Blue Fox 001

Thanks Cavscute - well hopefully he will feel better tomorrow.

Thanks Rappie. I know you can't comment directly on this case but if it is a reaction and he hasn't had tonights dose should I see a marked improvement tomorrow do you think? That would make it 24hrs since he has had any.

Has anyone experienced any adverse reactions with dogs on Rilexine? I have a dog here who had his first tablet this morning and this afternoon has been vomiting, is lethargic and not eating. Having done a bit of a search it says to feed the tablets with food if this happens, but dog won't eat. I have not given him tonights tablet as this is the only thing that has changed for him and it seems too much of a coincidence. Do you think it will be OK to leave him overnight and see if he is better in the morning. The closest vet is some 400km away so I don't really want to make a mad dash down there if I am over reacting. I am thinking if it is the Rilexine then we should see marked improvement by tomorrow morning. Anyones thoughts or experiences welcome.

Thanks Missymoo - I am by myself and love the sling, now instead of restanding dogs all day I just pop them in it and get feet and legs done without the fuss and bother. I can fit our GSD under the frame but it doesn't leave much room to move lol.

Thought you might like a photo

I bought a grooming frame from Groomers Friend and it is the most brilliant thing I have bought for grooming I would not be without it now. I have a 1yr old standard poodle and this frame is big enough for him to fit under and strong enough to support him. I also groom some of the local SWF's eg. Malts, Shih's etc.. and it accommodates them as well. I bought a few different length chains and a couple of different size tummy straps, can let you know exactly if your interested and it has been great. I also bought a full sling, so you can put all 4 legs through and actually suspend them off the ground - fantastic for clipping nails on nasty little monsters

I have a pair of Moser Arco cordless and they are great. It is an adjustable blade from #9 to #40 and I have done my standrad poodle pups f,f & t with them for about 6 months and not needed to replace the blade yet. Can't remember how much they were, something like $150 I think. They are light, quiet and don't heat up real quick. Yep I love them

If you do a search on here you'll find quite a few threads and recipes for them. From my reading it looks like they use them quite a bit for recovery from surgery, putting last minute condition on show dogs, feeding malnurished abuse cases etc. but some people seem to be feeding them as a supplement daily. I have read that they are probably not good for growing pups, something about the ratio of calcium to phospohorus. I suppose it is a toss up between the dog being way to thin and unhealthy and taking the chance of permanent pancreatic damage. It really does depend on what you read and which camp you fall into. No matter which recipe you go for they are all very high in fats, that's the point I suppose. Apparently they work very quickly which was why I thought I'd give it a go with this terrier. I am still in two minds about feeding this to him - he is fine this morning, no diarrhea, but then he hasn't had much either and maybe the small amounts I thought I'd feed him won't give him any tummy upsets but won't make any difference anyway.

Bugger wish I had checked back before making a half mix of these - I now have a freezer full of 110 satin balls and I have fed one tonight to the terrier x ! I made them up into a little larger than tablespoon size and thought I could give him one twice a day as well as his normal food eg. kibble at all times, plus chicken necks, meat and raw bones/chicken carcasses. He has been eating while here and seems bright and happy enough I just thought it would be nice to do something extra for him and send him home looking 'normal'. Every other thread I had read never mentioned diarrhea or pancreatitis Geez I don't want to make the dog sick. Anyway it's too late for tonight cause I have already given him one, so will have to wait and see how he is in the morning

I have a foxy x jack russell x various other terrier breeds staying with me who is very thin. I thought I would make him some satin balls, thanks for the pinned recipe but I am not sure if I should be feeding this as a normal meal for the next few days or is it just a small treat type food. The dog will be with me for another week and I would really like to show the owner some improvement so she may continue this at home. Any suggestions from those who use or have used this greatly appreciated.

Update - my friend rang the vet this morning and they assured her it is nothing to worry about, could be reaction to sutures but more than likely just to much play. So she took the pup to her mum's this morning to be under constant supervision while she is at work. The dog is not crate trained, but hopefully with someone looking after her at all times for the next week until sutures are removed all will be well. Thanks for your help guys, think you we're all pretty on to it.

Thanks for those replies guys. She will ring the vet tomorrow morning and take her down if necessary. I have advised her no time outside off lead at all, it is very difficult to keep a boisterous young GSP quiet I will agree, she is trying but possibly not enough. I wondered about a reaction to the internal sutures too? The lump sticks out as if a mango had been cut in half and sat on her tummy if you get what I mean, it really is very large IMO. Will see what the vet says tomorrow.

