Papillon Kisses

Out of stock I’m afraid!

I’m not sure whether they have it in stock anyway (Petbarn for example says they have it when they don’t), but they only do click and collect for this item and the Sydney stores are in high covid rate locked down suburbs. Thank you for checking though.

If anyone in Sydney (but not a locked down IGA) sees Hills D/D venison and potato formula at their vet can you let me know? It is on back order everywhere including with all the online retailers (yes, including those who have it on their websites). Please respond only if you have literally just seen it at your vet not just if your vet stocks Hills, you saw it a month ago, or you saw it on a website. I don’t want to waste everyone’s time.

Yes Dr Christine does braces where appropriate and I imagine finances are also a consideration. Some of these dogs are constantly stabbing their gums when they close their mouths. Ouch!

I would get an opinion from a dental vet. I see you’re in NSW - Dr Christine Hawke from Sydney Pet Dentistry is AMAZING. There are legitimate reasons to remove select teeth in puppies. Otherwise there are things like ball therapy or orthodontics or it could be a case of well actually this doesn’t need to be done at this stage (or at all!) and we’ll just keep monitoring. Trawl through Christine’s website, she has info about the problem I suspect your vet is seeing. https://sydneypetdentistry.com.au

I love that you’re recognising your Kelpie’s fear and want to help him. You’ve been trying to use treats and toys to change how he feels about baths which is fantastic. You’ve got the right idea. Where you’ve come undone is in application. To succeed you need to break it down into smaller steps, go at your dog’s pace, and time your high value reinforcers well instead of using them more like distractions. Step one might be that a dry sponge appears, high value treat, sponge goes away. A few repetitions and that’s your training for one day. Go slow to go fast. The great thing with your Kelpie is that he doesn’t need baths that often, so you’ve got a lot of time to put in the work. Here are some links if you’d like to learn more: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2018/07/what-is-desensitization-and-counter.html?m=1 http://careforreactivedogs.com https://www.facebook.com/groups/PositiveDogHusbandry/?ref=share The bucket game can be helpful https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GJSs9eqi2r8 And where to find a trainer if you’d like some help https://www.ppgaustralia.net.au/find-a-professional & https://www.deltainstitute.edu.au/find-a-trainer Have you tried wet wipes? Human ones are fine. That’s what we do for our old man chihuahua in the cooler months. Environment can also be a factor. My chi did a lot better when I put a non slip mat at the bottom of the bath.

For sure you could look into surgical suits but do consider training your dog to joyfully wear a cone. It’s really not that hard, honestly. If you need a hard bucket cone, Velfast has soft neoprene edges. Here’s one way to train it.

Hi Kai! I feel for you being exhausted from work. I would recommend setting up a confinement area. Have her open crate in part of it, an area for toys and enrichment activities, and another where she’s able to pee if you’re unable to get to her in time. My preference would be for a fake grass toilet in that spot. Here’s an example of a confinement area. Having her pee in her crate will completely mess with her toilet training and isn’t nice for her. Are you enrolled in a force free puppy school? There are online options if you’re in lockdown. There are many important things for you both to learn during her critical development period. https://www.ppgaustralia.net.au/find-a-professional https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Puppy_Socialization_Position_Statement_Download_-_10-3-14.pdf https://apnews.com/article/559fc79a7c4b2dcd2115f3c812facf91

I’m a fan of referral to specialists when you have a tricky recurring problem. Sometimes it can be just vet-vet consult over the phone for suggestions as to where to go next.

It has spread to Victoria too now.

My previous dog died from congestive heart failure. I’m begging you: please speak to your vet, don’t get veterinary advice off the internet. I wouldn’t take a dog off or reduce the dose of any medication let alone such an important one without veterinary instruction. There are things they can do to help appetite if it’s still an issue, there may be other suitable heart medications too. Referral to a vet cardiologist is also an option. Sending lots of love to Sonny.

I’m in NSW and have my dog on Central Animal Records as well as the NSW Companion Animal Register, as NSW doesn’t let interstate people access their registry. I chose CAR a few years back after doing some research here.

