Di*

Crisovar I notice that you live in Queensland where the weather is probably reasonable even in winter. Here in Melbourne you can go for two weeks without even seeing the sun, just day after day of cold, damp, drizzly weather, quite often it's foggy and doesn't clear until the afternoon and then it's dark by 5.30pm. I go out walking the dogs even when it's raining and most people think I'm crazy. Sometimes I think the majority of the population in Melbourne hibernate during winter It was 4 degrees here this morning and we had frost, the winds are quite bitter, we still have to go about our lives. The dogs want to be out and about, the grand kids wanted to cook sausages over a fire last night and slept in tents. A walk on the beach is invigorating, the dogs are still in and out of the waters edge. Maybe the general population of this country is far too soft, none of my European friends hibernate with their dogs during winter, dogs need exercise, most seem to love playing in the snow judging by the amount of photos and videos I get. A nation of softies we are becoming maybe? In summer my dogs are out and about at 5am, I have my first cup of tea out with the dogs, In winter we can stretch it to 6am if we are lucky but not often. The cold air seems to intensify smells and they are off and fossicking around happily when it is crunchy underfoot. Watching the steam rise off the horses when they start to appear along the fenceline as the sun comes up and listening to the dogs wrestling and running around on the frosty grass is the best time of day. Dogs are not sent to bed till after 8pm, after last walks, horses checked and the last ball tossed for the old boy who at 13 demands to play ball day & night. My son tells me that space in the dog park he uses is tight at 6am, and the walking paths still busy till around 8pm, so there are still some people who go outside. We might be in the minority though, what a waste of a beautiful country if everyone is huddled indoors. Are you engaged in full time paid employment? Compare: Depending on my day I may need to get to work (approx. 1 hour away) by 7 am. During winter on these days I walk my dogs around 5.30 am--it is dark. Too dark to take them to the dog park. And the beach is too far away to even consider for any kind of regular outing. When I get home it is dark. At home I have domestics--clothes on/off line, usually washing up, driving of child to after school activities, cooking, feeding etc. By the time I walk the dogs it is dark. Once domestics are completed I might have an hour to collapse in a chair and watch TV or engage in some other activity. One day evening a week I take one of our dogs to agility, another night the puppy to puppy school. If I did not have indoor dogs, the limit of my involvement with them would be twice daily walks, feeding and a formal 'training' session each. I would imagine many lives are like this--both parents working, children engaged in activities, a mad rush to do the necessary chores that enable you to minimally get through the week. This is hard work--I can't see how this makes people "soft". As indoor dogs, my guys get much more contact with us than they would ever get as outdoor dogs. Di

While cooked bones are clearly more of a risk, raw chicken bones do shatter and shards can become wedged or embedded in a dog's throat--my boy is a survivor of just such an experience. I think being aware of the risks involved (as well as the benefits)--i.e. taking the risk management approach advocated by Poodle Fan is far superior than denying or ignoring the risks involved. Di

Is that using hand scaling or ultrasonic scaling? Sorry, not sure would have to look it up. Di

The All Natural Vet (at Russell Lea) will do cleaning under sedation rather than general anaesthetic where appropriate--obviously not suitable for all dogs and not for major dental work. Not sure whether other vets offer this. I've also found electric toothbrushes do a more thorough clean than finger brushes--I have one dog whose teeth do not stay clean despite daily bones. Di

It takes less than 10 seconds to assemble or disassemble a Ccrate Securapen. I'll confess to being a tad confused as to how the other dog gets in and out if the pen blocks your access. Long term, I suggest you install a dog door. LOL - I think everyone who is reading this post is thinking what type of setup I have for these dogs and I must be some weirdo Owner (which i don't blame). I think I will post some pic tonight to show everyone their current setup (if i can figure how to upload more than one photo). We do have dog door installed, the reason why she isn't using it yet, is that it was too high for her when we first got her. But being that there is two dogs (one on each side) I can't split that dog door in half either. Stay tune for the photo's to come A couple of questions: 1. There is not a huge age difference between your dogs are you sure they need to separated during the day? How do they interact during the weekend/evenings when you are home? If they were allowed to interact more, then the pup might be too tired out to annoy the older dog. Training and play before you leave for work would also tire out the pup. If the dogs were together, the pup may not feel the need to jump. 2. Is there a need for the pen? Could you block off access to parts of the house by shutting doors, installing pet/child safety doors etc. ? If they had more space, you could make sure there were sufficient hidey holes to allow your slightly older dog to have his space. Plus, I'd find having a pen blocking access to the backyard a real nuisance. Di

I take all my critters to her surgery. They have helped me manage my chi x's luxating patellas with physio, chiro and acupuncture. So far we've avoided surgery. I also like that there is the option of having dental work (teeth cleaning) done without a general anaesthetic--good for the calmer animals and that they can offer alternative perspectives on a range of standard veterinary practices e.g. vaccination. Barbara and a number of the other vets have also been very helpful with many of my fosters. Di

All Natural Vets at Russell Lea gave me an exercise program for my boy who has luxating patellas. Di

I agree with Persephone. I bet it's a case of not being used to eating on his own. I have an adult dog who unless starving (several days without food) still needs the stimulation of the other dogs before she'll eat. Good luck with it. Di

Citronella has a strong unpleasant smell therefore its use is to keep dogs away from certain areas esp. preventing them chewing objects coated in it. If you spread it over an entire area, it will just be unpleasant to the dog. If the dog is confined in that area, it is simply confined in an upleasant smelling area. It will have relevance to whether or not the dog poos there. D

