Baby Dragon

You know how boosters are due every year? Well how much of a 'window' is there? Would a week or two either side of the due date matter?

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Thanks MCM! The RSPCA insurance is actually the one I am considering (couldn't find any other insurance companies that would cover breed specific conditions though ) RSPCA don't cover tick paralysis though do they? That is my dilema.

Hi, I'm after some advice regarding Pet Insurance I live in what I guess would be called an 'average risk' tick area. Thanks!!

Thanks... yeah I'm not going to stop using it - he hasn't had any ill effects other than his behaviour before putting it on Mind you, he has the exact same behaviour before I do other things he doesn't like such as clip his nails or give him a bath! Seeing as he has not had any physical side effects, it is not worth the risk of ticks to stop using it. I was just wondering if other peoples' dogs did the same thing when they see the packet. Still interested in hearing from those people (Ashka? kimoliverelka? Cavandra?) who don't use Frontline because they said it's a 'poison'.. I'm interested in knowing what they use instead to prevent ticks, if anything.

Good luck

Different vets will tell you different things. I think it also depends somewhat on the breed of the dog. Best to ask a vet you trust, or your dog's breeder

Mine gets chicken frames - he can eat all of it so there's never a problem with maggots.

Thank you for the replies To the people who said they wouldn't use it on their dog because 'it is poison'... what do you use on your dog to protect from paralysis ticks? Do you use anything?

Is there a reason why my dog acts strange when I go to put frontline on him? He runs away and won't come back for as long as he can see it in my hand. I'm assuming he's just playing silly buggers (he used to do this when I went to put a head halter on him because he hated it) but just wondering if there could be something more to it? There is no rash or hair loss or anything like that where I put it on so I'm assuming it's just behavioural... when I finally do put it on him he runs and then lies down and seems to sulk for a bit. Anyone else's dogs protest like this? I'm assuming he's just being a ratbag

Oh.. I was just about to give him his dinner... So I shouldn't feed him? I feel a bit mean.. he loves his food! But if it will help then I'll make him fast till tomorrow then feed the boiled chicken and rice. Thank you

There's no blood in it No, I'm in Qld... glad to hear yours are ok after catching it. He has gone five times today now... but he's still his normal self, eating drinking and causing mischief I'll keep an eye on him.. thank you

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Thanks for the pic kathyinjapan... Jaeger is too cute... he looks like he doesn't mind at all And PAX thanks for the link... that was interesting reading, I wonder if it will come out in Australia. Will it hurt him badly if I accidentally cut/dremel too far? He HATES it when I cut his nails, even though I only ever take off the teeniest little bit and have never made him bleed. He pulls his paws away from me and tries to get away. I'm wondering if before I got him he might have had his nails clipped and been hurt or something.

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Thanks guys... I just gave him another bath and had a good look in his ears... there's no irritation or anything. I gently sponged around the ears and just inside the flaps (I left the ear canal.) When drying his ears there was a bit of black stuff that came out of one ear. Like waxy stuff, and it had the doggy smell I was describing. Anyway I pulled that out. The smell seems to have gone now. Will keep a good eye on him though and if it returns tomorrow will take him to the vet. I'm thinking it could just be that I didn't know how to clean his ears, and because I left them they started to get stinky? What do you guys use to clean your dog's ears (just inside the flaps)? Anything other than just dog shampoo?

Yes like a wet dog smell.. a real sort of doggie smell lol.. sorry I don't know how to describe it. I wouldn't call it pungent... just 'doggie'... No he's not scratching his ears or shaking his head. Is that a good sign then? (hoping it's not an infection!) Cutting the hair short at the bottom of the ear canal is a good idea... thank you, I should do that. I think I will try shampooing and rinsing them... like you, I was worried about getting too much water in his ears (I use the bendy shower hose thingy to rinse him) but maybe I could put my hand in his ears like you do for your Cav's, or even use a damp washer to rinse them?? I don't use a dryer on him because it's so flippin' hot here that he's dry within 5 minutes. He has a run around and a shake and he's done lol. Maybe I should pay attention to drying his ears next time though, just to be sure? Thanks for your help

Thanks for the reply! The only way I can describe the smell is that it's a sweaty dog smell. It's the way he smells when he needs a bath... but he had a bath not long ago and the rest of him doesn't smell now, just his ears. And the smell is coming from both ears. It's not a really offensive smell I guess... just a sweaty 'doggy' smell. I didn't pay special attention to his ears when bathing him recently - I've never really known how to clean them other than rinse with the rest of him. Do you still think it could be an infection?

Optimum kibble, chicken frame and raw mince (beef, lamb or chicken) with garlic and pasta or fish with rice. Cheese when I'm clicker training him. But he's half Lab so he will eat anything!

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Thanks guys :p

Thank you.. and thank you for the link! Do the dogs tollerate it ok, and how long does it take to do a nail?

I'm not quite sure where the quick is on my dog's nails... his nails are a tan/skin colour and it's hard to see where the quick starts... They are getting quite long though. Last time I clipped them I took the teeniest bit off the ends because I just wasn't sure. Is there a trick to knowing how far down to clip?

That sounds like a good idea too.

I personally like the RSPCA insurance because as far as I know it covers breed specific problems where as a lot of the other insurers don't. (Double check it, but I think that's right.) The down side is if you have 80% cover through them, and say you have a vet bill for $3000 for a tick or something else major, then you have to pay 20% which would still add up to $600. With Pet Cover, depending on your policy, you might only have a $100 excess so you would only be paying $100 of that vet bill. Then again, say your dog saw a vet for something minor and the bill was $80, you wouldn't claim with Pet Cover - you would have to pay the whole bill, but if you were with the RSPCA insurance and have 80% cover, you would only be paying $16 of that bill. When researching, I found that RSPCA insurance would be better for small vet bills, and Pet Cover would be better for big vet bills.