It is very painful. You’d want very good pain relief on board. I’m unsure of the point where positives outweigh negatives, although nails puncturing paw pads or causing structural deformities would be two. The alternate cut method has receded Malcolm’s quicks if that is helpful to know. https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2013/08/cutting-your-dogs-nails-how-important-is-it-really/

Something I find fascinating is the research coming out about the behavioural impacts of desexing. It’s not just about whether or not you desex but also the timing. There’s a window for example in which if you had a breed prone to noise phobia you might want to avoid desexing; dogs desexed before or after that age range did not show the same uptick.

Really sorry you and pup are in this position, Chess. Thank you for sharing the experience as a warning to others.

Anxiety medication and behaviour modification are not quick fixes, but if you don’t want to be doing multiple GAs for the rest of a dog’s life then a holistic approach where you get nails done under sedation/GA when needed but address the pain and work on the anxiety outside of these times makes sense. I’m sorry you have seen some dogs worsen with medication. It sounds like they would have benefited from having their medication, behaviour modification and management plans reviewed, as the right medication/dose for the individual will not have the effect you describe. I know this comment probably won’t change your mind and that’s fine, we can disagree. I am commenting for anyone following along because too often people fear anxiety medication for themselves or their pets when it saves and restores lives. I’ll make one further point also that when things do go wrong, the vast majority of the time it’s a vet without any training in behaviour medicine who has done the prescribing. (I’m not suggesting the vet has done anything bad in this instance).

This can happen if something like acepromazine (ACE/ACP) is given. ACE is a chemical straight jacket with zero anti-anxiety effects, so the dog is just as panicked but can’t move = more panic over time. I’m guessing that’s what you have seen. Actual anxiety medication calms the brain so that learning can better occur, but it can take some time to determine the best fit for the individual. We found some meds or doses made Malcolm more anxious and others had no effect, but we got there in the end.

Just in case anyone thinks to try this please, please don’t. Many people have copped nasty bites to the face by copying this viral video. No one thinks their dog will do that but all dogs can when fearful and pushed/lured beyond their comfort zone as is happening in the video. Instead of this we want to use systematic desensitisation and counter conditioning (not to be confused with bribing). If you have a canned diet your guy could eat you can try baking it in a pyramid/dot mould pan or tray. This is what we do for Malcolm as he’s on a very low fat prescription diet.

Poor boy. Here are a few more considerations: 1. Tweaking the situational anxiety medication and making sure the arthritic pain is also being adequately covered. There are a number of other situational anxiety meds that can be prescribed if the first one didn’t help or sometimes the dose or timing just needs tweaking. 2. A training plan to systematically change how he feels about nail trims. His anxiety and pain needs to be covered to progress with this. Nail Maintenance for Dogs Facebook group has units you can work through. I have a couple of friends who specialise in cooperative care and who do zoom consults if you’d like a trainer to help you (likely to be faster). 3. Every time nail trims are forced the fear worsens. Hence working at the dog’s pace, getting meds right, and if it becomes urgent doing them under actual sedation or anaesthesia at the vet in the meantime. 4. You can enlist the help of a Behaviour Vet if need be. 5. Diva mentioned the scratch board. My only consideration with this is making sure the movement doesn’t flare up his arthritis. This podcast episode might interest you https://www.animaltrainingacademy.com/podcast/training-tidbits/lori-nanan/

You could do a hands on assessment: https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Body-Condition-Score-Dog.pdf

Hey Cat, sorry to hear your dog is getting worse. Best wishes for the vet - do check for pain and run a blood panel. You can find a veterinary behaviourist/behaviour vet here: https://www.anzcvs.org.au/chapters/veterinary+behaviour+chapter

Malcolm has been enjoying navigating piles of mulch. One section is a bit like a ramp with a viewing (sniffing? can’t see anymore) post. He also has a potted sensory garden.

It’s not (or shouldn’t be) unusual, but scrap the food bowl and feed from enrichment toys. Snuffle mats are a good starter, just supervise at first. If you’re on Facebook, check out the Canine Enrichment group. Hope this helps!

I can totally see that

They are bellies on stumps!