Isn't she still only about 9 weeks? Very early days to expect her to "obey" very many commands. A great time to begin some teaching but too early to expect any great obedience skills. Could you get her a pet door so she can come and go through the door rather than scratch to be let in? Given that you seem to be anti crate training, could you consider a puppy pen so that you can watch her rather than put her out of sight in the "back area" where you can't see if she needs to go out to toilet? How can she let you know that she needs to go if you have her locked away from you? Toileting isn't something she should be punished for. You need to manage her toileting needs so that she goes where you want her to go. Good luck with it Di

I brush my guys' teeth every night even though they have wings or necks every day. For one dog in particular bones are not enough to prevent tartar buildup. Took a little while to get them used to brushing and it's still not their favourite activity but do-able. I use a soft finger brush and the special dog toothpaste (meat or cheese flavoured--ugh!). Start slowly once her mouth is healed. Begin by just getting her used to your finger in her mouth. Rub toothpaste in this way. Initially work by touch. With time you will be able to open her mouth wider and use the finger brush. Focus on the gum line. With one of mine, who is older, very small and who has very few teeth left I prefer to use the Petkin Tooth Wipes. A more expensive option but easier to maneuver in a small mouth esp. in an older delicate boy. Confession: I also use my electric toothbrush once a week on the girl who gets bad tartar build up (don't worry we don't share brush heads!!). She hated it initially but copes now. It does the best job but the joy of being splattered with dog saliva and chicken flavoured toothpaste may not appeal to everyone! Di

My pup is very close to the same age (she was born on 3 Feb) but is a much smaller breed (mini foxy cross). She weighs 1.8 Kg. At the moment I can't get her to eat much besides chicken wings--believe me there's no problem with the strength of their teeth! Always wise to check how that they chew them rather that gulp them whole, though. Good luck with puppy school Di

I think go back to confining him to a smaller area and increase his access to the rest of the house slowly. They seem to lose the plot a bit when they are too far away from the toileting area or have too much choice about where to go. Of course make sure you clean up the mistakes with a quality product that will remove doggie odours. good luck with it Di

Hehehe....thankyou waggy easter bunny! Just don't stress! Vet Shed also sells them. The platypus came with three eggs inside and 2 spare eggs. Very popular with my chi X. He also loves the squeaky mat--for the dog who can't get enough squeaky toys. Di

How big's the pen? And why is she kept penned up? Seems like a lot of hours either penned up or crated. Di

Kirty As I said, whether to desex or not desex her is not my call. Her health probs are primarily due to her previous lack of care--her unknown background and being a very small (chi/toy sized) and very underweight dog in a pound environment (presumably she's also had litters before). Desexing would, I'd imagine, also be very hard on her at this advanced stage in her pregnancy. Hard to assess other aspects of her health until she has recovered. She is currently carrying at least two seemingly healthy pups (ultrasound). Di

Oakway, she was just out of her quarantine period when I picked her up and because she was so underweight I was trying to fatten her up before desexing. The puppies were only confirmed after an ultrasound--the first vet we saw thought it unlikely she was pregnant--thought pyometriosis more likely. Desexing may have been the best option but not my call--as the foster carer. Good thought re the honey, Erny will check it out. Di

Thanks for the info, Erny. She is a dog with a number of health issues so I want to do as little as possible to cause further probs--maybe keeping her indoors and away from mosquitoes is the safest option esp. since it's been so dry and it's possible that she may only have a couple of weeks to go. She was under 2.5 Kg when she first arrived at Doggie Rescue, she's still underweight (2.88 Kg last weigh in)--unfortunately, not a good eater--and currently has an elevated white blod cell count so the health of her immune system is an issue. Unfortunately, she has been vaccinated--the vets missed her pregnancy. Also thanks Gareth for your alternative view--I think if she was bursting with good health I'd be less worried about her ability to cope. Di

Hi all I've recently discovered that my very thin chi X mini foxie Doggie Rescue foster is pregnant. Possibly due in the next two weeks. Never had a pregnant one before. My own philosophy with dogs (and humans) is to minimise use of chemicals whenever possible--but do normally use Revolution or similar on the dogs at least during summer. So need advice on flea treatment and heart worm medication for this girl. Do you continue usual treatment when pregnant for both heartworm and fleas? Do you just continue heatworm medication if fleas aren't a problem? Advice much appreciated thanks Di

Erny - does this still have the same effect with the grass burning? I have no idea, GSD Mum. I haven't used ACV with my young pup yet and if I do it will only be because I have determined with as much confidence as possible that it's because it's good for his health, not merely to save my grass. I also use apple cider vinegar for my guys for the health benefits rather the 'grass benefits' ... nearly all of our grass is dead from the heat any way ... Di

To complicate things, I've read that apple cider vinegar (even in water) shouldn't be consumed continually/repeatedly through the day esp. long term because it is acidic and will damage teeth. OK as a one off per day in water or food but it is the continual drinking of it that causes the damage. I put mine in the dogs' dinners. Di

Jesskah FYI There are a number of behaviours that aren't "learnt" in any of ways we generally understand the term--such as suckling in new born pups. Di

Surely, more accurately a combination of natural (biological) and learned (environmental) i.e. desire for food and scavenging behaviour--natural, sitting and recognising humans as a source of food--learned. Di

My sheltie x has Iramine--from the vet. She is only allergic for a very short time each year. I assume it's a very specific grass or plant. The Iramine works pretty well. Di

For those who do use dehydrators, I'd also be interested in knowing how much energy/power they use as well ... thanks... Di