Stitch

Can anyone tell me the best brand of Vitamin C + Bioflavonoids to buy? Also where to buy it and the doseage for a small dog? Thanks heaps!

Disco Dobe, do you know if it is the equivalent of C4? 12 weeks old seems very early to finish immunising for 12 months.

Anyone???

This is a series of 3 immunisations given at approx. 8wks then 10wks then 12wks. Covers Parvo, Hep, Distemper but not KC. I haven't struck it before but it would only be equivalent to a C4 so not sure if a further vax should be given at 16wks which includes KC or just give KC by itself??? Any info would be appreciated.

Yes I had one that did so now I make sure I feed all my dogs prior to worming them so they have food in their stomach. Haven't had a problem since doing that.

Heartworm preventatives that we tend to take for granted as we administer them monthly are in reality very serious chemicals. Whilst there are obviously differing schools of thought my opinion for what its worth is that I would rather give a smaller dose of poison to my dogs on a monthly basis than a larger dose yearly. Now I know that it is not that simplistic but I have kept and bred dogs for many years and so far have not run into any problems by giving the heartworm chews monthly. There has been some research done that says that there can be some types of heartworm that are becoming resistant to some heartworm medications - in particular the moxidextin in the yearly doses. "According to Dr. Byron Blagburn, an expert in parasitology who has studied heartworms extensively, there are some strains of heartworms that are indeed resistant to all of the currently available heartworm prevention medicines. As drastic as that sounds, that does not mean we should stop giving our dogs heartworm prevention medicines. However, it does mean that we need to be aware of the potential for failure. We can no longer assume that our heartworm prevention is going to be 100% effective in preventing heartworms in all dogs." From a different angle & IMO, all chemicals that are given to dogs should be kept to the lowest dose/frequency possible without compromising the dog and that includes immunisations and all types of worming meds.

I took one of mine to the chiro with exactly that problem. He said it is muscle related and showed me how to massage her to relieve it. Massage did relieve it to some extent but it is still happening to a lesser extent. I wouldn't be surprised to find it was related to a back issue but if it is, it is something that the chiro couldn't fix!

I would just like councils to start to enforce the existing rules and regulations. I can't take my dogs on a walk around here because we are in a rural area and people let their dogs off the leash when walking in the street. Seems like the rules here are only for places where there are footpaths!!! I asked for council to put up signs saying dogs were to be on leash but they said they couldn't do that in a street situation!!! However I can also see the other side of this because dogs are a very good deterrant to robberies, so I like a dog that barks at strangers when they are home, behind a fence and in their own territory. These things have to be fair for all, not just always slanted against dog owners.

Firstly, take a deep breath and start from scratch again. Forget about your other crate and what has gone before. Dogs live in the moment so they can start the training again easily. Set yourself up to succeed knowing that what you are doing is not cruel but just crate training. Crate training goes like this....... As others have said, buy yourself a proper wire crate that is big enough for the dog to comfortably stand in and turn around. Move the crate during the day to an area the dog can see you eg. family room with a view to the kitchen where you are working. Feed the dog all its meals in the crate. Play with the dog when it is in the crate. Practice going into and out of the crate with food treat rewards that it loves. Repetition, repetition, repetition to reinforce that the crate is a great place to be. Night times, put the crate beside your bed so you can put your hand down and it can lick your fingers through the wire as you reassure it. This is as good as it gets for a dog of a night time so you just have to keep doing all this and eventually it will all settle down and resolve itself. If you are unsettled the dog will pick this up so try to remain calm at all times. Once it has settled down you can then gradually move the crate further and further away. Age will give the dog more sense and understanding and the fear of being left alone will diminish. Some dogs need more reassurance when they are young and miss the company of their littermates but this as I said will diminish as it gets older. Don't expect miracles or quick fixes as this is something that takes time and consistant even handed training to get the pup to settle down on your terms. For more explanations do a search on crate training on the web. There is lots there!!

