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Skyefool, if you find a vet who titre tests in Adelaide please let us know. Most clinics I spoke to didnt even know what it was and my vet quoted me some crazy amount. Ta

Dogs haven't yet but husband did

Like what you're doing, mine are 4 & 6 now so maybe it's time I start using something to what you are. What brand are you using? At the moment I give them probiotics & coconut oil in their evening meals. Use to buy the MSM on it's own but the taste (even masked) was yuck. The brand I use is Wagners MSM Joint Formula. I mix it with Jalna low fat yoghurt. Thanks cavNrott

Like what you're doing, mine are 4 & 6 now so maybe it's time I start using something to what you are. What brand are you using? At the moment I give them probiotics & coconut oil in their evening meals. Use to buy the MSM on it's own but the taste (even masked) was yuck.

MSM has been around for a long time. I believe it's used for tissue repair and a few other muscular things. I've seen it in some of the glucosamine formula's at the chemist & health shops. Told a lot of athletes use it. I used it on one of my dogs a few years ago and even took it myself. Can't say it was the 'super fix all' it states, tastes pretty crappy but to be fair I didn't really give it a long enough trial as Murphy absolutely hated the bitter taste. Back then my dog was pretty unwell and the vets couldn't help so I decided to go all holistic on him

Thanks Rosetta, there seems to be beet pulp in most kibble. A few years ago when my dog had liver elevations I read somewhere about beet pulp not being recommended to feed, that's when I made my first switch to Artemis. Think ill get a small bag of TOTW on my next order for a bit of variation.

The past 5 or 6 months I've been feeding my two the Artimis OSO Pure duck & garbanzo beans. I mix some raw beef in with the kibble. Previously they were eating Black Hawk Lamb & rice ( with cooked chicken mixed in) for about 2 years. And prior to BH they ate Artimis Fresh Mix but didn't really like it so much. One of my wheatens has bad skin, was breaking out with those small hard cysts everywhere, at one time i counted 10 on his body. Then he started getting hot spots, poor guy. I'm also adding (each dog) 1 heaped teaspoon of organic coconut oil and half teaspoon of probiotics, mixed together and plonked on the kibble daily. To be honest I'm not sure if this is the way I should be treating his skin problems but the cysts are slowly dissipating and he hasn't got any new ones I'm happy to say. I've completely stopped the cooked chicken but they get raw chicken necks 2 times a week, about half a dozen each. The other thing I noticed with this dog since changing the kibble is that his eye goobies are much smaller and hard where as before on BH they were large and gluggy. Artimis is grain free and no beet pulp added.

Teela, you got me thinking about this too so I phoned my vet (in Glenelg) and they quoted $320!! I've got two dogs so over $600 bucks I'm going to start ringing around, that is a total rip off. Think I'll ring the lab in WA to ask who their vet clients are in Adelaide, that may be a good start in finding a reasonable vet/price.

Hey Clyde, got the EQyss shampoo & the detangler. Have only used them once so far but I loved the shampoo and the after 'clean' smell my boys had. Have always used Aloveen products but I think these are way better and really light - hugely better in the smell factor and has left their coat soooo soft. With the detangler, I sprayed them after their bath as they kept running past me but matts seem to be less even though their hair is kept shortish for weatens. I've just sprayed one of them now and will brush him out later. He'll love that!

Mine were on Black Hawk for about a year but they started getting similar issues to what Clyde listed. They were on Artimis before but didn't really like the 'fresh mix' one. I purchased the Artemis osopure duck and they seem to really like it but most importantly their skin is improving, breath is better and no more constant farting. They also have raw.

I've used it on my boys snout hair when they were very matted. It worked well but it's quite greasy, sort of reminds me of the old brill cream guys used in their hair in the old days. It smells like that too. Don't know how it would work as a dirt repelent, I've only needed to use it a couple of times but I must say it's one of the better detanglers I've used over the years. I've recently purchased the EQyss conditioner detangler which is oil & silicone free. Extremely light weight where as Cowboy Magic is thick, like oil.

