ell&diesel

Sorry if I've just missed something completely but where did the thread about Beau & his burn go? Was it deleted or am I just going really blind?

i apologise in advance if my paranoia is getting the better of me, but i just find this, as you said "sus" Yes your paranoia is getting the better of you. I am extremely well aware that if you just "find" a dog that does belong to somebody else and keep it, it is illegal. I have found many a stray dog in my life and all have been taken to the vet to be scanned for a chip. If they don't have one then they go to the pound. If they do, our vet usually keeps them and contacts the owners (and if they can't be found, calls the rangers to take it to the pound). However, should you choose to go the Amstaff thread, you will find that yes I did very recently acquire a female dog and that I paid for her and that she is now chipped and registered in my name. Will be more careful with how I phrase things in future to ensure I don't sound like a crazed dog-napper.

Oh, what does the tattoo look like? I thought it.. Actually no I won't say.

Fair enough then, makes sense especially if it ends up taking longer in the search for a uterus that isn't there. Kosti, I think that would have to be the only reason? Although I guess it could also be useful in deterring thieves who may want to use it for breeding?

I never knew that about the tattoos, Diesel doesn't have one. Should he have one? Does everyone else's dogs have them? Ruthless, I was just wondering if that happened and if so what the vet does about charging the owner. Can they charge you for desexing if it's already been done?

I'm going to assume you're trying to gently/subtly hint I take this dog to the pound? While I thank you for your tact, there is no need. The dog doesn't actually exist, it's a genuine question . I was thinking, generally with boys you can tell (unless they have 2 undescended testes) but I just realised, you can't tell with girls. At first glance, anyway. Although when I re-read my OP, I did sound awfully sus That's interesting re: scars & tattoos. Do all vets tattoo desexed females or is it generally something you'd have to request?

I was just thinking about this. Is there any way at all that a vet/similarly qualified person can tell if a bitch is desexed simply by looking at her? Or would you have to perform some kind of invasive surgery to find out? I mean, if a stray dog came along with no microchip/tags/registration came along and you..well I don't know, wanted to keep it or wanted to rehome it or something, if you took it to the vet, would they know? Apologies in advance if this is a stupid question or if there is an obvious answer

This made me think of Kenny: "Even dogs are embarassed to poo*. You see them doing it and they're all hunched up like they're trying to mate with* a cricket ball" *I've replaced his words with some slightly more reader-friendly ones :p Diesel likes the hunch-up-as-small-as-possible-and-look-away-like-you-have-no-idea-what's-coming-out-of-your-rear-end method. He won't go if we're looking, either

I'm pretty sure that's wandering dew, we had it in my yard years ago but it's long gone. Still remember the itchies it gave me though

Aah but look out, ever since that book came out there has been a massive increase of young dogs I've met called Marley! Which is like Diesel - when we got him, people thought it was an unusual name. Now there are tons of Diesels everywhere. Only cool dogs get the name though What about Bass? (pronounced base, not bass as in Bass Strait) I love that name, it popped into my head when I was helping name a friend's new bullmastiff x girl the other week. They ended up calling her Mia though.

I'm no expert but from what I've heard it can sometimes be better to walk thick-necked breeds (whose necks & skulls are similar widths - eg SBT, BT & ACD I've been told) in a harness to prevent them from "backing out" of the collar. Of course training would also prevent this, but in the case of young pups who are still learning, I'd rather be safe then sorry. Have also heard that some of the breeds with fine bone structure (eg Yorkie) should be walked in a harness to prevent any neck injury. Same with breeds with long slender necks (eg Italian Greyhound, Whippet - although I believe you can get special "sighthound" collars for these dogs which distribute the "pressure" of a collar over a larger surface area, thereby protecting their necks). If I owned one of these breeds, this would probably encourage me to use a harness on regular walks and a flat collar during training sessions until walking with just the flat collar was perfected enough that the dog wouldn't back out of it or lunge forward & injure its neck. Also keep in mind that harnesses (if fitted properly) don't hurt the dog when they pull - rather, it makes it easier for them to pull because they can get their whole body into it. That's why sledding dogs and weight-pull dogs wear harnesses, not collars. Sorry, I don't think my post is any help. Good luck with whichever option you choose though (Edit: To add the bit in italics)

