mplsv

I took Daisy to the vet today to be desexed and during her pre surgery exam I asked if her front legs were ok as I thought her knees looked wonky. (excuse the laymans term there lol) The vet said no they were not fine and if we were willing to go down that path xrays should be taken and then forwarded onto a surgeon. If surgery did not take place then athritis would develope sooner than a normal dog and her life would be shorter than normal. He also suggested steps that could be taken to help the situation (which thanks to this website I already knew about). I was so knocked by his words that I said no we wouldn't look into surgery knowing my OH would not agree to paying for it but after coming home and thinking calmly about it thought bugger it, I have assets of my own I could sell to pay for surgery if indeed needed. So I decided to ask them to take the xrays while she is getting desexed so I could make a proper informed decision with the help of a qualified surgeon. I feel so horrible that she may have to undergo what must be painful surgery in the future and so bloody stupid I didn't pick a purebred dog from a reputable breeder in the first place. Am also slightly scared about the end cost of further surgery will add up to. I don't even really know what to call her problem either but hopefully they will have time this evening to talk to me about it some more when I pick her up. Just wanted to get that off my chest and tell someone who cares about their animals and wouldn't think I was crazy for potentially spending that much cash on "just a dog".

Thanks for replying! She does get meaty beef bones and chicken wings to help keep her teeth in good shape but I was a little concerned she may have developed a tooth infection. She is still happy, eating and running riot so I'm sure now it's just due to teething. Thanks again

Hi, just a quick question. Does teething cause bad breath? Daisy is 5 months now and since Thursday night has had bad breath. At first I just assumed it was the smell of her beef bone on her breath but the smell has continued. She is off to be desexed on Monday but if there may be something wrong with her I would rather sort that out first. Thanks

We spend our evenings lazing in bed after our kids are asleep so used to bring our pup Daisy in to snuggle and spend time with us. We did crate train her but one night my OH 'forgot' to put her to bed in her crate and she stayed the night... and has been there every night since lol. At only 4 kilos (at 19 weeks) she is not and never will be 'too big' for the bed even when the cat decides to sleep over too. We did notice she sleeps through the night now but when in her crate she would wake and want to be toileted during the night. We still have her crate and pen set up in the lounge so on a weekend if she wakes too early we put her in it with her breaky after toileting. Whether it's right or wrong it works for us and we have no intention of changing it. If she was going to grow up a bigger dog I probably would have trained her to sleep in a doggy bed in our room instead though. BTW while we refuse to let our kids sleep with us (unless very sick and we want to keep a close eye on them) we welcome our pets with open arms and miss them if they are not sleeping with us. I'm not sure what that says about me as a parent LOL!

Thanks for replying, sounds like it should be fine. I think maybe I worry too much sometimes or have WAY to much time to think now that all the kiddies are at school

Hi, Might be a silly question but.... Is it safe to feed dogs frozen chicken wings / necks? I have read of others giving frozen wings and necks in Kongs or frozen in ice especially in hot weather. Doesn’t it make the bones more brittle if they are frozen (and therefore dangerous)? Told you it was a stupid question lol but wanted to make sure as I forgot to defrost my girls morning wing during the hot weather so popped it outside thinking it would defrost quickly and she ate it immediately. She loves necks and wings but actually seems to prefer them frozen if given a choice. Thanks

Ok, so to be on the safe side we still need to have three vaccinations at least 4 weeks apart with the vacc for kennel cough with the last two. That means pup will be ok for all obedience classes and boarding kennels just in case we ever need one. Thanks everyone ;)

So pup can be vaccinated with Nobivac at 10 weeks and that will be it until 12 months of age. Does it matter which brand was used for her 6 week vaccination if we hope to use Nobivac at 10 weeks? I find this interesting. Can anyone explain further or point me towards more info please? Sorry for all the questions. Although I find vaccinations for any species necessary I am very wary and suspicious of them also.

Hi, hoping some people with more experience than me can help with this question. I rang the vet to book our pups 2nd vaccination which we believed was due at 12 weeks of age only to be told their policy was to have a three week wait between vaccinations instead of six. That means pup will have vaccinations at 6, 9 and 12 weeks of age. Is a three week wait normal? Is there any reason to think this practice may not be safe to pup? Thanks,

Hi charli73, it sounds silly to say out loud but we have actually included our cat in preperations for pups arrival already. He helped set up the play pen and checked over (and approved) the new toys lol. We figured with pup having a playpen the cat can decide when and how much interaction he has with pup until he is more used to the idea of there being another animal in his domain. Kelpie_pup I had to laugh with what you described with the recall / come training and antics. I have already lived through this experience with my 5yo autistic child. I'm starting to think training pup and child will be eerily similiar in many ways. Come to think of it I will be toilet training BOTH of them at the same time Pup's mother is believed to be a Maltese x Pom and father a Cav.

Thanks Luke W that link was great. It was all very much simple common sense. I think the author used repetition to teach us newbie puppy owners what he wants us to learn so I will have to write out each point for my son to learn as he would never get through that book lol. I had already set up her "area" exactly as pictured in the book but realise I will have to buy more chew toys to fill with her food and ensure that ALL members of the family understand (and follow) the rules and what we are trying to accomplish. Thank you also for the list Jed. I especially like the idea of taking a cuddle toy to get mum and siblings scent on it, I never would have thought of that. I must admit though that pup is not a purebred so I cannot get a "how to train xxxx breed" book.

Hi, we are collecting our new puppy on the 22nd and would appreciate some advice please because it has been several years since I have owned a dog and even longer since I had a puppy! I plan to take pup to puppy preschool so know I will get lots of information and advice there but I wanted to give her a couple of weeks to settle in first. I also want to be prepared and have everything ready BEFORE she comes home. Can anyone recommend a link, topic or (easily available) book outlining the basics of what needs to be or should be done in the first few months of a dogs life? Eg worming / vaccination schedule, type of foods to be fed, suitable treats and toys etc. It was only after we decided to take the pup that my brain just froze and I panicked thinking “what do I do, what do I do!” I almost feel like I did when I brought my firstborn home from hospital lol. We are not complete newbies to animal care as we do have a cat which is fed good quality food, wormed, vaccinated and well cared for but we got him as an adult and missed all the very young animal stuff. Apologies if this is in the wrong section. Thanks