Danois

I know a great one around Pennant Hills. Other than that, having used them this week for my cat - recommend the Sydney Uni Vet. I would not recommend Sydney Animal Hospital for anything other than toe nail clipping and anal gland emptying or as a last resort later at night (open til 11pm).

I will leave Boo with a big whole marrow bone 3-4 times a week. Sometimes he will get a split one provided the half is not thin and could wedge in his mouth. He gets lamb flaps/ breast too but this is supervised. He will get a chicken carcass but again supervised. He gets a lamb shank on a Saturday (when I've collected the bones from the butcher) - my butchers laugh and call them toothpicks! I take the last bit of bone off him. I am not hugely worried about him choking as he is a very gentle slow eater.

Of course the vet recommended Science Diet - bet it was stocked in the vets!

Was it a once off? She might have just eaten something which irritated or inflamed her bowel or intestine which resulted in the little bit of blood otherwise might have strained a little blood vessel when she has eliminated. I have seen blood in my dogs' stools in the past and not been concerned. Speak with your breeder again if you are concerned. Otherwise go to the vet for a check up.

Perhaps Artemis is just not the right food for Morgan? I know I wanted Boo to have Eagle Pack as it is MY choice of food to feed but he did not do well so I had to find one that worked for him. Cos I only know about it in relation to giant breeds - is the % protein as issue for smaller dogs too?

I'm sure that sometimes they just need to grow into it! Boo had bad anal glads for several months and had to be emptied frequently - now have not had an issue with them for months as he has continued to grow up.

Lane Cove Vet Hospital in Artarmon. Only open for a couple of hours though. Highly recommend them.

Interesting - danes don't get that doggy smell. I used to bath my last dane every 3 months or so - but it was never because he smelt.

Can you explain this comment? How will a diet lacking consumable bone cause growth deformities? If you feed meat (phosphorus) without the correct amount of bone (calcium) you will end up with 'knuckling over' deformities. Some examples of Knuckling Thanks! Explains why it is a good idea to feed a super premium dry food to a puppy so as to maintain the correct ratios and then introduce a raw diet when a bit older. If you do it correctly then you can feed raw from the time pups are weaned. It's not that hard really. The key word there is correctly - I doubt many would know what correctly meant and while for a smaller breed, there might be a larger margin of error - with a large/ giant breed who you need to grow slowly and with the correct ratio then there is real chance of not getting it right.

Can you explain this comment? How will a diet lacking consumable bone cause growth deformities? If you feed meat (phosphorus) without the correct amount of bone (calcium) you will end up with 'knuckling over' deformities. Some examples of Knuckling Thanks! Explains why it is a good idea to feed a super premium dry food to a puppy so as to maintain the correct ratios and then introduce a raw diet when a bit older.

Don't chase him!! You chasing him is the reason he keeps doing it - its a big game to him now as he knows he will get a reaction. Don't chase but wait and then approach him without any fuss or noise and take the object and give him one of his own toys instead. He'll get bored of the game when he realises he does not get a response or game from you. Don't give him the stay command when he is running away - you are also teaching him that stay means run away fast from you.

Can you explain this comment? How will a diet lacking consumable bone cause growth deformities?

A 14 month old is still a puppy! I am aiming for somewhere between 2-3 years.

