Sankari

Thanks for the help everyone. Erny, unfortunately getting to Dr Bruce Syme is not possible as i don't have a car or license. I appreciate the suggestion though. I've met him and find him a very knowledgeable Vet and very helpful. I went to a seminar out at KCC park a few yrs back and was very impressed with the information i gained from the seminar. I bought Charlotte a 2.7kg bag of Eukanuba Sensitive Stomach today. I had a very large discussion with the staff at Mega Pet and the guy helping me was telling me of his dog who has the same problem with food. I was tossing up between Advance and Eukanuba. Will see how she goes on it.

Victoria- Melbourne Consult- $30.15 Desexing- done prior to getting them Dental- never had it done on dogs before However i have had dental done on a rabbit which was filing down back teeth and polish which costed around $198 in December, no teeth removed.

Thanks. Will have a look for it.

I would much prefer to put her onto a food that i know is not going to react to her that is made specially for sensitive stomachs. Thanks for your input anyway.

I have a 3yr Golden Retriever with severe sensitive stomach which I am wanting to switch to a food that is for dogs like her. She gets the runs with anything that is given to her. So what brands for people with dogs with severe sensitive stomachs do you use? Charlotte has had IAMS, EP, Vivace and Bonnie all of which caused the runs. She was going ok with Raw diet for a while but then started to have the runs which ended up happening every day after anything raw or bones. Unless i give her boiled chicken pieces and rice she is having severe runs. She is healthy, energetic and all preventions are up to date. Ever since i have had Charlotte (August 2007) she has had severe sensitive stomachs. EP her runs were quite as bad but still not as great as i would have liked. Any suggestions please.

Judge me if you wish but this is personal experience not advice!!!! Personally when a dog is sick has the runs/vomitting for whatever reason, I ALWAYS give boiled Chicken and Rice. This is what helps my dogs. It is bland and the only thing that helps them get better. I wouldnt give it as "part" of a regular diet, but I have absolutely no hesitation in giving it to a dog who has gastro or whatever the problem is which will get them back to normal. One of my dogs has a extremely highly sensitive stomach. I very slowly introduced the raw diet to her, and was going fine for a while, then all the sudden had the runs severely. I tried different things but everything reacted the same way. It didnt matter if it was fresh meat or bones it had the same affect. I had to make the decision to go back to dry. Not a decision that i took lightly. I didnt want my dog to be having the runs severely everyday which made her very different. Wasn't her happy cheery self. Her runs have stopped since putting her back on dry. Raw isn't always suitable for every dog. I think some dogs just arent suitable on the raw diet, like in Charlotte's case. I still do it for my other dog as she has the best stomach i've seen!

That is very good information

Congratulations on your beautiful puppy. Personally I use Aloveen Shampoo on my goldens. I use a hyrdrobath (i bought one) but times where my back is too sore, or i just am lazy they go to a groomer as i am too chicken to do their nails myself My first Golden i got at 16 weeks and i gave her a bath at home as she was a nervous wreck so didnt like the idea of stressing her by getting a mobile or sending her to a groomer. We always did her from home before i became a groomer myself and she came into work with me and always got done every 4-6 weeks even after i quit dog grooming for good. I bought a hydrobath last year so that even when she wasnt well i could still wash her from home. I wash my girls between grooms as they wrestle everyday and by about 2 weeks they absolutely stink so it's good to be able to give them a wash in between. I think the only section you need 150 posts for is the off topic section.

That is such great news to hear GG. Good Luck with the member comps. :D

Both my Goldens 2yrs and 3yrs get Flaxseed oil. I give 1 table spoon every night. Have been giving dogs flaxseed oil for a few yrs now. One i got once from a health food shop gave the dogs farts non stop for days! It was horrible. I think it was called mega oil or something like that. Cant remember the brand name, but probably wouldnt get it. The one they get now they havent had farts at all which is terrific! Zoe my 2yr old, has poor coat so i am trying to improve her coat. I tried Omega Blend by VAN but it gave my 3yr old Charlotte the runs. So they both get human grade flaxseed oil and Zoe's skin and coat seems to be improving.

