InspectorRex

Have sent you an email also Colleen

Thanks for the support Nadia and Espinay2 No way would I groom a dog and send it home still damp, not brushed or dryed properly. I groom people's dogs how I would want mine do if I had to pay someone to do it; with love, care and attention to detail. Thanks for the link too. And yes a lot of groomers are starting to go out of business because they have not factored enough $$ into their fees. I am fortunate that my accountant guded my to set my business up- he wants me to succeed/break even and not run a a loss.

Speaking from both owning and grooming a Rough Collie- prices will vary depending on the condition of the coat. The Rescue bot "Bundy" that we have adopted permanently took me over 5 hours just to strip the dead old coat out then he had to be hydrobathed, and turbodryed so if I was charging somoene to dog a dog in that dreadful state is would be at least $150.00. groomers need to factor in costs( eg water, elecrticity, shampoos, conditioner etc etc). Now if I were going a Rough Collie that had been cared for with love by it's owner it would be around the $50-60 mark; these are double coated breeds so there is extra work involved. it is like anything- you get what you pay for. we have a notorious groomer in aour area that charges $25 flat fee for all dogs. i have had to re-do soem of these as all she does is wash them and then out talc in the coat. when she clipped one Malt X she clipped do close to the skin she cut the dog's nipple of and the owner had to have the dog stitched up by Vet. Now doing a dog for a friend- well they are Love jobs and you do them for next to nothing

Here goes my six pence worth( with some knowledge as trained my Collie to CDX title, former ANKC Trial Judge and current obedeince instructor and handler); Lesson No 1: the dog must trust your command first . The way I first teach stay to any dog is to use a very frim verbal STAY, take off with the right foot and then stand directly in front of the dog's nose. after 30 secs or so I swivel back to the dog's right hand side( at heel position) and then after a few seconds heaps of praise. far too many people expect to be able to Return Around their dog too early. When the dog is okay and steady and doing the above then I introduce the Retrun around the dog. Also the command for stay is exactly that STAY, the command WAIT is for your recalls as you eant your dog to Wait for further instructions for you. NEVER call your dog from a STAY as you are then teaching it to BREAK it's Stay and will confuse the crap out if it. When the dog is happily staying for up to a minute and then letting you return around it without moving then it is time to introduce Distance between you and the dog. This is when a long lead or extenda lead comes in handy. You leave your dog facing it. You then walk backwards yourself and keep telling your dog to STAY every know and then. when you get about 15 paces away then stay still and look over your dog's head, DO NO make eye contact as this will challenge your dog to BREAK. When you have been standing there for say 2 minutes Return to your dog, saying STAY every now and then until you are in thr At Heel position. When comfortable with that and your dog is happy too then it is time to drop the lead on the ground BEfore you leave the dog and tell the dog to STAY. This time walk away with your back to your dog BUT every few paces turn around, face your dog and give another STAY command. It is tedious but I have found this the best methods with my Collies. I would not be taking a dog off lead for Stays until it can easily do the above. We have to catch up at Lillydale and i will try and show you and Rosie what I mean.even if we can teach her to Sit/Drop at a distance it could save her life.

Oh the Cute fluffy ones, did forget about them. Yes and they are soooo cute too. Before I got my hydro etc I found, like others, that some Mobile groomers do Not disinfect after each dog, eewww! That is when I got my own hydro. I will look up that number for the groomer in Melb if you wish

REVOLUTION ingredient of selamectin is a diectly related drug to Ivermectin and I would Defininately Not give it to any Collie,Rough, Smooth, Bearded or Border, Aussie Shepherd, Shetland Sheepdog orany dog that has these breeds in them ( ie The Aus Kelpie and Aus Cattle Dog came down from Collies so I would not use this drug). If anyone wants info on this Sensitivity please pm or email me and I will give you as much info as i have at had( which is quite a bit ). The way to go is; if the word "mectin" appears anywhere on the drug and you have one of these breeds or crosses of them AVOID it like the plague.!!!

I can give you the name of a great groomer in Balwyn if that is any help? $30 is a very reasonable price but whoever you use Insist that the bath is disinfected after each dog( seems a fair ask but a lot do not do it!) and with a Collie I prefer Not to add the shampoo to my water but to wet the dog first, then hand apply the shampoo, then rinse off and put conditioner on and rinse off with fresh water.

Yes, Maggie and Tinsel( Rosie's Mum) share the same birthday. I hope Rosie gives you as much love and enjoyment as we had we Maggie and are having with young Phoebe. Thanks Chezzyr from Rex

Some breeds, especially Collies or similar, cannot tlerate Heartworm preventatives with Ivermectin etc in it. Revolution is one of thse as it has Milbamectin in it. Sentinel Spectrum is great and it does all the other worms too and flea control. pricelesspets.com.au is heaops cheaper than buying at the Vets As others have stated if the dog is 6ths or over it must have the blood test first. even if you do not live in a heartworm area it only takes for one dog to come in from another area that is infected for your dog to be at risk

For a Collie that is blowing Coat a Hudrobath is a godsend and then the turbo dryer. Have you though about ringing Rosis's"mum" and going down for a hydro there? It is heaps easier on your back and get better results coat wise. when our Collies are shedding badly, I like to hydrobath them once a week for 3 - 4 weeks to get all of that old yucky coat out and then the new coat grows nicer and more quickly. I am sure Rosie's "mum" could help out

Our dearest Rough Collie " Maggie"- Australian Champion Colbeau Go Get Em legal Today would have been your 8th Birthday , you left us for the Rainbow Bridge just over 2 weeks ago on 15th July 2005. Maggie, you were the sweetest and most loving Collie in our memory. We miss you so much Sweetheart but we understand that you had to go as you were not a well girl. Your best "little sister" Phoebe aka Kazjs Petticoats Showin misses you terribly . She cries for you at night when we go to bed. We will meet again one day our beautiful Miss Maggie. Love Colleen( "Mum"), Bill )"Poppy") and "Phoebe puppy" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When they first hit the markert I had personal experience with a dog eating and chewing a Greenie and then within hours winding up at the Vet with dog very ill.Our Vet has withdrawn them from his Clinic to further research done on the ingredients and adverse reactions.

