Golden Rules

If you are at all concerned with feeding bones, you should stick to chicken (or turkey) frames. The bones are rubbery and clean their teeth beautifully. I never feed frozen - I don't eat frozen food so why should my dogs?

I have a "Compact" juicer/mincer - expensive jobbie, but I bought it because it crushes the fruit and veges rather than cutting them - and apparently the cell structure of the fruits and veges isn't destroyed, thereby retaining more antioxidants..........of course I bought this for myself not the dogs! LOL!! But is still does a good job

The other option is to part feed a prey model diet while you work out how to change over to a BARF diet. Try chicken carcasses for breakfast and then the commercial diet for tea. Chicken carcasses are cheap and great for their teeth - as well as often having a lot of meat on them.

You should PM CHEWBACCA - her dog Squid died of the same disease - in fact if you do a search for it in general, you'll find a whole thread about it. Sorry to her about your dog. Best wishes. ETA: Here is the link...... http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...ermangiosarcoma

My vet does it - at a cost of about $220 Vic Park Vet

Yes, RICE is known to be a 'heating' food - even in humans - any chinese herbalist will tell you this. Mandarins are another....... Steer clear of high carb foods.

Can you get some Manuka Honey? Put some on the wound and an Elizabethan collar to stop any licking - it truly will make a difference! Also give a teaspoon of Manuka Honey two or three times a day - best natural antibiotic ever

I was in the same boat two weeks ago when one of my goldies had a cruciate ligament op on the Friday - it took him until late Sunday night to poo - have to say I was becoming concerned too - especially as he is used to pooing after every meal! However, more food and plenty of water (plus some pet milk) and he eventually struggled to do the job - it didn't help that it was raining either At one stage I was almost happy for him to snap one off inside! ;) Anyway, he sorted himself out soon enough but softer food is definitely the way to go following surgery.

Go see your local Better Pets And Gardens store - they will order it in for you. The Osborne Park store did this happily for me when I wanted Ziwipeak and said they would order anything else in for me that wasn't readily avalable.

Hi Ahona I have a 5 year old goldie with bad hip dysplasia - however I didn't get him as a pup so can't post a pic. No help to you there sorry. I do however have his pedigree papers and the hip scores of his parents - both were excellent. I have another goldie and have often compared their rear ends as I'm being dragged along on a good walk - I can't see the difference really other than how the HD dog walks (he often sort of skips - the vet calls it handstanding). I would assume any lack of muscle or muscle atrophy in the hind quarters would be due to lack of use? (ie protecting if in pain?) The best way to diagnose as you know is Xrays, and honestly, if you are at all concerned, you should get him Xrayed. You can help lessen the longterm effects with supplements and correct treatments if diagnosed as a pup. Use your insurance for the purpose it was purchased - regardless of the vet's intent - you will at least get a correct diagnosis and know which way to head. I lifted my HD boy into the back of the car last night and quite clearly heard his hips click as I lifted the back end up - I felt so sorry for him at the time as it must be at least constantly uncomfortable. Hope your Spuddie gets the all clear - he looks adorable in that pic too!

Definitely see if you can get more weight on her, even a couple of kilos will help during winter (eg Satin Balls?) and definitely look at immune boosters. Hopefully your vet will be able to recommend something. I would suggest a good quality vitamin and if she has had antibiotics within the last few months at all, get some probiotics for her. How often is she vaccinated as this can affect immunity as well. I would feed sardines and yoghurt regularly with less grains and more raw if you can.

I had the Innovations ramp for my old dog Hamish - he refused to use it. When I got my other boy and he had cruciate ligament and HD problems, I bought the Solvit Pet Ramp from City Farmers -- he has learned to use it but it is about 3kgs to lift which can be quite heavy for one hand. When I feel lazy, I just put his front paws up on the back of the car and then left the arse end of him up and he's good to go! So I'm now left wth two ramps and don't use one at all, rarely use the other these days! ;)

Yes, it is Claire Middle and she is in Bibra Lake - she is great, I took my cats to her when they were alive.

I'm reading between the lines here and assuming there is usually some sort of damage done every day and you believe it happens everyday between 6am and 8am? Is there any reason you couldn't consider having the dog inside during the day whether you were there or not? I have 2 goldies who live inside day and night - and no one is here during the day. They just sleep all day! Maybe try it and see how your dog fares. A staffy isn't a big dog and they don't shed much do they? It is also coldest at about 6 to 7am - just before dawn - is your dog warm enough? Getting old and may feel the cold more.....I dunno, just thinking here.....:D

My thoughts exactly cavNrott - panic and absolute distress. Have you tried just bringing him inside during the time he is likely to be upset?

I have a Black Dog back pack for one of my goldies - it's not really suited to hiking but I guess it depends on what you want your dog to carry. Have a look here: http://www.blackdog.net.au/index.php?page=...rt&Itemid=5 Sorry, you might have to cut and paste that to your browser.... I put all the dog stuff in the back pack including spare lead, collar, balls, bags, treats etc and it only fits a couple of 600ml bottles of water. As soon as the pack is weighted more to one side, it slides on the dog and I am forever pulliing it into place. I guess I really only use it when I don't have pockets which is usually throughout summer.

