Quirkyhound

Hi Wylie, Yes, best friend (a vet) was there--that's kind of what got us talking about the idea of a wellness clinic. A way to make up for the dog not seeing the vet at vaccine time if none are being given. I'm almost sure the thyroid tests could be sent to Dodds if that's what a client wants. I'll have another chat with my friend and see what he has to say because I was thinking the same thing myself. I had blood work done on a dog who had become a bit inactive, although at 8 one would expect them to start slowing down a bit. You know, "Frisbee Freak actually lets someone else play with it" kind of thing. He was an entire male and had developed a slightly enlarged prostate so that would have been slowing him down a bit. I had him desexed which fixed up that problem but low thyroid values showed up to my surprise. Once I started thinking about it, in hindsight of course, yes, he had some symptoms coming on. Now, looking at the rest of the pack, I can see related dogs with similar symptoms, not all of course in one dog, but just the inkling here and there. This dog's dam for one, she is a voracious Hoover and on a strict diet but remains over the ideal weight for her breed. They will all be tested. Frisbee Freak started on Thyroxine 8 weeks ago now has a complete new 'smooth, lustrous, clean and healthy smelling coat' and as before, no one else gets a play with the Frisbee. I feel that if anyone does think their dog might have a thyroid issue, get some blood work done. At least if you get low values and the dog is put on supplements and improves as a result, you have done the right thing for him. It would be a pity though, to scare people off with the thought of having blood tests sent overseas for evaluation at some imagined high cost they might fear they are unable to afford. Maybe someone out there has an idea of the costs involved in sending blood to Hemopet? If I find some information I will post later. No doubt a specialist lab like this is preferred by anyone serious enough to test a dog in the first place. To see a dog whose thyroid was slowly being destroyed, get onto supplements and start improvement within about 3 weeks was an absolute joy. It is worth what ever it takes for them to have their vitality back :D

Another angle to consider re the yearly vaccine issue is merely the fact that the dog gets an exam he wouldn't otherwise get. Fear of disease being the motivation behind most people taking dogs for annual vaccines and hence the dog even being seen by the vet on a yearly basis. Working as a vet nurse I saw many diseases and potential health problems, some life threatening, picked by the vets upon the dogs presenting for their annual vaccine that would have otherwise gone unnoticed by most of your average back yard dog owners and even a few breeders. I'd like to ask everyone, if yearly vaccines are deemed unnecessary in the future, and I have no doubt they will be, how many of you would use a service offered by vets where a vet gives the dog a yearly 'wellness' check consisting of a full clinical exam, blood work, i.e. thyroid if the indications were there, micro-chips, general advice re: non-invasive treatments/supplements, lifestyle recommendations (for the dog) and possibly titre testing? What if the costs could be brought down for you by holding special days at say breed club shows, (testing for breed specific problems could also be included), at your agility/obedience club, etc. It could be left up to the people grouping for or booking the 'wellness clinic' as to where they wanted to meet as the vet would be mobile. How many of you readers would use such a yearly service for your dogs? What would it be worth to you---how much would you be willing to pay for the basic service of a 'wellness check' to replace the yearly vaccine visit to the vet? When dogs no longer get that yearly exam at vaccine time -----how many of you would actually attend one of these 'wellness clinics' for the sake of your dog? I would like to see the views of all dog owners, breeders, trainers, showies, groomers, boarding kennels, clubs, vet nurses and anyone generally involved with dogs. Please state how you are involved with dogs and post any suggestions you might have and any services you would like included

It won't hurt them, as others have said, puppies should be wormed every 14 days. Most breeders worm pups every 2 weeks so more frequent de-worming of your adults is not going to be a problem. It's the same chemical/drug. While no one wants to bombard their dogs with chemicals/drugs to de-worm them, it's a MUST DO!

When the high velocity blower was invented, it changed the grooming world ten fold. It's not the 'hot' heated dryer used to straighten poodle coats---while under tension of the slicker brush. Let's leave that to the people who exhibit poodles for the time being. The high velocity blower is probably the most useful tool invented this century but actually dries a poodle coat too quickly, allowing some of it to curl, so most poodle groomers prefer to use the old heated blow dryer. To get that rounded 'groomed and scissored' look a poodle coat has to be dried under pressure---under the stress of a brush, and this is achieved by the low velocity dryers with a bit of added heat, not the hurricane force of the new high velocity dryers. The newer 'high velocity' dryers were designed to "blow the dog off the table"-----not really, but some will blow toys off their feet! when on high. Their real use is for the double coated breeds, or should I say their best use is for these breeds, and some long coated breeds, where they are effective in blowing the under coat and top coat out without tangling. Basically, the Furminator is much like 'half a clipper blade' embedded into plastic with a handle at right angles. It's a useful tool but I wouldn't want to be grooming a whole Siberian or Chow out with it. It actually will cut the top coat, and leave marks, just as a clipper would, if used wrongly. In the right hands, it's a useful 'striping tool' for some breeds. To be honest, I think the Mars Coat King is a far better tool for general use. One reason being is that there is such a huge range of blade/tool widths, each being specific to a coat/breed type. You can gently set the tool down into the coat and 'brush' without getting that 'badly clipped' mark. It also acts like a pair of thinning scissors once you have dragged all the undercoat out, and will then start thinning the top coat if you persist in dragging it through the coat, depending on what spacing your comb has. Be warned, if you use either tool for a show coat, that you don't go too far with it. Best to do the hard yards with it, if your dog needs a lot of work prior to a show, but watch each stroke of the tool, to monitor when your tool is actually starting to damage the coat, and you need to take over with hand, finger, or comb stripping on small areas, to get it looking just right. Fantastic tools for a lot of uses, but any tool used to extreme will damage the coat. Most dogs that come into my salon needing work on the coat ----big double coated breeds, get the high velocity treatment. In which case, I find, that the coat benefits highly from a good blowing out! They are washed, twice, and no conditioner is applied, as this will 'gump' the coat up and slow down drying time. The high velocity dryer is employed while brushing the coat with the appropriate tool. A lot of undercoat can be forced out with the high velocity dryer and often clients rely on this as a way of not having to groom their own dogs. It used to be that people just didn't groom their dogs, and now, people just don't groom their dogs!

