happy.grl

Hi all, I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, or whether it belongs in General Discussion but I thought I'd let you all know that Barfworld is offering a free download of "Living Enzymes - The World's Best Kept Pet Food Secret" - you do need to sign up to the site, and it asks for credit card details, but I emailed them and they provided me with a 'fake' card number that will allow the free transaction to go through. sorry if this has been posted already

I wanted to say a big thank you to all who responded to my posts the other day. I just realised that I hadn't posted an update. Akira is fine now. I had a good chat at our regular vet who said that a dog throwing up is not that unusual, and that what had probably happened was that he felt off, threw up, drank too much water and threw that up - it then becomes a vicious cycle. This makes sense - once I had restricted his water he stopped throwing up. I'm really glad that they confirmed that I had done the right thing by giving him small drinks, keeping him on very bland food for a couple of days and monitoring what came out of both ends (eeeew!!) The cheeky little guy is back to his normal self ;)

OK, I hope I don't get flamed. We went to Lort Smith - by the time I had put everything away, gathered the dog, got the OH, moved the car cos someone had parked me into my garage forty minutes had passed (with no further incidents). As soon as we were out of the car Akira was perky, running and jumping about (still on a very loose leash though Yay for him!) so we decided to wait to see how he was. It's been 4 hours now and he is back to his normal self. I'm going to take him past our Vet for a check up though tomorrow, just to be on the safe side. We have restricted his water intake as well, as I think that may have been part of it as he was drinking a lot, then being sick. Hope I haven't done the wrong thing by him.......

I just got off the phone to Lort Smith and I'm taking him in now. He is drinking, quite a bit. I'll let you all know how I go

and he has just done it again... my poor little guy

Please help, my dog threw up when I got home today. I put it down to excitement, as he was not able to get to me because the doggy door was locked, and he was barking a lot. He was fed this morning at about 7.30am, and it was not just bile that he expelled. He has since thrown up bile another 4 times, once was bright yellow and the other times have been white and frothy. I've tried to call my vet but they don't have an after hours number. Should I take him to Lort Smith hospital, or just keep an eye on him. I was going to give him a small dinner - boiled chicken and maybe some rice, but I'm worried there is something really wrong.

Wow guys, thanks for all the responses. Thanks cavNrott. We have spoken about getting another puppy, but have been tossing up between getting a forever dog, applying as a foster or doing some holiday dog minding. The breeds that I mentioned (with the exception of the Tibetan Spaniel) are breeds that we have discussed and he has expressed interest in. The Tibetan Spaniel would be my preferred choice as well - they are adorable. Thanks - I'll check out the thread. I had not heard the male/male -> male/female thing either. I was leaning towards another male. Yikes, another decision I must admit that I would love to have another dog, and if I can use his birthday as an excuse I am glad that you have said this. If this is what I choose to buy he will definately have input, and we will both be going to view any pups that we are interested in, along with Akira if the breeder will allow, to ensure that we all like each other and can get along. I know that it is likely that we will have to go on a waiting list for any purebred dog (unless we are really lucky) and that's OK - we are not in any rush and want to get the best fit for the family. Thanks

Hi all, I am considering getting a puppy for my OH for his birthday as our Jap Spitz, Akira, has definitely turned out to be a mommy's boy As Akira is only (almost) one, I'm not sure whether now is a good time, or whether we should wait another year until Akira is less of a puppy and has had another year of obedience. If we were to get another puppy it would have to be around Christmas as we both have time off and can supervise, at least for the first few weeks. I'd love to know your opinions - should we wait? Also what breeds would you recommend. They will have run of (most of) the house, with access to a courtyard outside through a dog door, and an off leash park across the road. I'd love to get another Japanese Spitz, or maybe a Cav, or a Tibetan Spaniel??? So many things to think about........ Thanks in advance

As the title says i found out that Akira ate a latex toy, or half of it anyway. it looks like he has nibbled bits off, and I can't find any so i assume he ate them. Is there anything I need to look out for? Thanks

I can't help with suggestions, but am really interested to hear what people recommend, I am looking for clippers to get around Akira's pads to help stop slippage.

