Sticks1977

Thanks to all for the replies - I went down to Petstock in Cranbourne and the staff did not seem to know too much about their product and the lady who served me asked three times what breed of dog I had - and I told her three times!!! It was a useful trip though as I grabbed a small bag of Hill's Science Diet - Puppy Large Breed to keep him going for another week or two and also took some brochures from Royal Canin, Eagle Pack and Hills. I then checked a few replies here and after finding an online pet food website I tracked down a 15kg bag of Eagle Pack Holisitc Large Breed Puppy Formula and ordered myself a bag. Hopefully it will arrive sometime next week. I also did a search and it seems that Eagle Pack is popular with other dog owners on this forum, I remember that Petstock in Cranbourne had a small display of Eagle Pack products but they only had the Super Premium Puppy Formula in stock at the time - after reading a few more posts it seems more beneficial for Fraser to have the holistic option. Again thanks to all - not sure what I would do at times without the help I receive here! Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977)

I have read a few posts on here where other people recommend Eagle Pack dry food to feed your dog. I was just looking at their website and there are so many products out there I don't really know which one to choose! Our chocolate labrador puppy (Fraser) who is coming up to 9 months has been on Advance when we first brought him home from the breeder, and then we switched him to Hill's Science Diet - Puppy Large Breed. He has been on that ever since and it was recommended to us by one of the salespeople at Pets @ Home in Fountain Gate. Since he is at the end of his dry food tonight, should I bother switching him over to Eagle Pack? I have been looking on the Eagle Pack website and I have been looking at Holistic Select Large Puppy Formula - would this be the correct type of dry food that I could feed a 8-9 month old lab? Any advice would be welcome, I will probably head down to the local pet store later today to purchase some more dry food - also should there be a period of introducing him to a new dry food, mixing the new with the old? Regards, Shaun (sticks1977), Gaylene and Fraser

Thanks to all for the replies and advice - it is greatly appreciated and very welcome... Fraser has been pretty good this weekend and has not gone after many things - but our attitude has changed slightly and we have shut off areas by closing doors or just putting stuff away that has been laying around and accessible to him. It has even been useful keeping him occupied by being out in the garden for a change - I rarely get out there and down the narrow side of the house there were weeds everywhere - thought I would get started by ripping them all out and Fraser kept me company most of the time and was taking an interest in what I was doing. I think it is just a stage he is going through and after reading some of the replies here it is good to know that I am not alone when it comes to problems like this. I asked one of the staff at dog training on Saturday and he brought up a good point, if your dog is getting into a certain room and taking items from in there, simply limit his access or to teach him that this certain room is out of bounds to him and he is not allowed in there!

