Stitch

If the dog is not doing well on I/D then I would be trying the diet that skwo2 has been kind enough to post as long as it is something that won't hurt the dog, and by all accounts, it is very good. Why don't you contact the person who owns 'Sunny' and get her advice? Also, does anyone know what is 'ground turkey'????? as it says NOT white turkey meat!!

I have never used cows milk to raise puppies as I think there are much better things out there to feed. Milk is one of those things that may cause upsets in some dogs and more commonly in puppies. I do however give left over milk to our adult Dobe boy which he tolerates OK but then he eats absolutely anything and has a cast iron stomach. I would rather avoid giving something to my showdogs that I was concerned MAY not agree with them than take the risk and have a sick dog that might take days or weeks to recover. As I said, there are so many other things that are available to feed (other than milk) that I know are good for dogs and don't cause problems. If you feed correctly you really don't need to supplement or add vitamins, etc.

We raised our Dobe boy on Vets All Natural grain/vege mix with minced chicken frames, necks, whole chicken frames, sardines, yoghurt, etc. and he had no problems whatsoever - no added vitamins or supplements. You should however take the advice of the breeder (as long as you think it is reliable). Our boy is now nearly 3 years old and I have switched him onto a prey diet which means that I have stopped the Vets All Natural grain mix as he was showing signs of allergies and I know grain can be a problem. Other than that he is now 45kg and doing fine. Calcium uptake has never been a problem. I should think a BARF diet would be equally as good. We don't have many stairs around here but I would keep them to a minimum while you can.

Geez that Canine Country BARF seems cheap compared to Dr.B's but they are all on the south side of Brisbane. I would give that a try but I need one around Caboolture area??? Thanks for the link Fudo, I have emailed them. Also, once the pups have finished the dry dogfood I have here I am switching to either Evo or Artemis - it sounds good!!

Thanks for all your replies. It is an interesting subject - I wish that vets would combine the two types of medicine and have a hollistic approach. Use the best of both worlds!

Persephone, with the Collie Nose treatment was that internal or external?

Anyone here had any experience with using Rod McDowells or similar herbal treatments for their dogs? I was wondering what the success rates are for those who have used them??? I am tempted to try them on one of my guys but just don't have the confidence in them that I do in mainline medications. What do you think?

Interesting - do you think it is better than Dr.B's BARF?? Can you tell me how much it is? Maybe sometimes retailers don't order enough of a product because they are running short of funds and don't want to either put in a big order or don't want to order at all at that time, so they just say it's out of stock. I had that happen when I was feeding VAN. Luckily there was another supplier in the area so I got it from them. Of course, suppliers can be short of stock at a particular time. I will have another look on their website but last time I looked they only showed the NSW suppliers.

Sorry to hear about the entropian but the good thing is that once the op is done, its fixed forever. Glad to hear your investing in a new stainless steel dish - you can always use a china bowl until you get one. China won't cause allergies.

Ditch the plastic dish and get a stainless steel one!! Plastic is notorious for causing allergic reactions even if the dog has been using the dish for a while. Stainless steel can be kept cleaner anyway!

Can you get Canine Country BARF in Qld? I have been using Dr.B's Rabbit and the pups love it. It is so easy to feed - such a luxury just to buy it already mixed as I have had to mix it up myself in the past.

I have seen this kind of thing when animals eat out of plastic dishes. What does the dog eat out of?

I would be taking the dog to another vet for a second opinion. I can't understand a vet that would dismiss puss & the initial symptoms you described as 'a guy thing'. You shouldn't have to lead the vet into his diagnosis or treatment. It obviously needs more specialised treatment to try to resolve and you need to be more fully informed by a more knowledgable vet.

It is a juggling act that I do all the time as I always bring my puppies into the house of an evening and my alpha bitch is always with me. If you keep them too separated the pups do not learn to be together with an older dog in a calm and relaxed way. If you keep them together all the time and the pup is a pest then the older dog will sometimes practice some 'tough love' that may not be appropriate or the pup will try to dominate the older dog and make its life a misery. You really need to concentrate on training the younger dog and train it daily working towards being able to control it by your commands. You start off with it on the lead at all times when it is with the older dog. Really you should continue on to dog training - puppy preschool is OK but you should work towards being able to control your dog around all the other dogs and distractions - which I would guess at the moment would be a bit difficult! Proper & regular dog training classes will give you all that!

Thanks for the link but WOW min.42% Protein in Artemis!!! Anyone know what effects this has on growth in puppies???

Try taking them for regular walks together so that they can start to bond in a controlled situation and the puppy can be corrected for unwanted behaviour. Do you take the pup to dog training classes weekly and also practice lead work daily?? If not then I recommend you do! The pup needs to learn some manners and your old girl is attempting to do that by growling etc. If you step in and do the daily training with him on a lead then things will improve.

Thanks for that Fudo. I have been doing the whole food reassessment thing recently because of ongoing problems with feeding raw all natural. I have different dogs on different diets. I have one on a weight control diet and one on a colitis (low residue)diet plus normal eaters plus puppies etc. I have tried the puppies on Eagle Pack and although it was good and they liked it, I am thinking that I could do better. I am currently feeding the last of the Eagle Pack and also Nutro but Nutro is too much like Advance for my liking. I also feed BARF to my puppies and they really like it. It is sooooo much better now than it used to be when we last tried it several years ago. It also concerns me about continuity of supply when it comes to relatively obscure brands regardless of how good they may be. Perhaps Evo will be the easiest to source. Fudo, how many feeds do you get out of a bag of Evo?

Yes that's the problem, PP are always sooo expensive and they sell puppies. I was hoping that someone else was bringing it into Oz. Edited to add: Where can I get Artemis?

Has anyone tried this dry dog food? It is supposed to be free of grains but it is very expensive. Does anyone know if you can buy it anywhere other than Pets Paradise stores in SEQ? It looks like it might be OK???

What Persephone said! If the pup always has someone with it, naturally when someone is not with it ie. bedtimes, it is going to cry and wonder where the company has gone!! Ensure it has some quiet times without company during the day so it learns it is OK to be alone.

Have you checked for the obvious ie. fleas?? Of course just because you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there. However, if you are using a flea preventative then I suggest you try BARF diet or similar ie one that doesn't have any artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives. If that doesn't work for you and you want to work out exactly what, if anything, your dog is allergic to in its diet then you have to do the elimination diet which can be a bit of a pain to go through.

I feed at roughly the same time every day except when we go out of an evening. I do this because it suits me this way, and I can get all my jobs done before dark. I know that police dogs usually don't get fed at the same time every day and they can also miss a day. I forget the thinking behind this but I was told by a police handler at one time.

Thanks for all your replys. I have bathed in in warm salty water and then sprayed the Betadine again....... but I am off to the vet today.

No fence wires that I am aware of - I am very careful about that kind of thing around the dogs - but the wound is too big for a wire puncture I think. All the area under the hole is now swollen and the hole is dripping clearish liquid on a continuous basis. I would have thought it would have coagulated by now. Come to think of it I don't think I have seen a wound drip clearish liquid - have you? It is obviously very painful as he won't put it on the ground. I have felt all the associated bones and they seem OK. I have sprayed it with Betadine as I don't have any dettol but he keeps licking it off. Yuk! I guess all I can do is watch it and see how it is by tomorrow.

I had a look underneath as that was my first thought too but couldn't see anything. He is such an oof and tends to just plough through things when he runs but it has me mystified as to how he could have injured himself in that place. It looks like a bullet hole but I should think that was highly unlikely although we do live in a rural area.