AmandaJ

Lyndsay - were you the aussie person who got one of the class in groups? I got open in group with a friend's gorgeous blue merle boy on the NYE show. :D I can trump you on that one Lyndsay - 2 Neuter in Group for Charlie (and one special award from the specials Judge on Saturday - "best fed dog on grounds" ) and it was good to see Bonnie got a good look at for Open in group - but was beaten by YOU!

Just a side issue - what is the diagnosis for the seziures - was it proven to be epilepsy - a lot of vets miss seizures due to toxoplasma gondii infection and just call it epilepsy. My neuter was seizing from toxo 2 years ago but our vet was very up to date and tested for it - then treated for it. We have now got him off the phenobarb and no more seizures. If toxo goes untreated they will continue to seize. Has Molly ever been a bird or mouse catcher - or even eat cat poo?

Because colitis causes damage to the gut and intestine you need to treat and strenghten them too. Colitis also reduces the enzymes in the gut necessary to breakdown the food preventing the dog from getting all it can from the food you feed. One of the problems with some diets is that the dog does not get all the nutrients is needs in the quantities it needs but as kibble becomes one of the "irritating" factors of colitis being able to break down the kibble better helps the dog aquire the nutrients better. I'd be using bovine colostrum in the food - it is proven to aid in gut repair (along with other benefits - athletes have been using the stuff for years) and proteolytic enzyme replacers to help breakdown the food. You can buy a commercial replacer (Enzyplex) or use fresh pineapple or papaya. Good luck

I am doing the Karbeethan show in late January.....and I pray that the temperature isn't anything like it's going to be today....43°C :D However, it is a good temperature to have a nice icey cold glass of Champers to help celebrate others wins in the ring Cheers and Happy New Year! That show is never as hot as the NYE ones. going by yesterday it's likely that we will only have the soccar pitch again for that one too...the scratchings made it very spacious lastnight....ended up being a nice evening and finished before midnight

Good to meet you too..... You missed the bulk of them - as the people moved in they moved out...... Was a good night and the temp ended up being just right......A little birdie tells me the shows will be started later next year so we miss all the heat and can see New Year in on the grounds instead of in the car.....

Temp out there is not bad - wind is cool - we did forget one little problem - LOCUSTS :D

A litter cooler than forecast perhaps - our garage is 40 degrees at the moment...the wind has died down and it isn't a real hot wind either. Edited to say - ring setups are different - 5 is on the opposite side of the soccar pitch to the cricket oval around near the shelter. I'm set up right infront of the ring..... I'll start taking the rest of the gear down shortly, drop Jnr of at work, finish the dogs and be there for 6.

Adding insult to injury - there is NO REASON why we could not have had the same set up as last year - being both the soccar pitch and the cricket oval....there are no games on this weekend and we are the only idiots game enough to be out there tonight. Have not been down there since this morning but the Angle Vale Rd gate is normally open by now.

Put some colostrum and fresh pineapple in his food - help to breakdown the proteins and assist in any gut problems he may have. If the food he's on at home is low quality he won't be getting much nutrition out of it.

We only have the soccar pitch - rings were put up lastnight - only access currently is from the Hillier road side. Dont put tops on gazebos the wind is to high - "cool" change appears to be arriving early See you tonight

I don't know what it is about that particular weekend in March, but it seems to always clash with at least one or more really good/important things each year. Yep - know that feeling...I've been told it clashes with some sort of important car thingy here in Adelaide.....some race I think....been told I have "buckleys hope"

I second that - my supplies arrived QUICK....Now I'm looking forward to the Puppy Puzzle DVD Edited to say - pitty we didn't need them this time - oh well - they're here for next time.

We're used to the wind - every time beardies go in the ring the wind picks up

I'm gong to cheat - gazebo up as soon as the rings are up - dogs can stay at home...groom at home and take them down at the last minute....yeh for being less than 1km from the grounds.....

If your shows are the New Years Eve and New Years day ones at Karbeethan - it's going to be HOT during the day (6:30 pm start) - set up as soon after the rings are up as possible to avoid the heat. There is always plenty of room there (unless we get stuck with the soccar pitch only) If it's SACA park you can set up on the Friday before. PS - If you are doing the Karbeethan shows - if you get hot and thirsty you can drop into my place for cold drink...

It does happen VERY frequently. Always wondered why some bitches never appeared to be in season and why they never dropped coat - that's when I got told why...

They work really well here - but they stink...like rotting meat.... :p

You might also want to try bovine colostrum - it has been proven to help with gastric problems.

Mucus around stools is a sign of colitis - it is not always a sign of worms. Colitis is caused by an irritation to the bowels/intestinal tract. The irritation can be anything from something they ate to colon cancer. The mucus is the bodies way of making it easier to pass the waste through the intestine. If after re-worming it still occurs change the diet to a bland boiled chicken and rice diet and see how the dog goes. Don't let it go of for to long as it can cause other problems and also be a sign of other issues. If the dog has recently been on a course of antibiotics or recently had vaccinations this can also cause the problem. If it has get some probiotics (protexin or probiotic yoghurt) into the dog to re-balance the gut flora. Edited to say - even worming them can cause it - you are after all giving the dog a poison which is foreign to their body. Dead intestinal worms also cause low levels of poisoning. As the worms breakdown they release toxins into the body. If you are using normal anthalmic preparations for worming - do not use the cheaper brands. Where possible use parasite specific anthalmics NOT allwormers. At this stage they have been associated with micro evolutionary changes in both the animal and the parasite which are making them almost useless - similar to the way antibiotic use is becomming next to useless in people.

It doesn't need to be your first show for that one! I did it with my titled boy 3 years into showing :D I've also misread the Judge when he's awarding BIG to me thinking he was looking at the dog next to me - I just stood there until the exhibitor next to me told me it was me he was pointing to... Apparently the look on my face was "pure gold"..

Just some light reading for those interested: http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.24...ma.2000.217.504 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8575968

Tryptophan supplements were banned as the manufacture process was linked to changes that made it carsinogenic. It is back on the market mow. I have used natural whole foods high in tryptophan to try and elleviate an anxiety disorder in a dog - without success - you need to much of the whole food to get the levels up sufficiently. I haven't been able to find any info on what it was in the original manufacture process that was believed to cause the problem so I won't take the risk and use the new supplements. Edited to say - L-Tryptophan

Both of mine are show trained and move well on a loose lead (other than for the neuter who like to do death rolls in the ring from time to time ) but both are pullers on a normal walk lead for the first few minutes. Isn't it interesting how you can go to a dog show with 600 dogs and they behave like angels but when they see a dog in the street they misbehave?

Just to clarify - It's not a recommendation for a permanent tool but for a temporary training tool. They usually end up on a flat lead only. The main focus being to prevent the dog from distractions to the side..the halti is only ever used to "lead" the dog back to where you want it - then you revert back to the flat lead - it's a bit like stearing a bike.

I use a rmartingale collar or lockable clip collars on mine because of the coat (slip or snake chains in show). I do recommend haltis and a normal collar and lead (together) for training "wayward" walkers. It takes the handler a bit of getting used to but for difficult dogs to train on lead it does work well. I'd never use a harness.