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I think regardless of whether or not homeopathy can or can not be used to treat Parvo, one thing that sprang to my mind is that boarding kennel licenses require that animals be vaccinated before entering your facility. I'm not sure what your laws are like in WA but my license states that I must keep records details of vaccination of all boarders for a period 7 years. I am a big believer in natural therapies and love using such treatments on my animals but I will still vaccinate until it is recognised that the homeopathic/natural medicine is an acceptable alternative. I think homeopathic treatment won't be so much a treatment as an immune system support. My opinion of natural therapies is that they are treatments that help the body heal itself.

I have found that my girl will work for anything - toys are her favorite reward but she's happy with just praise. my new pup on the other hand, LOVES his food! He's only just worked out that he will get praise regarless of a food reward though and I'm starting to get results whether there is food toy or nothing :-D

LOL she sounds like Sooty and Sweep!

They are working line Rugerfly. Dark Sable is the color you can get it darker and lighter than that. I also had 4 solid blacks in that litter... And a young bitch I unfortunately lost in an accident earlier this year was a GORGEOUS dark sable (I still haven't quite got over losing her yet )... As you can see, I didn't have any ear problems with any other pups

Thanks for that, I've seen them do all kinds of weird things but never curl and the other ear started following suit today... I was a little concerned as I'd never seen that. They have stood straight already though - it's like when they went up, they shot up so fast they flipped backwards

I have a 3 month old GSD pup (pictured with dam) her ear has just started to curl backwards. I have never seen them curl like this before and I'm just wondering if anyone has any idea if it's just the normal ear rising process in an unusual form or is it something I should be concerned about? You can see the ear in this picture...

I wish my hubby would let me buy one! Apparently my animals cost me too much already :D

This is really interesting... My male dog has nasty breath but he is on top of the line dry food, gets good meaty bones, probiotics, herbal supplements... Even my vet told me last time I was there that he wishes every dog owner gave the type of care that I do, yet still my dog's breath is bad. He also burps alot. I don't think he had the best of diet with his previous owner. I have tried blended veges and raw meat but couldn't get him to eat it when the veges were in there. He wants the meat and ONLY the meat. Maybe I used the wrong veges though? What's the best combination?

Thanks again Miranda! Yes, I do have dogs susceptible to bloat. I soak their dry food as well and keep a strict eye on their feeding time to make sure they are quiet and relaxed before and after feeds. I'm not too worried about the amount of poo (the OH is the designated dog poo picker-upperer). It is a bit of a hit and miss experiment by the feel of it. I will try them with a very small amount and see what happens - my older girl has been pinching copra from the horse bucket for a while now and it seems to have made no difference, however, I've always chased her away before she can make a guts of herself. It has made a vast difference on my horse so I was just thinking (hoping) that it would contribute nicely to the dog's condition as well. Wouldn't it be so nice if it were as easy as finding a universal miracle feed ? If it works for the dogs as well I might start eating it!

Sorry I meant could it serve as a FIBRE supplement on days where only meat and bones are given?

Ah... This is what I've been waiting for! Thanks Miranda! Does it make a difference that copra has such a high percentage of protein? Even if I do attempt to give it a go (just to see) there's no reason it would HARM the dogs? It could even serve on days where only meat is given?

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Already mixing it with water for the horse and would do so for the dogs as well. I understand that it can swell up to 3 times in water but is it beneficial for dogs? Is there anything that needs to be addressed as far as health hazards are concerned?

Well, Copra is the flesh of the coconut with the oil taken from it so there would be a large difference in nutritional value between the 2. Anyone care to enlighten us any more?

I have used Traumeel for years. Both on clients, myself and my dogs. I SWEAR by it! It also comes in tablet form. Mell, I know you have this issue under wraps by the look but i just wanted to add my 2 cents about the traumeel. I love this stuff!

Not stolen... Just borrowed for my purposes here . Copra is the dried white flesh of the coconut after mechanical extraction of the oil. The white is then baked resulting in a moisture content of approximately 8% suitable for handling and bulk storage. After the extraction process approximately 8-10% oil remains in the flesh. Chemical composition Amino Acids (g/kg) Protein………………….21.9% Alanine………………….....2.5 Fibre…………………….13.1% Arginine……………….......0.5 Oil……………………… 8-10% Asparapine…less than….0.5 Ash……………………...6% Cystine…………………......2.0 Glutamine……………........2.9 Minerals Glycine…………………......2.4 Histidine……………….......1.2 Mg………………………0.34% Isoleucine……………….....1.1 S………………………...0.28% Lysine…………………........2.4 K………………………..2.39% Methionine…………….......8.0 P………………………...0.53% Phenylalanine…………......2.2 Ca……………………….1499ppm Proline…………………........1.0 Fe………………………..313ppm Hydroxyproline..less than.0.5 Na……………………….858ppm Serine…………………….....1.5 Cu……………………….28.3ppm Threonine………………......2.1 Mn……………………….49.1ppm Tryptophan…………… .....1.1 Zn………………………..44.8ppm Tryosine………………….....2.4 Valine…………………....... 1.4 Copra meal is also used as a quality fodder for horses and cattle. Its high oil levels and protein are very fattening for stock and it is popular among horse enthusiasts. I give it to my horse mixed with water in a "mash-like" form.

I know that some foods for dogs contain copra meal... It is something I feed to my horse to improve topline, weight gain, coat health etc etc. I am wondering what sort of effect it might have on dogs in small quantities. I noticed in the horse paddock one day my bitch was eating the copra mixed up for the horse. She has incredibly dry skin and I thought, "It can't hurt her." But after some consideration I thought maybe it could? I would love to give small amounts to my dogs if it has the same benefits for them as it might do for horses. All of my dogs could do with some extra weight (they are young and filling out) and the aforementioned bitch could really do with better coat condition (she is on sensitive skin formula and fish oils plus aloveen shampoo and conditioner). It is more an enquiry as to what other dog owners think about introducing something like this into a canine diet... Does anyone have any experience with it? Anyone with ideas as to what other health issues may arrise from introducing coconut into the diet of a dog? I know it has lots of health benefits but also lots of issues in the human diet (high colesterol etc). Of course the canine digestive system is far different to that of horses and humans. Any info would be greatly appreciated.