tyra20007

I use RepelX, it is long lasting and I only apply once a day to keep the flies at bay. I also get the yellow topped fly traps from Bunnings and hang them on the far corners of our yard and we really don't have a fly problem anymore - I have to change to traps every 6-8wks but it is bliss not being harrassed by flies when you go outside. I agree that crating this afternoon might be better than leaving her outside with the flies.

Hmm I have heard about freezers like that being used as evidence in Mass Murderer cases Mine is a similar mix of body parts, all of which get consumed with gusto by my two Dobes It sure beats a cupboard full of bry biscuits when it comes to goodness and variety & it really doesn't take much of an effort, just a well trained butcher LOL

Realistically - BARF is the best diet you can feed a dog and by changing over to super premium expensive cardboard dry poison food you are not going to be doing your dog any favours. Your breeder didn't give this dog the best start in life for you to just change back to feeding cardboard. Feeding BARF IS NOT difficult (especially for 1 or 2 dogs!) it just requires a little bit of planning and preparation and befriending your local butcher. In my opinion it is people like you who buy from a good breeder (a breeder who does their best to raise animals that will have a healthy life and good diet) and promise the breeder the world with a whole lot of "oh yes, I will feed whatever you recommend!" only to get the animal home and take the LAZY option. Perhaps you really shouldn't have sought out such a well bred dog in the first place - because changing over to processed pet poison is cruel - yes I will get slammed by all those who feed dry, but at the end of the day I have spent time changing the diet of friends dogs to BARF and helped to improve health and dry skin problems even mange with a good balanced BARF diet. You know you can get BARF patties premade and a Vets all Natural BARF meal in a bag from good pet shops so their is no excuse to not make the effort to feed the best you can. As for bones - chicken wings and necks are best - not legs as they can be too sharp if not chewed well/ lamb necks / lamb chine (spinal bone) / lamb flaps (ribs or breast part) are great avoid beef marrow bones as they really cannot be eaten and you want bones that can be totally consumed not gnawed at for a while then buried. If you want help with a BARF diet plan let me know and I will bend over backwards to help you and make it easy to do - a couple of hours once a month and you can have a freezer full of dinners and then just get good bones to give for brekky. I know I come across as a BARF NAZI but I believe in giving my animals the very best in the hope I will be rewarded with long living healthy happy animals.

Please just take the dog back to the vet! People should not attempt to remove staples when they don't have a clue what they are doing. It shouldn't be an expensive vet visit - just takes a few minutes and at least the vet will check on the healing at the same time.

Wrong!!! Wrong!!! Wrong!!! How dare a human inflict such a thing on any animal that is designed to eat meat! It is a human choice to not eat meat - I am pretty sure they didn't ask/offer the dog what they would prefer if they had the choice! Dog "Hmmmm raw meaty bones and yummy meat or ewwwwww carrot!" Don't get me wrong my dogs get veges every day - but it is 'mixed/added' in with a strict BARF diet and they get bones EVERY morning for breakfast! If only the RSPCA would go after owners who insist on this kind of cruelty to animals! Perhaps people who really want a vegetarian dog should go buy a goldfish! I really just wish the tree-hugging vegetarians that do this could experience what it would be like to be fed rare meat for the rest of their lives.

I like lamb chine bones as they take a bit of gnawing on - depending on the size of your dog (I have Dobermanns) they will last a while. Always take away unfinished bones after an hour or so and don't let the dog bury it - bad for the yard & bad for the dog when they are rotten and have extra flavour and maggoty protein ;) Go to a butcher like Joe's Meat Market or an independant one and just ask them - I have never had a problem training my butchers to save me bones, if they don't have the ones you want ask them to keep some for you and call or tell you which day they will have them. Alternatively if you want a flat bone and like a good steak buy a large beef cutlet (scotch fillet steak with rib still attached) and carve out the bone before you cook your steak - then you get a nice dinner too and have a good bone for the dog If you buy your meat from the same butcher they will tend to look after you well for all your bone needs. I hope that helps Also I would be giving a bone every morning or at least every second day to keep teeth in tip top condition - I feed a totally BARF based diet and mine get them every morning and have fantastic clean white strong teeth - I think processed dogs foods have a lot to answer for when it comes to dogs dental issues.