So far Fraser has been a wonderful pet and companion to have around the home, we recently got him desexed (about 2 weeks ago) and apart from the odd moment or two when he was a young puppy he has been fantastic with obedience and knowing the boundaries that we have set for him. I recently installed a 'doggy door' on the Laundry Door so he has the freedom to be inside and out of the backyard when we are not home - this is the only room he has access to when we are not home - it also keeps him out of the garage which I feel much better about. He used to be in the garage when he was a puppy and when we were not home, but now that he is bigger I worry about things on higher shelves! - hence the reason to keep him out and install the doggy door. We have had a break from his obedience and training classes over the Christmas period and I am starting to wonder if this is having a direct affect on his behaviour - specifically in this week alone. He is currently 34 weeks of age (8.5 months) and has just started to discover that he can use his mouth for other things other than chewing on his toys or food!! The past few days he has been getting up to all kinds of mischief - pulling washing off the line, eating and chewing on items that are not for him (such as dvd remote, cotton buds, shower leufa, paper, golf balls, unused tampons (crazy!), sponges and cardboard to name a few). It seems that he is testing us again to see what he can and can not get away with. My partner finally caught him in the act tonight getting something off the top of the bedside table. He hid under our bed until I came into the room and put him into the ensuite for a few minutes closing the door behind him - once I opened the door he had this look on his face that he knew he had done wrong. Is this normal puppy behaviour and something that will just "take it's course" with this latest bout of destructiveness? I grew up with a family pet (another Labrador) and he went through a chewing stage of video remote controls and cassettes - but I can't remember how old he was at the time. Is this partly my fault as I have not kept up a constant state of training and obedience since there has been a Christmas break? Could it be that he is bored? He has plenty of toys to play with and I recently purchased him a Teething Kong that he seems to absolutely love. I spend heaps of time with him when I am home from work and play with him for at least 30 minutes to an hour. He also will go on his daily walk for at least 20 to 30 minutes around the local estate and he is slowly starting to be great on the lead - hardly pulling at all. Any advice and help would be appreciated - I am a first time dog owner (grown up with one or two, but never owned and been responsible for one), any tips would be more than welcome - we are heading back to our first training and obedience class tomorrow morning at Berwick so it will be interesting to see how he reacts on his first week back. For the time being we have put the house in lockdown mode, doors to the main bedroom, bathroom and spare rooms have been closed so he cannot access any items that he should not be after in the first place. He is responding well to certain aspects of training such as sitting, and not eating his meal until he hears his food release word of "tucker". He is also doing well with retrieving items but he has a hard time giving them up at times - still thinks that it's a great game to play - sure keeps me running around! I just hope this is a puppy stage, similar to "terrible two's" when a baby is growing up. I realise he is still very much a puppy and will be for several more weeks/months so I am not expecting perfection from him. I am just wondering what the cause of this might be and whether there is anything more I can do to disapprove of his bad behaviour. It has been hard so far as earlier tonight was the first time we "caught him in the act". Regards, Shaun (sticks1977) and Gaylene

My apologies for not updating Fraser's status and how he has been going after his desexing operation. He is doing really well and is back to the puppy that we have known since we brought him home at the age of 2 months. His appetite is back to normal (does it ever leave with a Labrador?) and he is very playful but I am cautious when playing with him at his stitches are still in and will be taken out in rougly 1 weeks time. I have been keeping a keen eye on his droppings, he is back to producing solid stools but they seem a bit off in colour (like a caramel / light brown) not sure if that is normal for a dog and whether they have to be a chocolate to dark brown colour. Overall though he seems happy and he has been using his doggy door in the laundry a fair bit - we hardly have to bother getting up now to let him out to the toilet - it's fantastic! Will be posting a few pictures of him in the coming days - keep your eyes peeled on the Pictures section of the forum.

Fraser was desexed on Friday (11th January) and training at ADT in Berwick will be starting up this Saturday (19th January). When do you think would be a good time for Fraser to return to training? I am thinking to perhaps take him the next week (26th January) as he will have his stitches removed by then. Would it be any harm for him to return the week earlier (on the 19th?) or should he get his rest? Would it even be worth waiting a few more weeks until I take him back to training?

Thanks for the advice Rex, I have been keeping a keen eye on Fraser today as he is starting to come back to his normal self that I used to see so often before his operation. He has been great with his food this afternoon and tonight, we have mainly been feeding him cooked chicken and have only been giving him the meat from the breast and also mixing it in with his dry food. He has been keeping down his food and also has been going to his water bowl so I think he is on his way to recovery. I had a look at his wound just before and there is no redness or major swelling that I can see. They left his scrotum from the operation and that is dark brown and slightly red in appearance. There also is not many stitches which is surprising to me, I thought there would have been a larger cut, but the incision cut is only about 1 inch in length that i can see. When we took him back on Saturday morning because of the previous night of vomiting the vet surgeon mentioned that one of the dogs had vomited in their cage on Friday (the day Fraser had his operation) and she was not sure whether it was him or not - it got me thinking "wouldn't it be on his record if it was him?!?" Seems a bit un-professional if she did not know whether he was the dog who was sick or not in the cage. My partner also mentioned to her that he was in for a gastro related illness about 2-3 weeks ago and she remarked "oh, i thought he was in for something a while ago" - again you would think they may look at his medical file and history??? I noticed he was having a poo after his dinner tonight and he let off a fair bit of 'gas' and also a fair bit of liquid came out of his behind (it was dark brown in colour) with a solid stool (Edit: upon closer inspection of that stool, turns out it was the end of one of his rope toys, a small rope knot with some frayed rope on the end of it). I am not sure whether the dark brown liquid is due to the drugs he has been on - but better to have it out than in if you ask me! I have been frequently looking around the backyard and this is the only dropping that I have noticed so far since this morning. Your answer would be as good as mine in regard to the injections, she gave him three injections and said each was for a specific thing: - To stop nausea and vomiting - An antibiotic to help with any infection (she mentioned this was the biggest of the needles) - Anti-inflammatory/painkiller to cope with any pain of the operation To be truthful I am not very happy with the Vet at the moment and will be looking to go elsewhere once his stitches are removed in about 10 days. I was surprised that I was given no information sheet and after reading some replies here I am equally shocked that they allowed him to have food after the operation. Perhaps they are a good vet for the basic areas of veterinary healthcare but we have had our fair share of issues this weekend! I think in the future I will take Fraser to another Vet, we will have to travel for another 5-10 minutes in the car but I think it will be worth it in the long run. I do not know whether it is allowed in this public forum to name the Vet in question. But if not, you can PM me and I shall inform you - if you would like to know. Again thanks to all for the replies and the support - it is greatly appreciated as I am a first time dog owner (have grown up with pets, but never owned one in my own home). I shall inform you all of any other changes and also his progress with healing from the operation.

