LizT

Ahhh...the joys of an uniquely marked breed.....and a singleton to boot!

LizT she is 15mths old. Still at breakin and coming home on the weekend. She hasnt had a racing career as yet but I want to help her get used to all the things she will need to deal with, including the races. She has not broken in particularly well. They say she is trying but not giving it 100% (but not a nonnie) . She is fine in kennels and in the bullring but not so good out in open spaces like the track. She has spent the first part of her life at a rearing farm. It was a small place with less than 20 dogs and she was great there whenever I visited. I first suspected she may have a few "issues" as she was worried the first time I took her off the property to get her microchipped at the track. She slammed on the breaks at the front gate and pancaked in the car. The next time I took her was a couple of weeks later just before dropping her to the breakers. She spent 24hrs at my house and while inquisitive she wasnt confident to check out her new surroundings. She was much better in the car as I told the rearers I wanted them to work on that. She will almost certainly be the last dog I have reared by anyone else. Lesson learnt the hard way on more than one dog at more than one rearing kennel. My own litter of pups that I reared myself have been raised very differently to the average race dog and are very confident. Ah I see. Poor lass. Sounds like you're going to have to start from the ground up. It sounds like you have the right temperament to help her though. Baby (puppy) steps me thinks.

Are you sure she has seen "next to nothing"? The sights and sounds of a race track, training, trialling and all things associated with her racing career may have given her the mechinism to deal with say, noises, large groups of dogs, people etc.

Also hoping for a good outcome for Coco.

This is very true Leema and I believe we have to accept and realise that it is sometimes no ones fault.

Thanks Liz, will have a look at that Make a dilute wash up of whichever you choose (Lavender, tea tree, ACV) and cotton ball the area twice a day.

Often with the Arabian foal you get a foal born chestnut with a white blaze and three white socks and you think you've got a "chestnut" but if it has a purplish tinge around the eyes you will end up with a grey as an adult!

This is true but sometimes one needs a little relief in the interim.

I think I would be offended if people didn't come over and make the biggest fuss in the world over my puppy!! :D

When anyone else read the cat part, did the little voice in their mind read it in a Daria voice; or am i alone in my madness??? No, you are not alone.

I like cat because they are cats and not dogs. It is a cats independance and aloofness that I most admire. I love dogs because they are. It is their loyalty and devotion that makes them who they are.

Moderate matts can be sliced open and then gently worked out with a matt slicer. They leave a less noticable impact than simply cutting them out. We are talking about the kind of matts that occur while a dog is shedding, not matts that have been left unattendended and felt up. I personally would have gently brushed the hair around the remainder of the animals injury site every time the bandage was redone. The hair would probably have come away from the wound sight in any case.

The root Goldenseal is used to treat Vaginitis. A sitz bath with Lavender or Apple Cider Vinegar is also helpful. A Tea Tree product can also help.

The sire of my singleton sperm count was low when tested at the time of his mating to my bitch which included an A.I. and two natural ties. Yet he had just sired a litter of 6 a month earlier. My vet told me sperm count and quality can vary due to stresses. I'm guessing the fact that he was shipped over and stayed where there were a few other males and number of bitches being mated could have contributed. Or, it may have been my bitch just releasing one egg, or she absorbed the rest for whatever reason..who knows. Also enviromental factors can contribute...I know of a stud dog who was declared infertile, he went to a Pet home" and when checked again a year later his sperm count was good.

I don't know....contestants of Eurovision tend to hang around a bit...their was this band called ABBA once....... My Uncles name was Alois which is a form of Louis. Must be a derivative form of.

It's akin to people wanting their hair cut "long" at the hairdressers when it's on the short side now!

The stripy pups all look wrinkly! Amazing...must have something to do with the colour rather than the breed?? Dare I say it.... ;) I wonder if blue Staffys are born with stripes? Could fetch a higher price yaknow!!

CONGRATULATIONS on the safe arrival of the little ones!! They are so sweet and lovely, well done Marie, she looks a happy mumma Trisven.

I think the trick is recommendations or finding someone with the same breed who has a regular groomer and is very happy with them. What breed is he? He looks like a maltese x which I daresay is one of the most popular little guys to hit the groomers. AS with all service industries word of mouth is the best form of recommendation. Also while his first few visits might be a bit scary, if the groomer is consistently patient and kind it will only get easier and better for all.

How embarrassing for the Maremmas! Some owners really do make Geeks out of their dogs...but they're their dogs.

Oh yes Morgys all good. Thanks Back to the demanding old trout that she is. The battle is not over yet though. Stitches out next week. The only downfall now with having part of her jowl gone is that she does have some excess slobber The price you pay for a "nip and tuck". I think some aged Hollywood starlets have the same problem post plastic surgery/jowl lifts...bit of drooling. ;) Glad she's on the mend. Yes, you will have your work cut out for you taking those stiches out. :D oohh I have the "special tool" for that. Suture removal blade. Quick as. Concidering she is such a fidgit arse. She is healing really well and to be honest I think she is feeling like a box of fluffies. She is happy. Ahhh...much easier than manicure scissors! She's got to be feeling so much better and more comfortable without the nasty thing on her face.

I only just recently found out about split seasons too, because I'm pretty sure it's what Dani had about a week or two ago. Both my girls came into season at the same time (as they usually seem to do). But Dani's seemed to only last about 7 days, and then just disappeared. She had the vulva swelling, bleeding, and our boy was interested, but it stopped before it actually got to the point of breeding, whereas our other girl's cycle proceeded as normal. Now I guess I just have to wait and see if and when Dani's kicks in again My girls are all in cinque too. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing at times! It will be interesting to see what Dani does.

That's where working night shift and surviving on three hour sleep lots twice a day has been an advantage to me!

I put a pen around the whelping box and covered and pegged it with layers of empty doona covers, top and around, all except the front which I left exposed. Cozy. Worked nicely and kept the drafts out. Yes, that is what I do with mine, but I tend to have litters in the cooler end of the UK year, not have to contend with a hot Oz summer, so would that make a difference to how 'wrapped up' the whelping area is? I'm in the outer east of Melbourne and the weather is VERY changable here compared to up North. We really don't get a stable summer til after Christmas/New Years. Most of our hot weather starts mid January through to March. It was actually quite cold the first few days the pup was born and I put a heater on in the room. But there is the odd hot day, then cool evenings. If it were very hot I'd just use sheets and not as many layers, just to keep it draft free as my house is old and it's amazing how you can feel the drafts if you get down low on the floor. My main concern was keeping the singleton comfortable as she doesn't have a puppy huddle should she get cold. She has a heat matt which covers only the front area of the box and mum tends to lay herself on the outside of that while pup lays on the mat when cold but when hot is found around the peripheral of the box. It is making me wonder when I should do my "return mating" as I have another go due to the one pup. She would be due in March so May pups ready to leave in July? The coldest part of the year. Do people buy puppies in Winter? Or this time of year again? And if she misses, do I wait or just do it?