Reading that absolutely tore my heart out.

When my previous dog had upset tummies (were very frequent) the only thing that seemed to help was boiled rice and lean boiled chicken. The chicken alone didnt stop the vomitting or diahorrea. I gave some of the broth of the rice on recommendation of the vet. Eventually the episodes were more and more frequent and had a few pancreatitis episodes and had to be on i/d diet most of last year before given her wings. I have heard very good things about Curash. I have it in my kit for hot spots.

I wouldn't call that annoying. I am more than certain if for one minute he was making other campers unhappy his owner would prevent it. I have a fussy dog myself (adopted two weeks ago), Zoe was very difficult to get to eat anything as she was fed nothing but can food her whole life. Zoe had never seen dry food in her life. So I gave her what she wanted instead which is Raw chicken. I have slowly gotten her to eat dry as well. A suggestion... Have you tried mixing the raw with what he wants to eat, and over a period decrease what he wants more a little less each day until he is on the raw properly?

I can completely understand how expensive it is for them with a large dog on the ID. My previous Golden Retriever had an episode of it in 2006 and then she had another in 2008 and was put onto it. It was extremely expensive for us and it nearly sent me broke. If I had thought or known of a cheaper way to control the episodes I probably would have done it. I hope someone can help you.

Thanks for that cazxxz. I knew about the wagging tail as i used to help out there. Great people, but was wanting a career change in that i didnt wish to do dog grooming any longer. I am now working in an Animal shelter and absolutely loving it. Been there 12 months now. I must check out vic market and victoria street when i am down there next. Anyone else who knows of anything in the north-eastern suburbs of melbourne, I would greatly appreciate you telling us anywhere you know.

My previous dog had arthritis, hip & Elbow dysplasia from 10 months of age. I found natural supplements in the beginning really helped her, I tried Vets All Natural Joint Formula, I then switched to i think Wagner brand human grade Glucosamine and Chondroitin powder mixed into food bought from Chemist. Swimming is supposed to help for dogs who like swimming of course! My girl hated water so we couldnt explore that option for her. I do know of people who have had very good results with dogs with arthritis and swimming helps. There are dog pools around where you can teach your dog to swim, unfortunately at the time I couldnt do that as we did and still do not live near a dog swimming pool. Not having a license puts alot of restrictions. We also tried various vet medications. The one i found best for her was Cartrophen, she also over the years had Metacam, Mobic and she also had Rimadyl. Due to long term use of the last three medications i mentioned, Lucy did have stomach upsets at least 2-3 times a week. In the end we had to go back to the natural side as well as a hit of Cartrophen every 3-6 months. Cartrophen is a course of 4 injections one per week. She did well on them. She also had a massage therapist every 4 weeks come and massage her for a few years as well. It helped for about a fortnight or so each massage. It was expensive but it did help her in that time. Hope this helps. There's plenty of things which may help your girl. Good Luck with her and hope you find something to help her.

If you want to feed rodent, feed bunny!! My dogs love it. Rabbits are not rodents! Sorry but I under no circumstances support rabbits being eaten. I am a registered breeder and exhibitor. Every rabbit show i am at we get at least one person come in saying they're only good for eating. It makes me so mad they are domesticated animals bred for temperament, pets and show purposes. Breeders don't do years of work on their lines for people to come along and eat them. In my research and through talking with other breeders we have found even if vaccinated against Calicivirus, it still doesnt cover all strains. Myxomatosis still doesn't have a vaccine in Australia against the disease. If people choose to feed rabbit to their dogs for whatever reason, I would be very careful with where you source it. With all due respect, rabbits have been bred for the table for a very long time. Rabbit from the local rabbit breeder was a regular on our table when I was growing up, and today it still continues. You may show them, but for generations they have also been bred to eat, maybe not some of the little dwarf breeds, and those bred for fancy coats, but big fat meat rabbits. My uncle bred NZ whites for the table. Don't get me wrong but every breed of rabbit are show rabbits, yeah i know NZW rabbits are for some people bred for the table but they are also show rabbits and are pets for children and adults. All breeds of rabbits now days are bred for their temperaments and the show table with some people purchasing to eat them (large breeds only). I know people who have been showing and breeding for 40 and 60 years plus so for generations they've also been show rabbits.