After my hairy shedding cat passed away and I decided to get a dog I did take shedding into consideration but it wasn't a deal breaker, I love all dog breeds. Their personality, temperament and our life style was my priority. I came across Wheatens on google and just loved the way they looked but as i started reading more about them I was falling in love, even though I had never met one. It was a heart decision. I have 2 Wheatens now, a 5 year old & a 3 year old and they are everything and more that I'd hoped for. I keep their hair short cause when I try and brush them one bolts and the other starts to hyperventilate but they bring in all the dirt, twigs, bird feathers and any other type of crap they can gather. I think they do it on purpose, to prove their manliness! They go to the groomers every 6 weeks and always wipe their beards on our legs or the sofa after every meal

My dog has developed these cysts over the past few months and vet said to let them heal on their own. But they keep multiplying. I'm changing his kibble to grain free to see if this improves and hopefully eliminates them. Keep an eye on your FIL's dog to see if more develop, review diet. Good luck :)

My two have been on BH for nearly 2 years. All was good. In the past 3 months my older dog Murphy, has developed clusters of cysts (ingrown hairs - can't think of the correct term right now) that are just getting worse and multiplying fast. The vet said to let them clear up on their own with the explanation that some dogs are more prone to them. After reading many posts where some dogs are having skin issues with BH, it just dawned on me that this may be the reason my boy is suffering. It started off with one or two but now he has about 10 on him poor boy. Whether it's related or not I'm putting them back on grain free kibble to see if this improves him over the next 6 months. I should have known better, Wheatens and grains are not a good mix. Thanks for everyones honest reports

First 6 - 8 months kept shaking my head......how I thought I could manage 2 male Wheatens....just a crazy household Now, 2 years down the track, I could never, ever, imagine life with out the both of them together. They love each other.

You must be very strong and muscular to be able to chop Wheaten nails!

Yeah, rats were eating the electrical wiring in the motor, was shown when I went in for a service. Caused quite some damage and left their poop everywhere. Not wanting to use bait, was told to wipe motor down with pure peppermint, soak several cotton wool buds in it and place them where safe under the hood. Surprisingly this worked. Car smelt great and rats buggered off. Meant to repeat monthly. Go figure... ? PS: Mr G better?

Did bloods on our one year old dog before desexing and it came back with him having liver problems so we postponed the op till things returned to normal so a 'yes' from us.

Hope the Rimadyl works, I've not had to use that drug yet. I'm glad his health is improving though. It's no fun when you have to pull the poopy bits off his bum!!

Didn't actually see the bite happen but I did know the huntsman was hanging out in our lounge room for about a week. One night Murphy was sprawled out on the couch sleeping then he suddenly bolted up chasing something and tried to get it from under the couch. My instincts said huntsman ran over him, so wok in hand I spent the next hour trying to coach it to get in so I could get it outside. Spider not cooperating and doing rain dance on the ceiling and walls, dogs jumping around and barking happily, it's 2am by now so I got the spray can. Next day I noticed the lump so it may be coincidental or not. They are beautiful dogs, love each other, love us and anyone that they meet. I am sure you all know what I mean By the way I use peppermint to keep the rats out of my car.

This is him, Murphy. The other guy is Wally, his younger brother

Erny, not sure if photo will load but here goes...

Is he better today?

I don't like the idea of all that chemical spraying either. But seeing this wound on my dog has made me reconsider things. Thanks everyone, think I'll surface spray all the eaves and see how many drop dead. Most of the spiders here are nasty looking black ones about the size of a 20 cent piece. Unfortunately I did kill the huntsman after he was asked repeatedly to leave. And Persephone, your ento friend is more than likely correct.....silly comment from vet. Cheers

Hi, my dog has been bitten by a spider of sorts, thought it was a huntsman and although not generally poisonous, the vet said if it had recently eaten a more venomous spider, some of that venom would be passed on to him. His wound is massive. (on his neck) We have heaps of spiders at the moment and am looking for suggestions in eradicating them. Can I use normal surface spray? Am concerned for my two dogs if I spray low such as around door entrances and under cupboards/sofas, etc. Or should I get an exterminating company in to do it more efficiently? What do you guys do?