Red Fox

Kei loves tissues, his eye's just light up when he sees one lol. I haven't worked out how to use them successfully as a reward yet though, if I give it to him he eats it

I think there will always be a debate on whether supplements are needed and if so what they are. The more varied and inclusive the diet the less need there is for supplements though and I dont think they are the be all and end all Nothing much wrong with what your vet has suggested, it sounds similar to what Ian Billinghurst recommends. Be careful with the Kelp though, I'm not entirely sure but I think too much can be harmful to the dogs thyriod. Brewers yeast is a good source of vitamin B but again, dont over-do it, it can cause skin and ear probs in some dogs. Cod liver oil is quite rich (high in vitamin A too I think??), I tend to prefer the Melrose Omega Pet oil, Fish oil + Vitamin E or flaxseed oil myself. Other things you could try if you wanted too are Vitamin C, fresh garlic, Apple Cider Vinegar and (not really supplements but) natural yogurt, eggs -inc shell, and goats milk. I like to use a bit of Saschas Blend too, my dog and cat love it You dont need to be anal with the supplements either lol, every 2nd or 3rd day (or even less) is okay. The only one I really give day in day out is ACV. Its a bit sad about the offal law. If it were me I'd go for chicken frames or pet mince which normally had a little bit of offal in there somewhere. The Barf patties would be a good start too if you wanted to go that way. Then you would not have to worry about things such at offal, supplements and correct ratios :D I've also read somewhere (I think in the raw feeding thread) that you can buy canned tripe. This might be helpful?? Another thing to consider could be VAN (Vets all Natural) mix. I've never used it before but as far as I know you just soak it and mix with the correct amount of meat/RMB's. Something that may be helpful to you in working this out is to look for breeders of your breed that feed raw and quiz them on what, how much, etc. Most will be more than happy to give you advice on how to go about it and from there you can work out what is available to you and what your dog does well on as all dogs are different. Anyway, this is all JMO and everybody has one when it comes to feeding lol. eta, I forgot to add sardines and mackeral are great additions to a raw diet as well

Frank, but 'SecretKei's OH' will do fine :D

Add me to the list Ness All going well I will bring OH as well :D eta, I'd be happy to pay a deposit to secure my place if need be.

Kei had a similar reaction to his 12 & 16 week C5's Pip, only his lumps were golfball sized and took well over a month to disappear :D

Well I can provide 2 for sure :D OH and me That sucks Cosmolo Maybe a deposit would be in order next time..

:D Fantastic books, they cover EVERYTHING you could possibly think of!

I am often reading here that dogs have had reactions to their vaccines. Obviously reactions can vary quite significantly ranging from no reaction, to the dog being a little bit 'down', to the worst case scenario- death :D I'm wondering if DOLers who's dogs have had a reaction to a vaccine could please list what the vaccine was, what the symptoms were and the final outcome. I feel that it would be helpful for those of us who are trying to make a decision on whether to vaccinate or not and for those who choose to vaccinate, what to look out for. Thank you

I'd happily drive to Adelaide for a K9 Force workshop... You just have to convince Steve

You may be right, I certainly haven't seen anywhere else like that in SA when I've been searching around for kennels I have read some good reviews about Keaton Boarding Kennels though: http://www.boardingkennelsadelaide.com/index.html perhaps you could check them out?

Wire, if you do find anywhere similar in style to 'Barossa Bed & Biscuit' that accomodates large dogs could you send me a PM? It's exactly what I'm looking for

No You have clearly failed to notice that these are extemely rare and expensive new breeds that shall make my fortune. [evil cackle] Before Troy newks me, I have the affidavits of not less than ten employees independent veterinary geneticists to support my claim that they are pure bread. ;) They are OZKC recognised. This is the launch of my marketting campaign. Now to perfect the coat colours that shall make me the most $$$$ Oh, and if anyone wants to join the OZKC, PM me. I am President. ooohhh PURE BREAD! I think the standard colours are white and of course the very rare and valuable wholegrain variety

Looks like a wolf whippet in sheeps clothing to me

Now that must be the definition of overservicing! Yeah, I wonder what would have happened if I'd said yes

Glad to hear that Oberon is feeling better Pixie Meg Also glad that you've been able to find a more experienced vet I'll never forget bringing Kei in for his first check up. The vet didn't know what breed he was, didn't check for DS (or even ask about it) and pushed the heartworm vacc on me. I was put off to say the least! Then to top it off the same vet was on emergency call 2 months later when we rushed the cat in for a nasty abcess. She looked at his abcess which was just under his tail and told us he would need to be kept in over night and have surgery to drain it. She then asked me if I would like to have my cat desexed at the same time. Not an unreasonable request but my cat is ALREADY desexed! and considering he is short haired and she had just finished poking around in that area I was just gobsmacked! Needless to say was now request a different vet!

