stormie

And unfortunately, we're getting no support from the companies who make annual vaccines and they're also still insisting their vaccines be given annually, regardless of what the AVA has said. No one is willing to do research on the duration of their vaccines either, because I'm sure they know they will last longer than 12months and to show that would result in a massive drop in revenue.

Sounds like you have an atopic dog on your hands. Get yourself to a Derm when you can. Don't play around with diet/supplements until you've done the food elimination diet. There's no point switching to raw if the meats you are feeding are something he's allergic to. I wasted a lot of money in fish oils in the beginning with Orbit, only to find out later on he was actually allergic to fish, so the oils were making him worse. The Derm will start you on a process of elimination - the only way true atopy can be diagnosed. Generally they will rule out parasites, bacteria/fungi and then food as the cause. Once you've gone through that process they'll look at skin testing to see what your dog is allergic to. It's important to diagnose atopy first before skin testing, to know that the results are in fact true. The problem with allergic dogs is that it can be food, contact, or inhaled or a combination of all of them. Pollens are not only inhaled, but also absorbed through the skin. And pollen can travel a long distance through the air, so even if you remove a suspect plant from your garden, your dog will still be inhaling/absorbing the pollen from the same plants all over your suburb. Goodluck!!

I think I'd be inclined to just do it and board her. Treating her like she's got 'issues' could create stress, where as if you treat her like she was never a rescue and is just a regular dog, she's more like to act like one. Could you not request they have separate runs next to each other? Maybe I'm a harsh biatch, but I think going to kennels like it's no big deal wouldn't be too much of an issue. I don't really believe that dogs think all that much about their pasts and relate it to their current situations. All she'd know was that she was in a kennel there and then, and it's only 3 days and then you'd be back. But JMHO :D

If the Dane is still growing, I would be aiming for nothing less than premium food. Otherwise, if Great Barkos works for your dog, then go for it.

I doubt you'll find any insurance company that will cover for a pre existing condition

I think you may have just come to see us!!!

I think its really unfair for training clubs to still specify annual vaccines, considering it has been scientifically accepted that the vaccine has a three year duration. Maybe speak to your club about it and take them the info that is available on the AVA website? My new club has acknowledged the changes and I'm sure come membership renewal, will happily accept my 3 year certificate, even though it was with an annual vaccine.

Yep, correct. It makes them thirsty, thus needing to pee more too. Can also make them hungrier too.

Thanks for that - I will go around and see her later to get a manufacturer's name & check out the other pills she's confused about. Does 500mg sound excessive for a dog that sort of size? Did to me, but then I'm not sure how bad this "cut" on the dog's leg is. I only met her because of her a dog, really sad to see her so alone and confused and the family doesn't seem to care or notice The dose rate is usually about 20-30mg/kg, so not really an excessive dose at all.

Not a breeder, but I went through this with Orbit after I bought him home. Took him a couple of months before he was eating full meals and lost a fair bit of weight during that time. His breeder told me the litter in general were not huge eaters and the other two did something similar too. It does seem to be a common topic on DOL though, where the new puppy isnt all that interested in food.

down the throat here too - though not as easy with a dane because you end up putting half your arm in to get the pill at the back of the throat! But usually gets a treat afterwards, mostly to help him swallow it down properly too. If the pills are small, I'll sometimes put them in a slice of folded cheese.

Wow thats really great, thank you for sharing!!

I think the media should be made aware of this permit system... its outrageous

I've never seen a live funnel web before I'd really like to...

Most oncologists don't have cancer. What's your point? Would you be suggesting that someone who doesn't own a problem dog can't help others resolve problems with theirs? Comparing an Oncologist (20+ years of study and experience) with a Dog Behaviourist (anyone can hang a shingle with that moniker on their door and quite often doesn't even have a dog). Now I really have READ it all! At the moment from what you've described it sounds to me they are play fighting but make no mistake it will escalate. And this is why the OP needs a behaviourist to visit their property and assess the situation first hand, because otherwise they'll end up with someone telling them over the internet not to worry and that their dogs which are fighting aggressively, are just 'play fighting'.