SUCCESS!!!! :D I went to check on Fraser (asleep on our bed mind you!) before and earlier I had offered him some dry food which he did not want any of. I brought with me some trusty "Schmackos" and he actually ate them. I then followed up with some of his dry food which he took out of my hand. About half an hour ago I went down to Coles and grabbed a regular bbq chicken and he has eaten all of the chicken meat (didn't give him any stuffing, fatty bits or skin). Tried him again with some Schmackos and his dry food and he is not wanting either - perhaps the chicken is heaps more tasty and appealing! It is such a relief now though - I hope that he is able to keep the chicken down and will digest it all... will try later today with some more bbq chicken (we have a chicken fillet in the fridge) and then ease him onto his own food again. I also rang the Vet to let them know he is eating, the nurse will check with the vet surgeon to see whether he requires any further medication. We have to head out to a 60th Birthday later today but hopefully Fraser will still be up for eating when we come home, at least he has had something now though - thanks to all for replies and support! Regards, Shaun (sticks1977) :D

Our labrador, Fraser is still not eating after his desexing operation that he had late on Friday morning. I am starting to get a little concerned as he has now gone from late Thursday night to present without any food, and not even taking an interest in any of it - which for a labrador seems rather odd! He was able to eat half of his normal dinner on Friday night but as I found late yesterday when scanning the backyard for his droppings, I also found all the food from the day before (Friday) that he had brought back up. On Saturday morning (around 11.00am) we took Fraser to the Vet (I was thinking that he had kept his food down, as I had not scanned the backyard before we took him) and told them that he had been vomiting liquid and spending a lot of time by himself on Friday night through to the early hours of Saturday morning. The veterinarian gave him three injections - Metacam, Noroclav and Metomide - to help with nausea and vomiting, an anti-biotic and also an anti-inflammatory/painkiller. He was also producing a fair amount of drool and his temperature was 39.3 which she said was slightly up. She mentioned he should have some rest and if still not well to come back Sunday morning to collect some more anti-biotics and pain medication. He rested all of Saturday and spent a lot of time by himself in the backyard sleeping while I tried to keep myself entertained with housework, I thought he was starting to feel better around dinner time as he came to greet me at the door when I came home with take-away. Later in the night after watching a movie he was back to how he has been throughout this weekend - dreary, unwell and looking very tired - we put him to bed at 10.30pm and left the doggy-door open for him to go outside if he needed. After the Vet at 11.00am yesterday, he has only had a small drink around 6.30pm that I know of. Should I be all that worried that he has not really eaten in 2 and a half days? I am also thinking of obtaining a second opinion and perhaps visiting another Vet as we have tried him with his breakfast and other food this morning and he still takes no interest. Any replies would be welcome, I do not mean to come across as stressed or worried - I am just concerned that perhaps there is something more to it than a simple desexing operation. I am located in Cranbourne West, Victoria so if anybody has any recommendations for a reputable Vet in the area, please let me know. Regards, Shaun (sticks1977) :D

In regards to chiropractors, I myself see an Osteopath and they have done wonders for my joints - whether there is osteopathy available for dogs I am unsure - but it may be worth looking into?

