The Spotted Devil

One of my Uni lecturers (a vet) did not recommend it - he said the efficacy of the product was questionable but wasn't more specific. It's not something I would use.

*hugs* On the 29th of November it was the fifth anniversary of the passing of my beloved 17 year old ACD, Dolly and the 30th of November marked the birthday of my dearly departed 18 year old Burmese, Willow. I was struck by how much I still miss them and how much it still hurts My life is so full and my animal family is just perfect. We actually toast Willow, Dolly, Bronte, Lilly and Ziggy (plus any fosters!) every single night, which is a lovely way of remembering them. I still can't look at the video footage of Dolly that my Mum took - it remains gift wrapped. One day perhaps

Yes - good point! I had forgotten but many years ago I spent some time training a friend's Standard Poodle youngster who was in show puppy clip - I moved interstate so didn't take it any further unfortunately. I also did agility with a friend's Tibetan Terrier (correct name?) - awesome little dog - looked like a mop on speed :D

I visited my pup's litter when they were 5 weeks - I was limited by other commitments as I had to travel interstate to see them. Fortunately the breeders of my boy are lovely people and had me stay with them for 3 or 4 days (waaaaaay too many long lunches ). When we weren't eating and drinking I spent a lot of time interacting with the pups and simply observing them interact with each other and the environment. I also wanted a dog primarily for dog sports so, although looks were important, personality was more so. I had 9 pups to choose from but I specifically wanted a boy so that left me with 5. Even at that age, they were all very confident and outgoing but their individual personalities were very evident to me. One pup I rejected because he was incredibly persistent - if a door was shut he would bang it and bang it and bang it and bang it and.....you get my drift Another (the show pick of the litter) just didn't seem to want to be around people as much as the other pups - very aloof, so he wasn't for me either. I kept coming back to 'Sage' (as he was known) again and again - he was always first out of the box to explore something new and always with such curiosity and confidence. He would have one look at the 'new' thing and then wander off to find something else 'new'. If a door was shut he would bang it once or twice and then move on if it wasn't opened for him. When my lap was full of puppies and there was no room left, he didn't scrabble and push to find some room but happily curled up at my feet, making sure he was in contact. It was things like these that made me consider him strongly. I didn't absolutely make up my mind that week as we waited for BAER hearing tests and assessments from fellow breeders. I wasn't aware until later that several people picked him as suited to dog sports when the pups were 7 weeks. To be honest, Ziggy as a 2 yo is just so much what he was like as a 5 week old pup - just the way he approaches anything new or unfamiliar (e.g. agility). Of course, he is still a Dally and was a difficult puppy and teen!!!

Standard Poodle in full show clip I just love their intelligence, athleticism and stunning good looks Never going to happen because I barely have the time (or skill!) to groom a Dally

I'll precede this by saying that I am restricted by the Dalmatian's protein requirements (i.e. chicken, relatively low protein, no organ meat) and, fortunately, I have a dog that eats anything! Advance Large Breed Puppy (plus a chicken wing for supper) - Zig looked lovely on this, although his faeces were soft at times. Eagle Pack Light - mainly for the lower protein content, but it was too low in protein/fat and I had great trouble keeping the weight on. Eagle Pack Holistic (plus a chicken frame every 2nd night) - Ziggy's coat looks great but his faeces are soft the next day. When he has a chicken frame instead, his faeces firm up. Now thinking of trying Dick Van Patten's organic range - it ticks all the boxes for ingredients and I'm hoping it will be easier to keep weight on feeding this. If it wasn't for the Dally protein requirements I'd probably feed a 'working dog' formula as Zig looses a kilo just getting up in the morning

Vaccination can boost the immune response - so the human/animal still gets ill but not AS sick as it would have had the vaccine not being given :rolleyes:

It's definitely worth reading the label carefully! The number of times I see 'hormone-free' chickens - NO chicken in Australia is given hormones! However, antibiotic free is an important factor - that's why certified organic is probably a better way to go. The other difficulty is that 'free-range' is not necessarily better welfare - it can appear better and can be better but it is all about management. Chickens don't normally live in flocks of hundreds or thousands such as those you see in barn laid or free range hens - it can cause increased stress, disease, feather pecking. Plus it is much more difficult for the stock people to check the health of each bird. I don't like the lack of space available for caged hens either but I have seen some amazing systems that, despite their huge size, are incredibly clean, sweet smelling with birds that are not squawking in fear or showing any health problems - again it's about management. There is a fair bit of research currently examining these problems.

