Tassie

The Snooza Flea Trampoline type bed is covered with a tough shade cloth typ of material … and replacement covers are available.

Thanks for that info, @Two Best Dogs!. That sounds really interesting.

I read the PWD in between the other 2, @persephone. I believe they are nice, and quite smart ldogs .. but don't know anything much about them. To the OP … that's quite a long work day/alone day for a dog .. and too long for a wee pup IMHO. I would be wanting someone to come in at least in the middle of the day while a pup was young, to toilet pup and feed lunch. Beagles are fun .. but I would have thought a beagle left alone could be quite unhappy, and likely to be noisy. (When you think about the background, they were bred to work in packs.so being alone is not a breed characteristic. Cattle dogs IMHO are not a dog suited to beginner owners. They are very strong, and very strong minded, and need probably more training than you will be able to give. I would second going through @Dogsfevr's list of questions, and maybe then looking through some dog breed pages, and then maybe going to a dog show to see some of the breeds on the shortlist, and talk to some breeders. While it's nice to have a baby puppy when you have time to spend raising it and showing it the ways of the household, it might be more practical to try to get an older puppy who has been used to spending some time alone.

Thought it might have been. It's a pain that the two names are so similar. And yes .. Carprieve is something I would use short term but I'd be looking for something else for long term. The Rose Hip Canine Vital is apparently kidney sparing, but like a lot of arthritis supplements and meds, it works for some and not others. That was weird about the long nail in the Big Dog patty. I'd definitely contact the company and ask about it. What 'Flavour' were you using? I usually use the COmbo, or Sensitive SKin if I can[t get the Combo .. and of course, Turdukken at Christmas. I have see smaller than pinky fingernail slices of bone, but nothing bigger than that. I ususally mash a knife or something in the meat they're getting in their bowl . but mainly to spread it out a bit so they think they're getting more … that might be worth doing.

It's in General Discussion now. Sorry that you had such a bad experience. Having a dog walk nicely and safely on a loose leash requires quite a bit of training ..and I wouldn't be doing that on a steep driveway. .. Better to start in your yard, if you have a flattish area .. and somewhere with few distractions. Or you could drive to a flatter area with quiet paths. There is equipment like a balance harness, and or a well fitting head halter .. preferably one which controls from the back of the neck rather than the side of the head).which will help during the training process, but you really need help fitting it and learning to use it appropriately. So getting in an accredited (not franchised) behaviourist/trainer would be good. Or if you're in the Perth area, there are some really good positive reinforcement training clubs who would probably be able to help.

Oh Perse, that would have been so hard … but yes, totally the only thing to do.

Nice observations. Another thing we see .. at least when Border Collies are playing .. is the shake off .. which seems to be a tensions releaser .. used when the play is felt by one or other or both to be amping up a bit much. The shake off is usually followed by something like a drinks break, and then followed up by resumption of play.

The microwave in the staff room of one big school that I taught in had a No Rats version of a No Smoking sign on the door ..Ths was after the Lab Tech had forgotten to get the frozen rats thawed for a dissection class!

And as with snake bite .. call ahead to the vet so they know you're coming in ..

What the others have said …. and I would add .. smelly yummy soft treats. Definitely work on having her come to you .. so sit down on the floor near her, with a container with the smelly treats, and either wait for her to come to you to investigate the yummy smell. then let her eat a couple one at a time from your hand ..letting her make the move .. or put one on the floor near her and bring her towards you with a treat trail. It would be good if you could do this in a quiet area with no other distractions .. and be very patient. Try it once or twice, then think about whether it seemed to be something she liked. If so .. do it a few times a day. As far as "patting" goes, she may well be a bit painful .. many old dogs are ,, so keep all your handling very gentle and smooth and relaxing. Sitting down beside her and doing some gentle stroking and circular motions may help her to relax. But be guided by her reactions.

Thought that might have been the case. So check with your vet and if the vet isn't sure get him/her to do some follow up research .. but a quick look at the Cartrophen site suggests that there is not a problem. (I suspect part of the concern comes from the confusion with the NSAID Rimadyl - also known as carprofen .. which is problematic for kidneys. Cartrophen has been around and widely used for 20 years, so there should be plenty of literature especially if it's problematic.

I'm sorry, but your post came across as slick, judgmental and unhelpful. I would say that at this stage, no one has clear answers as to the issues being raised, but a lot of serious scientific work is being done to reach some valid conclusions. I would not have thought that the FDA is prone to 'hysteria'. and they are certainly investigating seriously. The mention about rotating brands of kibble (or manufacturers) is in line with recommendations by several veterinarians in the US basing it on minimising possible harms - not just in relation to grain free or DCM). And depending how the word "drastically" is read in the line about reducing the amount of food from that recommended on the dog food bag , that point could well be read as ..you're ""bad" if you don't feed the amount recommended on the packaging. Given that one of the major health issues that veterinarians see is dogs that are significantly or morbidly overweight, that is seriously unhelpful.