Thanks for your reply, I have never been through this whole "desexing" thing before, have had family pets in the past that have been desexed, but as I was growing up I was not really involved with them or paying too much attention. I guess I'm worried as it seems a huge contrast, usually he is very playful and lively but at the moment he is sleepy, disinterested and very quiet. I guess it will take a day or two for him to come around, I was in the bathroom before (where he was sleeping) and was just watching him sleeping, his tummy is making all sorts of noises so I guess he has to feel that he wants to eat and will when he thinks it is right. I heard somewhere as well dogs can go several days without food, so that makes me feel a little more at ease about what is going on. Again thank you for your reply schnauzer_luv and I will try and relax a little more and let nature take it's course...

We took Fraser down to the Vet and she administered him with some injections: one to stop any vomiting, an antibiotic to help with any nausea, and an anti-inflammatory/painkiller to help with any pain from the desexing. She checked his teeth and also took his temperature (39.3) and said to keep and eye on him, if he does not improve to come back tomorrow and get some more anti-biotics and some pain relief. He seemed happy in the waiting area where there were other dogs around. My partner cooked him up half a chicken fillet in the hope to get him to eat - but so far he has not touched it. Perhaps he is still feeling a little under the weather and may not be up for any food. It worries me a little though as he is a labrador and they are famous for loving their food! Does anyone have any tips to get him to eat? Or should I just wait and see how things progress in the hope that he will eat something later tonight? When he first came home from the Vet yesterday he was able to eat half of his normal dinner (this was all we gave him) and so far today he hasn't eaten anything at all. Shall report back again when he takes his first bite! Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)

I didn't get an after op information sheet from the Vet but I have him booked in for 11.45am today for a check up to make sure everything it ok with him. The Vet mentioned on the phone that there would be no charge for the consultation and only for any pain relief medication that he may require. I shall post again once we are back from the Vets, on a good note he has not been licking or biting at his stitches at all, and as the morning is progressing he is starting to slowly come back to his normal self. Not as much crying and he is having a few sleeps around the house - only problem really is that he is not eating. News just in - my partner has brought home a chicken fillet to cook up for him after we bring him home from the Vet, I'm sure that he wont say no to that! Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)

UPDATE! I have been up about every 1.5 hours with Fraser overnight. It is around 4.30am as we speak and he has just returned from another trip out to the toilet. Tonight he has been staying in our bedroom (and just as well!) Woke up around 11.00pm to find that he had been sick over the carpet, mainly just in liquid form - it had come out of his mouth, not the other end - I cleaned it up, sent him out to the toilet and then back to bed. This happened again around 1.30am and then again at 3.00am but this time - thankfully - he was outside when it came up. It has had a bit of a yellow/brown colour to it when he has brought it up also. When he came back in at 3.00am I put him back on his bed, covered him with a blanket and patted him until he went to sleep (which didn't take long...) he woke again at 4.00am and went out for a wee outside and was spending a fair bit of time out there - I kept my eye on him and so far no vomiting as far as I was aware. I took him back to bed and placed the blanket over him again and then came here to type this message. As I type, he is out of bed again and was standing at the sliding door wanting to go out again - I have let him out and hopefully he is back to bed soon, and I can grab a bit more shut eye! I think I will call the Vet in the morning and run by them what I have mentioned in this message... something just does not seem right - perhaps the anesthetic has played around with his tummy. I do know throughout the night he has been drinking a fair bit of water - I have now limited his supply to it. Will keep you all posted (no punn intended - hehe) on the news and updates with Fraser - at the moment time has no real weight at the moment - I think I will be sleeping in on Sunday morning! Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)

