kleintjie

I recommend Hawthorn Vet Clinic. I like both Nick and Fiona and I really trust them. They take time to explain things and never mind answering questions and giving advice etc.

My vet suggested to add about a teaspoon of vegetable oil to Charlotte's food once or twice a week because she has slightly dry skin. She is 17 weeks old now. I have some rice bran oil and canola oil. The rice bran looks a bit 'healthier'. Can I give it to her? Has anybody used it before? Thanks!

Both my Cavaliers like water and my younger one drinks lots. So it seems many Cavs and Pugs just love water and you have that doubled!

I can't believe my bad luck. Monday night I bought somet treats for Evie which I almost NEVER do. Guess what I chose? Kramar chicken breast strips. It said 100% chicken, no added colours preservatives so it looked ok. I gave her 1 stick Monday night then another Tuesday morning. Tuesday afternoon I heard about a treat recall on the radio. I wasn't too worried, but when I got home I had a look online. Could you believe my surprise when the treats I bought Evie was the ones that got recalled!!! I feel so guilty! She looks fine. She's vomitted once tonight and had a bit of diarrhea (sp?) today. I don't know if it's coincidence or not. I feel so stressed and guilty about it! I called the vet and they said I should find out from Kamar how much should be ingested to cause any problems. Does anybody know? I weighed what was left and she's had about 11g. Maybe I should take her to the vet tomorrow?

Aimee, I let Evie sit before I give her food, toys, cuddles etc. When we get home she jumps up against her pen. I don't let her out until she sits down. She now knows she won't come out of her pen if she isn't sitting. Sometimes she's so excited that she can't help herself but most of the time she doesn't jump up. Does Ruby jump up against the couch or bed and then you pick her up? Make her sit quitely for 2-3 seconds before picking her up. Evie now knows if she sits quitely next to the bed or couch she might be picked up for a cuddle. This worked for us. I found it hard to ignore her because I'm so excited to see her as well! Try making her sit before you give her what she wants i.e. attention.

Since it's a cavalier I always think of Syringomyelia or Episodic Falling Syndrome. It's not as common in Australia as it is in the UK or US. Do a bit of research on either and if the symptoms seem similar maybe discuss it with your vet. It's not something most vets would think of immediately. Maybe contact his breeder as well. She/he may know something aout that litter etc. Good luck with your little man! EFS

I have a 4 month old cavalier. She can be itchy at times scratches her face, sides and bites her back and front paws. I've changed her food to limit grains and I've also noted weather can change her itchiness. If it's dry and windy she'll itch more. Her itching was more under control. Today I applied Revolution on her neck. There is no reaction at the site I applied but I think she is biting at her paws and scratching at her sides more. Is this possible?

Is that where the Vet gave the injection .... in her middle back? Yes, not in her neck but more in her back.

That's similar what happened to Evie. The lump is gone now. I was told by th vet to go back in 4 weeks following C5 for a 2nd C5 vaccination. So she had C3 then C5 and now another? Is that correct?

Your vet can check both and see if they are ok or not. If it's hereditary I assume it's more likely that both legs can be affected. If it's from an injury or too much jumping etc. it may just be the one. I would suggest you try to avoid him to do ANY jumping. If he does need surgery, he shouldn't jump afterwards either, so it will be good for him to learn now. Not that I have any tips on how to do that! Let us know what happens. Good luck!

There elbows are in the front legs. Patella in the back where their knees are. Very similar to humans.

It sounds like he has a luxating patella. When they straighten their leg and keep it in the air he may be try to get the patella to slide back into the groove. If it is his patella the vet will be able to feel if it stable or not or if he himself can sublux it. I may be wrong though, just a guess. Good luck with the little man, I hope it's nothing too serious. Keep is updated.

Thanks to all those who replied and gave advice/reassurance. ;) She got a C5 because she is going to go to a kennel for 10 days when we're on holiday. I would've prefer if she didn't have to get a C5. The lump is still there, slightly smaller. It's on her middle back, not on her neck. I think it's so visible because she is very lean. Although vaccinations carry risks, if I had to choose again, I would still do it because some of diseases they can get just seem so much worse. Is it normal for them to get a C5 and then another one a month later?

