Miss Danni

MissMaddy, the Breeder Bags are only Performance, they dont come in any other variety. However, they are very close in formula to the Large Breed Puppy, so you should be fine to switch to that. We never have any problems with our GSD pups switching them from Performance to Puppy and vice versa.

The Siberian Husky Club's racing committee people can direct you where to go to buy a scooter, so can Windchill. Some people make the scooters from BMX bike frames. You will also need the correct bungee to connect your dogs to the scooter safely. Most importantly, you need to train your dogs to respond to your voice commands for Stop, Left and Right, otherwise you will not be safe on the scooter. Contact ASSA for more assistance http://www.assa.asn.au/index.php?option=co...s&Itemid=62

Ringworm is fungal, not viral or bacterial. It is the same family of nuisance as Athlete's Foot. You catch it by coming into contact with the fungal spores, usually they are attached to the hair shaft of an animal, which is why you can be reinfected by a hair in the environment long after the animal has been "cured". Ringworm will fluoresce under a blacklight. People that contract ringworm often develop a resistance to it and never develop the lesions on subsequent exposures.

Have you contacted the breeder?

I've used Telfast on my GSD that had been bitten by something and had a massive reaction, sorry dont recall the colour of the box. We had given her a Claratyne with little effect and followed it up an hour or so later with the Telfast that seemed to help within 15 mins. Our vet has told us to keep a few types on hand because each dog is different and it is hard to predict what will work in each case. One of our lines is highly allergic to bees and wasps, so we now keep antihistamines in the car just in case.

Dave, California Natural is an excellent product but will be impoosible to buy if you dont want PP to have your money. I have GSDs and they do very very well on Pro Plan Performance, which you can get for a very good price at World 4 Pets at Vineyard. Pet barn and Pet Stock also carry it. Even our sensitive kids do well on Pro Plan.

Cremation for all of ours, even though we own 5 acres, I am not expecting this to be where I will live forever. My main concerns are my horses - you cant get them cremated and burying them is very traumatic - I have a friends' horse buried on my property because he was living with us when he died suddenly. Even the thought of leaving him behind makes me sad

We now have a line - mother and daughters - that like to chase bugs and eat them . Wasps are a particular problem for us. We now keep Claratyne and Zirtec on hand as well as in the car, just in case they get stung while off-site. Our vet told us that if one brand doesn't work, try the other type, as dogs react differently to different antihistamines, so one might work for one dog and not another. The last time one of the girls had a reaction, it was in the house, no bees or wasps, so we think that she might have eaten a spider! I also used a cold facewasher on her swollen eyes to try to give her some relief while waiting for the drugs to kick in. We had to use both drugs for her eyes to return to normal from swollen little slits, but her muzzle was much faster.

We live in a rural area and it seems like every second property does not bother to lock up their aggressive mongrel dogs. So if we walk in our street, which is rare now for this reason, I always take my trusty and very serious Mag Lite. It will do far more damage to an attacking dog than I could with either kicking or punching and at less risk to me. I think if I was serious, I could crack a skull with it! And believe me, if some rotten dog is getting stuck into one of mine, I wont care what part of it I break to stop it! Our neighbours probably think I'm a bit strange taking a torch on a walk in broad daylight, but I dont care what they think, only about my dogs. So with all this acreage around us, we prefer to pop the dogs in the car and take them elsewhere to walk them (but the torch comes too ). Walks are supposed to be enjoyable for all of us!

Handled and raced, Siberians and GSD's. So much fun and the dogs love it!

Our 14 month old GSD was stung/bitten by something in the house Sunday week ago and was immediately swollen like a football. Her litter are particularly susceptible to bees/wasps, as we discovered a few months ago when 2 litter sisters went down after receiving multiple stings from a wasp. Within minutes this time, we dosed her with Claratyne and she looked a bit better, combined with a cold compress on her poor eyes for about an hour to lessen her discomfort. But even after a few hours she was not back to normal and the vets were closed, so I gave her a Telfast tablet as well and she improved greatly. When the 2 girls were attacked, one of them went into shock and our vet told us to give them an antihistemine and if one brand did not work, to try a second brand, because like humans, dogs react to different brands differently. We now carry antihistemine in our cars just in case.

b.jane05, take her to the vet asap so that you can make an informed decision either way. At least if you decide to keep her, you will know what expenses you are likely to incur for her eventual surgery and the work that will be involved in keeping her alive. Despite our best intentions, sometimes surgery to prolong the life of a sick puppy is prohibitive, or you just cannot physically do what needs to be done for their care. If she does cross the bridge, just keep this thought in mind that she will be back in your next litter, in a more complete body. That's how I got through losing 2 from my last litter after nursing them for 11 and 14 days. Good luck, my thoughts are with you.

Our lot all like the ends off the zucchini when I am cutting it up for cooking. They also like strawberries and bananas, you have to peel bananas very quietly in our house if you dont want to share!

We use coloured nail polish for identification while they are little, since it is mainly for weighing and worming. Usually by the time they are up and about, they have names and are easily told apart (well by me anyway, my OH struggles sometimes). If I dont have enough different nail polish colours, I paint some on the end of their tails and some on the top of a foot, and record which is which in my breeding book. Later on their names take the place of the colour codes. We find this works well and there is no danger to the pups, no matter how minor. Oh, just need to add, dont buy the cheap nail polish with glitter in it, so you need to be very clear on your instructions if you send your OH to get more colours!

