persephone

Wow- she's recovered very well!

JJ sent the relevant authorities to the 'breeder's' place- told him he was an unscrupulous puppy farmer ......

Oh- had a thought- if you have some very thick denim/canvas stuff and can make a cover for the HW bottle, so little teeth can't chew thru - then it would be nice to leave it there perhaps try one of the things I use? get a 2 or 3 litre empty juice container (berri/homebrand ones -the strong clear ones with yellow caps), the plastic ones. Fill it to withing about 3/4 cm of the top with water as hot out of the tap as you can get.screw lid on- then turn bottle upside down. Hold it there for a minute. ANY seepage at all- don't use it if all seems ok- then get a large sized 'explorer' type terry sock, and slide t over the bottle , so teh bottle neck is at the toe end, and the sock has the terry side IN.(just as you would wear it. now put the other sock on if you want- the other way :D This is very warm, hold its heat , and I have not had a pup chew one yet ..... *crosses fingers* The other thing I use a lot is hot bricks! We have a slow combustion heater. Bricks sit on it for 24 hrs .. then are wrapped in a terry sock and used for oldies/pups etc. very safe..and very very warm .

I haven't read all the pages - just wanted to say a couple of things :D Remove the H/W bottle! it will be a very nasty exercise when puppy chews/punctures/eats bits of it Can you put the kennel on the deck with a window view? A nice warm bed in a nice draft-free kennel is a perfect spot for your pup to sleep Plenty of things in which to snuggle - and away from ANY draft . Whilst pups who sleep outdoors may well learn bad habits like barking at things that go bump in the night - and yes, they may prefer being with their people - if that's what you do- then fine. toilet training to the yard/grass will be hard - he is only a baby ..... and in his mind- peeing away from his basket/bed is all that is required of him at this stage! Start walking him round the yard- and when you see him squat, use a happy voice (but not a 'baby' coochie coo one) and say "wee" or "quick-quick" or something- accompanied by praise IMMEDIATELY something happens.After a short time- he will 'click' and you are on your way to being able to toilet your dog anywhere, anytime by telling him It is a wonderfully freeing thing! We have outside sleeping and inside sleeping dogs- all are healthy and happy .

Bonnie22 - make sure the little dog is registered in your name - if she is microchipped, the details will need changing, too. AS you are on fixed income- I would suggest looking at pet insurance - that way if she does suddenly get ill/injured, you won't have to part with huge sums of money all at once! best of luck with your little girl

poor little mite -It could be anything - Hopefully something simple best of luck at the vets .

Great photos- I am so jealous! SNOWWWWWWWWWWWW Love the dark brown against the winter colours .

Good for you!

It's been ages since I had PS. Are you comfortable with adding layers? if you are not doing layers happily- then maybe go back and practise - took me ages ! Do you know where the colour thingy is(the black/white squares?) the colour is chosen automatically - but you can toggle back & forth by using the little arrows in between the squares. cannot explain things, sorry.

Working hard to get a meal from a chicken frame is VERY good for cleaning all the teeth . The more a dog has to chew/gnaw to get his food , the better it is for teeth/jaws.

I find chicken necks ok for small dogs and the pups thereof - but wings are better - they need a bit more chewing, and are less likely to be swallowed whole Turkey wings are good !

Hope your dog is out now, and all is well. if your dog is out & appears OK - maybe phone the neighbours and check if they have rat poison under the house- for if the dog has eaten that, it is an emergency

Nice chewy chicken/turkey bones!

<<<I am a worry wort so part of me thinks I am overreacting and worrying >>> no- certainly NOT overreacting !! speaking to the breeders vet is good- but an independent vet would be even better - they have no loyalty to get in the way. In a young pup- I would be worried about staining under the eyes- - but that's me . A lot of people live with tear staining and weeping etc. I couldn't. Do you have pics of the puppy you can post?

ringworm is not usually scabby like that , IMO. It is usually a hairless patch.. as the hair falls off/out . She probably does have the odd scab from teeth/scratching .. and yes, your description is perfect! How big was the scab? Fingernail?match head? Were they close together?

Yep- normal and good . I used to feed my cats lamb neck 'chops' they also would eat the bone

Hope your old boy's condition can be properly diagnosed what a worry ...

Turf- slippery elm is great for diarrhoea and tummy upsets- however I don't think it will help if your dog does have a 'mechanical' cause for the vomiting - like a stomach valve or oesophageal problem ;) The best way to give a dog his vitamins/minerals is a balanced diet - just like humans :p What advice does his breeder give? have you spoken to them? They will know of his family and will possibly know the whys &wherefores . I will also suggest trying another vet if there is no immediate improvement with smaller meals etc. - just in case the first one has missed something ....

tell husband to stop seeing 'cute' and to look at the practicality of possibly having a dog who needs health management /treatment - for the next 12 years or so. best of luck with it all ;) perhaps suggest to husband that if he were looking at cars ( I know... dogs ain't cars) :p If he were looking at cars- and saw one which he liked the look of - then he had a closer look, and found it needed a new transmission, and the rear axle was bent ,just enough to be a problem ....and there was a constant, small oil leak ... Would he still take it?

I agree- raw beef alone is awfully inadequate- and if he hoovers it easily , it needs to be fed to him in a way he takes time over. If you want to feed raw- to get all his vitamins etc, you need to be feeding bones/meat/offal/and a few veges . There is lots of info here - http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...p;#entry4691752 on raw feeding ;)

marley sounds as if being lively/noisy is the way he's wired. ... my boy Hamlet - a cockerXkoolie is now 7 and still threatened with death at least once a day for barking/racing around like a fool ;)

be better if they spelt PUP correctly ;)

Hi - welcome You have now learnt about the other side of breeding - when things go bad I would suggest you find yourself a puppy who has had a terrific start in life ;) If you are questioning it now- then now is the time to walk away. if puppy has eye problems now- he may well have them forever - and either need corrective surgery, or daily maintenance . have you had a look at the breeders pages on DOL? perhaps there is a litter there that takes your fancy? I wouldn't be tempted to take a pup from this litter - but I am not you Hopefully you make the right decision for YOU - you owe this breeder nothing .

great shot/s!

Hi - any particular reason, like allergies/illness, that they need this food? The reason being that if you have a skinny lab- ...with decent teeth/digestive system -and it needs a bit more meat on its bones feeding yummy stuff like ox cheek and lamb flaps will help