I would never give BBQ chicken to an unwell dog - especially the store bought variety as it is rubbed with alot of salt and flavours some of which are artificial. Check the garden to see if there is anything around the place like rotten bones or dead birds etc If you are sarisfied that everything else is fine with the health of the dog then you could try cooking up some chicken & rice. depending on the size of your dog (I have Dobermanns) I usually fill a large pot with water and add a whole double chicken breast & a frame or 2 and simmer them for an hour to really cook them and get flavour into the stock, then I add a couple of cups of rice and let it cook for at leat 3 times the time specified so that it is overcooked. After simmering the rice and when the pot is ready, I remove the chicken frames and discard them (Do Not Feed Cooked Bones to the dog) I then carefully drain the pot keeping the stock and separating the chicken & rice, I fork shred the chicken and put it into a container in the fridge and the rice also goes into a container. Make sure that all the items are well refridgerated and used within 3 days. When feeding your dog - feed a few times a day in smal quantities (warm the stock slightly - so blood temp) start with just the stock which has starch from the rice - then slowly add a small amount of rice to the stock and make it like soup with rice - then add more rice and less stock - finally serve just the rice and chicken mix adding in the chicken slowly so a not to overwhelm the gut with too much protein. If the dogs are not drinking and seem to get dehydrated then take them to the vet - otherwise try the above for a couple of days and see how they go, just make sure they are drinking lots of water - do pinch tests on skin to make sure they are not dehydrated. I hope that is some help to you. Don't forget to update us on your pups condition too please ;)

The best you can do is to NOT COOK that mix! Do some reading on BARF principles and learn abit about obtaining the right balance. To the mix you have listed you could add some "Vets All Natural" which would add some veges and whole grains to help keep the bowels healthy. I also add supplements that I get from greenpet - the greenpet essentials and the omega3 oil blend. As well as PetPepUp which is a predigested supplement that is great for any dogs gut bacterias. Raw is best and you are on the right track. Just make up a mix and weigh it into daily serving sizes - bag it and freeze it - it is then as convenient as any processed dog food all you have to do is defrost it daily.

Sorry Mandy, don't mean to hijack your post but wonder if the bones in those bags sold at butchers are any good. Any comments?? I prefer to be very specific about the kinds of bones I get from my butcher. I avoid the splintering type bones like Any Pork Bones / Beef Marrow Bones / Lamb Shanks! Blaming bones for the damage these can do is an easy out for owners who don't do their homework. The ideal bones to feed your dog (regardless of the dogs size) are bones are able to be totally consumed and will not splinter; Lamb Flaps (breast & ribs) Lamb necks Lamb Chine (spinal bone) Beef Brisket Bone Chicken / Turkey Necks Chicken Frames Feeding any of the above RAW will aid digestion and clean teeth. Get to know your butcher & train them to keep bones for you I have mine very well trained now LOL I cannot understand why so many people are afraid to feed their dogs bones - make sure the bones are not small and that they are sized so that it does not fit in the dogs mouth so it can be swallowed. I would remove any uneaten bones (not that we have any in our house!) after a couple of hours, this stops them burying the bones and helps to keep the garden hole free LOL

When it comes to food aggression towards bones - it is totally unacceptable! I have always given my dogs bones from a young age and then I take the bone away and walk around with it as though I am chewing on it and then I offer it back to the dogs... No matter how much they like their bones they will leave it for me on the "Leave" command. You can begin to train your dog that you are top dog and not him at any time. Take away toys and always feed the dog AFTER the humans in the house - or the dog will think he is the boss and not you! The best bones for a dog your size are chicken frames / lamb chine (spine) bones / Lamb Breast flaps / Beef brisket bones.. These bones can be totally consumed and do not splinter - like poodle fan stated a bit of fat in a diet is not a bad thing - the lamb chines are ideal and very low fat. Please do something about your dogs behaviour as all dogs should be taught that aggression and food possession is not accetable.

If you are sarisfied that everything else is fine with the health of the dog then you could try cooking up some chicken & rice. depending on the size of your dog (I have Dobermanns) I usually fill a large pot with water and add a whole double chicken breast & a frame or 2 and simmer them for an hour to really cook them and get flavour into the stock, then I add a couple of cups of rice and let it cook for at leat 3 times the time specified so that it is overcooked. After simmering the rice and when the pot is ready, I remove the chicken frames and discard them (Do Not Feed Cooked Bones to the dog) I then carefully drain the pot keeping the stock and separating the chicken & rice, I fork shred the chicken and put it into a container in the fridge and the rice also goes into a container. Make sure that all the items are well refridgerated and used within 3 days. When feeding your dog - feed a few times a day in smal quantities (warm the stock slightly - so blood temp) start with just the stock which has starch from the rice - then slowly add a small amount of rice to the stock and make it like soup with rice - then add more rice and less stock - finally serve just the rice and chicken mix adding in the chicken slowly so a not to overwhelm the gut with too much protein. I hope that is some help to you. Don't forget to update your pups condition for us too please

The only collar I use on my dogs is a large linked fur saver collar. They are available at petcetera and are not expensive. They do not wear the fur or hold moisture like a solid collar - when used for walking they are not damaging like the 'usual' choker chain. This was the only photo that I could find that showed the collar well as we don't often have the collars on at home.