Hi Dyzney, I saw the start of your thread yesterday but have been flat out with the Sales Conference to be able to post until now. Keep your chin up, Jess told you that she needed to go and you were able to hear her, you did the right thing although it hurts like hell and you keep wondering if you could have done something else. 15 is a super age for a Sheppie. You guys are awesome. :D I told Lisa about Jess and she is sending you a big hug and kiss too.

I've wormed a litter of pups (cattle dogs) and had then spitting out poos with roundworms within 20 minutes!

CoupeDash, I have just caught up with this thread, I dont get onto DOL very often. You should not use a premium food like RC and then add meat to it, that destroys the calcium/phosphorus balance that the food has and that you pay thtough the nose for I agree with changing Dash to an Adult diet, but he still needs to lose weight, I dont care what your vet says, he needs to lose at least 3 kilos, if not more. I have a very substantial adult show GSD male, strong head and bones and very much a boy and at his top, he weighs 37 kilos and he is almost 3. When he is not as well muscled and fit and hard, he weighs in around 35.5 - 36 kilos. I have had GSD's for over 25 years, and have a lot of experience with other people's GSDs from being an obedience instructor, so even without seeing your dog, I know he's overweight and that will directly affect him if he has Pano. My young girl with Pano is very lean to make sure that she has no extra stress on her joints apart from what genetics hit her with! She is starting to grow out of it finally, it can be a long road. When I mentioned the pumpkin, yes you are correct, give him half of his dry food ration and replace it with mashed pumpkin. He will still feel full but will get less calories and the pumpkin wont muck up the dry food balance like meat does. Swimming him will also help to get him fit and burn calories. FYI, I feed Proplan Performance to my dogs and they thrive on it. My preference for bones for juvenile/adult GSD's is lamb shanks. They have meat on them, are fairly lean and do not splinter when chewed. If the pet shop does not have lamb shanks, I will feed lamb flaps or beef brisket bones. We feed chicken wings occassionally, more as a treat, as they are hardly chewed , and therefore there is no teeth cleaning benefit. Good luck with Dash at the chiro.

It is normal for Pano to move from one leg to another and come and go. It varies with the rate of growth happening in the growth plates. They do eventually grow out of it once the growth plates close. Pano is often found in families, so I believe that there is a genetic tendency in some lines, to develop Pano under the "right" conditions. You need to change your thinking about his exercise - dont be worried about being "fair", if he is limping, he gets a swim or no exercise regardless of what his sister is doing. With his size, it sounds like he has grown very fast and a lot of stress is on his system. Please consider taking some weight off him, unless he is 70cm tall, he is too heavy and this will certainly contribute to his problem. To cut back on his intake, replace some of this normal food with cooked mashed pumpkin - it's filling but doesnt have much in the way of calories etc. As Dyzney said, bones are great for GSDs, especially bones like chicken wings/carcasses (necks wont get chewed by a 9 month old, they get swollowed whole), lamb/beef flaps or brisket and lamb shanks. Dont feed long leg bones as they can splinter and cause major problems. Meaty bones are ideal as they are balanced in calcium, protein and phosphorus, so replace some of his normal food with bones instead (not as well as his normal meal). They also take a while to eat and can keep an exercise restricted dog amused for a few hours!

Wow CoupeDash, 38kg is very large for a 9 month old male. Have any of the vets mentioned his weight as a contributing factor? What did the last xrays of his elbows show? He certainly sounds to me like he has Pano. I've experienced it three times in over 25 years, I currently have one girl with it. Most experienced GSD vets can diagnose it pretty quickly. You usually just have to wait it out, limit their weight bearing exercise (swimming is great) and treat them when they are in the most discomfort. If it is Pano, a check by a chiropractor would not do any harm, as there may be more than one issue affecting Dash. Most GSD pups that play hard are out in the neck and sciatic, so it would be beneficial to have both pups checked.

World 4 Pets on Windsor Rd Vineyard generally have them.

The pet shop "Dog Expert" is an ill informed dolt. With some brands of crates, such as Pet Cargo, you can purchase dividers/seperators or they might be included. I'd only bother if the crate was absolutely huge for the puppy, otherwise put your money towards something else.

Sorry to hear this Hannahh, for you and your friend and her poor animals. My horses are always my biggest worry whenever we are planning for bushfires. But people had no time to save themselves on Saturday and would have needed God's luck to save their horses. RIP Belle, Tihani and Rusty.

I did the Delta Society course many years ago - 1996 - and it was fabulous. Looks like things might have changed since Dr Kibble passed away. Terry Ryan also used to be involved. You could ask Delta for the course outline and make a more informed decision.

I've given a bitch Rimadyl for pain relief post surgery with no issues. There are known problems with Rimadyl so you do need to be careful and guided by your vet. But I'd rather give my bitch some pain relief, after all, a spay is a fairly major invasive procedure and they must be in severe discomfort/pain afterwards. I think vets that dont offer your bitch pain relief are callous.

Nutrience does not require irradiation on entry to Australia.