Joypod

Hi All, I had a situation on Saturday which resulted in my Frenchie being bitten by another rather large dog. I have no idea what breed the other dog was but it looked like it might have been a cross between a boxer and a bull mastif. It was bigger than my dog anyway. It was totally mine and Gus's (Frenchie) fault though. He was off lead in a public park and ran up to the other dog who was on lead. I accept full responsibility for him being bitten. My question is, however, is there anything I could have done to make the other dog release its grip on Gus? He bit him and shaked him a little but by the time I got there, was just pinning him to the ground in a vice-like grip. I tried in vain to pull his jaws apart and really didn't know what to do that wouldn't aggravate the situation. My fear was if I did something to try and make the dog release Gus, he (the other dog) would start shaking Gus... and he had him by the throat. So, all i did was physically support Gus and wait until the other dog let go. The owner of the other dog was trying to cover the dog's nose saying she had to cut off his air but that didn't seem to work either. Really, he only let go when HE WANTED to let go. Does anyone have any advice about pressure points or successful techniques they know of to make a dog release it's grip? Thanks guys Joypod

Hi Erinonthefarm, I'm not sure about dog clubs because I'm not a member of any but Dog Central Day Care in Yarraville (Vic), where my two stay sometimes, accept titre tests as proof of vaccination. From memory, it wasn't cheap. I think it was about $200 per dog but you'd have to speak to your vet about that. Please don't quote me, I honestly don't remember exactly. I felt it was well worth spending the money to see if they were covered rather than over vaccinate them both. Hope that helps.

Hi All, I had my two titre tested when they were 12 months old. Both had good antibodies to Parvo, Hep and Distemper. They're both now 3 years old. I was thinking I should get them re-tested. Any thoughts? Ta

Dogs seem to be developing more alergies just like humans are. I wonder if it has anything to do with all the antibiotics pumped into meat products which we (and our animals) are eating. Just wondering.

Thanks everyone! As always, very helpful, insightful responses. I think the poor boy must have just needed to go and was too caught up in the moment to get himself outside. I'll make sure he's getting plenty of love and attention. And onsntillnflash, we thought Hyacinth went well with Gus and Daisy... name wise. Thanks again.

Hi all, I haven't posted for a while but would really like some advice about something that just happened. Gus, my 2 year old Frenchie, just wee'd on the floor in the bedroom. He's house trained and knows not to wee inside. Background info: We got a kitten about 6 weeks ago who's obviously been getting a lot of attention. She sits on the couch and sleeps on the bed. Gus is allowed on the couch but only if he's invited up. Gus and Hyacinth (kitten) have worked out a fairly amicable existence and seem to enjoy playing with each other. So, just before, I was in the bedroom and Hyacinth was in the corner with Gus doing play bows in front of her. Then he comes over to me (i'm sitting at the dressing table) and does a few play bows to me. I give him a bit of a pat then turn around to continue doing what i was doing when i hear him wee'ing on the floor. He's standing in the middle of the room, looking at Hyacinth (which i think is significant) and doing a big wee. My gut feeling is that he was saying to her, this is MY house and this is MY person. Look what I can do! Am i making the right assumption... and what should I be doing to stop it from happening again? thanks for any ideas lovely people.

Thanks Chocolate! Great reply!

The toxicity builds up over time. It's not going to kill them straight away but it ends up damanging their livers.

Hi all, I've just ordered some Petz Life Oral Care Gel which is supposed to clean a dogs teeth without having to brush. I know the best way to clean a dogs teeth is to give them a bone but that's not an option for my two for a number of reasons I won't go into here.... long story. Anyway, I was a bit concerned to read on the Petz Life website that they suggest one way of administering the gel was to put it in some peanut butter. Their thinking is that the PB will stick to the dogs teeth along with the gel. Seeing as PB is toxic to dogs, I wanted to find an alternative. This morning in the supermarket, I saw a peanut butter 'substitute' that's made with sunflower seeds instead of peanuts. Would this be safe to give them in small amounts? Thanks.

I used to buy Orijen at 'Four Paws n More' in Keilor Park. Pretty sure they still stock it.