My local Petbarn is ideal .. a nice wide opening and wide aisles, with good lines of sight. I quite often take my dogs in there - always one at a time as I need to be able to give them my full attention. Great place to train against distractions. Mind you .. my youngster in particular gets very, very excited, so it can take us a while just to make it through the doorway .. she has to show some impulse control and do her normal sit and wait for permission . There are scales handily placed for weighing dogs too. And yes, mine have been in to choose birthday treats or toys.

How adorable is she in those pjs. I'd echo what @tdierikx says. All other things being equal, stability is probably good. I had a dog whose pancreatic values were out of whack, but that was her .. the vet commented as he was looking at a bright eyed bushy tailed happy dog with a fine digestion that he was glad he had her in front of him, instead of jhust the paper results. That same dog also had hypothyroidism, and to be symptom free and happy had to be operating right up at the top end of the normal range. So going by the dog in front of you makes snese to me at this stage. Stay happy and well gorgeous little Maddie.

Such a tough time. But your love for her will help you ease her way .

That's a tough one. A lot of food changes in a short time might be throwing him off a bit as well. My first thought .. what was the breeder feeding. I normally stick to that when thbe pup first arrives, for the few weeks at least while they are settling in .. they can sometimes be unsettled and occasionally have gastric issues just because of the change of environment, stress etc. Had one pup who too a few weeks to really settle. Stool test is a good move. If he were mine I'd probably have bloods done as well .. to get a baseline if nothing else. Subject to what the vet finds, it might be worth trying adding some cooked, mashed pumpkin .. that seems to help firm up stools. And some good yoghurt .. something like Jalna fat free . … or maybe some Yakult.

Oh that sounds like a match made in heaven. She is beautiful. And will clearly be much loved and spoilt rotten .. as is only right. How old is she?

Sorry .. posted in wrong place. But since I'm here … friend with a lovely GSD went to heroic lengths with her DM girl ..cart for the last year .. off road version as she lives on 5 acres. Lots of outings. But she is a nurse, and so she could manage the dealing with the loss of bladder and bowel function.. Another dog-loving nurse friend made the comment that she didn't know whether she could or would be willing to do that. It's such a cruel disease, since they seem to keep their spirit and their enjoyment of living for much longer than seems reasonable.

Thanks @yellowgirl Yes it is horrible .. he was a 12 and a half year old apparently very fit BC .. he'd competed in a double obedience trial (in UD) on the Sunday, was a little bit off on the Wednesday ..didn't do bloods then .. in retrospect should have.. although it may not have made a difference, since there were no provisions down here for transfusion in those days. He became very poorly on the Thursday .. vet suspected IMHA, but wanted to get the lab tests to confirm before starting the aggressive immunosuppressive meds which were the only option, so I had him home for the night, but he died on the Friday morning. On balance, it might have been a good thing .. at his age, I don't know whether the aggressive therapy would have been the right thing to do. Fingers and paws crossed for finding the answer to your girl's issues.

Agree, @Snook . My BC boy is just under 21 kg, and he gets about 1/4- 1/3 of a patty morning and night. I changed him over to Big Dog raw BARF patties at Christmas when they had Turdukken . I'd been happy with his kibble (as was he) for years, but my young BC was on Big Dog. I liked the way his coat looked on the raw, and he seems happy with it. The do both have a fair amount of training treats during the day. @SarasMum Another happy Rose Hip Canine Vital customer here .. I know it's hard to prove a negative, but I think it's worth continuing with it, and it's certainly not harmful to kidneys.

Hope you can get some answers for your Maddie. If it's any help .. having had a dog with IMHA, my experience was that they go downhill very quickly ..so finger crossed that's not the answer.

Just had a quick look at the DOL breeders pages ;... a few of the breeders specifically mention that they have NBT as well as tailed, so I would say it probably is. But if I were looking for a Pem, I would make sure that whoever I got a pup from had a pretty comprehensive health screening program in place. But I guess approaching breeders as you;ve been doing and asking is probably the best way of finding out. By doing that you're also starting to establish that connection with a breeder that helps to get a lovely pup down the track.

Rally O is a fun version of obedience .. you can talk to your dog, and there are no group stays to worry about. It's great for helping to build focus and relationship. And IMHO easier to get started in than agility .. which if done properly requires a lot of commitment - and the good schools have longish waiting lists.

True Dat @juice And along the same lines … with the Border Collies … it's "oh they need heaps of exercise, so I'm jogging with my 6 month old puppy for an hour every day ……" …. umm, no. Then you'll have a fit (unless you broke it) bored Border Collie .. and they're worse than a bored Border Collie). And people perceive them as sort of universally friendly with other dogs …. ummm.. not necessarily .. and why would they be. Going back to their heritage, they needed to be chilled around other sheep dogs at things like markets, and sheepo dog trials … but there was no value for a farmer in having a BC which was happily invited any other random dogs to come into his space and onto his land.

Just sent you a PM. Hope it helps.