He hasn't tried again in a couple of days, which is promising. Although we think that he has tried to mount my OH's leg. Oh the joys of a puppy (I can't remember what life was like without him - and I don't really want to)

I used the word think, cos who really knows what a dog is thinking. We are practising NILF, he rarely paws or whines, occassionally will do things without a command, but he is still a puppy :p He's OK 90% of the time. He wants a pat - he has to sit. He wants a treat - he has to shake hands. He wants to go upstairs - he goes into a sit/stay until I give the release When he gets narky at other dogs my partner will normally grab him and remove him, while I will continue with the other dog in question until he calms down completely, then, and only then, will I give him attention. I'm still pretty new at all of this though, and there's things that i'm still unsure about. Thanks for the replies all. I'll take it all on board, and who knows - when he gets the snip maybe he'll be a different puppy

My boy is due to be desexed at the end of the month - we were going to do it next fortnight, but we have overseas visitors with a toddler, and it's probably better to wait until they are gone, as he might be a bit tender - although I do have 5 days off work so I could look after him. Maybe I should speak to the vet??

Sorry for the late reply. Akira is just on 6 months old. I'm leaning towards this being a marking thing. He also does not like when I play with other dogs - jealousy?? As long as I can catch him before it starts I'll be ok.

I need help deciphering some behaviour. Is this a dominance thing or a possesive thing?? :D i've googled but it seems like it could be either. It's never happened before, and I think he views me as the alpha - at least he obeys my commands and he follows me around all the time. At least i caught him before he started to... well, you know Any ideas on what this is, and how to stop it? thanks

Thanks - I've just ordered the Greenpet (along with some other stuff I could not resist) - my OH is gonna kill me!!! I've been spending more on the puppy lately than I have on him

I came across a product called missing link (info found here) I have read good things about the doggie equivalent, this website indicates that the human version can be given to our canine friends, has anyone tried this, or have any recommendations as to something else that can be used. i kinda like the idea of a dual-use (him and me) supplement, it'll save me some $$

Hi, It might be a bit late to reply now, but we just bought a $10 gate from the Reject Shop to block off the stairs, it is pretty light though and depending on the size of your pup it could be moved. We also have a metal puppy pen, which we use to enclose larger areas. I think that was around $70 from a pet shop.

Hi skwo2, Sorry for the late reply. I made Akira a veggie mix with carrots, beans, pumpkin, sweet potato, potato, some apple, a little brocolli - just threw it all in the blender and mixed it up. I am alternating the meat portions of his meals, mostly chicken at this stage - necks or wings, gravy beef, lamb. He seems to love it, and although I have not seen a change in attitude, the difference in what comes out the other end makes it all worthwhile

Well, Akira has just had his third barf meal and he seems to love it :p I was a bit worried about the veggies, but he has eaten everything that I have given him. After reading another website I put pumpkin and sweet potato in the mix, and he cleans it up. Thanks guys

Thanks for your replies everyone. Akira gets his first BARF meal tonight I'll let you know how we go

Hi all, I have been thinking about changing my boy over to a BARF, or at least mainly BARF diet. I have found a lot of info, here and elsewhere on the net, relating to the physical health benefits, but wanted to find out also whether anyone has noticed any changes in temperament when switching their dogs over to a more natural diet, and what you noticed with their behaviour. My boy is currently on Royal Canin, with chicken necks & mince a couple of times a week, but I have found that he can be fidgety and restless, and have very little concentration lately for training, although this is probably normal puppyness. I have also found that he does not really like the dry - he can get really excited at dinnertime, then have a sniff and walk away - I want to give him food that he will like, especially while he is still growing. Thanks in advance

if you are interested in clicker training I found click for joy by Melissa alexander to be very good, as well as Don't shoot the dog by Karen Pryor. There are heaps of websites around which discuss different training methods as well, not sure if I am allowed to post them here?

Hi Belijae - I have tried the yelping, sometimes though, it makes him more rough - I think it's when he is getting really tired. He rarely will go to sleep unless I physically put him in his crate. When it seems like he is tired I'll put him in and he'll zonk out. When he is not tired he has a pretty soft mouth, sometimes. It's getting better now that we are not discouraging the mouthing as much.

Another vote here for Ebay - I got 2 i-clicks for $9 delivered and they were here in 5 days from U.S.