What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) I am a dane owner. Baloo (Boo) is my second dane and is currently 11 months old. What is the average lifespan? Unfortunately it is not as long as we would all love to have and you are doing well to get passed 10. This is a common feature to giant breeds. What is the general temperament/personality? I have owned 2 dogs and find them to be sooky, live to please you, love human contact and there is something unique about the relationship you have with your dane. Bitches can be a bit feistier! How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? Being careful re exercise before critical growth has finished (around 18 months). Danes should not be run on the road/ pavement due to the impact on the joints. Exercise should be more 'free' as opposed to 'forced' and on grass and not for long periods. Boo gets offlead walks in the park and cemetery and onlead is around the block etc and is used for obedience sessions. Building muscle tone in the hind legs is important - running on sand, up hills etc. Danes love to do 'zoomies'! Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? Yes and no. My first dane was my first dog on my own. We had GSDs when I was growing up. There is a lot of do's and dont's with owning danes which should be followed to ensure the health of your dane. This includes watching timing of food/ exercise to minimise risk of bloat, care re exercise at young age, care re feeding right balance of protein while growing so you grow them slowly, obedience is critical as you will have an adult dane weighing in excess of 65kg usually which you need to have absolute control over. Obviously vet bills are not cheap - particularly medication due to weight so pet insurance is highly recommended. Food bill - danes eat around 8-9 cups of dry food a day when growing. This needs to be a super premium food to ensure correct growth. Desexing - it is recommended at danes are desexed at no sooner than 18 months due to allowing them to finish growing. So this means you will have an entire male or a bitch in season to deal with. Drool - some drool and some don't - luck of the draw! A lot of people find this unpleasant to deal with! They are not a breed which you can put in the backyard - they are a family dog and need human contact/ company. A destructive dane can do a lot of damage! How much grooming is required? Danes have low grooming needs - a good brush with a curry comb does the trick. Many danes do not have the normally doggy smell and Angus used to get bathed every month or so and this was usually only because he was dirty as opposed to smelly. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? Yes. Dane puppies do not have much idea about their size and while danes love kids (generally), any interaction between small kids and infirm needs to be very carefully monitored. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? Only buy from a REPUTABLE registered breeder. Because a breeder has a lot of litters or has been around a while does not necessarily mean anything. Do your homework - ask about eye problems and cancer. Was discussing this with my boss the other day who used to breed and show danes and she was saying that shes always fed her danes off a chair or off the top of a bucket what I forgot to ask her was why do they do this, what is it ment to prevent? Also she mentioned that she has been hearing lately that it isnt the thing to do any more and they are better off being fed from the ground is there any truth to that or is it just a rumour? There are arguments either way for feeding from a raised height. Whether it actually prevents or minimises bloat I don't know but if it is one more thing I can do to minimise the risk then I will do it. The other main reason - it is simply more comfortable for the dog!

Puppy hiccups are very common. A hiccup is a spasm of the diaphragm. Bloat is gastric dialation - the stomach is distended and in many cases, twisted.

Unfortunately my experience of it was not good. Angs had IMPA (Polyarthritis) which was being treated and when we backed off the cortisone to treat pancreatitis, it appears that the drugs had been holding IMHA at bay. I said goodbye to Angs that day. From memory Fiery Di (who's name is now *Di I think - Ashanali will know) dog Ruby had IMHA.

That's what I did Erny. Boo hated going outside when it was raining - we did a couple of trips to the park in the rain and now he does not care! The first time we went - it was bucketing down and I was running around with him in the wet much to the amusement of people walking through with umbrellas! We're not long home from a very muddy, squishy, wet romp with some other dogs. Nice warm wash down and into his coat with a bone - happy as anything!

Supercoat is not a premium food. It is a cheap food full of fillers. NJStaffy - a SBT breeder here has given her opinion on your dog and as an owner of a giant breed - the feet on your dog are a dead give-away. Someone else has also commented on the coat colour.

I would not use malaseb that often - it is quite harsh and drying.

Take him out on lead, take him to toilet place, use the cue words and praise. Do not let him play - its toilet time only. If he is not going out when its raining then go back to the basics and take him out at certain times.

I saw another vet at the clinic with a dog with immune mediated issues. Unfortunately in my case, it was too hard to tell whether the treatment was working as we had to keep him on the traditional drugs too. No harm in trying.

Around 8-9 cups of food (premium kibble) is about standard for a growing dane. My 10 month old gets 8 cups a day - he's 56kg and lean.

Timidity can be helped with confidence building exercises. If you don't take him to obedience training, I'd strongly recommend it - in addition to training a well mannered dog, it helps build a bond of trust and confidence in the handler. Agree. Bear in mind with a timid dog that your role as pack leader is more important than ever.

I just took a good look at the feet - I think I know where you are headed with your comment PF. That aside - he has pretty big feet - usually a sign you will end up with a large dog.

No need to have worried if they were chocolate iced as it would have just been chocolate icing (made with cocoa powder) rather than proper chocolate.