Leema, I would look for 'organic' labelled meat - grass fed rather than grain fed etc. With regards to chickens, ALL chickens raised for meat are 'free range' i.e. not in cages - only laying hens are caged so look for 'organic' chicken as well. Hope that helps

Not the organic chicken - remember that in Australia we only have that and their super premium range. Sags Ah, thanks Sags - it was the organic one I was looking at too As for cats vs dogs - they are not that different, although cats do have a peculiar way of processing protein. I suspect it has more to do with the fact that cats require substantially more food per kg body weight than dogs (small size, protein requiremnets etc) than anything else. All the talk is of irradiation but that is still speculation. Bloody frustrating whichever way you look at it!

Are you still feeding Orijen? Just that some cats that are getting sick were reportedly snacking on Orijen dog biscuits occasionally

I'm considering trying Ziggy on the organic formula - he's currently on Eagle Pack Holistic - he looks great but his poos are soft unless I feed a chicken frame every 2nd night. Whilst I will continue to feed chicken frames, I'd prefer to try him on something that doesn't cause such a response. ETA: You can't win!!! A google search came up with a reference to a serious melamine scare associated with DVP in 2007. They say they have new protocols but how are we to know? I'd like to feed a raw diet but have to keep the protein level below 22% and restricted to chicken. Looks like I have some reading to do.

Like everyone else, 12 months already? You are sadly missed Maxie (what a lovely photo too!) Hugs and Ziggy licks to you at this difficult time SG xxx

Our dogs of today are built differently to the tough dogs of old - survival of the fittest, eh! Plus, our dogs are living much longer too and I don't want my old dog plagued with arthritis. If you want to compare dogs and children, I'd be more likely to compare young kids that do high level gymnastics and young dogs doing full height agility Kavik is right - there is so much foundation work you can do without going near a jump or a weaver.

Agree with TO - particularly with a dog from late maturing lines (both physically AND mentally ). I have only just started training agility with Zig (he's just turned 2) and it's a real joy to work with a dog that is confident, focussed and bursting with enthusiasm. His chiro told me that his lack of physical maturity was preventing his back muscles holding his spine in place - this has really changed of late and she is finding much less stiffness in the region. I don't think weaving poles or jumping would have helped that so I stuck with creative clicker training and obedience work

Digging is so much fun :laugh: I kept my Dally inside with me all the time and took him to the beach very early in the morning so he could dig and dig to his heart's content. It's worked a treat - he has never had the opportunity to dig at home but still gets the opportunity to enjoy himself ;)

If you want Australian made chicken treats, I can recommend Nature's Gift - have even been to the factory as part of a field trip

Heh, heh! If I can (finally) instil a recall for a spotty set of balls anyone can

My vet thought that Zig had only one descended testicle - but I disagreed, having noticed that they went up and down like yo-yos so said 'we'll see'. I was right.....of course

Whoo hoo Daisy Congratulations on your other announcement too

In my experience, you don't pay it over the internet anyway. I've always printed off the page and faxed it to them

TSD - very very dangerous! Mine had faded and they have now all come flooding back! Particularly dangerous when Zig's breeder has 2 litters due very shortly.......fortunately the timing is not right for me *phew!*

I waited for 2 years! Funnily enough, the memories of Zig's puppy hood and what a devil he was are slowly beginning to fade......very dangerous :D

A tragic and sudden loss I'm so sorry. Run free, Buzz

Oh I'm so sorry I've been following this thread and had hoped for a positive outcome. Run free, Buzz