Zoe is starting to look better. I have finally gotten her to eat some offal. She wouldnt touch the chicken liver even when mixed into the fresh meat she eats. I got Lamb kidneys and she LOVES them! Zoe is starting to eat more nowadays she polishes bowl. Odin-Genie: There is no such ideal weight for a golden i have been told, but what it comes down to is going by what their condition looks like, if they look lovely, coat looks great, can still feel rib then i think they are a good weight condition. If you can both see and feel alot of rib i think they need more weight. If you think she's just lean then i would go with your gut instinct. I know some taller Goldens do seem to need more than the ones on the smaller side. Zoe is a bit taller than Charlotte, but seems to need more daily intake than what Charlotte does to burn off. Zoe is on the lean side which doesn't bother me as she is energetic, but I don't think she is too underweight. Zoe's sides are starting to fill out a little more, I just increased the daily intake rather than the fat content. Both my dogs go to the park every night and burn off alot at home wrestling and playing together. They are both happy and well adjusted dogs, so as long as they are happy then i am too

If you want to feed rodent, feed bunny!! My dogs love it. Rabbits are not rodents! Sorry but I under no circumstances support rabbits being eaten. I am a registered breeder and exhibitor. Every rabbit show i am at we get at least one person come in saying they're only good for eating. It makes me so mad they are domesticated animals bred for temperament, pets and show purposes. Breeders don't do years of work on their lines for people to come along and eat them. In my research and through talking with other breeders we have found even if vaccinated against Calicivirus, it still doesnt cover all strains. Myxomatosis still doesn't have a vaccine in Australia against the disease. If people choose to feed rabbit to their dogs for whatever reason, I would be very careful with where you source it.

I go to Mega Pet Warehouse in Epping (VIC) for all the girls raw except I get the RMB from a butcher in Epping Plaza across the road instead. Mega Pet Warehouse is convenient as I get all my Rabbit bedding and Pellets there as well. If i am down in Thomastown way, i get the Chicken at La Ionica in Lipton drive. Would love to know if anyone has other places which are good in north-eastern suburbs melbourne.

OUCH! Yes, I would imagine so I have dealt with many hotspots. If you get them quick enough, you can stop them from becoming so bad that they need vet treatment. I have used lots of things in the past including Curash Powder but the most effective thing I have found was Living Nature Manuka Oil and Honey Antiseptic Gel which is now produced as Rescue Gel from HERE. I have seen a hotspot disappear overnight after using this stuff and can't recommend it highly enough. You can use it for all sorts of things, not just the dog It's also good to work out why your dog might get hotspots - whether it's because they haven't been dried off enough after a swim or a bath, or if a reaction to something in the food they eat (grains are known to increase the incidence of hotspots in some breeds). Thank you for giving those suggestions ArtyFarty, I must add them to my list of things to help for hot spots.

I adopted Zoe last week, and when she came into the shelter she had a hot spot. They shaved the back of her head and was on Neotopic and antibiotics and it's fine now. I have been told that curash is great for hot spots. You can type into google "hot spots dogs" and should come up with some info and suggestions of what you can use. I'm sure there would be other threads here also. Oakway: I would have thought that would sting a bit... Good luck with it and hope it clears soon.

When we have it, we do the same. I would say definately too salty as a meal for dogs.

She's lucky she has me, given love and care she deserves and she'll be fine.

laffi, no i am not used to the look of fat goldens in my area the only goldens i see are good weight ones i dont often see fat ones when i am walking the dogs/at parks, this girl does need more weight definately not good weight at 26.5kg. She is skinny especially considering I can both see and feel her ribs. Whereas my other girl is 27kg and looks devine. I havent had her long and her previous owner fed her a disgusting diet and not enough food for her to be a good weight. Will try some of the suggestions.