Staffyluv

We had to change his appointment to 4.15pm today... But I have since found another lump on his tummy... Will let you know when we find out... Cheers Jodie

Sorry for your loss... RIP Monty Jodie

He does not appear to be in any pain - just hungry (like always)... We are off to the vet tomorrow... Jodie

Was chasing the boofer yesterday (trying to get the ball back) and he did a sharp turn.. Before he took off again, he stopped and his back leg sort of gave out but he seemed to recover and took off again... I was bathing (just now) and found a really prominent lump on his rear leg - feels really hard, like a cramped muscle. But this is about the size of a 10 cent piece and I would say is sticking out about .5cm... Like I said really noticable... It is not on his skin, seems to be under it and it does not move, just a hard lump... I will be making an appointment and adding to our shares in the vet surgery tomorrow, just thought someone here might have an inkling... Any ideas, thanks in advance Jodie

Sorry Rozzie... RIP Lucy Jodie

Hi Aly, Is that her in your avatar??? I used to feed Ollie twice a day, about the same as you would give if you were feeding yucky canned food If you notice her putting on weight, then just cut the amount of food back a bit... Alternatively if she loses weight, she could probably do with a bit more food... Don't forget the big marrow bones, she needs the calcium from the bones as there is not much in her food now... Ollie used to love yoghurt and raw fruit and veges as treats as well... You probably already know this but make sure there are no cooked bones in the stew... Cooked bones are very dangerous for pooches... If you want to post a pic, you need to resize it to 40K or less. If you are having trouble, I think you can email the pic to Troy (moderator extraordinaire ) and he will resize it and sent it back to you... Cheers Jodie

I just saw this thread... Cass I am so sorry to hear of your loss - big hugs... RIP Kuda Jodie

Aly, Amhailte is correct, you need to make sure that it is not a contact allergy.. When you start the meat and veges, can I suggest that you start with chicken, then try turkey, then beef, then roo as roo can be a little strong for some dogs until they are used to it... It can cause some wind I would also be checking around your yard, in places where your dog lays and plays. Check the plants that are in these areas and make sure that they are not what is making your do itch... Malaseb is also a great shampoo for itchy dogs, in summer we use it about every 7 to 10 days for a bath but in winter we only tub every fortnight... Don't be tempted to put things like tea tree oil on the dog as this will only irritate it more... Your dog sounds more like an Amstaff at the weight you described, would love to see a photo when you are able and have time... We can't get enough of dogs around here Good luck and let us know how you get on... Jodie

Hi Aly, For Ollie I always used what ever meat was on special (even better if it is organic)... I used Roo/Chicken/Turkey/Beef and a mixture of veges like carrot, zucchini, broccoli, swede, turnip, pumpkin and sweet potato... I used to grate up all the veges and dice up all the meat and cook lightly into a stew... No gravy... Just 50/50 meat and veges... You must make sure that you dog has bones to chew as a treat for this... I only cooked it because Ollie would not eat raw meat... Bones are very important to supply nutrients that the dog will not get from the diet of meat and veges... I used organic meat and veges more than just the stuff bought from the supermarket but I do not know if it really needs to be organic (personal choice)... Good luck Jodie

Dry food - yuck... Unfortunately mine lad has no choice... But yours might (unless there are other heath issues, that we do not know about). Try some fresh meat and veges, works a treat. Ask the vet for some cream and antihisthamine (sp??)... I use Malaseb wash every fortnight on Ollie and he has not really had an itch for years, don't use it if there is broken skin - ask your vet... Malaseb has been great for us... Ollie used to get itchy feet every spring, due to where he was walking... Also check your yard and where you walk her to see if there are any grasses that may have an effect. My sisters girl used to scratch herself raw, she now lives elsewhere and has not had an itch in years (it was because of the grass). Some weed and feed fertilisers can make them itchy. Any chance she is a predominantly outside dog??? If so, can she spend a few days inside to see if this makes a difference... Good luck Jodie

We would not have it any other way...

4kg bag of HSD UD $52.00 - special diet for kidney/bladder stones... I guess it lasts about 4 weeks as the vet relented and allowed us to add a bit of carrot and zucchini stewed up in chicken stock and water to the HSD... I still have trouble getting him to eat it sometimes... I also give him a dentabone a day because his breath is terrible since he has been on this instead of his home cooked stuff... Jodie

You get what you pay for. Supermarket brands do not seem to have the quality of the other brands metnioned above... Go to your vet and ask their opinion on feeding your new pup... You could try a PM to Molassesslass, she is a BC breeder and always a fountain of information... Cheers Jodie

What beautiful memories you have to share with us, thankyou... He was a handsome lad and it is obvious that he made you proud... RIP Cadence... Sorry for your loss Jodie

Shona, So sorry for your loss... Be at peace now billy :D Jodie and Ollie dog

When we were kids we used to use golf clubs and cricket bats... Not exactly humane but we were kids... What happens if you put them in the freezer? Jodie

Until he got sick, Ollie always had a home cooked diet... Now he has HSD - UD for kidney and bladder stones... So far so good, all urine samples have been really good... But I must say it has been really hard to get him to eat it, he really does not seem to like it... He is supposed to be on 2 to 2 and a half cups a day and I am lucky if I can get him to eat 1 and a half cups a day... The vet finally relented and let us add some grated carrot and zucchini cooked up in low salt chicken stock to the HSD to change the flavour a bit... This has made a bit of difference and he is eating a little more now than he was a few weeks ago (he has been on this for 10 weeks now)... I do not think there is another commercial diet that is suitable for Ollie, so he is stuck with HSD... Jodie

I use Malaseb on the boofer and it works a treat... Just wash once a fortnight and rinse well... Cheers Jodie

Have you changed his diet at all, since he came to live with you? Perhaps it is food related - seeing as the shampoo did not really fix the situation... I would also be looking at where he is playing and laying down... Could be a mat he is laying on or some sort of grass or weed outside... If he was mine and it did not clear up in a few days and or got worse, than I would be off to the vet... Just in case he has picked up some sort of mite or something... Good luck Jodie

I do... Why would someone NOT get the shots every year? I personally would not want to risk the health of my dog... Cheers Jodie

Cin, he was just lovely... I do love the dark brindles... Thanks Jodie

Ripe tomatoes and tinned tomatoes are find... It is only a problem when they eat them green off the plant and/or eat the tomato plant... Asked my vet about this as Ollie eats the strawberries and grape tomatoes off the vine when we have them.... I have had strawberry plants forever and have never had a fruit off them because the little horror gets all of them... Hope this info helps Jodie

Sounds like the same symptoms as Ollie gets every spring - it is something in the grass for a couple of weeks and the vet usually gives us an antifungal cream sorry cannot remember the name of it... Cheers Jodie

;) RIP Zeus... :p Terrorbull... From Jodie and Ollie dog

He will not eat any form of meat, on or off the bone, raw... When it is offered (and this was on a regular basis - before the Hills Science) he would turn away from it. Even a small sniff seemed to repulse him... I even tried cooking his meat so that it was just seared and red in the middle to try to get him used to the raw meat, but he would not even it that... He loves roo but would not eat that raw either... So cooked meat it was. And I have seen the consequences of a dog that has eaten a cooked bone, so I never gave him cooked bones, hence he always had muscle meat. He used to eat a lot of veges and fruit and chew on dentabones/sticks/greenies. And the occasional smoked roo tail... But now it is just Hills Science Diet UD... Nothing else - no treats... I am still researching as I think that there has to be a better way than just commercial dog food - no matter how good they say it is... Cheers Jodie