 'off' and then once they are off to get into their own 'bed'. Only takes a couple of 'reminders' and they soon get the message! This was the only way I could deal with being left with 'the Gaza Strip' down the side - feeling like I was hanging on for dear life!! If the boys want to get on the bed they have to put their paws up on the side of the bed - its the way they say 'please can I get up on your bed' - and have to wait until I lift them up. Whereas my girl always comes around to my side of the bed, I invite her and she then goes around and gets up via her stairs!! (She's very polite!!) So I agree - its not about pack structure and bed location but about clear rules and boundaries.

Well done - and keep going until it all lines up for you - cos it will. Westies although white are not high maintenance - I have a large back yard which gets very muddy after rain - and a quick dunk in the laundry trough and my guys are pristine again! Here's one of my favourite westie photos - and as I said at the time - 'who said westies can't do agility'?? Check out his/her face - what spunk! Have fun on the journey.... Looking forwrad to the next installment...

Hi Kati84 Just wanted to pop in and say welcome and congratulations for doing your research and being careful in your choice of a companion for the next ten or 15 years - the research you do will return to you 10 fold in the absolute joy of choosing the right puppy. Having had the joyful agony of rehabbing two adult puppy farm rescue dogs it so restores my faith to see people like you doing their homework so they can make an informed choice. just wish everyone was like you. The breeds you are considering are all fantastic - friends of mine in England have a young mini schnauzer, they are active people and they couldn't be happier with their new family member. So a schnauzer would be a good choice. Obviously I'm a westie lover, and they are low shedding (no such thing as a 'no shedding' dog IMO) and I'm sure they would be good bush walkers (they were bred for hunting in the Scottish highlands afterall). They are absolute lap dogs, love a cuddle but spirited, with a bit of an independent streak, not at all yappy. So a westie might be suitable too - particularly if your Mum likes low shedding SWFs with character. Anyway good luck with your search, welcome and will be very interested in your final choice.

Thanks B, And thanks so much for putting me onto the Herb Robert - I discussed it with my wonderful vet on Wednesday night and her reaction was 'many drugs came from herbs' and 'hey, if it works..' - she was very pleased with my regime and thrilled to hear Mac was doing well and his canine dementia is fairly stable and basically advised me to keep going as I am - so thanks again.

Airedale Terrier: Abbey Akita: Kyojin, Kuma American Staffordshire Terrier: Tua, Max, Juno Australian Cattle Dog: Elvis, Matilda Australian Cattle Dog X : Frosty Australian Shepherd: Banjo, Archie, Lottie Australian terrier: Bailey, Brandy, Jasper Australian Kelpie: Revan, Abby, Bluey, Cahill, Franky, Izzy, Spfyre, Milky, Kinta, Banjo Australian Kelpie X:Toby, Cooper Bearded Collie: Charlie, Bonnie, Bailie Belgian Shepherd (Groenendael): Fleming, Ivy Bichon Frise: Jag Border Collie: Roy, Molly, Kirra, Rory, Rumor, Diesel, Kobie, Emma, Kenzie Border Collie x: Anna Borzoi: Oberon, Boris, Sonya, Kurgan, Ursula, Apollo, Atlas, Adonis, Argus, Alektos, Arinyes, Athena, Aphrodite, Aidos, Andromeda, Ares, Alexander Boxer: Bruno, Nelsson Brittany: Zora Bull Terrier: Bonnerville, Atlas Bull Terrier (Miniature) Lainie Cane Corso: Ali Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: Bree, Ingrid, Jersey, Lacey, Fern, Floyd, Indy, Arnie, Joey, Renae, Bailey, Murphy, Maggie Chihuahua: Chelsea and Pansy, Heidi, Bertie, Moose, Archi,Pepe, Squirt, Limpet, Jasper, Bella Cocker Spaniel : Maggie,Jesie, Bonnie, Chelsea Dalmatian: Appollo, Cleo Dogue De Bordeaux: Moose & Chevy English Cocker Spaniels: Jesie,Bonnie, Chelsea English Setter: Spartan, James English Springer Spaniel: Buddy Finnish Lapphund:Halo, Vienna, Jaana,Magnus,Aurora-Rose,Niina,Paddington,Maximus, Ahsoka, Fable, Demi,Varda, Asha, Boots, Echo, Alera, Annika Flatcoat Retriever: Moraig French Bulldog: Lola, FeeBee, Alexis, Claire German Coolie: FlashBazil, Latte German Shepherd: Java, Odin, Tlaloc, Rebus, Indi, UnoBuffy, Bronx, Sabre, Kynan German Shorthaired Pointer: Pip, Coco, Polo German Spitz (Mittel)- Amber Golden Retriever: Onslow, Matilda-Rose, Chester, Genie, Ella, Rosie, Bruce, Chloe, Chaos, Ruby, Sasha Great Dane: Sparkles, Whitney Greyhound: Harry, Kiff, Sally Griffon Bruxellois: Mocha Hungarian Vizsla: Flynn, Rogan Jack Russell Terrier: Ringo, Nandi Japanese Spitz: Emmy, Angelo Keeshond: Jedi Labrador Retriever: Lestat, Bailey, Tia, Mieka, James, Harry, Lily Rose, Miniature Fox Terrier: Cleopatra Miniature Long Haired Dachshund: Mini, Rover Miniature Pinscher: Mischa, Cleo Newfoundland dogs: Annabelle, Katy, Lukey Norwegian Elkhound: Odin Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriver: Nova, Darcy, Jovi Papillon: Blaze, Minka, Portia, Tyson, Coco, Tonka Pointer : Kite Audrey Poppin konrad, Badger Poodle (Toy): Chilli Poodle (Minature): Caroline Poodle (Standard) Merry & Pippin, Poppy & babies. Pug: LotusFlynn, Elyse, Ted, Misty, Elly, Poppy, Sally landers,Archie, Beau, Haidee, Millies, Ivee, Jack Rhodesian Ridgeback: Meisha, Bakari, Boss Rottweiler: Roxy, Feonix, Radar, Neo, Abby, Dyzney, Fame, Jag, Nellie Rose, Baylee, Dee, Zephyr, Mini, Diesel, Fire, Flint Saluki: Bella Samoyed: Mistral, Alchemy, Yngvie, Dante, Bundy, Kamikaze, Fergus, Kato Schnauzer (minature): Maximus, Coconut,Betty,Jigga Shar Pei: Askari, Acheron, Asante sana, Sirius, Chippy, Christina, Diezel, Shih Tzu : Gizmo Siberian Husky: Akira, Tikaani,Romeo,Baby.Riddick,Indie, Esky Staffordshire Bull Terrier: Kiara, Zola, Diesel, Kaos, Brutus SWF: Zoe Rescue Bitsa: Keely, Fred & Ginger, Ozzie, Tess, Maverick, Bosco, Kyah, Charlie, Astrid, Mala, Bella, Tiny Tim, Jen Jen, Lilly White German Shepherd: Casper White Swiss Shepherd: Rakim, Whippet: Herbie, Buzz, Lewis, Rommi Weimaraner: Ariane, Lulu, Louie West Highland White Terrier: Penny, Mac, Daisy, Mac, Sarah, Andy

Well I had all my three at the vet last night mainly for check-ups (although Andy had an inflamed ear), and Macs routine blood test was 'perfect' (comprehensive external one)and his dementia seems very stable - my diary suggests its not getting any more frequent and the intensity of the episodes may even be decreasing. So the vet is really pleased with him - and I'm thrilled - we're still doing well.