trifecta

Brisket bones are good for putting on weight & cleaning teeth. Maybe a couple of times a week for starters until he becomes settled & adjusts to a new diet.

My guys have just finished off a salmon head each this morning - they love them & it keeps them occupied for a while!

Have you tried having both dogs present at the training session & when Diesel becomes bored, tying him up & getting the other dog out? I was advised to do this for my Belgian who is becoming heartily sick of heel work. We are trying for our CD, but our heel work was better & more focussed in beginners! There is also a book by Dawn Jecs titled "Choose to Heel" - I have not read it but was recommended it last week.

Would you consider transferring Avery to Sally at Happy Paws Grafton? Sally has become a Belgian specialist over the years, she has rehomed 23 in the last two years. All Sally's Belgians are fostered in a home environment, they attend Obedience classes & if age permits, agility - so at least Avery would be a started dog & much more attractive to adopters looking for a sport dog. Sally rescues with the sanction of the Belgian Shepherd Dog Club of NSW, they have just had a raffle to help raise funds for Sally's rescue efforts. Happy Paws is a registered charity, the facilities are inspected & approved by the RSPCA. Sally has found some wonderful homes for our Belgians, both pure & crosses, young & old, including placing dogs with top ranking NSW agility competitors. I will PM you her contact details as Sally is not a member of DOL!

Megaderm is also good for skin conditions containing omega 3, 6 & 9 at the correct ratio.

Benadryl for kennel cough, will only ease cough not cure it, but dose rates are as follows 3x daily: <5kg = 1ml 6-10kg = 2ml 11-15kg = 3ml 16 -20kg = 4ml 21 -30kg = 5ml 31 - 40kg = 6ml

There is Heike Hahner of Canine Communications, she is out towards Braidwood, but is happy to travel into town. She has had a lot of success with aggressive dogs, particularly BCs & Kelpies. Heike is also a herding enthusiast. I will PM you contact details.

It sounds like the wound is infected, particularly if the dog is not bearing weight on the foot. You need anti-biotics for this type of injury. Puncture wounds are much more insidious than big gash type wounds. If the joint becomes infected you are in big trouble!

Thanks for the link huski & RubyStar, I'll definitely pass on the info on Wednesday morning!

My obedience club no longer sells wooden dumbells, only the plastic ones, which do not seem as attractive to dogs! Is there a supplier of wooden dumbells out there? Yes, I know they are relatively easy to make, but several members have been asking for them, but no-one can be persuaded to make them for us Thought you guys would be sure to know of something

I live in an area which is famous for its snakes! The Lake George area has the highest number of brown snakes per km2 than any other area in Australia & the vet practice here is the biggest user of antivenene amongst hospitals, veterinary & medical practices in the whole of the country. A behaviourist friend of mine who runs local obedience courses always includes a class on snake avoidance. She uses dead snakes..... if we come across them & they are not too squashed we pick them up off the roads & tracks & store them in the freezer until class time!

Yes the fillets will be fine, though some dogs do not like fresh fish. I buy salmon heads for my guys which is what is left behind after the fillets are removed. Two out of my three dogs just chomp them up while the third needs them cut up smaller & a bit of encouragement!

I paid $140 for my Belgian to have a back molar removed, she had a slab fracture of the tooth. The price included ABs to take home. I know my vet is very reasonable, but in your case I would definitely shop around.

I have to agree with this. I'm surprised nobody has addressed the issue of a 5 week old "purebred" puppy. No papers. The deed may be done, and of course what we want is to get the weight on this puppy. However I also think the OP should be educated on what she has done and why its wrong. The same as any person who has bought a designer dog. Anybody care to comment? Or will I also be getting told off for going OT. Flame me now... *pulls on suit* In the first post the OP tells how they were told the puppy was SIX weeks old. Many people (I am not condoning this) feel that pups are ready to leave for new homes at this age. It was the vet who put the puppy's age at five weeks. The OP has done nothing wrong & is trying to do everything right. The OP has come to the right place in DOL for advice on guidance on raising the puppy &, as an aside, ethical breeding; what good is it to castigate that person & frighten them away?

~Midniara~ raised a litter of 11 Belgian Shepherds on raw, you may like to PM her for details. Everyone of the pups survived, thrived & have grown up to be healthy & well conformed young dogs. The bitch looked fantastic all the way through her pregnancy & while lactating. IMO this is the way pups should be raised..... good luck with yours!

A course of acupuncture may or may not be effective. It didn't work for one of my dogs, but neither did any homoeopathic or herbal remedies. I have, however, met two dogs who have been successfully treated for incontinence with acupuncture.

Pineapple has never worked for me, or should I say my dog, either! The original idea of adding pineapple comes from the belief that coprophagia was due to a potassium deficiency..... pineapple is rich in potassium...... not to make the faeces unpalatable, as many people believe. A cheap test to see if your dog has an enzyme deficiency is to make a paste of the faeces with water & apply it to X-ray negative..... however most vet practices are digital nowadays! If your dog is not getting enough nutrition from its food you could try adding Thrive D which many people with coprophagic dogs swear by. However for a lot of dogs..... mine included, it is a learned behaviour, usually from the dam. For such dogs it is advisable to worm at 6 weekly intervals & not 12 weeks..... much safer for the humans that way!

I find brisket bones never fail to put weight on a dog.

We have one of those terracotta urns with a ceramic filter inside as we are on bore water. It is simply fantastic & removes all sorts of nasties

You can buy linseed oil from animal produce stores & it is much cheaper than flax seed oil. Yes it is the same plant! Value Plus have raw linseed oil in a range of sizes, I can buy a litre bottle for about $14. The danger of fish oil is that it is rich in vitamin A which can be easily overdosed.

Symphytum (Comfrey) is routinely given homoeopathically in fracture treatment & healing generally. You could give the tincture but a crushed pillule would be more palatable. Maybe consult with a homoeopath to find out dose & potency?

I think you are referring to Ilium Neocort ointment. It is quite cheap to buy & I never used to shave the hair but just whack it on twice daily. When the hotspots are all cleared up you can wash the dog to remove any greasy residue, making sure of course to dry the dog properly.

I don't know about dogs but I have an anecdote about a mare who had a retained placenta after foaling. She actively sought out the raspberry canes growing through the fence into the paddock from the garden. A short time later she passed the placenta. This was the first time in three foals that she had ever passed the placenta by herself. On two previous occasions she had needed veterinary intervention. Some months later I read in a homoeopathic book that wild raspberry is one of the remedies for this very same condition!

Haven't had a hot spot in my current pack of dogs, but used to have an old girl who was prone to them, being allergic to legumes, both ingested & also contact with plants like clover. I never bothered to clip back the hair but would whack on some Neocort ointment 2x daily for a couple of days!

my dog .. my diet choices :p met up with Ivys sister and her owner hasn't stuck with the breeders diet either .. what the breeder feeds you can only buy online and that doesn't suit Ivys owner. Actually BB, the best thing you can do for Ivy is to seek the support of your breeder, ask her the diet questions as she's probably seen the results of most foods & their effects on your breed. And she's an awesome person fifi I have to agree with both points, fifi! I have fed BARF for over 20 years now & would never go back to commercial food. My Midniara Belgian is four years of age, she is trim, fit & athletic with a a shiny coat & the pearliest white teeth you have ever seen