That's creepy, I've never heard of anybody else whose dog has this..."issue" haha. I remain fairly convinced (what with all my veterinary knowledge and whatnot ) that it's the stress, because when Diesel's stressed it's extremely obvious (and just like Jarrah, he picks up on my stress) and that's the only time it appears. But I can't think of a physiological reason why stress = hives? Please let us know what the dermatologist thinks about it when you show her the photos, I'm really interested!

Those look exactly like what I call Diesel's "hives". They're the only part of his skin that we have never been able to figure out - they appear completely at random, without any changes in diet or environment. The only "common" factor we've ever been able to notice is that when he gets anxious or stressed, they appear, and appear really quickly - we can watch them grow. But then, after about 5 minutes, they go down again and don't re-appear for months. Our vet hasn't ever even seen them, because as soon as they appear we take him to the vet, but that's an 8 minute drive and by the time we arrive...they've disappeared. They don't seem to be itchy, sore or irritable at all - Diesel pays no attention to them whatsoever. ETA - We have buffalo grass of some kind and it's quite good for Diesel's skin. It's the grass everywhere else in the outside world that's the problem

I was wondering this the other day, too. Grew up with dogs getting fed cooked table scraps and PAL dog food, worming was done with the Exelpet pump-action syrup, and now there is so much debate over raw vs dry vs canned vs rolls...and then of course "supermarket" vs "premium" quality And as I scooped up some poop the other day I had to wonder... when I was young, a common sight was a bit of bright-white dried out dog poop. I never see that any more...what was it, and where did it all go?

Yes I have actualy I must start her back on them again, She loves them. Maybe I should give the chicken the flick for a while???And she also drags herself over the lawn :p Does Aly have food allergies, or contact allergies, or both? If it's just a contact allergy thing I wouldn't worry about stopping the chicken necks, although I suppose if you stop feeding them you'd know for sure if they were a main culprit. If Diesel wasn't so DA, I'd suggest setting up a little drag strip & betting on the outcome between the two efs.

Diesel (SBTxBT) used to have absolutely shocking skin, and both new grass & chicken can set him off, especially new grass. Unfortunately the itchier his tummy gets, the more he does drag races down the yard on his tummy to try to scratch it! Our vet told us the same thing, that a few of the bully breeds can be prone to sensitive skin, but I don't remember why exactly. I don't think it's because of their short fur (although that would make it easier for things like pollen to make contact with the skin and cause a problem), I think it's just one of those strange little genetic things. Ironic though, when you consider the breed's history & ability to withstand amazing levels of pain, that some fresh grass can turn them into whining sooky little lumps of sadness! One thing that really helped Diesel's skin (and coat) was feeding him sardines. have you tried this with Aly?

They do look very professional, you did a great job on them. Can't imagine what pathetic structure would be created if I attempted anything of that nature. I'm more of a novice DIY-er This aviary idea isn't half bad...from what I can see, it would be cheaper to buy two large aviaries (the rectangle ones, not the fancy-shaped ones) and connect them (like I said, that's OH's job!) than buy a pre-fab dog run of a similar/smaller size, plus it would have some of the solid walls already on it?

That's a good setup - I am also envious of your ever-so-swish-looking runs you built for the adult dogs. If your pups get moved outside at around 10 weeks, how many would be in that puppy enclosure (I'm assuming you place one or more in new homes at 8/9 weeks)? And what age (this is just out of curiosity) do they move out into a run with the adults?

Thanks Rysup, my pup will definitely be sleeping inside & will probably be inside the whole time while anybody is home. I'm thinking of building the run with solid walls on one end (kind of like a loose box for horses) and then out the doorway, a nice grassy area - that way there's plenty of shelter from heat, rain & wind and also a nice place to relax on the grass. And when I say "I'm thinking of building", I mean "I'm thinking that I will get OH to build it like this..."

