sheree_e4

I'm sorry for your loss RIP Zana run free.

My suggestion would be Hills I/D dry and wet food it is highly digestable and have seen numerous dogs with problems do extreamly well on it , so well that we now send home all Tick Paralysis cases home on it as they need a very digestable food that is soft on the stomach so not to vomit.Also hills is a gaurenteed analysis so you get what is descibed and if your dog does not do well on it it is fully refundable even if almost all used.

RIP Amy run free I'm sorry for your loss she was way too young to go.

you could ask for a fine needle aspirate to be done,this gives you a better idea if its just fat or something more serious If it is not a fatty lump IMO I would have it removed now and send it away to get a definate prognosis,I don't want to scare you but if it is cancerous the sooner it is removed the better.

you can order it online HERE or should be able to get it at a local produce store and some vets have it aswell. I have used it myself and find it is great.

I will recommend feeding her Hills J/D it is a joint formula and it has been scientifically proven to help with arthritis and is guarenteed,I have personally given it to my 9yr old who was extreamly sore in his front leg(wrist) and it helped heaps he no longer constantly licks or limps and is now doing his favourite sport again agility (he only does a couple of rounds to keep him happy).You need to feed it for a minimum of 21 days to see an improvment. I know of dogs that have been on rimadyl, injections etc and some have stopped taking drugs all together and others who have a smaller dose. All I can say it's worth trying,I know some DOLers do not like Hills but if it helps your dog from being in pain IMO it should be used.

Fleas at the moment are really bad due to the weather.keep up the frontline as it will be working,however the problem you will be have is re emergance. the actual flea population is as follows 50% eggs......30% larvae....... 15% pupae.......5% biting adults an adult flea lays around 20 eggs a day and 600 in her life so while you have not seen adult fleas,the eggs wait for the optimum time to emmerge which is why you now have fleas.Keep using frontline as it will kill the adult fleas and any eggs laid will not hatch. A excellent product for getting rid of fleas is KO it comes in a tablet and you mix with water and apply everwhere you get 2 tabs that make up 5L of spray. You can also spray the dogs with permoxin to repel the fleas FRONTLINE spray can be used on puppies from 2 days of age. If you are washing bedding in order to kill eggs etc it must be a HOT wash,it is better just to put the bedding out in the sun as the eggs,larvae and pupae die in bright light. eta DO NOT use KO on the dogs ONLY in the environment.

If the tooth is chipped look to see if you can see a pink spot in the middle of the tooth if so that is the pulp so he will be in pain,If you want to get the tooth capped you will need to see the vet ASAP as it must be done within 48hrs for optimal results,also the tooth can become infected and cause more problems.I have just had my dogs tooth capped(her canine) and highly reccommend getting it done rather than having the tooth removed,cost around $100 more but a great result and would do it again if need be.

I think it would increase the behaviour,so I would not give her one personally,but its totally up to you. ETA if you decide to give her a bone put her outside or somewhere that your daughter cannot get to her - not the play pen if your daughter will be able to reach in.

I think liver treats will be fine in small doses,a treat sould be no bigger than a cat bickie so you need to break them up.If you find she has a reaction maybe try chicken.Hills also have a food called sensitive stomach so you may be able to give her that aswell.

I agree,I personally have a dog who is the same way regarding her ball - all other dogs can take it except my koolie(who does not know what a ball is for and never picked one up ),but kirah does not realise this so I have to control everything that happens. I think in this instance that if the bowl is removed totally and she is hand fed for awhile say 2 weeks to see if it works even not trying step 2 and 3 of my previous post that her attitude will change,if not then arrange for professional help,I think once the pup learns that food is coming from her owner and does not just appear in her bowl she will improve. eta - I could be totally wrong and she could be worse than I think she is.... but I have not seen her ,so I am just saying what I would do assuming she is being a 'normal' puppy in other areas,which to me she sounds like she is.

The reason I say 90% is that some dogs take longer than others to retrain,some pick up quickly others don't. I don't say PUSH the pup at any time if you feel that it is not helping stop it's that simple. But in my personal experience all the dogs I have worked with ...the problems have been resolved,but then again I am very strict and the dogs learn quickly who's boss. By all means get in a behaviourist if desired but in the mean time look at the pack dynamics.

Please try what I advised eailier in the thread........I have done this with many food agressive dogs and pups,this way they learn that you are the source of food. WEEK 1.only fed from hand no bowl.(pat with other hand while feeding) WEEK 2. hand feed but with hand in bowl with pup taking food out of hand.(pat with other hand while feeding)(food is not in bowl,have it on the bench and take in your hand to the bowl....only a couple of peices at a time -remember to let pup take the food from your hand) WEEK 3. food in bowl but hand is in the bowl while eating.pat aswell By week 4 90% are happy to be patted while being fed. If at step 2 or 3 the dog starts growling or trying to bite go back a step!

It is called "squirt stuff "for dogs HERE is a site for it, we sell it at work and use it on every dog who comes in(vet). SMELLS DIVINE!!