Fraser (our chocolate labrador) was desexed today and I picked him up at 4.00pm and brought him straight home. Initially when he got home he looked around and then did not want to be around me - he kept going down to the front of the house to check on the front door, I think he wanted my partner to be home! He has been fine so far in keeping food down and drinking a little from his water bowl. Although I think he has had enough food (half of his normal dinner) as he is not interested in treats or anything tasty. The only real worries I have it he is wanting to spend a lot of time in the backyard at the moment away from us. He has cried and whimpered a little and I have also noticed that his front legs are still a little shaky... Perhaps it is paranoia setting in... I just hope that he is feeling ok. I guess he has been through a rather huge event and I am sure that he would be very sore and tender "down below". I had a look at the wound earlier and they have only taken his testicles, his scrotum is still there - is this normal? Also I have noticed that he is producing a fair bit of drool at the moment as well and seems restless, he does not want to stay in one place for too long. I am thinking it might be an idea to have him in our bedroom tonight - also is it advisable to put a cone around his head so that he is unable to get to the wound and lick it? I purchased one from the pet store earlier in the week and trialed him on it for half an hour or so before - he didnt seem too fond of it! Any replies would be welcome - perhaps I am over-reacting a little but I thought it would be best to jump on here and ask the people that frequent the DOL forums... better to be safe than sorry! Hopefully tomorrow Fraser wakes up, has his breakfast and will be feeling much better! Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)

Thanks for the link Staycalm, I am about to put him to bed for the night so I will make sure his water bowl is full and head to bed myself. I have just put a new Snooza Jute Cover and Multi-Mat cover on his bed so he sleeps in comfort before the big day tomorrow! Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)

Our chocolate labrador (Fraser) is going in tomorrow morning to be desexed and the vet mentioned that he was to fast from 8.00pm tonight and not have any breakfast in the morning. I will be taking him to the vet at 7.30am. The only question I have, I know that food is off-limits but is he allowed to drink water? I only ask as it is going to be a really hot night here in the suburbs of Melbourne and I don't want to limit his drinking if he is allowed to actually have it. If anyone knows whether he is allowed to drink while fasting - please let me know. Kind regards, Shaun (sticks1977) and Fraser

It was normal chocolate, luckily I had eaten just more than half of it so he didn't get his paws on the entire block... I just gave one of the local vets a call and they seemed to think 125g of chocolate for a 30kg Labrador was not too dangerous, I will have to keep my eye on him though...

Last night I was cleaning up around the home and eventually got to the living room and found the chocolate wrapper on the ground with no chocolate to be seen anywhere... It was soon evident that Fraser (our chocolate labrador - how ironic!) had eaten half a block of chocolate (probably around 125 grams). I was reading on the General Health Information thread about the dangers of chocolate and that it is toxic to dogs. Will this amount of chocolate be of any harm to him? He is currently around 30kgs and is just over 7 months of age. Any replies would be helpful, he was given his dinner shortly after eating the chocolate so I hope that some of his dinner (kibble and wet food) was able to absorb some of the chocolate.

Just gave our local Vets a call and they informed me that the price for desexing Fraser will be $130. I thought it was pretty cheap for an operation of that nature but perhaps that is the going rate? I'm not too sure... either way I think we will be booking him in for next Friday to get the "chop".

Thanks to all for your replies and thank you to DeltaCharlie for the rather long and informative post, I feel much more at ease and understand the whole idea behind desexing a bit more after reading some of the posts. After we have gotten over Christmas and have run into some money I will book Fraser into the local veterinarian to get the operation done - I might even have the day off work to make sure that when his operation is complete he can come home for some TLC. Thanks again to those who have replied - just looking at Fraser now he is asleep on the kitchen floor, I think he is a bit warm (like I am) at the moment in this Melbourne heat! Happy New Year everyone! :rolleyes: Sticks1977

Thanks to all of you so far that have replied - it has put my mind at ease to a certain degree to just kick back and enjoy my time out there with him on a walk. As I have stated he is very good on the lead and I don't get tangled up much anymore, it's even enjoyable just watching him to where he is headed next. I take him around a certain area of the estate and alternate it on a day to day basis, one day we might head down to the local shopping centre, other days we will go around the normal 2km circuit and we might go clockwise one day (left when we walk out of the driveway) and anti-clockwise the next (you get the idea). He seems to love to take in all that is happening when we are walking... if there is someone on the other side of the road he will walk along while looking at them, if there is somebody in their front yard or walking towards us he is always happy and wanting to say hello. He has also helped me in some regard getting out of the house on a daily basis and getting some exercise! Sometimes as well I think he really loves the little outing with me, we will sometimes be at the side of the road/end of the footpath waiting for any cars, and he will just look up at me and seems as happy as ever - just hope that he knows I am enjoying it as much as he is...

