benny123

So long dear old Monty cat, you can look after all the little puppies at the bridge.

Awwwww, she's a darling. Well done to everyone involved in making her life (be it short or long) an enjoyable experience for her. If it's short, at least she has known love and if it's long, well there's lots more love to come.

ditto

Cool, thanks Jules. I switched to Pro Plan Salmon as Pet Barn told me that Pro Plan Selects (which I went to after the Nutro/Aqis disagreement) was no longer being imported into Australia (perhaps it's only Pet Barn that are no longer getting it).

Thanks for that, I think I'll stay with the Pro Plan Salmon. It's a shame though that it's not as good anymore. When I first opened a bag of the US made Adult Lamb & Rice it smelled so good (like a Sunday roast) I could have eaten it myself Or perhaps that in itself speakes volumes about my cooking skills or lack thereof

I have a brochure here that i picked up yesterday. Those that I can see that contain ground wheat are: Large Breed Puppy chicken & rice formula Large Breed Adult Senior Those that have (or also have) corn protein are: Puppy chicken & rice formula Large Breed Puppy chicken & rice formula Large Breed Adult The ones that are free of both are: Chicken Rice and Oatmeal formula for adult dogs Lamb & Rice formula for Adult dogs Lite for overweight and less active dogs I was thinking of trying the Adult Lamb and Rice again (but not sure now) as my dogs did very well on it before. For those that have tried it again and either like or dislike, which one are you feeding?

My last dog was on it from time to time for skin probs. He had to have it on an empty stomach otherwise he would vomit. Once we worked out to give it at least an hour or two before food or several hours after, he was fine. It did work better than clavulox for his particular skin problems.

Erny, I had a vet say a similar thing to me about Casey, my 10 (almost 11) year old Cocker in 1993 (she had a heart condition). I got a second opionion from another vet... Casey passed away in late 1997 from old age at 15. In 1995 a GP told me I'd be in a wheelchair within 4 years! Piffle, I went for a run with the dogs tonight. Chin up, some Vets and GPs are just hideous and so, so wrong. Good luck with you boy and I'm sure whatever it is it can be managed. for you and Mandela. eft

Thank you so much, Rach... I absolutely love it. EFT

Also wondering if anyone could make me a new sig of Spud (brown boy) his sister and Beanie (white girl) with the following pics? Puppy bums Best friends Happy adult Spud Happy adult Beanie

IMHO frequent washing could be the cause of dry skin and coats in dogs as it strips away all of the natural oils in their skin. I'd always washed my dogs regularly as they were house dogs and at the first sign of dirt or doggy odour it was into the bath and I must say that thier coats never looked very good. With my current two, that are two and a half years old and live in the house with us ....they've only had three baths in their life. They have NO doggy odour and their coats are healthy and shiny. They are brushed regularly and their diet consists of kibble (Pro Plan Salmon) supplemented with sardines, tuna, eggs, minced chicken frames, lamb bones etc. Here's my unwashed shiny boy

I'm really unsure about whether to go back to it as it's not the same. I really loved the US made one and the dogs were just fabulous on it. Wonder if they do sample bags (like the US one did), anyone know?

Such sad news :p Run pain free at the bridge, beautiful Rex, and keep watch over you mum and family. They loved you very, very much.

We found a hard round lump on spud's tail last week when we were giving him a massage/checking for ticks (even though we're no longer in a tick area, old habits die hard). It was quite hard and about the size of a large pea. We didn't play with it too much to see if it moved or not and just went straight to the vet. She played with it and said that it didn't seem to be attached and then did a fine needle biopsy - turned out to be a cyst. Phew. Good luck with your doggy, hope it's as simple as Spud's. EFT

It's not a tick is it? Have you had a look with a magnifying glass?

Ditto...and I can't say little fishies out loud or I'm either bowled over or herded to the pantry

Mine are currently on Advantix for fleas and Sentinel Spectrum for heartworm and intestinal worms. Is there any one product that covers the lot? And would you recommend it?

What about something like a Nylabone chew toy?

Spud and Beanie pre-adoption around 2 - 3 weeks old - at the rescuer's house 9 - 10 weeks old post adoption All grown up at 2 years old

Agree with labsrule and Hesapandabear. I think I'll continue to feed Pro Plan Salmon, unless of course, they begin to grow fins.

I, too will be anxious to see what the Aus produced Nutro is like. I was very happy with the original Lamb and Rice and the dogs did really well on it and loved the taste. After that we moved to ProPlan Selects Lamb and Oats, but now that is also no longer being imported into Australia (apparently it wasn't too popular) They're currently on the ProPlan Salmon - they seem to love that as well, but I can't stand the fishy smell. SilverHaze, was there no list of ingredients on the bag?

Our girl, Beanie, used to be incontinent (i.e. urinating while sleeping or resting). The onset was when she was between about 8 - 12 months old. Our vet put her on Stilboestrol (sp) for about 6 - 8 months on and off. She's now two and a half and seems to have either grown out of it or is much happier now that weve moved house as it hasn't happened since June last year (when we moved).'We were never sure of the cause - the vet thought it was early desexing at 8 weeks as she is a rescue i.e. lack of hormones, but he wasn't entirely sure. However, in terms of bedding we started with those cheap picnic rugs with the plastic backing over the bedding (Cheap, cheap from $2 shops or lincraft/spotlight etc). Then when we washed them they didn't look too good :D (must remember to check water temp of washing machine). But then, we found waterproof cot and bassinette(sp) undersheets which fitted over the Xlarge dog beds and then we put a small polar fleece (winter) or cotton cover (summer) over the top which were easy to wash and the bed itself was fine. As Beanie also snoozed on the human beds we also bought waterproof matress covers on queen size and put the odd picnic rug on top for her. In terms of nappies - I didnt use them as I was afraid of uring burn/nappy rash. However, my sister has had success with childrens 'Pull-Ups' and simply cut a hole for the dogs tail.

I have two rescue siblings that we adopted when they were 8 and a half weeks old, brother and sister, they're now two and a half. The reason we did it was because we'd previously had a single dog that was very lonely when we went to work or out socially. He was very attached to us so getting another dog to keep him company was not an option - we tried by babysitting friends dogs but this made him more unhappy and quit unfriendly to our canine guests. So when he passed away we decided to get two dogs together. I'll admit that puppyhood was not easy, and I can't even say the work puppy to my OH without him turning pale However, we were consistent with training and asserting leadership. They started weekly obedience training at 4 months and had daily training sessions at home. They've grown into two very lovely, very obedient adults. They have totally different personalities, our girl is very active and loves ball games and agility whereas our boy is happy to be a spectator and cheer from the sidelines unless it involves swimming. They get on very well and there has never been any issues of rivaly, jealousy or aggression so I guess we've been lucky.

My young lab x broke a tooth in a head on collision with our other dog while playing. The total vet bill was $310, which included: Consultation Anaesthetic Surgical removal of tooth Post op care Antibiotic injection Post op consultation one week later Mind you, she was admitted in the morning and home with us in the evening, not overnight. To be honest, I was totally shocked at how inexpensive it was. We'd recently moved from the city to the country and were expecting to pay around $1,000 for the procedure based on city prices and our previous vet (who was perhaps ripping us off ).

For anyone who does DIY BARF patties, ALDI supermarket has meat mincers/grinders on special tomorrow for $99, but you probably have to be there when they open.