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I love the fact that Spence can't sleep soundly in his bed in my room if I'm not there too. He takes himself off to bed before me and sleeps for awhile, and then if I don't go to bed he comes out and stands and looks at me. Sometimes he goes back to bed and then comes out again a little while later if I don't follow him. Or he heaves a big sigh and goes to sleep on the floor next to me.

I only chuck it in council bins, never private bins on nature strips. I don't mind carrying it if there's no council bin nearby - my dog poops so little it's almost like carrying an empty bag.

Hmm so it may have been the dermotic ear drops that caused the flaky skin GrufLife? He has had a bath since I got the infection cleared up two months ago. Rinsed and dried thoroughly too (I work in a grooming salon). I'm sure the infection was completely cleared. I had to get another bottle of drops because it took a little while to clear up. I made sure to continue the drops for about ten days after the symptoms (redness, gunk, smell) disappeared to make sure it was all gone. I've cleaned out the inside of his ear and rubbed coconut oil into the dry skin. Fingers crossed it clears up soon cos those big skin flakes are pretty gross!

Thanks Snook. Hopefully it clears up when I remove beef from his diet. CavNrott, the ear infection was actually a couple of months ago, so I dont think it was caused by scratching. I will try the coconut oil topically. I should also mention that he's been on antibiotics for the last 3 months, and will probably be on them for the rest of his life. Don't know if that could cause this kind of dandruff though. I give him natural yoghurt with live abc cultures and a probiotic capsule daily to try to keep his digestive system balanced.

Spence has had big dandruff flakes coming off the skin around his right ear for a couple of weeks now. The skin looks quite dry and scaly and the flakes are really big, not like normal dandruff. Just wondering if anyone has experienced the same thing or has any idea what the cause could be? He had a yeast infection in that same ear a while ago, but that was cleared up with drops and he hasn't been scratching or shaking his head. The inside of the ear looks and smells normal. He's fed a raw diet and currently has raw salmon most days and coconut oil daily. I've suspected he may have an intolerance to something in his diet because he's a but itchy around his mouth and has weepy eyes. I cut chicken out of his diet just over a month ago and haven't seen any improvement, so after his current freezer load of food is finished I'll try cutting out beef. Could this sort of localised dandruff be caused by diet? Or is it more likely to be yeast or mites or something?

She looks great in that video :) I don't think I'll have to do any shaping at all with Spence; whenever I put something on the ground his first instinct is to stand on it (not always a good thing!) :laugh:

I'm sold! Thanks ness. The Fitbone can replace the aerobic step I'm currently using. Yes, the peanut is a bit high for my old(ish) boy too. He doesn't like being picked up so I have a 'mounting block' for him. I don't really like him jumping off it either.

How do you find the Fitbone compared to a balance disc ness? I was tossing up between a balance disc and a bosu ball. The Fitbone looks like it might be similar to a disc, but the shape means the dog can stand with all four feet on it. I want alllll of the equipment dammit!

In regard to the surgery, if she's a healthy dog I don't necessarily think she's "too old". My dog has had about 4 GAs this year for a surgery and various diagnostic tests. He bounced back brilliantly each time. He turns 13 next month. Just do your research and choose the option that feels right for you and your girl :)

Happy birthday Mac! What are the tie-back stats?? Stuff the stats anyway, Mac looks like he has plenty of life in him yet!

From what I've read on raw feeding website and FB groups, it's not uncommon for dogs to vomit pieces of undigested bone if they're mainly fed dry food. It's something to do with the ph level of their stomach. On a completely raw diet it's more acidic and everything gets digested properly.

Yep I've seen them at an Asian grocer in Mitcham. I think they'd probably sell them at the Asian market in Springvale.

That's awesome Tassie! I'm still slumming it in bronze, but I found your intro topic so I'll be able to check out your progress No pressure haha

I signed up for bronze too Tassie :) Yeah, I've been using a FitPaws Peanut and an aerobic step, but I need more ideas because I'm not particularly creative with coming up with exercises.

I've just signed up for a six week online canine conditioning course through Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. Just thought I'd post the link in case anyone else is interested. K9 Conditioning I don't do sports with my dog - he's nearly 13 and has arthritis. But I've been doing conditioning and body awareness exercises with him every day for about a month and I've seen a significant increase in muscle tone. Spence loves it as well because he gets both physical and mental stimulation.

What a brilliant photo! :D

He's had tie back surgery

I have to use a harness on Spence because of laryngeal paralysis, and I don't like it. He walks nicely by my side on a loose leash, but it is harder to move him along again after a 'sniff n pee' stop. I used to just give him a quick pop on the leash (not a harsh correction!) to get him moving, but that doesn't work so well with a harness. He's also going deaf, so a verbal "come on!" is pretty ineffective too. I find the harness doesn't fit as well as a collar also. And I'm not convinced that collars cause laryngeal paralysis, otherwise I think there'd be a hell of a lot more dogs with the condition.

Wow I didn't know constipation could be a problem after surgery. I had the opposite problem, the fentanyl patch caused some faecal incontinence in my boy after his last surgery. Fingers crossed the tinned food works for you!

I think I'll try adding turmeric to Spencer's diet too. If it has the same positive effect on a dogs nervous system, that would be awesome. Spence has laryngeal paralysis which some vets think could be an early symptom of more general nerve degeneration. I've read that turmeric also helps with arthritis, so he could definitely do with all those benefits!

Hmm that's really interesting. Spence has heaps of lipomas. Only one really big one though, which sounds like its in the same spot Ivy's was. It hasn't affected his movement thankfully. Is the turmeric just supposed to prevent the formation of new lipomas? Does it have any affect on existing ones?

Haha yep. I was thinking about that a couple of weekends ago when I went shopping for human grade raw meat for the dog and then stopped by maccas for lunch on the way home

I don't give my 19kg dog chicken necks because they're swallowed after one or two chomps. For me, the whole point of feeding bones is for the dog to chew and work at them.

Argh! I watched all the videos and now I want in! My dog is nearly 13 though and has been mostly trained with luring. I know it's not "too late" for him, but he is a creature of habit and im worried that he wont pick things up as easily as a dog 'starting fresh'. Also, I would only be able to use an iPad to access the course, would that be a problem?

Have you noticed any improvement/change in your dogs condition or anything? Yes. Firstly he drinks a lot less and produces less poo! His coat is shinier and softer. I think the biggest change is his body condition. He's always been lean, but he has much better muscle tone now.