Danois

Try getting post poo dane zoomies in the house... Sometimes when we're out walking he forgets that he does not need to cock his leg to poo - a tad amusing watching him balance on 3 legs by a tree whilst pooing.

I agree with one of the OP's comments - DOL is a dog owners bubble - the majority here have consistent values and views on dog ownership. appropriate behaviour etc but what people tend to forget is that this is just ONE way and is not necessarily the right way. For example - so what if your colleague/ cousin/ neighbour wants to get a cross bred dog - yes, we'd all prefer they went to a registered breeder but if they want to get a cross breed from the pet shop then that's their choice and not your business. I think some people lose perspective.

I don't get giant bags. you would if you had a great dane LOL These are the times when I'm glad I own a small dog I've seen smaller dogs leave bigger piles than my dane does. I have no issues with him pooing on a walk - like PF said, exercise stimulates the gut so I expect it and carry bags. I'd rather he did it while we're out on a walk and I can dump the bag in the park bin as opposed to having to do poo patrol in the yard and then having bags of poo in my wheelie bin.

Fasting him and then rice/chicken or even some i/d food from the vets is a good idea - give his stomach a break. Vomiting is one thing but if he's not alright in himself then the vets are a good idea. Hope he's better soon.

I take Boo's out into the yard and hose it out then spray it with F10 solution and let it dry in the sun.

Diet here is around 300gm of Eagle Pack Power for breakfast and a BARF brick in the kong. Might also get something like 4Paws in the holey moley ball - if so it's only around 200gm of dry. Dinner is around 200gm of dry (i.e one full EP measuring cup) and 2 chicken frames 4-5 nights a week. Other couple of nights its 300gm of dry and then a tin of sardines in tomato sauce or a sprinkle of parmesan or some tuna. He'll get a big marrow bone most weekends too.

Are you going to share who it is? Having the right vet is great - before we clicker trained nail cutting it was a painful task yet he let my vet do it without an issue, lets him draw blood and give injections without moving and gets excited a few minutes down the road when he realises where we are heading!

That's odd Sheridan - I've always had a response the next morning when I've sent one (sent at night). Maybe try sending again - Merissa has been really helpful.

Is this the Wellness who (subsequent to being acquired by another company) changed its name to WellPet LLC? If so, that's the maker of Eagle Pack.

Which EP holistic are you feeding? I read from their site that the fish one is best for low energy dogs or weight management.

I agree with PF's post - you just need to read accounts of animal behaviour in the lead up to the recent earthquake in NZ - how animals can 'predict' them coming and certainly, we used to see odd behaviour in our animals on the day of an earthquake.

Oh no - I am going to hell! Dad taught my sister and I how to use a .22 when we were kids and we'd go rabbit shooting for the cats. Mum had her own .22 too. Given Dad had been a professional hunter for the government and was ex-army, rest assured we knew where to aim.

I got the message from Linda Arndt (the Great Dane Lady who was associated with the original EP for around 20 years. I emailed her to ask why she no longer recommended EP as part of her Blackwatch Feeding program and it was because of (in part) the change in recipe. She advised me that Golden Eagle was the return to the original recipe but that, as far as she knew, there were no plans to export to Aus. After the company sold EP were actually going to stop exporting to Aus but they received so much feedback about this they remained.

Curious about gag reflexes in dogs. Boo does something odd - when he has his nose down and is smelling an insect/ bug like a fly or a cockroach he gags. I have no idea what causes him to do this as, as far as I can see, he is not actually touching the insect and he goes back several times so he is obviously not worried about gagging. Anyone else got a dog that does this?

That's odd Sheriden - I was at Petbarn today and was told that they're expecting to be back to full supply by November - and this is the store with their head office. I understand the food is now called Holistic Select is what it is called in the US and Eagle Pack is the name being used in Australia. It ties in with the fact there is a new(ish) food called Golden Eagle on the market - this is made by people associated with the Cocquyt family who made the original EP and follows the original recipe. EP was bought by WellPet in 2009 and moved away from the original recipe then. FYI too - the company that makes Innova, California Naturals and Evo was purchased by Proctor & Gamble earlier this year.

I had the same experience.

That's what I see too

I don't think they do. I walk my dog in a cemetery frequently and the park outside its walls was once part of the cemetery (they removed the headstones only) is a dog park and have not seen any unusual behaviour from my dogs or any of the dogs I have been with. Many of the 18,000 graves are connected with the sea - sailors, shipwrecks, drownings, navy etc and also the grave of the woman who inspired Miss Havisham in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, former Sydney mayors, Governor Bligh's son in law, pioneer of anaesthetics in Aus, composer of Aus' first opera as well as convicts hung at the Darlinghurst gaol.

Hi and welcome to DOL - which is a discussion forum rather than a one way conversation. It would be worthwhile to have your responses posted in here (rather than in PM as that's really contrary to the purpose of a forum) as they may also assist others who are in the same position as you. IMO I would not breed a toy breed that was my first dog and without having been mentored by and assisted an experienced breeder including helping whelp a litter and going through the first 4 weeks or so of sleep deprivation and constant vigilance once puppies arrive. If you are going to breed it would also pay to speak with the local after hours emergency clinic and find out how much they charge for an emergency c-section at 2am on a public holiday and make sure you have that amount tucked away just in case.

Suspect you're thinking of Kramar dog treats which were/are made in China I believe.

The irradiation issue related to Orijien cat food - which came from Canada from memory. They stopped importing the dog food too because it was also irradiated and while this did not affect the dogs, there was a risk cats would eat the food and be 'poisoned'. One of the reasons why pet food needs to be irradiated on entry is if it is cooked at low temperatures (as was the case with Orijien). I don't think many foods come in from Vietnam/ China.

His testicles

Public relations 101 seems to have gone a bit astray...

I had great success with Eagle Pack Power (other 'power' foods for performance dogs, lactating bitches etc would work), chicken carcasses and porridge (1/2 cup of oats cooked with water and rice milk added and added to kibble). This put 6kg on quite easily. I would not feed satin balls - pancreatitis waiting to happen!

Shouldn't the vet be the one to determine if they are needed? I disagree with vets who offer 'packages' to clients for desexing. If it is something which is needed to ensure the health of my dog during the surgery then it should be provided. IMO hunting around for the cheapest price when desexing a dog is odd - you go for the vet who you have the trust and confidence in to do the surgery and cost is secondary to that. Cheap prices makes me wonder what corners are being cut.