Be 'firm but fair' that's the advice I was given when I got my standard. This is not a game, it is not negotiable and our long haired friends need to be taught to stand still and comply with directions and if you are gentle, but firm, with practice and time the dog will come to enjoy the one on one time spent with you. When our boy was young we use to have toilet breaks often when grooming. A puppy that needs to go to the toilet can't possibly concentrate on the job at hand. A play session before bathing/grooming is helpful when they are young too. It just helps to take the edge off, don't completely wear the pup out or else she won't be able to stand when you need her too. But it's helpful to have a slightly more compliant puppy that's more likely to do what you ask, therefore giving you more opportunity to treat for the right behaviour making it all a positive experience. I don't know if this is a no no, but T also had/still has a grooming toy. He can only have this when he is on the table, it keeps his mouth occupied and he will stand/lay down for ages while he is playing with his toy. Anyway that's what I did with my boy and we have quite enjoyable grooming sessions now. He will get onto the grooming table and into the hydrobath with no fuss at all and clipping his f,f & t is becoming easier every week.

A friend of mine had her GSP (11 months old) spayed last Wednesday and over the last day or so a quite large lump has come up under the sutures. It is probably mango size maybe a little longer. It is very solid, not weeping and the external sutures are all intact. We're 110km from the nearest vet, who is not contactable on Sundays anyway. Any thoughts? Does it sound like something she needs to drive 400km to a vet today for?

I use a force dryer on my standard (Double K Airmax). He has been taught not to leave the table while we're grooming so I have the dryer in one hand and my brush in the other. As he is only a baby (little over 8 months) he can be a little squirmy and if this happens then I put the brush down and hold the dog with my free hand until he calms down, still drying with the other hand and then just brush once it's almost dry. I can't seem to get a really beautiful straight fluffed coat without brushing and drying at the same time though! I only use the low setting as with both motors going it's just a little too much air, but if your not fussed by the finished look particularly it's much faster with two motors. The dryer does get warm although it has no heating element, the motors apparently warm the air.

This stuff isn't really like carpet more like a vinyl tile I suppose, that's what I thought it was actually but it is a bit spongier. It will wipe over and nothing can get through, it's not porous as such.

Thanks for the input guys. I couldn't justify the price of an electric one becks, I am only grooming part time but they looked fantastic. Maybe one day when I can go full time Well I splashed out today and ordered a 350kg lift which goes plenty high enough 1300mm and still lowers to 355mm. It is an Australian company which have a 12 month warrantee, but you can bet that if it's gunna break down it'll be in month 13 I hope you were not going to tell me something bad poodle3081 cause I have ordered it now and it'll be here hopefully on Friday!! Found a wet area carpet, really low pile more like a hard felt really, which had rubber backing so we can glue it to the steel table to make it non slip. Will wait for it to turn up before I go ordering a frame just to see how I am going to fix it to the table and get the right measurements. Toooo exciting, can't wait to try it out with our GSD to see how it goes for the big guys.

Dang you got me, perhaps it is I who is the wuss Will try again tonight and report back

Thanks t-time I don't think they did actually scratch more that I didn't like the harsh feel of it against my skin, but I will try it again tonight when I get home.

I have been a bit hesitant to use the PP pin brush on the poo but perhaps I should just give it a go and see how he reacts, he's a bit of a wuss too My old cheapy that I have had forever and love is giving up the ghost and I can't remember where I got it from or what it was called, so will have to make a decision shortly.

My poor unfortunate grooming table that I bought off E-Bay just isn't cutting it (wobbly with anything over 2kg on it ) so I have been researching hydraulic tables and was wondering if anyone else is using these as tables and if so what weight and dimensions have you got? I would have liked a 500kg but they do not go high enough and it might have been over kill, so think I am going to look at a 350kg double scissor lift. This will be my only table so I need it to go low to raise big dogs into the bath and up high enough to do the SWF's. As the first table I bought is so unstable I am a little paranoid about this next one being very solid and able to lift GSD size dogs with it so I am second guessing the 350kg load weight. From what I can tell it's not really how much it can lift but the heavier the lift the more stable the table is going to be. I will have to put some sort of non-slip top on it as well as they all seem to have metal table tops so any suggestions for this would be good too. I am also looking at the Groomers Friend frame to mount onto this table so any info if you are using one of these tables and have a frame mounted to it would be appreciated. Gosh that was an epic post, sorry to be so long winded Any advice apprciated.

what breed of dog? I have a standard poodle but also groom a variety of SWF for the locals some in coat and some not so not really looking for a brush specifically for a breed. Thanks for that Ellz, I thought the PP pin brush was a bit harsh, didn't like the feel of it against my arm which I thought was the test

I am looking at replacing my fairly ordinary brushes (pin and slickers) with a better brand(s) so just looking for recommendations from people who have used some of the brands, what you like and what you didn't, what your thought was good value and what you wished you hadn't bought. Thanks for your help.

Could you let me know the brand of the good quality pin brush please TerraNik? I am looking to upgrade my brushes a few at a time and really appreciate recommendations from people who have used them.

We feed Bonnie here, not cause it's cheap but cause our boys love it and do really well on it. We tried everything for the GSD as he has growing and he always looked like a stray that no-one fed so we tried him on the Bonnie Working Dog and he looks fantastic, bulked up and coat shines. Our poodle came to us from the breeder on Advance and we gradually over about 3 months swapped him to Bonnie Puppy and he loves it too. They do get raw primarily but have access to their biscuits at all times.