kitcat

When I picked up my golden retriever (born 13/02/07) I was told she had been immunised at 6 weeks (27/03/07). Her vet card says distemper, hepatitis and parvovirus and the label stuck on the card indicates “Protech Duramune C3”. The vaccination record indicates the next date for immunisation is 15/05/07 (which I make out to be 13 weeks). When reading a thread on Puppy Pre-School there was an indication that the immunisation schedule is “ 6,10,12-16 weeks? So I’m confused, Should she be getting an immunisation at 10 weeks AND 12 weeks? I can’t imagine my breeder stuffed that up. The vet card I was given says • Puppy Temporary 6-8 weeks • Puppy Permanent 12-14 weeks • Puppy Booster 16-18 weeks. So what’s this 10 week thing? All this fuss is because Leah is booked in for puppy pre-school next week and she has only had her first shots. The school is run for 8-14 week pups. Then I read a thread about Parvo and how it is important to have 2 sets of shots done before any dog socialisation (now I’m both confused and a tad concerned). Cath

Dear all, Thank you all so very much for your advice. I went out the next day and brought a bag of Eagle Pack. She started eating it straight away (so the supermarket stuff is going in the bin). I’m not sure how long she will be on that brand as I had to drive to South Dandenong to get it but certainly the premium food was a great improvement. Her coat has improved, she is far happier. And I no longer dread getting up in the morning to try and feed a little pup who wouldn’t eat. There has also been an amazing improvement in the bowel motions - less smell, no more runny poos etc So far her diet is. • Half a cup of dry food in the morning (she doesn’t eat it all) • Chicken necks in the afternoon – about 4 • Small handful of mince and half a cup of dry food in evening Her appetite is slowly increasing. She always leaves a little bit so she can’t be starving. I will go over everyone’s suggestions and add a bit more into the diet gradually. The bones are next (lamb flaps as suggested). Thanks again, Cath

I have brought a few toys for my golden retriever puppy. • A plastic dental gum chew toy, sort of shaped like a bone • Rope (not frayed) with tennis ball, • Squeaky ball and banana I realised with the squeaky toys ($2 shop) they could have been dangerous as the squeak fell out (now stuck inside the toy) and she could have choked on it. In fact she isn’t much interested in any of the above. Today I gave here one of my baby’s old toys a soft ball with a rattle noise inside. She LOVES it. Great for inside throwing and fetching, and she seems to love to rattle it on her own. Here’s the concern. If I leave her with it, what are the chances she will chew through the material and somehow choke on the round ball inside which holds the rattle? She really likes the sound aspect of the toy. Also, I did a search on “toys” and read ideas like coke bottle without lid. But what are the chances she will tear her mouth biting into plastic, (which can sometimes be quite sharp). So here are the questions. • I need toys that I can leave puppy alone in the house with. • Any suggestions of safe toys with rattles. • How cautious should I be with the type of toy? Would the soft ball be something I should only let her have when I am home? • She loves to chew but isn’t really interested in conventional dog toys – can I put some sort of food smell on the dental gum toy to make it more enticing. I’ve read about kongs which sound great and I’ll get one of those. I also saw some postings about the Orka toys. Any other suggestions? Should I be worried about supervision or am I just fussing (I've only raised babies before, not dogs)

Thanks for all the good advice. I agree I think some of the food it was suggested I feed my puppy was way too “human” for her own good. I’ll stick to the chicken necks and look into some other premium options. A bit more online research will be in order I think. I’m happy with the idea of raw and table scraps but I want to make sure she will eat some standard diet before I start giving her too many options. In my house there isn’t always table scraps at the end of the meal. A further couple of question? When people are talking about “bags” of food does that mean that puppy is getting dry food rather than wet (tinned) food? I thought puppy’s needed mixed wet and dry? (ie tinned mixed with biscuit) not dry on its own. Also If I make up a batch of rice and veg (not a problem) is this something I could freeze. Any “big dog puppy” recipes or just whatever goes in the pot? Thanks for all your help Cath

Hi all, (first post so hope this works) I’m the proud new mum of a gorgeous 8 week old golden retriever (Leah). She’s been home with us since last Tuesday night. Our breeder sent us home with a book of instructions including diet. For example: • Morning - weetbix, puppy milk & bit of honey (or vegemite toast) • Afternoon - chicken necks (6) • Dinner – super coat, mincemeat and pal puppy. Unfortunately she doesn’t seem too happy to eat it. She is happy to dig up the garden and eat anything she can find (possum poo, old dried bone, her hidden day old chicken neck, and crayons), but she wont eat her food at meal times. She has never touched the weetbix, will only have the occasional chicken neck (about 2 a day) and pretty much won’t eat the dinner mix unless desperate and only about 2 tablespoons (she loves vegemite toast but I don’t really think that is appropriate every day) We realised the first few days she was unsettled and nervous but she seems a bit more relaxed now. In desperation dad gave her a bit of cooked steak from last nights dinner which she woofed down and loved, so its not nerves now. I fear I have a FUSSY EATER. Ahhhhhhhh. How far do I indulge this? We don’t want have a fussy eater in the house and I know if I chop and change food, or feed her our food, I will create exactly this. It’s only her first week so what is the step by step approach. So here are my questions. 1) How long do I stick to the breeder diet if she isn’t eating it. 2) If I try new food, what brand could I try? I would prefer not to spend a fortune and would prefer if possible to purchase from the supermarket. 3) How long do I try each new food? 4) Also when can she have raw bones and what type is appropriate for a golden pup. I would really appreciate any advice. Cheers Cath