Yep, my two love it also. They've never looked better either. Soft, silky coats, poo's firm enough to pick up (thank the LORD!) and they're both really happy too. I couldn't be more pleased.

Both of mine are insured with PetPlan. Costs me around $62 per month.

I'm glad you posted this. Our boy has a very sensitive stomach... AAGGHH - I don't know what to use! What should I use for a dog that has a sensitive stomach? My boy has a sensitive tummy too and I found Ziwi Peak gave him and Daisy really runny poo. I've got them both on Artemis Fresh Mix Adult and they're both really happy and have much firmer poos. It's so much cheaper than Ziwi Peak too.

Yep, I was disappointed for sure. I had to take my two off their raw diet because Gus is prone to gastro. I tried Orijen as well as Ziwi Peak but both gave both dogs sloppy poos. They're now on Artemis Fresh Mix Adult and I (and they) couldn't be happier. Their poos are firmer (still not as firm as when they were on raw) and they love the taste and lick each others bowls for ages after feeding. But yeah, I was really disappointed with Orijen.

YES!! Thanks mrmac! You're a legend! I've saving the link right now.

Hi Everyone, There was a great link posted in a topic a while ago that took you to a web site which listed every sort of dog food and graded them from 1-6 in order of their quality. I've tried to find it but to no avail. Does anyone have any idea what that is?? Thanks! Vic

I switched my two over to a combo of Orijen and Ziwipeak and both ended up with runny poo. I've counteracted it by feeding them a pre-packed BARF pattie each per day. They've got ground bone in them which is enough to firm up their poo. They'd both been on a raw diet (with lovely small, non-smelly, hard poo's) but Gus was getting gastro too much and ending up in hospital which is why I switched them to raw. The only other thing I would have done to firm up their poo would have been to feed them chicken wings but they're a big no-no in our house these days because of fatso having such a sensitive tummy.

A can of PAL will do the job.

After Gus's latest bout of gastro I had him on boiled chicken and rice for a few days. Until his stools were firmer and more 'normal'.

Thanks babe. Daisy is a dream when it comes to food. That sweet girl will eat anything without any fuss at all. Fat-boy inhales his food but unfortunately seems to be predisposed to these bouts of gastro. Daisy is loving the mix of Ziwipeak and Orijen and Gus is about to be transitioned over from the boiled chicken he's been on the last couple of days. I'll be sure to give Daisy an extra big cuddle from you all.

Thanks Erny. Hills Prescription Diet t/d is what the vet suggested I put Gus onto but I'm not sure I want to give him even one every now and then. According to the ingredients, it contains things like calcium pantothenate and pyridoxine hydrochloride which apparently aren't all that good for dogs.... not sure, still doing my research. :wink: I might give Dr Syme a call though because I'm open to any and all suggestions.

Thanks PH.. and hi Do you worry about choking with nylabones though? Are they the same as rawhides?

No but I've got some Holistic Transition powder and I used to give them natural yoghurt. Should I be giving him probiotics and if so, which ones?

Unfortunately, beef is one thing that's always upset Gus's tummy. I was wondering if giving them something like a carrot every now and then to munch on would do the trick? As you can tell, I'm 'trying' to keep it as 'raw' as possible becuase I'm pretty disappointed I'm having to now feed them both processed foods. Even though the ones I'm going to feed a high quality, they're still not as good as a purely raw diet.

Hi all, I'm after a bit of advice please. After Gus's latest bout of gastro which saw him in the hospital for 3 days, I've been advised to take him (and also Daisy) off their raw diet. The vet reckons Gus is just one of those dogs that is more sensitive to reacting to the bacteria in raw chicken and fish than most other dogs which is how they suspect he picked up this latest gastro bug. I'm going to transition them both over to a combo of Orijen and Ziwipeak but now have the dilemma of how to keep their teeth clean. I'm toying with the idea of maybe just giving them both a chicken wing once a week to at least try and clean their teeth that way but again, I don't want Gus to get sick again. Does anyone have any ideas about what I can do to solve this problem? Thanks Vic