kiwikitten

You could also try Ziwipeak and K9 Natural

Got no joy from my usual vet, they seem to prefer to recommend 3 yearly vaccinations (suppose I should be grateful they arent still pushing annual ones!) regardless of immunity levels. Guess I will have to make an appt in Geelong.

Is this what you are looking for? http://www.crazysales.com.au/baby-safety-security-gate-07162a.html

Well, its not regional but Altona in Melbourne has a dedicated off leash dog beach all year round that is perfect for dogs - shallow sand flats with warm water pools, and no waves. Its also huge so good for running, and never too crowded. Its Burns Reserve in Seaholme. The human beach is across around the corner.

OMG - so true! I just had a huge argument with one on another forum as she was still trying to convince everyone that they should be getting C5 vaccines every year.

I have found a vet in Victoria (Geelong) that does parvo and distemper titre testing for $80 per dog. Contact Dr Saranyu Melinda Pearson at Paws to Heal 5277 0554. She said that most vets charge more because they send the blood via their normal vet labs, rather than sending them directly to Vetpath in WA. I am going to talk to my own vet about doing this, see what she says, and if no joy then I will shoot my dogs down to Geelong for the tests.

Tell her that a small female chi bred to a larger male chi will most probably require a caesarian section that costs $1500 - so hope she has a lot of money :-) And that she will have to stay up all night making sure the puppies are feeding properly and dont die from hypoglaecemia. Also that most chi's have only 2-3 puppies a pop, so she wont get her money back after all the vet bills for the mum, puppies vaccinations, worming treatments, etc. That should do it.

Ebay. Its the only place I've found that sells 6" collars. Note a collar should only be for decorative purposes, a step in harness should be used for walking on lead. Ebay is also good for buying small sized dog clothes, harnesses, and everything else a tiny chi needs. Most pet shops dont stock stuff for such little dogs, and if they do, they charge a fortune.

The general answer to that may depend on who you ask. Perhaps if you acquired your pup from a registered breeder who knows the breed and bloodlines they may recommend an initial 'course' which they follow and have found both safe and effective. If you have a good vet you could discuss it with him/her. Have you seen the AVA Vaccination policy which was ratified by the Board in June of this year? In part, it states: "Because of maternally derived antibody and the variability in its level and duration between individuals, vaccines should ideally be administered two to three times to puppies and kittens, with timing of the final dose being variable but not earlier than the age of 16 weeks (the suggested age varies with the manufacturer and the vaccine). If cost is an issue and only one vaccine is possible, it should be at the age of 16 weeks or older. A booster vaccine should be administered approximately 12 months later." If you would like a copy of this document, then please PM me with your email address and I'll reply with the guidelined attached. Good luck with your new puppy. I've seen that - thats why I am asking as normally the puppy would be vaccinated 3 times. But that says "two or three". So I'm wondering if I can skip the 12 week one. I have a chihuahua pup, very small, and I dont really want any unnecessary medical intervention when its not necessary due to her size.

I buy ZiwiPeak from Pookinuk, and I get my Advocate as well through them, since its $5 for the one delivery. Very prompt delivery, and service.

I have a new puppy - she has had her 8 week vaccination. Should I wait until she is 16 weeks for her next one, or get one done at 12 weeks and again at 16?

Annual vaccinations could be harmful: vets toldKelly Burke, Consumer Affairs Reporter August 11, 2009 VETS have been told to stop advising pet owners to vaccinate annually and to adopt a triennial immunisation program in line with international standards. The Australian Veterinary Association is expected to announce the change at the World Small Animal Veterinary Association's annual conference in New Zealand next week. On August 1 the Herald published a story in which veterinary academics warned Australian pet owners they were over-vaccinating. Since 2007, the international association has recommended that core vaccinations - for canine parvovirus, distemper and hepatitis in dogs and feline calicivirus, herpesvirus and parvovirus in cats - be administered no more than once every three years, and less frequently if possible. Annual vaccinations for these diseases were unnecessary medical intervention, the association ruled, and exposed an animal to more risk of an adverse reaction. Recent research has also pointed to links between over-vaccination and injection-site tumours in cats and immunological diseases in dogs. The president of the Australian Veterinary Association, Mark Lawrie, said there were fears pet owners would cease visiting their vet for annual health check-ups if the practice of annual core vaccinations was discontinued, or that owners might stop vaccinating altogether. There were also concerns that vets would be forced to use vaccinations off-label, as many of the products available in Australia specified for annual use only. Last week the association sent a communique to its members emphasising the importance of obtaining informed consent from owners before re-vaccinating, and advising the switch to triennial treatment. ''Vaccination recommendations in the past were considered a simple part of animal care but are now a complex and controversial issue,'' the association said. ''It is being recognised that veterinarians should aim to reduce the vaccine load on individual animals.'' As well as reducing the risk of vaccine-related illnesses, owners stand to save about $30 million a year collectively. The new stance will also force the hand of most boarding kennels and catteries, which insist on proof of annual core vaccinations before accepting animals.

If you want to save some money on simple things like vaccinations and desexing, then go to the Lort Smith Animal Hospital in Nth Melbourne. Half the price of normal vets. However, they charge full price if you get anything else done (like dental or grooming).

Most puppies like to chew on things - so they will automatically chew on your fingers. I was told to let them do it as "mouthing" is normal dog behaviour, but make sure that they were taught to be very gentle while they did it, so they learn the correct pressure to apply to humans. This is achieved by yelping and pulling your fingers away if they are too rough. Same if they like to jump up and nip your nose while licking your face. They soon learn that they need to be gentle. So they are allowed to "hold" your fingers in their mouth, they are not allowed to bite down on them. Its usually a good idea to make sure they have lots of other things to chew on too. As for snapping and biting - I used the dog whisperer "poke". If he snaps at you, poke him firmly and tell him NO. My puppy and I had an instance of an issue over a chew bone - he wouldnt let me take it off him without growling and trying to bite me. So I poked him, and took the bone. Gave it back to him. He wouldnt give it back. Poked him and took it. Repeat repeat repeat. It took 15 minutes before I could take the bone off him without any protest. And he's never barked, growled, snapped or tried to bite me since.

] Save your money. Organise a playdate through dogtree.com.au. Or call your breeder and ask where the other puppies went to, and contact them to see if they would like a playdate. I have a chihuahua, and size doesnt really matter when it comes to playdates (my chihuahua had to make do with fully grown greyhounds, and he coped just fine). The bigger dogs are usually aware enough to not be too rough and tumble, and any protest from the puppy if it is, will usually see the bigger dog back off. Thats my experience anyway (assuming the other dogs are well mannered and socialised themselves). Or put him on lead and take him to an offleash dog park where he can get used to being sniffed by strange dogs.

His coat in general looks healthy, and his skin is fine. He occassionally chews on his tail, but doesnt obsessively lick or chew or scratch himself. Its as if a 4" top coat is all falling out, but a 2" shorter undercoat remains. So he still has a lot of hair around his backside, its just half as long as the hair that used to be there. But his tail is still quite thin. I have changed his diet recently - from Eukanuba puppy to adult, plus he's been eating Hills for the last week. Could it be an allergy?

Hi I have a 15 month old male long haired chihuahua. I have noticed that he seems to be losing his long hair. His tail has thinned out substantially, his "long pants" (hair at the back of his legs and bum) has almost disappeared, and he is thinning out along the side of his chest to the point that I can see his skin if I ruffle his fur. The rest of his coat (the shorter parts) seem fine. Is this normal? Is he losing a "puppy" coat or something? Will it grow back? Is it a vitamin deficiency or something? Thanks Karyn