There is a great probiotic supplement called PetPepUp and is available from www.normandell.com.au it has alot of ingredients that are designed to help the canine gut system.

I do not believe in vaccinating yearly and I prefer to titre test my dogs instead. After 13yrs of yearlys your dog is sure to have a high immunity and shouldn't have to get any more ever. My girl is 3 and her levels have been fine just from her puppy and yearly, I test her titre levels yearly. Recently there have been some interesting articles on vaccinating that are worth reading. http://ava.informz.net/ava/archives/archive_135431.html http://ava.informz.net/ava/data/images/doc...inal-june09.pdf http://www.smh.com.au/environment/vets-dog...90731-e4f7.html As for a yearly heartworm - my vet agrees that a monthly is the best, the yearly may be convenient but it may be detremental for your dog. I hope this helps. As for the tummy stuff stick with the chicken & rice for a week after it settles just so it is stable before you start the normal food again.

I am sure that wouldn't be enough to do any harm as it is all milk chocolate and your dog isn't a tiny breed (apparently the dark choc with high cocoa % is the worst kind) Oh I just have to add that the moment I read your title I knew it would be a beagle gotta love those scoffers Hope all is well - like puggy mentioned - just keep an eye on him tonight

Sounds like it could be scurf. I have 2 Show Dobermanns and it drives me nuts. I feed fish oil daily and add an omega 3 oil blend from greenpet.com.au to their nightly food & that has helped alot. I have always feed sardines fresh and raw every 2nd day and they still got the scurf on occassions. I have tried rinsing with water/vinager blend but didnt find it as useful as using an antidandruff shampoo when washing them. Avoid washing when it is windy as this seems to increase the scurf. Depending on what kind of dog you have - you can try using a product called Cristalli (hair shine formula containing linseed oils) available from the Shaver Shop chain of stores or a spray of mink oil and rub it in to skin level with a good massage. I hope this has been of some help - good luck with the battle ahead

Thank You so much for posting this Who would have thought that the common cycad could be so dangerous! Luckily I have always wanted one but never get around to it - won't be bothering now Thanks again!

Thinking of you and your family at this time. At least he will be in his home surroundings without stress during this. Benson will have lots of friends to greet him at the rainbow bridge and his life will be free of pain there.

I love celebrating my dogs birthdays and have found a few great websites with recipes for cake and treats. http://www.dog-treat-recipe-exchange.com/d...ke_recipes.html We had a huge celebration for my girls 1st Birthday and had the cake made by a local bakery that are happy to make dog friendly carrot/carob/peanut butter cakes - needless to say my friends thought I was mad - but that may have more to do with the custom hats which all featured paw prints and a photo of my girl LOL Tyras 1st birthday cake Free shot = she got to have a big bite before we cut and served it to the 28 dogs in attendance LOL photos of the party are here http://www.facebook.com/album.php?page=2&a...p;id=1070631186 I have 5 days to organise her 3rd birthday - a quiet one at home this time with cake & steak Happy 9th Birthday to your girl ;)

