~*Shell*~

I would see a solicitor and get them to write a letter of demand. Just the look of something official might get the groomer to pay the vet fees - if not, then at least seeing a solicitor will mean they can start legal proceedings if the groomer won't pay.

Zero's nails wear down from walking - all except for his dewclaws which i have to clip. He doesn't seem to have a problem with them though - he doesn't however like the hair on his feet being clipped.

They're great.... if you want your dog to put on weight like crazy while remaining quiet. Not so great if you want your dog to have a balanced diet. They make Zero sick which means they contain preservatives, colourings or flavourings - he won't touch them.

Don't have anything contructive to add - just wanted to say good luck finding the cause. I have a dog with stomach problems from trauma (he was badly abused) and he now has problems eating different things so I know how difficult it can be. Hope it's an easy fix!

There has only just been one in sydney - it was fantastic! (thanks Steve!)

That's sad. I wonder how much he ate. Zero has helped himself to a whole bag of liver treats at the groomers but didn't suffer any side effects - he's a bigger dog though. Run free Harley.

Behavourists are worth it though! 1 session may be all it takes. My dog was aggressive to the point where he would have fought anything (and he tried to!) - one session with Steve and a couple of months of hard work and Zero's 100% better! He can have another dog lunge at him and he'll just sit there and wag his tail - he even has doggie friends now and our bond has become so much stronger because of the work we've done together. I know how frustrating it can be - but it can get better. Good luck Violetmay! Bite the bullet and spend the money - you won't regret it! This is my previously dog aggressive dog (with Terranik's Jedi and Snofyre's Magnus):

Grrrr - Haven't had a chance to bath him yet *wishes she had her hydrobath already* and he's still got a red tinge to the hair on his back legs!

That's a good idea! Can't just gulp it down if it has to chew! Have you asked your breeder? They might have other dogs in your pup's lines with the same problem.

My sibe is 4 years old and still does this. As adults, sibes have notoriously slow metabolisms (hence why they can run all day and not loose a lot of weight) so don't get fed that much. Zero is only on one cup of light biscuits (he's overweight so we're trying to take the weight off him) but even when he's not, he'll only ever be on 1-1.5 cups of normal biscuits. That's with a 1 hour walk a day - 2 years of being dumped in a backyard by his old owners made him more than 10kgs overweight! Try feeding smaller meals if you can (how many times a day do you feed?) and try not to worry about bones too much - things like chicken frames and chicken wings have to be chewed to be swallowed. Just make sure you supervise Orion when he's eating!

Personally i would be visiting a solicitor to get them to write up a letter that says you are prepared to take legal action. Make sure they put an official looking header on the letter and include a vet report (from 2 vets if you can get them - the country vet and your own). Hope your dogs are okay - what a nightmare for you!

Nothing to add except good luck! Hope you get the job (and then can come and give me all the grooming info i want)!!!

Thanks PF! It looks like he's in for another bath this weekend *sigh*.

Hi all, I had an airconditioner installed on monday and because my house is red brick, where they drilled the fittings into the wall, underneath it there is a lot of red dust outside. Zero has decided it would be a fantastic idea to go and lie right where the dust is (sweeping it just spreads it around, it's so fine and i can't pick it up!) and now looks like he's been running around in kalgoolie! Anyone know how to get that red tinge out of his coat?

It's a great feeling isn't it! The more confident you get, the better it gets too! I know exactly what you're feeling right now (i had a DA dog and was scared to take him anywhere - now we're doing obedience and he's doing fantastically!). Yay for Zoe!!!!

I sympathise! I'm not from sydney either and even though i've been here 10 years, i still don't know where everything is! It's about 20-25 mins drive from you i'd say. it's about 10 from me and i'm half way between homebush and castlehill (carlingford). It's at castlehill showground (down the back) so if you go to google maps it should be easy for you to find!

LOL! I thought you'd like to know that Chunky McFat Husky weighs more than my adult male German Shepherd Love it! I can sympathise - Holly was around 40kg when I got her, and basically a big fat arse. She is now 25kg You do get there eventually - keep on battling! Argh! Don't tell me that! He's supposed to be nice and lean!! When i got him he was 35kgs but he had no muscle on him from being left in a tiny backyard by his old owners. We've been working to get his muscle level up (8kgs of muscle in a year!!!) and reducing the fat but the muscle grew faster than the fat loss so he's heavier than he was when we got him. Poor thing is on 1 cup of lite kibble a day and that's it! When he does come off it, he'll be on 1.5 cups of normal kibble probably at which point we'll be switching him to orijen again...

I was looking at that one - $460 from clipperworld looks like the best deal. I love that store! I would be interested in having a look at yours too AM - though i think i might have to get one before then. Zero's coat blow has come on so quickly this year and since he didn't have one last year it's a big one! I'd be very interested to see you groom Boh - aside from getting Boh cuddles, I would love to see how you groom him for show.

Yep - lots of people look at Zero and think he's the right weight.... he needs to lose at least 6 kgs (he's taller than he should be and one side of his lines are quite heavy set), and atm he's 9kgs over the breed standard at 36kgs . We're getting the weight off him (didn't help that the neighbours were throwing food over the fence to him so he put on 4.5kgs in 9 weeks!) but it's taking a while because some huskies have notoriously slow metabolisms! Here he is today: Can you say Chunky McFatt Dog? BTW - he's a husky, not a malamute, but you would never know from the weight he's at!

Do you feel like your dog looks too skinny? I don't think she's overly skinny. She could probably put one some more weight if you want her to be a bit more solid, but if you think she's fine at this weight, then she's probably fine at this weight. I'll swap you - you can have my fat husky, and i'll have your thin one!!

I'd say that Zero will just about be done by christmas! I really just want to have a look at a few in person before i go and buy but i have a feeling it's not going to happen!

love the way you put that - I don't think i've ever had Zero have toe crud unless he's been in the mud and even then, it falls out of his toes in a couple of minutes!

What's a lhasa's coat like Rysup?

Some dryers depend on heat sway - heat dryers work on hair which is long (like human hair) and not too dense, but for dense dog hair (like double coated breeds), a forced air dryer literally blows the water off the coat. It's also better for a breed like a sibe (or any spitz breed really) where we use the forced air dryer to blow loose hair out of the coat (great when the dog is blowing coat!). Zero has just started his coat blow (they loose so much hair that it comes out of their coat in clumps ) so I want to get on top of it before i get massive hair tumbleweeds in my house!

Hi all, I'm in the market for a new forced air dryer and I want to have a look at some in person (people have such differing opinions about them). Does anyone know of anywhere in sydney that sells them so I can go and have a look for myself? I'm looking to spend about $500 so if anyone has any recommendations I'd be happy to hear them!