Okay, reading off the back of the Sashas Blend container: Typical analysis per 2 grams Composition: Crude protein 1.29g Don't know if that helps at all?

I bought my FURminator from here: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/GENUINE-FURMINATOR-...%3D10%26ps%3D63 It cost me a little over $20 inc postage, came in sealed branded packaging with a guarantee and is stamped with the FURminator logo and US patents numbers on top. To me it looks genuine but I have nothing to compare it too.... Anyhow it works great. I dont think it loosens the dead hair as much as my Zoom Groom (though that could be due to the fact that I dont apply as much pressure) but it collects the hair well and Kei's coat feels really nice after using it. I've taken to giving him a good hard brush with the Zoom Groom followed by a once over with the FURminator I can't say I get a LOT of hair out of him, but then he is a Ridgie and doesn't have a lot to start off with The real test was when I brushed the cat (Burmese) with it last week. I got enough hair out to build a whole new kitty

I 2nd that I have achieved more with my dog in 1 month of a distance learning program with Steve than I did in 6 months of puppy and obedience classes What about giving her a stuffed Kong or a big meaty bone to chew on while you groom her? Another option (or you could do this as well as giving a bone) Put her in the bath to groom her. Less room to move and easy to clean when your done I think you can also get special tethers to use in the bath to stop your dog from turning around? I'm sure I've seen them somewhere before. Maybe invest in a FURminator too....

Not sure what's happening with that but I do know that Eagle Pack has become next to impossible to find ATM. My dog doesn't get dry but the cat does. He was doing really well on Eagle Pack and now all of a sudden nobody has it. A few weeks ago I spent hours ringing every stockist I could think of and all I could find (in the basic Adult cat Formula, I don't use the Holistic) were a few small bags left in stock here and there! It's become too unreliable for me and I've gone back to Nutrience again

Okay, this is a little OT While I don't agree with the dog being jerked around on a flexi lead at all the bolded part of your post bothers me a bit. When we first got Kei we were told socialise, socialise, socialise! We went to puppy pre-school and socialised, we went to obedience and socialised, we socialised Kei with friends dogs and dogs we met on walks. And (while Kei now loves other dogs) I have ended up with a dog that values play with other dogs over all else. This has caused major problems with training and walking. I have been dragged down the street and have ended up on my ass countless times when my dog saw another dog and went into overdrive. Not only is this behaviour extremely embarassing but with a 40kg+ dog it's downright dangerous. I'm now working with the help of a very good trainer (K9 Force ) to correct this problem and am proud to say we are doing well. But what it does mean is that Kei does not get to socialise with other dogs. He is not allowed to approach and play with dogs we meet on walks, I just don't put him in that situation. This doesn't mean that he has no fun or that he will never get to play with another dog again though. I can completely understand why someone would not allow their dog to sniff and play with others. And when I do eventually get another dog I will look to neutralise it to other dogs from a young age rather than socialise. While it's nice to have a friendly dog it doesn't work that way for everyone .

Tell your neighbours to be careful. Mum swore for months that she could hear a possum running around on the roof then one day she put a pot of water on to boil and maggots started dropping out of the exhuast fan Poor possum had fallen down in the roof and died. He couldn't have been in there for long -certainly not long enough to stink the house out thank God- but long enough. She had to call someone out to pull panels off the roof and remove it. It was terrible!

We had a 3 hour drive to bring Kei home. I sat in the back seat and held him on my lap in a blanket. He slept the entire way. I think he felt safe and comfortable being held We collected him from the breeders house though so knew he would be clean and toileted before we left. Could you bring a thermos with some warm water and a towel to the airport with you? Then if she has dirtied in her crate and smells you can give her a quick wipe down

Oh crap, I bought one this afternoon Was only $20 inc postage though so if it's not good then no big loss. The seller I bought it from had it listed as 'genuine Furminator'... eta: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...e=STRK:MEWNX:IT

Had a look on eBay last night and they have Furminators on there for less than $20! http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...e=STRK:MEWAX:IT http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...e=STRK:MEWAX:IT http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...e=STRK:MEWAX:IT BIG difference in price. Anyone know if they're genuine

actually no i hadn't thought of how heavy it would be ;) but you are right at least i would be cool :D Yeah but you could put it on dry then sit in the bath to soak it. You'd have to stay there all day though My 10 year old son has stolen Kei's mat and taken it to bed to sleep on tonight