Queensland State Govt. released a discussion paper last week regarding whether irresponsible dog owners should be banned from keeping a dog. Minister for Local Govt. Paul Lucas said the paper looked at a range of measures to protect the community from dangerous dogs, including giving councils the power to issue on the spot fines and prohibiting people from owning dogs. Key issues raised in the discussion paper are: Civil Liability Penalties for attack offences Managing potientially dangerous dogs Appeal rights and timeframes Destruction powers All this sounds fair enough but as with all these kind of things the devil is sometimes in the detail which may impact adversely on innocent dog owners so it needs to be read with this in mind. To view and make a submission visit www.dlgp.qld.gov.au

Haven't tried heating it up but will give that a go this afternoon. Yes Persephone, a princess.....sigh........and mum won't share food unfortunately.

Me too however I have a very resistant singleton pup at the moment.

Maybe so, but I found it useful in starting pups that don't want to be weaned from mum.

I have looked and can't find it -- does anyone know if it is still available and where??

Mosquitos or sandflies?? There are a lot about at the moment.

Might be worthwhile to give her probiotics or yoghurt to help to restore flora to the gut after taking all the antibiotics.

An interesting article Espinay2 especially about the nutrition during pregnancy. Thank you for posting that.

It really is a big comfort to read all your good wishes. I thank you all again for your understanding. At this stage I can't bring myself to even think of getting another Dobe. I am just going to give myself some time and devote myself to my showdogs. Thank you Bisart Dobes for that explanation. At least there is some light at the end of the tunnel for the breed. I thought I had done my homework when I got my big boy from a breeder with a very good reputation but I must admit I was concentrating on not getting another Dobe with Wobblers.

Thank you for your kind words & thoughts. It is going to take me quite a while to get over this. I just can't believe it has all happened and so quickly too. I didn't realise it was such a BIG problem in the breed until the specialist told me this morning. Can they test for it in Australia yet?

They did a heart scan and all chambers of the heart are affected. The specialist said that if he was a human they would be looking to do a heart transplant. His lungs are 49% full of fluid. He is in great discomfort and has a very poor prognosis. I have now made the decision to end his distress as they say it is not something he is going to come back from. I can't believe how quickly this had all happened.

Thanks Persephone. Yes it was sudden. He is such a big strong boy, or so I thought. One moment worrying about him digging up the garden and then next he is having this nasty health issues. He didn't give any noticeable signs other than the onset of the coughing and I am very observant when it comes to my dogs. Initially I thought it might have been kennel cough although it is a different kind of cough and he has been vaccinated for bordatella, not that that covers all respiratory problems. Maybe the out of character digging that he has been doing in the garden lately was related to a stress reaction to his heart problem or is that too much of a stretch??

The night before last our Dobe boy started coughing overnight so yesterday I took him to our local vet. He examined him and said that he had irregular heart rhythms and he suspected cardio myopathy and that he would look into getting him an appointment with the heart specialist. Last night the coughing was considerably worse. Our poor boy didn't get any sleep as he can't lie down without coughing and gagging. This morning I have rung the specialist vets myself and organised an AM appointment today. It isn't looking good I am afraid. Our boy is only 5 years old, too soon in my estimations for this kind of thing. Our previous Dobe had to be PTS at 7 because of wobblers and now this. I know that some dogs respond to medication for this problem so I am hoping that it will be the case this time but he seems very distressed. His whole body is heaving and I suspect his lungs are filling with fluid. I wish I could do something to ease his discomfort!

Thank you all very much for your feedback. I will follow up on Susan Garrett.

I have had a shadow chaser many years ago and it never grew out of it. It used to chase shadows in our backyard which at the time was on the side of a hill and terraced. It would throw itself over the edge without any thought as to what was on the other side with the result that it fell several metres on many occasions. Nothing we tried ever helped it, I came to the conclusion that it was unfortunately retarded in some way. Not much help I am afraid but there it is. Some people think it is funny to encourage a dog to chase shadows but having seen the worst of it I think you are doing the right thing in trying to divert its attention in an attempt to discourage it. Hopefully it will grow out of it!

Is anyone aware of any developmental/play training that can be done with a singleton puppy aged 4 to 8 weeks please?? I have already been doing the suggested stimulations of placing on back, side, head down, head up plus the stimulation between the toes but I just have to try to introduce some play into the mix as this pup is missing out on the normal activity that occurs in a normal litter. Does anyone have any information on the topic as I have tried searching the web but it mainly addresses issues from the birth to 3 weeks. As it gets older I can of course play toys with it but I am looking for something now to try to stimulate it to get it to move more.