Cavandra

A Titer test is a blood test that is sent away to a Lab that looks to see the levels of Vaccines in the dogs system

For my dogs that are having their lifetime vaccination once they are past 12 months of age, I take them to our Dog Clubs vaccination days and have C4's done for $25 by a local Vet.

Extremely exorbitant prices quoted here for something that is is completely unneccessary

The GRADE is more important than the actual score. The more even the score on each hip or elbow the better.......... I would have thought the elbows were too much to have bred these 2 together.......I know people in other similar breeds may have bred the 2:2. but it would have gone to a 0:0..............The uneven hips score isnt great either, I would rather see a dog with an above average score that is even than one that is so uneven & below the average.........There are Breeders that only look at the total when in fact the Grade is what means more........ JMHO

The trouble is shouldnt this have been looked at first, it is not natural for ulcers to take months to heal, and I would be questioning how much knowledge of eyes your Vet has...........If this procedure doesnt work what happens then? What is the long term treatment for this boy considering his Dry eye , the Specialists have those answers, I think you have wasted enough time & money on guess work so far...........JMHO

Hmmm different kettle of fish having had Dry Eye first, as that will likely be the actual cause of the ulcer, it could be an ongoing problem for him, and as you know they are EXTREMELY painful I wouldnt be mucking around anymore, I would get to the Specialist asap, The only one I have seen is Bruce Robertson who is at Carlingford, but I guess North Ryde Specialist center is closer to you........ Best wishes for the little bloke

Yes I have dealt with various ulcers over the years, usually always starting from a scratch from playing too rough, however, one was not clearing up, and it was discovered she actually had a tiny piece of a thorn in the eye, I had her eye removed as it was the best solution from too much damage. The foreign body was discovered by knocking her out & getting it under a microscope, she had her eye removed at around 8 weeks of age .......... I have had 2 others where the best solution was to have their eye stitched shut to allow the healing, theirs started from conjuctivitis, and rubbing the itchy eye with dew claws caused a scratch....and my most recent one was one the other week Vet rubbed back with a cotton bud (I am not sure at all about scratching it with a needle ) When did this Dry eye happen? the reason I ask is that I find many Vets dont understand eyes, and some breeds stop tear production when injury occurs, which exacerbates the problem, but GP Vets often get it the wrong way round & say they must have Dry Eye which has caused the ulcer.......My breed is one that tears will slow up from an injury, but due to Dry eye being a "problem" in the breed GP Vets presume that is what they have!!!!!!!! get my drift??? Your dog needs to be checked that there is not a tiny foreign body in his eye firstly, and then I would be having it stitched closed for a while, the longer it goes on the higher risk of long term damage, I would be expecting the Vet to have consulted the opthalmologist about it by now, as it is obvious his treatment is not working. The Cyclosporin is probably not a good option if he doesnt actually have Dry eye pre diagnosed before this ulcer. Tricin is normally a great cream that fixes ulcers in a few days, my last one was on alternate ointments of Genteal moisturising drops from the chemist (which the eye specialist uses) and Illium Opticin. He had his rubbed back once, and they made it so bad I didnt allow them to do it again (I think they forgot to anaesthetise the eye first)

There are alot of breeders/farmers that do their own medications.........Here is where you can get Parvac or Cat vaccinations at Vet Products Direct.... http://www.vetproductsdirect.com.au/items....amp;Tp=&Bc= The trouble is if the dog has to go to a boarding kennel or training class it has no record of vaccination if done by the owner. Yes Parvac is a Brand that alot of Vets use! There is no where that you can buy the cocktails though, you can not get C3 or above, only Parvo or the Bortdatella ones for dogs. Most breeders have a good relatuionship with their Vet, and many drugs will be given knowing that the Breeder knows when & how to use them , I often give oxytocin or Calcium injections to my girls during whelping for example.......

Hi there thanks for that ,but how come people in melbourne can buy this over the counter?And yes from a vets point of view i would not have expected any different answerand i didnt realise a nurse could not do this type of thing ,but thank you for that bit of usfull information. Thanks heaps mjaay No one can buy Drugs over the counter like this. You can buy Parvac online (which is the vaccine for Parvo), but you can not buy any other canine Vaccine. Anyone who administers their own vaccines have no Vaccination card which means No proof the pup was ever done! It doesnt cost much to have them done probably $50-$60 per pup for both Vaccination & Microchip.

Depending on where you are, but if you are in NSW they have to be microchipped also. Puppy buyers want the assurance that teh pup has been Vet checked, and have a Vaccination card issued.

If RC stands for Royal Canin, perhaps it is delayed for extra precaution, since so many dogs have died in USA/Canada etc from this brand & others being contaminated, just a guess.

