Lynn168

Chase never had fleas, even without any preventatives, and then maybe 2 years ago he started getting them (neighbour's dogs maybe...). Reading around a bit I found out about diatomaceous earth and bought a 3kg bag from here: http://www.fossilpower.com.au. Shipping was $12 so all up $30. I never ended up using it because I managed to get rid of the fleas with just Advantage. Now I have to treat Chase with Advantage every month, but I still find the occasional flea on him, and I'm pretty sure he just picks them up in the backyard. Just now I let him outside for a bit and when he came back inside I found a flea wandering around on his fur - not on the skin, which makes me think it just jumped on him.. does that sound right? I just treated the grass with the the DE.. sprinkled some and then worked it into the grass a bit with a broom. After, I noticed that I bought "Feed" or Pet & Garden grade, not food grade.. Hopefully that doesn't make too much of a difference outside? How often do you treat outside areas? Also, can anyone shed some light on how it works when added to food? It seems to make sense to use it externally only, feeding sharp little particles seems so counterintuitive to me.

Yea, it was terrible =/ Obviously it didn't happen over night. I first noticed that he was licking his paws and scratching a lot when he was around 5 or 6 months old, and it got worse, then better, worse, better, then a lot worse.. those photos were from when he was 4, and he had already been under vet treatment for years then. It was a really stressful time, and he was so sick looking and sad, and I felt so helpless and frustrated because nothing I tried made him feel any better. I don't want to hijack the thread but I think it's good for people to know it can get better and to just keep trying and be persistent :)

Those ads don't sit quite right with me either. I always feel like people might just get a dog out of pity and forget to choose a dog that is actually right for them, which might eventually lead to the dog being returned and ending up homeless again. But then I don't know if that's better or worse than being PTS because their time is up But I suppose if someone backs out of adopting a dog that does have a rescue back up, they probably wouldn't have been a good fit anyway.

New neighbours moved in next to my place a few months ago, and their two large dogs have been in my yard several times.. Twice during the middle of the night, running around and barking =\ Thankfully my dog doesn't go outside unsupervised. They pushed and scratched at a horizontal plank on the bottom of the fence until it gave way and they were able to squeeze through. I think talk to your neighbors, it's their responsibility to keep their dog in their yard even if the fence is a bit weird.

Sure, Charissa Smith from http://www.acaciaanimalcare.com. She's located in Gatton but comes to Brisbane twice a week. :) Like I said, it took a while and some trial and error but Chase improved slowly and steadily. Her consultations are a bit pricey at $120 but she really takes her time - I usually see her for an hour and a half when I have an appointment. Also this is a bit graphic but really shows how far Chase has come.. from the end of 2010: And now he's the happy, pretty dog in my signature :)

I cut a hole in the onesie for the tail, haha. It looked pretty spectacular but didn't really solve the licking/scratching. The diet and supplements were the recommendation of my holistic vet: Minced goat, rabbit, and cooling vegetables (lettuce, broccoli, green apples, cucumber, bitter melon) as well as a bit of cooked duck liver. We've been through an amazing amount of supplements over the years, including oils, probiotics, chinese herbs etc. At the moment he gets slippery elm and liquid hydrated bentonite (to support his gut), a vitamin B complex, something called R-Alpha Lipoic, C Salts, Dipan 9, Nalgesic tablets, and a Chinese skin formula. Most of these are from Natural Remedies Group, nrgaust.com. I really have no idea what most of these do and just follow my vet's advice - but to my understanding they're all about supporting his gut and digestion, supporting his immune system, and cooling him down since he runs really hot. And of course the 1mg of Prednisolone (half a mg if we can manage it) helps even though it's such a small amount. At his worst, he had lost/scratched away all the fur on his paws, legs, belly and sides, throat, and around the eyes and mouth. It was a scary sight and he was so unhappy. He's always been eating raw/fresh food and I've been really conscious of what I was feeding him, but he only started getting better after implementing the diet above. It took and while and a lot of trial and error, but he's finally at a point where the itching is not much of an issue anymore.

I have both the 1.8 and the 1.4. The 1.4 is obviously faster, better build quality, faster autofocus… but I used the 1.8 for years and it barely left my camera (I actually dropped my camera and broke it, and then bought another one). Because I love using the 50mm prime, the extra money was worth it for me. The 50mm 1.4 is still my most used lens, and I like to shoot wide open too. If you're a beginner, I think the 1.8 is great and it's amazing value. :)

I usually check Gumtree for used gear which is local, so I can go and check it out before I buy it. Have a google what kind of things you need to check (for example autofocus, sharpness, dust/mold, etc for lenses) and evaluate on the spot whether it's in good condition or not. I bought a used lens on Ebay once (unseen) which was completely soft wide open. Thankfully the seller immediately agreed for me to return it and refunded my money, but now I only buy used lenses after checking them out first.

My Sheltie has had all kinds of skin problems over the years (food allergies, contact allergies, problems with his immune system, perivascular dermatitis, and who knows what else), and I've tried a million and one things to stop the itching and keep him from licking and scratching. The only thing that keeps him from licking in an Elizabethan collar - he doesn't like them very much, but nothing else works (bad tasting spray, socks, even a baby onesie, etc). If you use the collar for a few days it might at least give the sores a bit of time to heal and be less painful and itchy. Chase gets quite itchy when he goes to the park and rolls around on the grass, but a Malaseb bath after to wash the pollen and bits of grass off usually works really well. So maybe try rinsing his feet after a walk? Chase has been much much better in the last few years thanks to a special diet and supplements to support his immune system and digestion (plus a tiny amount of Prednisolone - 1mg/day).

In Brisbane I believe if you bring a found dog to a vet, they are supposed to keep them and then they hand them over to the Council pound. Some vets try to hold on to strays for a few days though. I found a dog a few weeks ago and took her to the vet to get checked for a MC.. she had a MC but it wasn't registered to anyone. I asked to hold on to the dog instead of leaving her with them and they didn't say anything against it - a dog going to the council pound always seems like such a one way trip to me I had her for three days before the owner saw her found dog profile on the RSPCA website and contacted me.

Owning a small fluffy Sheltie, I don't get many negative reactions or people that are scared. The "worst" reaction I got was from a Foxtel technician - he refused to come in before I removed Chase from the door. He didn't say hi to Chase or let him smell him, so of course Chase found that very suspicious and just glared at the technician the entire time he was in the house and growled quietly. Then the technician had to go into the backyard, and when he had a hand on patio door he turned around to me and said "You don't have any more out there, do you..??"