Cathryn

I voted other - Gracie gets Advance, and I've been extremely happy with this

We went with the vet too - Advantix for ticks and fleas, and Interceptor Spectrum for intestinal worms and heartworm. It seems to work fairly well

I feed my puppy Gracie, primarily Advance Puppy Rehydratable, which she seems to like, along with chicken wings several times a week. Occasionally I give her an egg and she gets usual treats. I've been given a Eukanuba sample, though, and if she likes that I might consider changing her over. However, on the other hand, our 12 year old, Lucy (a bitser) has been fed on supermarket food her whole life, she loves it and has never had a single health problem. We've only recently learnt about how bad supermarket food is, and I don't think she'd appreciate the change now

My dog protests fiercely, so I now do hers when she's sleeping. She stretches right out when she sleeps, so the paws are easily accessible, and for the most part she doesn't notice - and, if she does, she's too sleepy to protest. The couple of times I ever tried to do it when she was fully awake did not go well. I'll probably do it that way with the puppy when she gets older, too.

That's okay For starters, it's not my dog, it's my friends. I do know about the grooming requirements of my own dog, thanks very much - I just wanted to verify that one point. Second, I was under the impression that DOL was a site where people could learn more about taking care of animals, and ask questions about things they're unsure about - which is what I did. Sorry if wanting to check something makes you angry - I don't think my original post was offensive or rude in any way. And the main reason I wanted to ask was because I've read and heard a number of conflicting things on the subject, some of which have been on DOL - the main reason I wanted to check again. In fact, I once read something that said that to have a 5 and a half month old long haired puppy and not clip it was cruel. Also, if you'd read the thread thoroughly, you'd realise it's already been pointed out that I was wrong and I've thanked people for correcting me, and teaching me more about the subject. So I don't know why you use the analogy of banging your head against a brick wall. Maybe your comments weren't referring to me, but to people in general - but if so, you shouldn't have phrased it rudely in response to my question. Thanks again to all the people who answered me politely

Thanks for correcting me, everyone And thanks for mentioning that he needs daily brushing - she's said she only needs to brushe him weekly, so I'll mention this to her. I did state in my original post that I didn't have all the information, and wanted to know. I was simply asking to be sure, for the puppy's sake.

My friend has a five and a half month old Maltese x Shih tzu. He's a gorgeous puppy but, as I'm sure you'd imagine, he already has extremely long, flowing hair. So, especially considering the fact that we're going into what's predicted as a very humid summer, and that she lives in a house that gets very hot, I mentioned today that she'll have to get his fur trimmed. I brought it up yesterday, as well, and both days I got replies along the same lines - she has an aunty who used to be a vet-nurse, who's told her that as long as she brushes him regularly he'll be fine because the air will get through or something like that. Now, both times I've just kind of smiled and nodded, because I don't have the information to successfully argue the point. But I thought I'd come on here and ask - am I right, and the puppy should be professionally groomed for both his wellbeing and comfort, particularly during the hot summer months? And if so, what sort of information should I present to her to try and convince her? She's very stubborn, gets angry easily and considering that the person who told her not to worry is family and a former vet-nurse, I don't know how much chance I'll have of persuading her, but it's worth a try, I guess.