Greenies have been known to be fatal in USA with dogs. I would stay well away from them too.

Abby, you were a special dog. I remember your passing this time last year as we had just lost our FergieBaby Lady. Now we have lost our Maggie. And I agree the wounds never completely heal.

No you are not "nuts". you are just still grieving. I still miss my male Collie that I lost 2 yrs ago. You male dog got into your heart because he loved you and you loved him. Just takes things easy. Having just lost Maggie yesterday I bloody know what you are going through. Thank God we have this forum to go onto and share our grief. Have a good bloody cry and don't keep it in, otherwise you will get sick. Who care's if I am crying doing the shopping today- it is winter and all I kept getting asked was " do you have the flu too?"

Thanks to all of you. Yes Maggie was a beautiful and very special girl. It is just so god damn hard

Today we had to say farwell to our beautiful Rough Collie " Maggie" aka Ch Colbeau Go Get Em Legal at just under age 8yrs. "Maggie" we tried everything we could to make you better and nothing was working Sweetheart You touched the hearts and souls of all of those who knew you. Rest now Miss Maggie- no more suffering, no more tests. We will meet again one day at the Bridge. You are now reunited with your beloved "Brodie"( Rough Collie aka Nauglamir Seabrooke CDX) and your Nanny( our Mum/wife). Forever in our hearts Maggie Colleen( Mum) , Bill ( Poppy) and your best little "sister" Phoebe. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sad News: Maggie deterioated this morning with further diarrhoea and we had to make the decision we all hate making- we had to let Maggie go to the Rainbow Bridge and yes TLI's were checked ( not EPI)

About 2 wks ago we had to take Maggie of the FP as tummy upsets again and buy Rabbit to steam( our last food source/resort). we thought she was doing ok until yesterday- Our girl " Maggie" took sick again 13.7.05 with gurgling tummy. Vet checked her and her heart rate was slow for her , 80 beats per minute( she usually is about 100). Her feet were cold and her nose very dry and hot. He tried to get a bood sample from her but it was clotting as he was taking it so haemtology was not able to be done. She had and injection of cortisone plus her upped her preds to 5mg twice a day. we came home and she settled again. 14.7.05; this afternoon Maggie was unsettled, asking to go outside and then not wanting to. She ate her tea and I took her outside and she promptly had an acute attack of blackish diarrhoea. Phoned vet and took her straight done( of course this was after clinic closed). Vet did prelimary checks and then said Maggie was not well and they would place her on IV fluids and keep her overnight. Her specialist said today( before this latest attack) that if there was not a marked improvement in the next couple of days things were not looking good at al for Maggie. Please include her in your prayers tonight, we do not know how much longer she will be with us, she is not even 8yo yet. Life really sucks - since April 2003 we have lost 14yo Collie, then wife/mother to cancer and then 7/04 had to pts 9mo pup due to too many genetic defects.

DosBestFriend- hope you and/or your Vet contacted the Manufactur of the C7 Vaccine and that they paid for any of your Vet bills that arose from this

sounds like what my girl has, Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Google search and put in Inflammtory Bowel Disease in Dogs and you will find out heaps. Is the surgery the Vet is talking about Endoscopy?

My dog has Inflammatory Bowel Disease also Dogmad. Has the Vet looking after your foxy suggested doing an endoscope and taking biopsies? That is how we got ours diagnosed. We have just placed her on an all natural diet of raw rabbit( which is a white meat), lightly steamed green vegies that are then puree'd. we had tried All the prescription dog foods possible to no avail . Rappie, if you are online do you have any suggestions for this poor dog and the owner?

" Fergie Baby Lady" it is 1 year ago today that we had to let you go to the Rainbow Bridge :D at the very tender age of 9 months. You were too sick and we could no longer watch you suffer. They say that time heals all wounds but you left such a huge hole in our hearts that the scar may never heal. We loved you lots our Fergie Baby Lady ( Rough Collie ) and you loved us in return. We will meet again one day sweetheart. Love Colleen( "Mummy" ), Bill ("Poppy") and your best friend "Maggie" ( Rough Collie )xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maggie has only ever refused her food twice, that is when all the alarm bells went off. She loves food big time and would probably eat 24hrs a day if I let her We just have to see how we go with the Eukanuba FP and pray to God that it works

LouiseBrooks, and I/d is upposed to be for dogs with upset guts etc, go figure? will keep you all posted how Maggie goes with the Eukanuba Fish and Potato. Doing it all gradually thought, with a bit of cooked turkery mince and potato and a bit of the FP dry. I just pray to God that she can tolerate the FP, cos after this there is only 1 only food to try. At the moment am really tearing my hair out as I also care full-time for my 82yo Dad( lives with me ) and he is not well either. thanks everyone for your thoughts