trifecta

Addition of megaderm to food is highly recommended. If this does not help & fleas have been discounted, a visit to a homoeopathic vet could be worth your while.

Hopefully Ringer will be tried on some sheep soon, meanwhile he is still looking for his forever home, but shows huge potential for herding if anyone is looking for that sort of dog.

Kamuzz, try Neocort cream. Antibiotic, anti-inflammatory & analgesic too. Usually does the trick!

Be careful with tomatoes, they belong to the deadly nightshade family, & just as in humans, can be highly allergenic.

LOL Be careful CK..... you know what happened last time you did the happy dance.... you were confined to bed for the weekend

So sad, Rozzie & Trisven. COndolences to you both. At least poor pirate had so much love at Rozzies during his short time on earth. Run free, youngster

Yes, more & more vets prescribe metacam. There is a human form in tablet form, called Mobic. Works out much cheaper & available from my vet.

GreatDanz, this is nothing new. I have fed my dogs this way for the last 20 years!

ACV did not work for me, but then at the time I had 4 bitches & they'd all have to go in the one spot, & several times over, just to make sure it was their spot ;)

Birni, I have been spending most of my time in the Rescue Forum & have not been visiting here as often as I used to, hence I have only just read your sad news. God bless Kiya, for he was so brave in the face of an insidious illness. He waits for you at Rainbow Bridge & you will carry him in your heart forever. Best regards, Alison

Hi Birni, my heart leapt with fright when I saw this thread resurrected! So pleased to hear that it is not bad news that brings you back to the forum. I think your vet is the best one to discuss the lupus idea with, he/she is doing a wonderful job keeping your companion going!

Beware feeding too much kelp. The most common mineral toxicity is related to iodine excess in seaweed supplements.

Inspector Rex, if you are interested, there is a holistic vet in Bega. He comes to Canberra regularly, so may well head in your direction too. This is definitely a path that I would investigate, having had great success treating allergies, hyperthyroidism & autoimmune problems in dogs. A Bowen practioner may also be able to help, a couple of Bowen sessions will help to balance the dog overall & enable the body to heal itself.

I have used Ungvita on horses & dogs, it contains Vitamin A among other things. Heals scars nicely & promotes hair growth. Wheatgem oil is also excellent but more expensive. I would not apply anything while the stitches are still in, but go for your life once they are out. Use tiny circular massage movements with the pads of your fingers. Bowen therapy is also excellent for reducing scarring & will rebalance the dog if there has been injury or trauma.

Just out of interest, saw packets of vegan cat & dog food in a health food shop in Canberra today. As usual I was in a rush & did not have time to see if it was a biscuit type food or if it had to be reconstituted. I can't even remember the company that made it. If anyone is interested in following this up I could ring the shop & get the website of the manufacturer. Just let me know as it is not my intention to go down this pathway of feeding!

Hi greentea, don't get despondant, the "written" word does't always come across as well as the "spoken", does it? What you need is a GB buddy, I don't get into the Breeders forum at all, but maybe there are Griffon people lurking there? With regards to training, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers has a good website which identifies trainers by area. They advocate positive methods & will come to you. If you want to have a look, click here Lastly, all the best with little Henry, these are all just teething problems; I can assure you dog ownership becomes easier & less stressful with time

Greentea, maybe start Henry off on raw chicken mince (the pet variety), this usually has the bones minced up. Then when he gets the taste for chicken you can introduce the necks/wings smashed up & later on add a little offal to the mince. Some chicken shops sell the wing tips alone, this would be ideal to start off a little tacker like Henry on BARF. And yes he is cute

Greentea, you obviously have little experience of dog ownership. You need help NOW; you will get lots of good advice on DOL but nothing beats getting out there & doing things with your puppy. It is imperative that you take Dru's advice & enrol in puppy classes or at an obedience club. You & your pup will learn so much by interacting with other owners & dogs, let alone all the training tips you will learn from your instructors. Who knows, you may even meet someone who is proficient in the grooming methods required by your breed. Don't delay.... RING & BOOK IN FIRST THING TOMORROW MORNING

Hi Cairo! CDRM (chronic degenerative radiculo myelopathy) is caused by a degeneration of the nerves supplying the hind quarters, resulting in gradual paralysis & loss of sensation. So the first vet was right in her explanation of it being neurological. Obviously she should have explained things more. I believe that acupuncture can sometimes alleviate the symptoms of CDRM & that there are homoeopathic remedies that help to increase strength in the hindquarters. Vitamin C & blackcurrant seed oil are often given as supplements in the UK. This condition often affects the German Shepherd, but as you say, is thankfully painless but distressing to see. I know you will cherish everyday that you have with Mayo; hugs to you both at this difficult time.

Hi Birni, you may remember I posted about the same time as you did. Unfortunately, Belle had a massive bleed on April 5th & I decided it was time for her to go to rainbow bridge Because it was an emergency situation, the sister remained at home & I decided to see how she would fare without Belle. Bijou was very clingy for the first week & has become very dependent on me, however she has rallied very well & is managing OK without Belle. I am so pleased the treatment has been working for Kiya, & that he has overcome the recent setbacks. I hope he continues to battle along & that you have much more time together. Every day is precious, isn't it? As for the flies, I recommend Septicide cream, it is for wounds & contains an effective fly repellant. I used it a lot on the ears of my old GSD, whether the skin was broken or not. Keep up the positive attitude, birni, it is contagious you know

Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but I know some of you doggie people in the Canberra region are probably interested in alternative veterinary treatment. Yesterday, I was in at Griffith shops, stocking up on homoeopathy remedies, when I noticed a business card for a holistic practice in Kambah. The vet's name is Kate Smith-Millhouse & she is trained in traditional veterinary medicine together with acupuncture & homoeopathy. Some of you probably already know her (being a bushie I don't get to town that much) but I thought I would post this info as there has been recent discussion of alternative treatments & where they are available. BTW haven't ever been to this vet, but my old dog was a patient of Rebecca Palmer, who long-term Canberra residents would probably remember!

ML is it really hereditary? Could it be a learned behaviour from Mum?

K9, The proponents of positive reward training see the drawbacks of traditional training being possible physical damage due to overuse/misuse of a choke chain, the mistakes & poor timing of an inexperienced handler resulting in a confused & traumatised dog & the damage done to the dog/handler relationship caused by fear & sometimes pain. Motivational training is widely practised by obedience clubs these days in the belief that mistakes made by inexperienced handlers slow down training but do not cause as much physical & psychological harm. Yes, I agree with you, timing is the key whichever method is chosen. I was not advocating any one method of training in my post to Kate H, in fact the biggest drawback I see with motivational training, is that all too often the handler fails to establish a leader relationship which results in a spoilt dog. The point of my post was too advise reading up on training methods before choosing one above any other. I hope I did not infer otherwise.

Hape2cu, this thread might be better suited in the Training/Behaviour forum. Meanwhile this article may give you food for thought How dogs think As for the growling, does Jessie have her own space/ bed/ crate? Is she allowed to sit on the sofa? Maybe this puts her at the same level as you in her eyes? The key is to learn to think as she does.

Cairo, thanks for the piccy of your dear old boy. You sound much more relieved since attending the vet. Hope Mayo picks up soon, don't forget to let us know how he goes! Haven, your GSD must be the oldest on record... 20 is an incredible age! Don't have any facts to support this statement yet, but a friend, who is a vet, is undertaking research on this at the moment. Lastly, Sonic, have e-mailed you.