JMO but I would still get a crate, you will have it for the life of your dog and will no have to shut her in foreva. The doors on my crates always stay open now (unless feeding or needing them to be safe) and my dogs put themselves in and out as they please. They fold flat to take in the car.

thankyou 4leggedvariety thats the point I was trying to get accross but you did it much better than me

I agree with what you are saying which is why I only guarantee them if you do implement what I am teaching at school at home aswell,90 % of the people that come to puppy pre school Do come to obedience class where I teach after they have completed puppy pre school, I also give private lessons to people if they need them.

I have to disagree with this statement - I am vet nurse and I am also an obedience instructor and I teach puppy pre school at the vets where I work.Do NOT assume about vet nurses it really bugs me how people think this....I guarantee if you follow what I tell you - you will have a well behaved dog. SORRY I should clarify .........what I ment in this statement was I Guarentee all my classes that I run.

Other things you can start now are Feed her after the family has eaten - pack leaders eat first All people walk through doorways/gates first Do not let her higher than yourself .......If you are on the lounge she is on the floor. Do not pat her when she comes up to you.......pat her when you want(except if you have called her) ignore her when you come home....about 5 mins then say hi when she is calm. if she jumps on you walk towards her only pat her if her bum is on the floor.....do not talk to her until she sits walk her twice daily if possible. put her out while you are eating or tie her away from you.

I have to disagree with this statement - I am vet nurse and I am also an obedience instructor and I teach puppy pre school at the vets where I work.Do NOT assume about vet nurses it really bugs me how people think this....I guarantee if you follow what I tell you - you will have a well behaved dog.

I am a carer and I find hand feeding puppies makes them realise that a hand near food is a good thing. WEEK 1.only fed from hand no bowl.(pat with other hand while feeding) WEEK 2. hand feed but with hand in bowl with pup taking food out of hand.(pat with other hand while feeding)(food is not in bowl,have i on the bench and take in your hand to the bowl....only a couple of peices at a time) WEEK 3. food in bowl but hand is in the bowl while eating.pat aswell By week 4 90% are happy to be patted while being fed. those who arnt happy week 2 lasts longer. Also I have a 23mth old daughter so my dogs (9yrs,5yrs and 22mths) have been taught that if a hand goes near or in the bowl they are to sit. teach this after the dog is happy with you around her food to teach this put some boring food in bowl,then have some really nice smelly food (cabanossi is great)let your pup start eating the boring stuff then walk up while she is eating and let her sniff the "yummy"food and ask her to sit reward when she is not touching the food then release (ok) to go back to eating whats in bowl repeat this over and over for a week then just put your hand on the bowl (food in pocket) and say sit when she does give her the nice food and then use the release again.eventually when you put your hand near her bowl she will automatically sit expecting a yummy reward.(I taught my dogs this in approx 2 mths to do it without fail while i was still pregnant.) Do you have a crate? hope this helps

Ears are very sensitive and the majority of dogs that come into work need to be sedated to be able to get a good look at especially if they are really sore,ask the vet to sedate him with domitor not a full GA. Domitor will sedate him to the point he can't move if given the correct dose.When my boy ripped half his due claw off he would not sit still to have it pulled off,he did not try to bite but every time you got hold of his leg he would scream......but after sedation with domitor we got the dew claw off with no complaints I should add he is a pansy!! eta. he should be sedated at the vet not before you get there.

JMO but I would use "frontline" and then spray with "permoxin" before going to class, as the permoxin will repel the fleas,this combination is safe. I don't like giving my dogs tablets due to the effect they can have on the liver long term,with the "frontline" and "permoxin" it adhears to the fur so does not enter the bloodstream at all. The other problem with tablets is the fleas have to bite the dog to die,where as the spray or top spot the flea dies by simply jumping on.

do you mean the incisors?(small teeth in between the canines)or the molars(chewing teeth)? If it is the incisors alot of small dogs have loose ones sometimes it is not the actual teeth but the jaw is not fused properly I personally would have the teeth removed as bacteria will be getting into the gums and will continue to breakdown the bone surrounding resulting in more loose teeth and more expence in the long run. If it is the molars it will be a bit more expensive as the roots are bigger and need to be removed,the incisors are smaller so eaiser to remove ( the root still needs to be removed). austen - Dogs can break teeth while chewing on bones and just playing in general,if this happens the dog should go to the vet as it is painfull especially if the pulp is exposed and have the roots removed.

I have been a vet nurse for over 14mths now and have never seen any problems with it in the time I have been there,Long or short term.Maybe we are lucky! We reccomend a full blood test to check kidney function etc in all dogs prescribed the meds and have had no problems so far.Those who are long term users are tested every 3mths to see if there has been any problems............most of the long term patients are treated for arthritis. Every spey or dental with extractions is sent home a pain pack containing Rimdayl prescribed at 2mg per kg,it is safe to use up to 4mg per kg. Just like people some dogs react differently to different drugs.............you are more likely to have a BAD reaction to a GA than to rimadyl tabs. This is my experience but I have googled rimadyl but am yet to find a confirmed death due to rimadyl. please correct me if I'm wrong but I cant find one. ETA - I have used rimadyl on all of my dogs with no problems (I did not have blood tests prior)