Sending our love and best wishes for at least a little more time with your lad & we hope that you find a vet that may be able to offer options for some sort of treatment. I truly feel your pain and frustrations with the diagnosis from your vet. We went through a similiar misdiagnosis of a kelpieX rescue I had - his muscle seemed to be disappearing from his shoulder and I took him to our 'usual' vet who said it must be a nerve thing and her may have bumped it playing ball - given my boy was a certified ball addict that seemed possible - I asked if he could do an xray or further tests and the vet was adament that a few tablets would help. After 3months of the tablets the vet just wanted to give more pills even though the muscle was not improving, so I took my baby boy to another vet and stupidly told them the previous diagnosis - they took a moment and agreed and said continue with the tablets for a little while longer. After a month with the muscle almost gone and bone obvious I took him to a third vet who insisted on a full xray to see for sure - a couple of hours later she called to say that the shoulder problem was bone cancer and that the cancer had spread through lungs etc. She suggested putting my boy to sleep while he was under for the xray and I begged her not to - I explained that he had not shown any signs of having pain / just muscle wasting away - would still run and chase ball. I also explained that I would like to spend a few days saying thank you and feeding him all his favourite things. I came to pick him up from the vets and told her that money is no object and I wanted to pursue any treatment that could help - thankfully this vet was honest and told me that there was absolutely nothing that could help - perhaps if it had been caught on first visit to vet the leg may have been amputated but at this point she would just give him pain meds and to bring him back in 2 weeks to be PTS. He lasted well on the pain meds and in fact lived another 10months eating all his favourite foods (including chocolate - which he regularly stole whenever he could while young and healthy - even learned to open cupboards and fridge LOL) I quit work to spend time with my lad and we had an amazing 10months together with visits to the good vet every 2 weeks to make sure I wasn't being cruel keeping him on pain meds - the vet said she was surprised at how well he seemed and that he would probably let me know when the time was right to send him to the rainbow bridge - sure enough 10months went by and within days the boney shoulder turned into a lump and one morning he gave me the look and that afternoon we made the trip to the vets. The point of my very long reply is basically to say that you should get another opinion and see if there is anything they can do - if not to cure it, at least to possibly give you your fur baby and the kids brother for a small period of quality time so that you can say goodbye and mollycoddle him until it is time. I really hope that you get some good news after all you have been through - please keep us updated and know that our thoughts are with your family & Benson at this time.

Pet grade mince does not have any of the health regulations that human grade meat has. Just buy normal meat from a butcher as I would never eat any meat from Coles or Woolworths as it is pumped full of hormones and antibiotics and is no good for anyone. I have read research saying that meat with those additives is likely to be slowing humans metabolisms and could be a major cause of obesity. Plus it is much more expensive than meat from a good butcher. Let us know how she goes with normal meat

Thanks. I relate the word "entire" to reference male dogs and the word "intact" to reference the females. Maybe that's just me. But anyway, I assumed Tyra20007 was making reference to male dogs. That Tyra might have meant females didn't enter my mind. I have been told by my vet and another that females who are entire (thank you Erny - never been good with terminology LOL) can suffer from pyometra & also mammory cancer if not bred at all and not desexed or if bred and not eventually desexed. And that males have a much greater chance of Prostate cancers and other problems if let entire for too long even if used regularly for stud that as they mature they are more at risk of having prostate issues and cancer. So to me keeping an entire/intact animal as a pet with no ideas of breeding is cruel to the animal in the end - not to mention that 'most' entire males will have some aggression issues.

this annoys me, many many people can have entire animals and not have puppies, i know many entire bitches and dogs who have fantastic owners and have never had a puppy. My dog was 3 when desexed and i never had a problem with him and he was only desexed for health reasons otherwise he wouldnt have been done! I agree with the rest, vet trip, it could be puppies, it could be something else! I myself have 2 Dobermanns that are entire - but they are both Australian Champion Show Dogs and will be bred from and used for stud. If a dog is just a pet and is not a pedigree purebred dog then it should not be kept entire for any longer than 6 months or you will be asking for the problems you friend is now facing. There are enough backyard breeders out there breeding yet more mutts that are not of high quality or are in the puppy mill "designer dog" fad that abounds at the moment. Responsible dog owners do desex their dogs so that they are more social and make better pets. Get over your annoyance - because nothing annoys me more than fools who own entire male mutts that make excuses for their dogs aggression (or use the dog to compensate for their own small appendages LOL) or who have bitches that end up pregnant to an unknown male and therefore put the bitch in jeopardy as they have no idea what will happen when they are whelped. Breeding a dog is something that only good breeders should persue - BYB annoy the hell out of me as they do not care about health testing or genetics nor the fact that finding worthy homes for puppies is no easy task. Also keeping dogs entire and not breeding them can cause many health issues in the future and is not recommended by vets.

Hmmmmm it seems someone didn't really read the thread prior to trying to tempt others into buying this inferior product - lucky my mum isn't on these forums - Oh that's right she already bought one! aaaarrrgh

For someone who "doesn't want more pups in the world" one would think she would have had her dog desexed at 6 months old! That is surely not responsible dog ownership! I have a Dobermann bitch who has a phantom after every season and even has produced milk - so hopefully it could just be a phantom. Either way the dog should be taken to the vet and booked in asap for desexing - if she is pregnant they will sort that out during the surgery.