Hi There, It's English and the coat dressing has been discontinued, unfortunately. I hope they don't discontinue the 'paw wax' as well. ;) It is great for indoor shows on slippery surfaces. I found the coat dressing a little bit on the heavy side for my purpose, but there were times when it was perfect. I have used a product from the USA---just can't recall the exact name---something like purple oil???- -yes that's it--it's a coat dressing for show cattle and comes in a gallon jug at a cost of somewhere around $25 to $30 now I would think and is or used to be available at saddlery shops or places that cater to show cattle. The last time I bought it, it was under $20. It's rather heavy in coats as well, being an extremely light oil so I used to dress a coat one day and let it stay in for the night, then wash out the next day. If the coat was a bit brittle and dry from too much sun baking I rather enjoyed the results. Badly damaged coats can have some low heat applied while you massage the oil in. If you don't wash it out really well with a good shampoo, it can leave a coat a bit limp, but it does come good the next time you bathe the dog. Often it takes more than the oblig two shampoos---or two refills in the hydro, to get all of it out. :p It would depend on how dry a coat is and how much is taken up and I'm sure it also depends on how much you apply, lol, a little goes a long way. It's rather like the 'hot oil' treatments you can get for human hair---a bit heavy after the first wash, but the next time you shampoo---you feel a difference in your hair. I wouldn't use Purple Oil the day before a show, but rather something I would use at least a week or two in advance to coax a neglected coat back into shape. Being purple you don't get the yellowing effects you do with blue products on any white areas. None of this may help you, and it would depend on the breed you are working with too. I used it on Saluki's feathering, and might use it on English Cocker coats, but doubt I'd want to try to get it out of an American Cocker's coat if you know what I mean. If you leave it more than overnight, it just collects too much dust.

40 years plus experience in the grooming trade makes me tell all cat owners and cat clippers that the main thing is to get the mats off the body, the belly and the under arm area to make the cat comfortable---as that's the only reason one should ever have to clip a CAT. It's always amazing how so many kitten buyers are not prepared to groom their cats----is it their fault or the fault of the kitten seller? I don't know because I'm only on the grooming end. I do know that I have an amazing number of cats to clip every spring when they begin to shed and the owners do not bother to brush the loose hairs out. What's wrong with buying a short haired Moggy if that's all you really want????? Don't worry. you young groomers, no one really tries to clip cats below the elbow, unless it's just to get rid of some long fluff, and that can be scissored off more easily than clipped To put a cat through anything more is actually cruel. This next part comes from having groomed for over 40 years, and it's not one of my favorite things to share with the general public---but if you really need to bathe a cat---for medical purposes---as in it's covered with fleas---and it comes into your salon---the only safe say to bathe the cat is to put it in a wire crate, plastic bottom is fine, and make sure the top is secured---just wash the cat in the crate. Make sure all fleas are dead. I always rinse cats completely. so as not to leave anything on them that might make them ill, since they all will lick them selves dry and once they settle in the small crate, I take them out to towel dry them. I usually cage dry them, from a distance, on very low or no heat in summer, and so far 100% of all cats I've groomed/bathed for over 40 years have survived and been repeat customers. So if you are new to grooming cats, just be happy with getting most of the body hair off and leave the legs, as cat's hate the legs being fiddled with. Cat's are unique, and cat owners should be willing to look after their cats, but as most groomers know---this isn't the case. I have taken to asking my cat owners---what is it that you want of this cat??? A knot free silky fleece----or a mess of knots that need to be clipped off every year? I ask them why they didn't just get a short haired moggy and they tell me that it's because they love the long hair. I rest my case here---the same as I do with Maltese/similar breed owners who employ me year around to 'clip the lovely coats off their dogs'

40 years plus experience in the grooming trade makes me tell all cat owners and cat clippers that the main thing is to get the mats off the body, the belly and the under arm area to make the cat comfortable---as that's the only reason one should ever have to clip a CAT. It's always amazing how so many kitten buyers are not prepared to groom their cats----is it their fault or the fault of the kitten seller? I don't know because I'm only on the grooming end. I do know that I have an amazing number of cats to clip every spring when they begin to shed and the owners do not bother to brush the loose hairs out. What's wrong with buying a short haired Moggy if that's all you really want????? Don't worry. you young groomers, no one really tries to clip cats below the elbow, unless it's just to get rid of some long fluff, and that can be scissored off more easily than clipped To put a cat through anything more is actually cruel. This next part comes from having groomed for over 40 years, and it's not one of my favorite things to share with the general public---but if you really need to bathe a cat---for medical purposes---as in it's covered with fleas---and it comes into your salon---the only safe say to bathe the cat is to put it in a wire crate, plastic bottom is fine, and make sure the top is secured---just wash the cat in the crate. Make sure all fleas are dead,