I have been desensitised against bees myself. I've seen an older thread on dogs being desensitised against pollens etc. So I'm sure you can get it done. You can call a veterinary specialist centre and find out. Otherwise, you can remove all plants that attract bees and carry phenergan (or similar) to give in case of an emergency. Check the dose and type of antihistamine with your vet. I know the older type antihistamines work better in dogs compared to the newer non-drowsy types. I may be wrong. I'm not sure where your dogs stay but you can keep him inside in spring time when there are more bees. Sorry I can't be of more help. Good luck!

I called her vet. He said the lump is a normal reaction from the vaccination. It's very obvious because she doesn't have much fat and is quite lean. He said to keep an eye on her but she's eating, drinking, going to the toilet, playing and sleeping all normally. The itchiness may not be related to the vaccination because it only happened 3 days afterwards. I'll research some vaccination protocol.

Thanks. It's good to know. The only thing that's different is that she is very itchy today. Even when she's sleeping when i pat her, her little back leg starts moving. I'll keep an eye on her and ring the vet maybe. It must be strong vaccines to make such a big lump. I can see it poke out when she is just standing or lying down. Poor little puppy.

My 14 week old puppy has a big lump on her back after her vaccination on Saturday. Is it normal? I'm not sure if I should ring the vet or not. It doesn't seem to bother her, she did cry if we touched it by accident for about 2 days. It doesn't appear so sensitive anymore. Thanks!

Thanks for all the advice! I'll try doing her tricks in different places now. I would love to try speak but she almost never barks! Maybe it's coming... Thanks for the website too, it looks like fun.

Hi, I've taught my 3 month old cavalier puppy to sit, lie down, shake, roll and stay. What other tricks can I teach her and how do I do it? She loves training and I don't want her to get bored doing the same ones over and over. We wanted to go to puppy school but there isn't any running atm where we live. Thanks!

I'm worried about salmonella poisoning but then if I give it cooked she may get injured from the bones... What other raw food is ok to give? I don't think I will just feed raw but a combination of raw and dry. I tried chicken necks but she tried swallowing it whole. So I'll try that again when she's a little older. She gets EP holistic for breakfast and lunch and then fresh veggies and meat for dinner.

Hi, I bought some pet chicken mince from my butcher as recommended. Before I used normal human grade chicken mince that I cooked and gave to my 3 month old cavalier puppy. I cooked the pet chicken mince and started giving it to her tonight. Then I had a thought... is it dangerous? I'm worried now. Is it ok to give it cooked? Thanks!

Thanks, that's good to know. Poor little pup who died of it though.

I use dried liver as training treats for my 3 month old cavalier. Now I'm worried... maybe I should change treats? I wonder how much is too much? She probably gets 2-3 fifty cent sized pieces per day (broken up).

A cavalier puppy! You have to show us pictures now! What colour is she? I won't give her any unsupervised freedom until you can trust her 100%. I have a 13 week old cavalier and she only has access to the kitchen, lounge and her 'bedroom'. We haven't had many accidents so far. Put some papers in her pen so she can use them if the wait is too long. She's only very little and their bladders aren't very good at holding yet. How's sleeping at night going? Any crying? Good luck! EFS

I bought her Eagle Pack Holistic small/medium breed puppy food and she doesn't want to eat it at all by itself. I'll have to go exchange it on the weekend. I'll get some of the Royal Canin and give it a try. I broke some of the eagle pack kibble into smaller pieces and gave it mixed with the chicken mince and she ate it. I got her some chicken necks but I got really nervous watching her eat it. I'll try again when she's a little bit older. Her ears are all clean now, she's only scratching at them every now and then. They don't smell at all anymore and there is no wax buildup. The directions for the ear meds is to use it until it's all finished. I hope it's all cleared up and won't return again! Her eyes are very moist, the vet said it's clear and not green/yellow at all. He examined her eyes and said they were fine. Her eyes aren't red at all, just the clear discharge. Maybe it's the hot dry weather? I think it's where we live as well. It's really hot and dry. Maybe that can make her itchy as well. Thanks for all the help and advice.