Golden Rules

I had a vet staying with me last Xmas - and she fed her roast chicken bones from lunch to my dogs every day (unbeknowns to me as I was at work) - dogs were fine anyway. Cooked chicken bones are a risk, not an instant illness. Just keep an eye on her. Any odd behaviour, off to the vet.

Try adding some honey to their drinking water, it will encourage drinking and give them a little added energy. Do you have any colloidal silver? That's excellent for upset tummies - can add to water but better to give a teaspoon directly. Hope everything settles down soon for you all.

If she is acting fine and her normal self, I wouldn't worry too much - she is obviously haviing 'some' reaction to possibly the antibiotics but no need to panic if she is otherwise fine. If it were me, I would STOP the antibiotics (often given as a precautionary anyway) and give her an antihistamine. Keep an eye on her and if her behaviour or habits change in any way, then contact an emergency vet. Lastly, find another vet as your regular vet. The current one sounds a bit lazy

Unless you have a Goldie! Those bitter drops didn't deter him one bit!

Quite some time ago, someone here suggested their own version of a collar (I think it may have been CavNrott) - a wide strip of sturdy cardboard, wrapped in a handtowel or similar, placed around the neck and joined with duct tape or something similar - stops the dog from getting it's head to the problem spot. The width and length of the strip would depend on the dog of course. I thought this was a great idea and far less obtrusive yet just as effective as an Elizabethan collar.

You sound just how I feel sometimes - trying to do the absolute best thing but sometimes the conflicting advice, information, instructions, circumstances etc etc just make it impossible! I have come to the conclusion I can only do what I can do - and just go with the flow these days You sound like the daily tablets are your preferred option, I'd just deal with the situation if it came about that you missed a day for whatever reason. You can only do so much, and as long as you have the best intentions (ie a lot of thought has gone into your decision) then I would take those risks. :D

It is hard to lose a beloved friend after such a long time, especially one you had as a child. Reminds me of a cat we had for 15 years, even my Dad cried when he had to be PTS. RIP Snoopy

I'm with you there Pebbles Erny, I will be very interested to hear Jean Dodds response too. Something else I always strive for is optimum immunity (diet, supplements, environmental etc) so that if ever a chemical is required for use, the side effects will hopefully be kept to a minimum.

Such an awful tragedy for you Indigirl Ripley was a gorgeous boy. My goldies Hamish and Duncan will look after him at Rainbow Bridge. Hope you feel better soon

would you mind posting this website ArtyFarty? For my goldens at the slightest sign of a hotspot (although I missed Onsy's completely until I noticed he had a swollen neck then completely panicked what it could be) is antibacterial wet ones and then curash baby powder. It has worked for me to stop them. But I'll try and gel - that sounds good! www.livingnature.com is the website, and here is the direct link: http://www.livingnature.com/catalog/main.c...vw&cid=1932 Rescue Gel is what it is called now - and sorry, the original product I used was called Manuka Oil and Honey Antiseptic Gel.Not sure why I thought it had tea tree oil in it - was going by memory as I'm at work. They will post to Australia - and the stuff is wonderful.

My goldie has the occasional hotspot - I use "Manuka Honey & Tea Tree Antiseptic Gel" made by Living Nature. You can order from their website (NZ based). I can't recommend it highly enough after the last hotspot literally disappeared within 24 hours of using it. Re prevention of hot spots, consider diet and avoid grains if possible.

Crikey! If I lived close to somewhere I could get them cheaply, I would BUY them! Who wants to fartarse around making them if you can get them so easily?! Go for it!

My first dog went blind overnight - he hadn't been well for a few days and his health deteriorated so quickly, he was PTS within 48 hours. (He had cancer). However, when I first realised he was blind (he was suddenly walking very slowly and bumping into everything), the first thing I did was get on the net and searched info for reasons why he might have gone blind so quickly (before we could get to the vet) and came up with loads of information on how to care for blind dogs! Google is your friend

Hi and welcome! I have recommended Neem Oil as a preventative for fleas in the past. (www.neemaus.com.au) Spray on product (once weekly) and if the dog licks it, it is actually good for them, cleanses the blood. I used it for an old and neglected Goldie when I first got him. I no longer use any flea treatments. I figure if there is a flea outbreak, we'll deal with it - but have had no fleas for a few years now. That's worth thinking about. ;) As for vaccinating, I will only do it now if I need to put the dogs into kennels. Certainly not annually. There is a load of info here re vaccinations, just do a search and you'll be reading for a month of Sundays!

That's great news Loraine - nice to be able to get to the bottom of something often so hard to diagnose (itching I mean). Hope things continue to improve.

I wouldn't use Eucalyptus on skin, it could burn or at least create an irritation. Have you tried warm soapy water?

Good to hear the vet practice accepted responsibility. That wound still amazes me. Good luck with it all and thanks for the update. Hugs to beautiful Beau

It does look like the wound has come apart a little but I think what you are seeing is just some granulation which makes the wound look worse than it is. Often once some natural debriding occurs, the actual scar that is left is less than what you would expect to see at this stage. The staples are obviously holding the skin together while the wound heals so it should all be OK. IMO (and I'm no vet) I think it looks fine and wouldn't worry about it but by all means call your vet clinic and maybe see if you can email those pics to them to see if it's worth taking Jake back in. I think you'll find everything will be OK.

I learnt the hard way with my first dog who cost a fortune in vet bills. Subsequent dogs have been insured and in 18 months, I have claimed almost $4000 in vet bills. I would be looking at other insurers (I am with RSPCA and can't recommend them highly enough of course)

As Puggy Puggy said, you need to do a little more research Have a think about the bones that dogs bury and then dig up weeks or months later. Do you think salmonella is going to be an issue? I have given my dogs chicken carcasses many times that don't smell fresh at all (bought that way but you don't know until you get them home) - have never had a problem. Read lots more on raw feeding and you'll feel more confident with what to feed etc.

Chocolate, it says 1kg on the website

My goldie seems to be the same. He gets mostly chicken carcasses and bones but when I forget to take them out of the freezer (like last night) he gets a cup of Orijen instead. Poos inconsistent tonight and the farts are revolting. Don't think I'll bother with Orijen again

That's pretty good value I've never looked in the freezers at either supermarket as I don't buy the pet food there - but I see on the website they do raw cat food as well so I'm about to start the taste test (well, the pets are) ;)

True but how do you know what's in other barf patties? I just don't have the time or inclination to make them so considering my boy gets mostly a prey model diet, he'd probably quite enjoy something like this for a change. ETA: Actually he's a Goldie so he eats anything ;)

Their website says no preservatives as well so I reckon it's worth a try! ;)