If there is nothing specifically in your yard to eliminate that all dogs are allergic too like wandering jew or grevillias, then if he were my dog I would get some local honey where the bees are kept as close to your house as possible, and give him some every day, it is like a natural vaccine against your local pollens. I would have ALL his water dishes with apple cider vinegar in the water at all times for him to drink. And eliminate ALL cereals/grains/rice/pasta from his diet, which would elimininate probably every commercial dog food on the shelf, and most treats too Just some ideas

To compare prices on Frontline as an example small dog 6 doses @ petspantry ...$59.00 small dog 6 doses @ priceless pets ...$44.30

http://www.pricelesspets.com.au/products.php3?page=prod

Pricelss Pets is the cheapest place for flea/tick, approx 1/2 price or more www.pricelsspets.com.au ... http://www.vetproductsdirect.com.au/index.asp?url=IND or The Vet Shed arent too bad for other stuff www.the vetshed.com

I have been raw feeding for alot of years now, and havent heard of the not feeding mince thing before. I am uncertain of what reason that would be, but then I havent read the 22 pages you speak of Bones like chicken carcass/wings/necks, Turkey necks & lamb ribs make up at least 60% of my dogs diet, and the rest is made up of muscle meat/mince, organs, eggs,Mackeral/sardines, occassional fruit & veg, yoghurt & a variety of other things like dinner scraps, brown rice, cooked pumpkin occassionally too.......

Thanks Cavandra, it would be good if that was all that was happening. So when you say "up to 18 months", do you mean anytime up to that age they can lose their coat? And is what comes through generally thicker? This boy doesn't seem to have an undercoat, or just a very thin one - otherwise seems pretty happy within himself so I'm hoping it is a drop and nothing more serious. Theoretically "Junior" is 9-18 months, but really for the "Junior Drop" theory it is 12-18 months for this breed. I wouldnt expect it to be more sinister than that at this early stage

Golden Retrievers generally do a "Junior Drop"...........up to 18 months they lose their coat.

I use it all the time. Combined with Kelp it boosts the immune system by optimising the function of the glandular system. I also use it on any skin problems, scratches, insect bites anything at all. I use ordinary Vinegar for cleaning the floors etc ACV is too expensive for that LOL

It depends on what you are looking for.........It sounds like you may be considering a Mobile business if you are talking franchises. Basically with franchises you are not your own boss you have them breathing down your neck for their bookwork & commissions.......It is also an expensive way to start. If you want to make alot of money, you need to open a salon, it is not possible to make a fortune as a Mobile.....You should take the time & get trained, to set yourself apart from the hundreds of people who call themselves Groomers but actually havent got a clue. Perhaps you could get a job in a Salon, you would probably earn the same amount as being a self employed Mobile , without the hassles!

My butcher does me a 5 kg bag of fresh mince at the end of the day, just before they have to clean everything down. The carcasses etc are fresh that day when he has boned them out. I get it $1 per kg, and bag it into small bags to freeze.

Buying frozen is a worry in the first place, as you dont know how long it sat around for sale in the first place before they didnt sell it so froze it.......You might find that it only lasts a day before going off once defrosted, who knows hey......... Once it is defrosted you cant refreeze it.

Firstly is he a King Charles or a Cavalier King Charles, as they are completely different breeds altogether, and have very few similarities. Sweet , affectionate, excitable to me means you have a Cavalier, if he was a Charlie he would most likely have found a hiding place & wouldnt come out :rolleyes: I am presuming it is a Cavalier you have as they are most common. He can not possibly have Grade 6 Mitral Valve Disease at 12 months of age, a Grade 6 murmur means he wont be around for much longer. If he truly had a Grade 6 murmur as a baby it could well be PDA which is a Patent Ductus, and needs to be surgically fixed & he will lead a normal life, but most PDA affected dogs dont live past 12 months otherwise, it is not a common thing in either breed, but it is a general congenital issue with dogs in general, being a runt I would say this is what his problem is, and if he isnt having surgery I guess it is just a matter of making him comfortable & happy, there is most likely plenty of info on the net about patent Ductus Arteriosis (sp?) Do you know who diagnosed him with MVD??? if it was MVD he would be on expensive ongoing medication...........If it is just a GP Vet who has diagnosed him & graded it, then it is wrong and just PRESUMED it to be MVD....and he may well have some other murmur that he grows out of, but not if it is really graded correctly at a 6! If he does have any type of grade 6 murmur he needs to be kept calm & not taken to groomers or walked or anything that excites him too much, he needs to be kept slim on a Natural diet & on the correct medication for the correct condition that he has. I know it is the last thing your friend needs right now, but the Breeder must be notified & a refund given, the refund may be enough to cover the cost of the operation, I know someone in NSW quoted $1000 by a GP Vet, and $2000 by a Specialist Vet to do a PDA surgery.

Dogs are carnivores and they dont need any vegetable matter. There is evidence that dogs in the wild often leave the gut & its contents.........They often graze on herbs & grass etc, but who knows why. I mainly feed greens & herbs on the occassions I feed it. They are natural scavengers & will eat most things whether or not it is good for them. :rolleyes:

So they can just clip the whole thing off when the pups are little? I suppose the dew claw wouldn't really be developed properly and would be tiny so it woudn't really hurt them? How interesting. Is there actually a purpose for dew claws or are they just one of those useless things, like an appendix or tonsils? Dew claws can just be cut off with scissors by the breeder up to 5 days of age. I used to always remove them, and there was no fuss about it, however I believe Vets take to making it a big ordeal, general anasthetics, stitches bandages etc, it is all ridiculous when it is a painless & simple procedure when done at the right time.........I stopped removing mine a while ago, and ever since then I have had a run of eye injuries all caused by another dogs dew claw, when they are playing & rumbling or up on their back legs they often cop a scratch & quickly turn into eye ulcers!!!