I don't know, but I look forward to responses as I would like to start putting Martha outside. I have a shed which I'm converting into a kennel. Reading this in the thread about crate training difficulties made me wonder as well. I'm considering getting a pup sometime in the nearer-rather-than-distant-future and have decided to build a run - even if the puppy doesn't eventuate (for whatever reason), I still think it would be a good idea to have one if ever I needed to contain Diesel or maybe if I were to board a friend or family member's dog. So, I'm thinking just how large the run will need to be, for starters. The new addition will have to be in the run whenever there is nobody home (between0 - 6 hours depending on what day it is). Diesel has made great progress with his issues towards other dogs, and will behave himself when we're around, but if there is nobody to supervise I won't let him and a puppy be alone together. For a medium breed, medium-energy dog (definitely not a working/herding breed), how large will the run need to be? Obviously I'll be including a kennel, and I'd like to put a sandpit and one of those clam-shell pools in as well, and plenty of challenging toys to keep the pup's mind busy. So how large do you think would be necessary? At the moment if I were to build a run for Diesel it would only need to be about 1m square - large enough to fit his beanbag in, and some water - and he'd be fine, but he's a 7 year old fatso and I can't expect a young dog to be as sedate as that. Also, how old do you think the pup should be before I can leave it outside in the run without anybody being home? I don't know the general consensus, how long it takes isn't really a problem as mum, OH & I can take as much time off work as needed - I'd just like to gather a few of the opinions on here.

The KISS guide to owning a dog (I think that's what it's called) is pretty good, covers things like selecting a puppy, bedding, toys, grooming equipment, training and all that. Apart from that, I guess crate training, housebreaking, and training in general would be good topics to buy books about, perhaps something about canine mentality & behaviour would be useful (like The Dog Whisperer, not the CM one, the other one by the Irish guy. Martin McKenna I think his name is.) And what do puppies need? ...lots & lots of toys!

Have you tried the Holistic? Just wondering, a while ago i was trying to work out what was the best one - They do good on holistic, so will prob just keep them on that. Do you mean the Nutrience Holistic or Eagle Pack Holistic (I think that's what it's called)? We haven't tried either of those, when he was a pup (and his allergies were a lot worse back then) we went through quite a few brands of food trying to get the balance right. We've stuck with the Derma as it is the only food we've tried that stops him breaking out at all (excluding big weepy rashes from rolling in fresh grass in the spring time). The only problem is, it has to be mixed in really well with his mince & veggies as it seems to be really unpalatable to him. Have you tried yours on both Nutrience Derma & Holistic? Does Holistic seem to be more palatable? Nutrience, sorry! My guys are on it, but after reading your post, i am going to order a bag of Derma next. We feed original and supreme to the boarders, and holistic to all the bull terriers that the boss's own - they have one bitch who has bad skin problems, after reading your post, we are going to get a bag of derma for her and see how she goes (we just did a big order, so wont be for a while!) Let us know how you go, it really did wonders for Diesel's skin (and quality of life - no more sore tummy & toes!) and I hope it helps with your boss's girl too.

Have you tried the Holistic? Just wondering, a while ago i was trying to work out what was the best one - They do good on holistic, so will prob just keep them on that. Do you mean the Nutrience Holistic or Eagle Pack Holistic (I think that's what it's called)? We haven't tried either of those, when he was a pup (and his allergies were a lot worse back then) we went through quite a few brands of food trying to get the balance right. We've stuck with the Derma as it is the only food we've tried that stops him breaking out at all (excluding big weepy rashes from rolling in fresh grass in the spring time). The only problem is, it has to be mixed in really well with his mince & veggies as it seems to be really unpalatable to him. Have you tried yours on both Nutrience Derma & Holistic? Does Holistic seem to be more palatable?

Nutrience Derma, as it's the only dry food he can eat without his skin erupting (due to allergies). Apart from that, he gets a raw diet with no grains & very little chicken, as they also cause him to break out.