yellowgirl

No. It's usually too much excess fat around the meat that causes the problem. I always trim the fat off.

Raw meaty bones are exactly what dogs need! . Just keep an eye on him to make sure that he chews the bone properly, some dogs (like my own Sarge) can try to chomp and swallow big chunks. Most lamb bones are great, except for the weight bearing bones, they are very hard and dogs have been known to break or chip teeth on them. Lamb necks are great, soft enough to chew through and no sharp edges, and great teeth cleaners

Hooray!! He's home!!! Great news Shmoo

Yay!! Sweep might be home tomorrow! I can imagine the smile on your face right now. Fingers crossed that he has a good night tonight and is ready to jump back into your arms tomorrow xxx

Thanks so much for your input Rappie (sorry to hijack your thread Stitch ) Sarge also swallows the Science Dental, and the Advance Large breed Dental!! Here is the link to my recent thread which shows pics of Sarge's teeth & a bit more info. Post 8 shows two teeth that I didn't even know he had! http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...p;#entry3824324 You're welcome to reply in that thread if you have any more great suggestions :rolleyes: I appreciate your help.

. Completely missed this thread. Stitch, has your girl had her teeth done yet? I understand your apprehension with the GA. I've got Sarge booked in for his dental on Tuesday. He's 9 and I'm very nervous but it needs to be done. Exactly! A general anaesthetic is a neccessity for thorough dental assessment and treatment. Ultrasonic cleaning results in a lot of free water, bacteria and frequently chunks of debris. Under a general anaesthetic, the patient has an endotracheal tube in place, with the cuff inflated to protect the airway. The back of the mouth / throat is packed with swabs to prevent any water or debris from heading that way. With ultrasonic scaling we are able to clean the subgingival area (under the gumline) without causing damage to the tooth or soft tissue, the same as with people. Each tooth surface is cleaned including on the tongue side, in all the grooves and between the teeth. It at some point involves opening the jaw fully to inspect the teeth, probe any pockets under the gumline and access the very back teeth. All of this is incredibly difficult to do in a concious dog and IMHO unsafe to do in one that is only sedated. Sure, you might be able to do some handscaling of the outer surfaces and crack tartar off but this does not deal with the issue of plaque and bacteria under the gum line and may really only make a cosmetic difference. At home dental treatments like brushing should, ideally, be performed daily and if not that often, at least 2-3 times per week. There are lots of things that can help, such as appropriate bones, dental foods, brushing, mouth rinses etc but they will all work better with a 'blank canvas' of fresh clean teeth as it is difficult to use any of them to remove tartar. Rappie, apart from bones (Sarge won't chew them properly ) what are good dental foods? What do you think of Greenies?

Awww, love the pic of Sweep snoozing on Rico's back Hope Ricko isn't missing his little buddy too much. Sweep will be home soon xxx efs

How very hard for you not to see your boy But what a wonderful, loving owner you are to put your pups needs above your own... it must be killing you though. Hugs to you for knowing your dog and knowing what is best for him . He's in good hands by the sounds of things. So glad that your OH is able to help you with the $$. It's obvious that you would do anything for your little Sweep. Hugs to you during this awful time, and sending blessings and healing vibes to your brave little man. xxx

the accident and illness plan from BWM is much cheaper - $135 per dog per year That's for the Major Medical plan with the $500 excess . The other two options are the Comprehensive or the Accident plans with $100 or $250 excess. I'm really interested in getting the Major Medical, the only drawback is that Sarge is 9 and that's their cut off point for the Comprehensive and Major Medical. Madeline is 3 so there's no problem getting her covered. I'll ring them on Monday and see what they say, since I have one dog that fits their requirements, they might allow an older one as well if it means selling a policy. I hope so, after trolling through dozens of companies and policies, the Major Medical is just what I've been looking for... affordable too. ETA - Tiggy, how does the PIA policy look in comparison to the BWM major medical?

Oh, poor little Sweep . Thanks for putting his pic up Shmoo. Oooh that little face, I can see why he has your heart! It's going to be a real long night for you . If one of my furkids is at the vets, I clean and sort. Drawers, cupboards and wardrobes get pulled out, emptied and sorted. One bag for throwing out and one bag for charity, the rest gets put back in its place. Anything that can't run off gets dusted and vacuumed. I also wash everything that belongs to the dog... toys, beds, coats, blankets, etc. My theory is that everything will be fresh and clean for when they come home... because they will come home. I just can't sit still if one of my dogs is away, especially if they are ill, so cleaning and sorting keeps my mind busy and keeps me from freaking out. Please let us know how Sweep is tomorrow. Sending heaps of positive and healing vibes to him. xxx

Excellent news!! . Big cuddles for everyone!!

. How fantastic that titre testing is becoming more well known and accepted here in Oz! I think that we are waaaay over-medicating our pets, especially with vaccinations. So difficult if you want to do training or board your dog though. Prodigybxr, I may have missed it.. what were the results? My Sarge hasn't (to my knowledge) been vaccinated since he was a pup. He's 9, and I've had him since April. I'd love to have him tested. Madeline is 3 and was done in Feb when I got her because I wanted to take her to obedience classes. I'd be really interested to see their results. I'd much rather titer than vaccinate any day

Oh my gosh! That must have been a shock for you to see! I think she's perfectly entitled to put on any kind of act :rolleyes: . In my expert opinion (as a qualified dog spoiler), I would prescribe lots of kisses and plenty of tasty treats Hope she feels better soon, the big snuggly baby Oh, can you let us know what the test results say? xxx

I'd never heard of it! Thanks for posting Tiggy :rolleyes: . I just had a look at their website, and I'm quite interested in trying it... same reason as you, suppliment/backup for a raw diet. Has anyone else tried this product?