I have had Fraser in training with ADT since he was 3 months old and he is now at 7 months and ready to advance up to the next level of training. We go for a walk every day and I have gradually been building up his distance and subsequently the amount of time we are out on our walk. He has been very good on the lead so far (he is on a correction chain when walking and a flat collar when at home lazing around...) and I do not have to 'pop' the lead all that much when he is walking with me. At the moment he is not walking by my side but he is out in front of me, his rear end/legs would be about 1 foot in front of me - again he is not pulling on the lead or attempting to walk me instead of vice versa. Is there a certain age or time where I should have him on a shorter lead and have him heeling next to me on my left hand side? I have the lead in my right hand so the left is free, so should I be using my left hand to have the lead shorter and him by my side at all times? I have attempted this once or twice for short distances and he has been quite good so far, hardly pulling at all and not wanting to advance ahead of me. We also make sure that when we reach any intersection where there is a road that we stop and wait for any cars, he will start to walk off as I take my first step and he seems to want to get to the other side of the road before me, like it is a game or something. Should I be the one that reaches the other side of the road first or does it not really matter? Thanks to all for reading, on a side note... he has just discovered that he can cock his leg and leave his "mark" on shrubs, bushes or flowers - makes the walks go for a little bit longer these days! Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)

Firstly my apologies if this subject has been done to the death... if it has could someone please point me in the right direction - perhaps another thread or topic on the subject? Our chocolate labrador (Fraser) is currently 7 months of age and both his "boys" have both come down fine and I remember hearing that an appropriate time to desex would be around the age of 6+ months. Since he is now at that age, I am really unsure whether to get him desexed or not. We are probably not looking to breed him at all as we are not affiliated with any breeders and do not know of any personally that we would consider breeding him with. Part of me doesn't want to get him desexed as I would like him to stay pure and untouched - I sure as hell would not like my nuts chopped off! But then I get thinking if we do not desex him, will he become stronger and perhaps more aggressive as he gets older? At the moment I can have him under control but I am sure he will have another growth spurt to come along shortly. I guess what I am after is whether it is a good idea or not to get him desexed and any positive/negative comments on the procedure and the behaviour of the dog afterwards. I am guessing that they actually remove the testicles completely, they don't just cut the chord supply? Lastly would he actually be aware that if he was desexed that he would have had his testicles removed/cut? And would he have any anger towards us for having him undergo that operation? I have never had a dog before that has been desexed and have never been in the position where I have had to decide. Thanks to all for reading and look forward to some replies. Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)

It is not a huge worry of mine... but with Fraser when ever there is food around he has MASSIVE shoe string type drool hanging out of his mouth almost every time we eat or he is about to receive his "tucker" (meal). Is there any way that this can be controlled? I do not want to put him in another room when we are eating as we are currently teaching him to stay on his matt in the living room while we eat in the dining room (he can still see us, but he is told to stay on his matt, so far... so good!) When it comes time for his own meal at breakfast and dinner, he goes crazy! He will run to the back room where we keep his kibble and jump around on the spot (almost like doing a full circle). We will both head into the room... he will sit... I will open the food bin and as soon as it is in his bowl he runs back down to the kitchen... Again he is doing 'circles' again on the kitchen floor and he waits for his meal, he will sit and stare at it until we give him the release of "tucker" which is his cue to eat - although before this it is like a Froth Factory, near his gums and outside of the mouth is all frothy and drool is like a running tap! As I said, it does not really worry me all that much, but would just love to know why he does it and whether this will not occur as much as he gets older. He is currently at 7 months of age and is such a delight to have around the home. Regards, Shaun (sticks1977)