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I have a standard poodle who is allergic to lamb, beef and roo and chicken- and all grains. She has fish based biscuits, tinned mackered and one turkey neck per day. After many years I figured out that she could tolerate a small amount of the meats if they were cooked (she only gets this as a small treat on rare occasions). For many years she was able to eat raw chicken and then at about the age of 6yrs she started reacting to this as well and the hunt was on for some kind of bone she could tolerate for the sake of her teeth. Her symptoms were pretty much what you described plus really bad "wind" and nowdays if she steals any "illegals" from my other dogs she gets diarrhea in a pretty spectacular way

Hi Jules P, I purchased a new hydrobath in Dec. I looked at the Barf shop ones as they were closest to me and that would have been the easiest option. For a number of reasons I decided against them (didn't like the softness of the plastic and the exposed parts underneath the bath) and went for a traditional fibreglass bath from Hydrobaths Australia at Slacks creek. They produce the Fidos and Conmurra baths. The Fidos was slightly cheaper as it is slightly smaller than the Conmurra bath - both are produced using identical components - except for the trolley base which is more expensive (and better quality) for the Conmurra. All of this is just my opinion - of course.

If your dogs swim every day (and sometimes more than once) a topspot will not work.

Blossom, from the sounds of it your dogs is completely matted in those areas - you need to shave if off with a 10 blade and start again. If you are using your slicker brush correctly that will keep him matt free. If you to run a comb through the area once you have slickered you will know if you did the job properly. JMO

My dog suffered from chronic diarrhea as part of her food allergies. She is allergic to chicken and rice (and beef/lamb and wheat) so a diet of chicken and rice actually caused her diarrhea. After many years of being on a fish based diet she can now tolerate small amounts of cooked chicken and red meat (given rarely) raw turkey necks but no grains at all. She can also eat fruit and veg but I never give these in large quantities. She also had amazing flatulence which completely disappeared when the allergens were removed from her diet. Just something else to consider.

I use the Groomers Edge shampoo as well and really like the results. Agree the browning is due to the sun - particularly if you let them dry in the sun after bathing or swimming.

The Whals will do the job and be the cheapest - try Clipperworld who have an advert on DOL

Have used both brands over many years very successfully - and I live in a high risk paralysis tick area. I must be weird as the smell didn't bother me.

Whatevah - I really like the containers in the pic - what are they and where do I get one???

Yes it is getting worse - our society encourages us to blame everyone but ourselves and not to take responsibility for our own actions (or inaction). Focus on the nice customers.

Agree with comments about the turbo dryers rather than a stand dryer. Ezycoat and Oldfield are very reasonable and powerful. The Hurricane may be ok for you because your dogs are always so short but I have found the other two dryers to be more powerful. JMO ( I actually have a Liberty twin motor but have used all three that I mentioned)

Hi goldies - because your girl is red you won't get a very good result. I would do a test patch. My old girl is very pale apricot ?cream and we dyed her pink once and a white male at the same time. He turned out fluro pink and she was a lovely antique rose colour.

Happie, sometimes you will have to do things that you dog does not like and may even be a little fearful of. However, it is your job as the owner to keep your dog healthy and well behaved. Cleaning ears, clipping nails, brushing and combing and basic obedience are all things that your dog needs to have happen. You need to be firm but kind. A reward can be a pat and your voice - it does not have to be food. Your dog will respect you and seek affection from you if you are its leader. Sometimes little dogs can be tyrants - you should be in control not the dog. Good luck with the ears - my poodles love getting their ears cleaned - they like the massage part - but they had to learn this.

Umm, they don't look very appealing do they

I thought many essential oils, and specifically t tree oil, could be toxic to cats and dogs?

I did the same thing with the note making and thank god my dog did not have the seizures your poor guy does. Mine did not appear to have any triggers either - but I am still really careful with chemicals and have not sprayed the lawn, house or garden with anything since Aces first seizure and I have a little panic if one of the neighbours sprays but in a way I think that is more to do with my fears than the seizures. We use vinegar and bi carb soda a lot!

Hi Puggles - when my boy first started having seizures I read everything I could find and there was an article from the canine epilepsy website that mentioned floor cleaners - specifically a dog whose seizures were triggered by a pine scented floor cleaner. I am always very careful with anything that has a strong smell - particularly essential oils as a dogs nose is so much more sensitive than ours. Couldn't any chemical potentially act as a trigger for a specific dog ? Have you identified anything that acts as a trigger for Monte's seizures?

Hi Stari, nasty things those seizures when you see them for the first time. Lets hope this is a one off but in case it is not you should start a diary. Describe what happened, duration etc include the fact that you had used the fleas powder and eucalyptus (these things can be triggers if your dog has epilepsy). Heaps of info out there and this is a great place to start.

Thanks for the update Varicool and fingers crossed for Harvey.

Proban is an organophosphate and could be extremely toxic if taken in large quantities. Sarin or nerve gas is an organophophate. I too found the info that said liver damage could result over the long term but I took a long term risk. As soon as my poodles went into pet trim I switched products - minimal exposure to all chemicals is preferable

I used Proban for about 5 years during every tick season for my 2 bitches. One will be 13 this year and the other 10 and no problems. It is an organo phophate (sp?) so you must observe the precautions when handling it. I figured people live a lot longer than dogs so we have more chance of developing problems. Any chemicals are a risk. However, if you live in a paralysis tick area then your dog can die or suffer from a complication due to paralysis tick. Finding a tick on a heavily coated breed can be impossible.

Advantix is NOT for the control of heartworm it is for flea and tick control A timely reminder to all of us to know what chemicals we are giving out dogs and read the info provided. Hope ypur dog suffers no ill effects Lorraine.

Hugs to you and Harvey.

Lived in Toowoombah for 4 years and general consensus was that if you lived on the range side there were definitely paralysis ticks (we never took our dogs around the bushland of the escarpment) Knew people who lived there and lost dogs due to paralysis tick. If you lived on the western side of town paralysis ticks were not such a problem. I find the best people to ask are the local vet practices.

Umm - if it is advanced I suggest they get rid of "maltese terrier" they are not a terrier and are called a Maltese.