I don't think a cleaning product will help the yukky tooth I found the other day, it needs to come out. But thank you Chocolate for the suggestion. I've booked Sarge in for a full Dental next Tuesday the 14th. I'll have to make sure I've got lots to do that day because I know I'll worry like mad otherwise. I've only had Sarge for a short time, but I just love him so much, I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to him. I'm sure he'll be okay, it's just me

. Thank you everyone for your advice :rolleyes: Sarge was desexed just before I got him but I had asked the breeder to get the vet to check his teeth while he was under and give them a clean. Well, the vet forgot . I just had another look at his teeth. On the bottom row, there's a gap. Next to the gap, part of his bottom lip seems to be mis-shapen and is covering a couple of yukky teeth that I hadn't even noticed before! I'm pretty sure the smaller one on the left needs to be removed (it's a bit out of focus and hard to see, but it is horrible). In the second pic you can see the pink part of the lip that was covering the teeth. The way that it sits made it look like part of the gum line... I didn't even know there were teeth under there! He's going to the vet next week for sure. I feel a bit better about putting him under G/A thanks to you all . Apart from his age, Cresties can be sensitive to certain anaesthetics, so I was a bit hesitant to chance it again. But he got through the desexing okay, and after seeing those two hidden teeth, I need to suck up my worry and get them all seen to properly. Thanks again everyone

Thanks Dogmad. It was the other problems I was considering too, as in heart, liver,etc. He has a bottom pre molar that's still pretty grotty, and when he went to the first vet, one tooth was so rotten and loose, the vet just pulled it out with the forceps! That could be part of the reason she wanted to do a Dental straight away. I will take him to both vets again next week and see what they say.

Sarge and Madeline have been having bones for the past month (yay!), we started with lamb necks and have progressed to large chicken wings. It's been a bit of trial and error what with Sarge being a big gobbling guts, and finding the right bones to suit them . I've also gradually changed them over to a raw diet (will update on that a bit later). ... here's the link to my previous thread with what was happening late may/early june (I've had Sarge since April) ... http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...168353&st=0 Sarge's teeth have improved, more in some areas than in others, but I think because he doesn't actually have a lot of teeth, he's only using certain ones to pull off meat and chew the bones. Here are the before and after pics... end of May July.. A bit hard to tell from the pics, but the plaque has lightened in most places. end of May July ... again the plaque has lightened a bit but hasn't actually reduced the coverage. end of May July... I'm really happy with the progress of his back teeth! They were just brown blobs before, but now there is actual tooth showing through! So, do I continue with the raw food and bones for a bit longer, or book him in for a Dental? I was very hesitant to put him under G/A as he is 9 years old and the vet said to give him a couple of months with the same home dental routine as Madeline first. He doesn't have a lot in the teeth department and I'd like to make sure that he will keep the ones he does have. A proper dental would give the vet a chance to have a really good look at them and bring them into ship shiny shape straight away. I think he should probably have one but I'm a big fat scaredy cat when I think about him having a G/A. I don't know why, he did fine when he was desexed shortly before I got him. He saw two vets in May, one said yes, he definitely needs a dental asap, the other one was hesitant due to his age and recently having a G/A and wanted to wait (obviously that's what I wanted to hear). I'd like some input please If he was your dog would you book him in for a dental?

Of course he is!!! . Little bugger

Oh jeeze!! What an awful sight to come home to! Chopper really got himself upset . I wonder what the other crated dog thought of it all? Good luck with it, you're open to help and suggestions which is fantastic and can only benifit Chopper, so well done for wanting to fix the issue .... some great advice you're getting too . Did you find out where the blood was coming from? xxx

Too cute! Looked like Lilly was happy to make a fun game out of it

OMG! He looks terrible ... and obviously in pain! . Little bugga has no idea how worried and upset your are about him Hope he's okay . Give him a little cuddle for me, he is such a cutie

Good luck . Keep up the chicken necks, that way she's getting some raw meat and also calcium from the bone. Personally, I wouldn't stress too much about making sure she has all raw food... if she likes it cooked, and you're okay with cooking for her, then there's no harm in feeding her what she likes ... better than hand feeding her or forcing her to eat stuff she doesn't like. (that just my own opinion of course ). Just be sure to remove the products that were previously mentioned as they are the most likely contributors to her itchy skin... and no good for her health either . You could also try giving her some good sized raw meaty bones to chomp on. My mini poodle didn't like raw meals, but would happily chomp on a bone Can you let us know how she goes?

Oh, another idea... I did a short WEA night course in home grooming as well. Before I did the course, Chester and I kind of trained each other... I was lucky that he responded to my 'training techniques' but consistancy and staying calm also helped . The WEA course was great because they showed correct grooming techniques and how to hold the dog while you're doing it. Chester did have a bad habit of pretending that I was killing him when I brushed his legs and the course showed me exactly how to deal with it.

This worked for my mini poodle when I had to get him used to the clippers and grooming... Firstly, lots of little treats at the ready. I would basically sing through the whole thing, sounds weird, but the idea was to keep a steady flow of happy sounds... not any actual song, just silly made-up stuff about what a good boy he was. If he moved, I'd keep singing, gently place him where I wanted him, immediate treat, and keep going. He freaked out over the clippers at first, so I gave a treat, and just turned the clippers on, another treat (plus the stupid singing). When he was okay with that, I rubbed the back of the clippers over him while they were on, again lots of treats. Once he was okay with the clippers on and rubbing on him, I turned them over for a little clip, quick treat, another clip, quick treat until he wasn't bothered by them at all. One of my best investments was the Wahl Pocket Pro, a small battery operated clipper. The blade is only about 2cm wide. It's fantastic for faces and quick touch ups. Might be worth looking into as it's much less invasive than a huge clipper coming at them Good luck