Don't a lot of folk give their pups their first vaccs at 6 weeks? Exactly. It's not ideal and we're starting to realise that now, but I wouldn't question a breeders ethics because they are still vacc'ing at 6wks.

I like to see info/pictures about each of their dogs if possible, not just show achievements but also info about their temp and personality. It's also nice to see photos of previous puppies in their new homes - shows the breeder has kept in contact with their previous buyers and vice versa. Info on the breed in general and their requirements (exercise, diet etc). I like websites that have a description of the breed standard, too. I think information on health issues/testing relating to the breed is also important - shows the breeder is up to date and has these issues in mind when breeding.

Agree with sas - do a spot test first with any sort of plant extract you're planning on using. It's possible your dog might be allergic to the plants, so giving them orally or applying them all over could cause a terrible reaction.

I've always thought it to be a sign of complete disrespect. I don't think you'd ever see a dog marking the alpha member of the pack? But happy to be educated! Personally I wouldn't tolerate marking inside under any circumstances. But maybe I'm a meany

I'm lucky - Orbit starts drooling as soon as I reach for the box! But he's not a fussy boy and will generally eat anything that remotely smells like food. Guardian is one to possibly try as a heartworm/worming combination but that would be expensive for larger breeds. Milbemax is another one to try which comes in a small tablet.

Personally, I wouldn't be feeding a large breed pup a raw diet, particularly if you are new to raw. They need a specific balance of calcium and phosphorus and if you get this wrong, it can affect growth. Once your pup has finished its main growth period, then by all means look into raw, but until then, I'd stick to a high quality dry. I'd go with the brands already suggested - Eagle Pack, Royal Canin, Pro Plan. You can add mince to this for flavour, or sardines etc. If you add mince, keep it raw - it's better for them. Meaty bones like chicken wings, brisket bones, turkey necks are also great.

Since starting our new clinic 6 months ago, I have been pleasantly surprised with the amount of dogs that have been bought from registered, and seemingly ethical, breeders! I've seen some wonderful puppy info packs too. I have to say though, I think that overall, its the older clients that still have the purebreds and buy from breeders, where as the younger ones are going for the oodles/pet shop/trading post puppies. But compared to our other clinic that was in a different part of Sydney, definitely many more papered clients.

Remember the itching with an atopic dog is due to what's going on on their insides, so they don't necessarily have to display external symptoms/causes from the itching. It's the release of histamine in their bodies which results in the itching. Most of the redness/scabs etc are secondary to the itching and not always the cause. I'm not saying it's not possible, just that the specialists know that the majority of cases are genetic - they know canine atopy is genetic but just haven't yet found the genetic marker to test for. As to what makes one dog develop allergies in the first place, who knows, but like I said, I still think for them to react to the environment/chemicals etc, there is something genetically different about that dog to make it react and become allergic, but another dog to not. My dog was bred in the deserts of Victoria, by a breeder who is very minimalistic about veterinary treatments/chemicals etc. Yet he is one of the worst atopic dogs we have ever seen. I know his brother gets a bit itchy after contact with one type of grass, which incidentally, is Orbits worst grass too. What I think would be interesting, would be to run a poll asking everyone on dol whether their dogs have ever been diagnosed or displayed some sort of allergy to either the environment and/or food. I'm talking contact with things like grasses, not wandering jew. I know I've said this before, but what I don't think a lot of people may realise, is that even though their dog only occasionally scratches after rolling in a certain type of grass, it's still a form of allergy and therefore that dog/bitch has the potential to pass that on. I've read countless threads on dogs that were itchy but once grains were stopped, the dog was fine. Well that dog probably has an allergy, which again has the potential to pass on. But like I said, just my opinion from what I've learnt from my dealings. :D

I would always personally prefer to raise a puppy on the leaner side rather than the chubby side - much better on growing and developing bones/joints etc. Just make sure whatever you use is balanced, ie calcium:phosphorus

You're right - I forgot about that concept. But it is in line with the "too clean" concept I raised in my post above. Immune system has nothing to do, so turns on to things that it ordinarily doesn't or shouldn't be turning against. Sure. But at the end of the day, IMO, I think the dog still has to be genetically predisposed to react that way to those things, whatever they are.