Sounds more like a bug - I'd try chicken and rice for a few days - maybe even fast her for a day first to give her tummy a chance to settle.

I only see the oil in the bottle. I cant find the spray anywhere. I was going to buy the oil which is only $3 but postage is so expensive! So I would need to buy a bunch of products to get nmy money's worth. Here you go Happie http://neemaus.com.au/shop/index.php?targe...category_id=199 and http://neemaus.com.au/shop/index.php?targe...product_id=1751 This product is cheapepr than any chemical you could buy such as Frontline, Advantix etc :cool:

Where do you buy the neem oil stuff? Do you mix it with water to make a spray? From memory here...... www.neemaus.com.au Let me know if that doesn't get you to their website as I can go outside and find the bottle with the details on it. Btw - I spoke to them on the phone and they are extremely pleasant and helpful not to mention informative! Eta - you buy it already made up in a spray bottle.

Why would you not use Murdoch if you are a student there? Riverstar lives down your way so her recommendations would be close to you.

Neem Oil spray is good for repelling fleas but no good for ticks so if you aren't in a tick area, try the Neem Oil spray - once or twice a week is all you'd need. I don't use any flea treatment on my goldies at all - I figure if we get fleas, we'll deal with it then - but so far so good. I do however spray occasionally - when I remember - about once a month - with the neem oil spray. I don't live in a paralysis tick area though so don't use all those other treatments. Personally, if it were my dog reacting like that to any treatment, I wouldn't use it again - they are toxic, that's the whole point of them but when the dog has a toxic type reaction, that would be enough for me to ditch it and either try Neem Oil or nothing at all - and just deal with an issue if it happens.

Just give her whatever the dosage says on the bottle. It's actually more about the frequency of the dosage - depending on the situation. You may find it's better to give 2 or 3 doses in the hour leading up to the actual event, and then dose as required from then on. (this is what I have found works best - one dose just isn't enough) At work I have a Bach Flower RR and that says 4 drops per dose, and at home I also have an Australian Bush Flower Essences RR which says 7 drops - I just go with whatever dose the bottle recommends. Have to say though, I have found the Australian Bush Flower Essence RR to be more effective for some reason.

Hi I just posted the following in BlitznBear's thread - have used it on my old goldy Hamish when he had constant ear problems........you may find it useful, certainly cheaper It's from another list I am on, and comes highly recommended. After months of problems with one of Hunter's ears, it is finally clear of amy problem. The mixture which has worked is as follows, and is an adaption of one posted earlier on this site, and modified with the assistance of the chemist at Porirua Supachem who said he used to make a mixture himself, and supply it to Vets. So he knew about dog's ears. The mixture is inexpensive, and the ingedients are readily available at a chemist. It cost about $11.00 for the two items. Isopropyl alcohol (this comes in a small bottle) Water Betadine liquid Mix 30% Isopropyl Alcohol and 70% water. Add a few drops of Betadine. Use a dropper to insert into the ear. Massage and wipe out gently with a cotton pad. Insert another lot and leave. I did this morning and night for a week, then just the mornings for a couple of weeks, then reduced to just one application and massage in the morning for a week. Hunter's ear now seems totally clear of all problems. I had tried vinegar & water for about a month, but it only reduced the problem, didn't cure completely.

Hey BnB! Long time no speak, sorry to hear poor ol' Bear has ear issues! Here is something from another list I am on - I used it with my old boy Hamish before he passed. He had recurring ear infections for 15 months, poor thing, but the following did help heaps. After months of problems with one of Hunter's ears, it is finally clear of amy problem. The mixture which has worked is as follows, and is an adaption of one posted earlier on this site, and modified with the assistance of the chemist at Porirua Supachem who said he used to make a mixture himself, and supply it to Vets. So he knew about dog's ears. The mixture is inexpensive, and the ingedients are readily available at a chemist. It cost about $11.00 for the two items. Isopropyl alcohol (this comes in a small bottle) Water Betadine liquid Mix 30% Isopropyl Alcohol and 70% water. Add a few drops of Betadine. Use a dropper to insert into the ear. Massage and wipe out gently with a cotton pad. Insert another lot and leave. I did this morning and night for a week, then just the mornings for a couple of weeks, then reduced to just one application and massage in the morning for a week. Hunter's ear now seems totally clear of all problems. I had tried vinegar & water for about a month, but it only reduced the problem, didn't cure completely. Good luck!

I far prefer to feed whole chicken frames instead of minced frames - the bones clean their teeth beautifully. I buy the frames from a chicken wholesaler - dirt cheap (and cheaper than Lenards) - frames are then frozen individually and they get one each for breakfast every morning. Yum! :D