poodlefan

I have my fingers and toes crossed for you - so worrying when you don't know what's going on and your dog is so sick. :D

I went through something like this recently with one of mine. He had haemorraghic gastroenteritis (HG). If you do a web search you'll see the similarity in the symptoms. Dogs between the ages of 2 and 6 are the most prone but you never know. He was placed on a drip - very important with a high red blood cell count as that is often symptomatic of bad dehydration. He had buscopan to sooth his stomach cramps (any sign of those?) and massive antibiotics. After three days on the drip he had a day of special electolytes and then onto some chicken and rice. He is now fine. Ask the vets about HG. It has many causes both viral and bacterial (ie your dog eating something hideous). Ecoli and salmonella are two common bacterial triggers for HG. The good news is that with antibiotics and rehydration, most dogs pull through. Hope they nail a diagnosis soon. Problem with dogs and people is that the same symptoms appear in a myriad of diseases.

Had a looong chat to my vet about this last week. Apparently we will see the AVA recommended vaccination schedule change soon. Parvo and Kennel Cough (which like flu vaccine changes) will remain annual jabs because the immunity in them doesn't last long. All others will be either two or three year jabs. I still vaccinate annually, mainly due to the fact that my dogs are exposed to many dogs and also to foxes. Foxes are a primary source of distemper in Australia. However, none of my dogs have had an adverse reaction to their vaccinations and I'm very risk averse on this issue. Forgot to add: Titres only measure the immunity level in the dog on the day and this can vary quite significantly. You also need a base line to work on.

My friends Dally used to patrol the strawberry patch and carefully pick off the ripe ones. They NEVER got any strawberries for themselves.

Great minds think alike Paula.. and even sound alike.

Grapes aren't good (can't remember why) but I think they have something toxic. Mine regularly get apple, banana and pear and go crazy for strawberries. They don't think much of citrus fruit.

My vet told me that baby teeth should fall out within a week of the adult teeth appearing. If they don't fall out, they may not do so. Retained teeth are extremely common in smaller dogs and should be extracted. They can adversely affect the growth and position of the adult teeth. Take your dog to the vet.

Fish oils go off quickly when exposed to heat or light. Not sure I'd want to have them in included in dry dog food.

Eeeeuuuu - glad I raw feed.

I'd suggest increasing the number of meals - perhaps to three a day? Some young dogs are very hard to put weight on - my Darcy was on two meals a day until he was 18 months old and was very lean. Perhaps when the judge goes over him you can say something like 'oh he's such an active dog, he's hard to keep weight on" and give a winning smile. After all, he's a juvenile gundog, not a couch potato. :D

Tassie: I sure do Barb - hope you are all fine down there. Mad Mick and Darcy have commenced their agility careers.

Yikes Pixel... get thee to a community based dog club. Then you can be subjected to the likes of instructors like me!

Shite $139 is a bit rich for 6 weeks I'd go with Kitkat's suggestion - or post here looking for a good club near you. Lots of Brisbanites here.

Pixel is the $139 for a few sessions or for a whole year? Most community based dog training clubs charge a reasonable annual fee. It is definitely possible to train a dog yourself but I would suggest easier to go to class. I don't know about you but I learn better if I can see what I'm aiming for and get a critique along the way. In addition both you and your dog get to make new friends. Temperament among Staffy's does vary but they can be quite determined characters. That said, there's plenty of staffy's doing well at our club and one is an Obedience Champion.

Aatainic: If its the hydatit? tapeworm we're talking about, you or your dog can get it from eating meat or offal infected with a hydatit cyst. I'm not sure but I also think you can get it in egg form via the faeces of an infected animal. As my tribe are rather fond of roo poo, I make sure to worm regularly.

Human grade inspected meat should not contain tapeworm cysts. A regular worming program controls any infestation. Are you sure your dogs are getting tapeworms sam.m? Could it be another type of worm?

I train at ACT Companion Dog Club in Canberra. I have a class on Wednesday nights and FHR is my instructor this session. I not teaching this session - having a break for a trip to SA.

GMD: Don't even THINK about pork if its not organic. Sheep and Cattle lead much better lives than intensively farmed pigs. I haven't eaten pork since the day I visited a piggery over 20 years ago. :rolleyes:

I'd loose the Wheatbix Ben... and put in more chicken necks. Dogs don't digest cereal at all well so she's really not benefiting from it. I don't feed kibble but Hills is a good brand.

Egg whites are fine GMD provided they are fed in combination with yolks or cooked.

GMD: Not an option for a 'proper' vegetarian (ie vegan) diet... After all animals are exploited to produce milk too. So if no dairy, must it be supplements?

Can someone in the know explain where a vegetarian raised pup obtains calcium from? Are supplements always necessary?

I certainly wouldn't be taking a dog with fear issues to "day care" :rolleyes:

Haven: Ooops Watch out for those cruciforous vegetables too. Feeding them in too high a quantity suppresses a dog's thyroid function. :rolleyes:

My guys love those wing tips Trifecta! Leonards has them (and the mince) for $1 per kilo.