Rebanne

Welcome to DOL. Ares should be getting a minimum of 3 feeds a day IMO. My experience with a "runt" puppy was by 10/12 weeks of age you couldn't tell the difference. I would have thought since Ares was fostered from 5 weeks of age, as long as the foster carer knew what they were doing, there should be no long lasting effect on him. However he may have an underlying health problem which has not yet made itself known. I also don't think 300 grams is anywhere near enough food for a large breed puppy. My breed, where the males get up around 36 plus kilos fully grown, 300 grams would be breakfast at 12 weeks of age. Is he skinny? Coat in good condition? When was he last wormed? I'd be taking him to my own vet for a check up asap. I'd also consider adding in some dry food unless you can get in touch with a rottie breeder who also feeds raw to guide you in the correct way to feed what should be a large dog. Large dogs are harder to raise correctly on a totally raw diet. Hope some of this helps

I will be interested to see if you find something sandgrubber. Two of my greyhounds are supposed to be carriers of black skin disease but I have never heard of a Grey with it only toy dogs. Also when Opal was so sick last year and there was one disease mentioned and when I contacted the testing lab, they said they did not have a test for Greyhounds but could use another sighthound test on her ( from memory I think it was Borzoi but not 100% on that ). I think, if they have a test available, then it is used on most breeds whether they have ever had a case of it or not. One of the colour tests for Greyhound was brown, they don't come in brown.

was it the vet's opinion the worms caused the diarrhoea and vomiting? Or was it two separate issues. There are state government laws re sale of pups in Victoria who ever you got the pup from. I will try and find them later as have a bit on today. Hope your little girl is doing better today.

Nothing wrong with feeding Supercoat. Personally I think there is a lot of marketing of the more expensive dry food along the lines of " you are a bad owner if you feed the cheaper foods so don't be a bad owner, feed our food and be a good owner! " type stuff. If your dog had a medical condition and needed a specialty food, that's different.

is this the first time a heart murmur has been picked up? I had a pup with it at the 12 week check, it was gone by 16 weeks. It wasn't graded. Dog is now 11 and 1/2.

have you tried leaving a large raw bone, like a marrow bone in the yard for him to chew on? Or maybe get a kong and stuff it with a meal so he has to work to get it out. In the mean time pick up what is most precious to you and relocate it. Puppies are destructive, they like to try their teeth out on things. Could you get a load of sand and put it up the back? Encourage pup to dig up there by planting toys for him to find. He actually sounds pretty good that you can leave him outside without making a fuss about you not being there. That bodes well for when you return to work. But yes you do need to puppy proof the yard a bit. My puppies have always loved empty plastic milk bottles to toss around and yes empty plastic pots. My backyard is for the dogs and if I want a tree or something in there I usually fence it off until it's mature. I've never had potted plants. Maybe you could group them together and fence them off. Swap the toys around each day as well, saves them getting bored with them. I know it's hard with Covid but have you looked into puppy school? A lot of vets have them, they could help you with your questions. What about the person you got your pup from, can they give you advice? It's often easier face to face to explain things.

welcome to puppy hood! Yep, most pups will dig holes, drag pot plants around, pull washing off the line etc If they didn't get up to some mischief I would be worried they were ill. Honestly he sounds like a very normal, happy healthy pup.

hmm, there seems to be a lot of high energy games being played. Yes your pup comes from breeds that are typically high energy but most pups are full on. I'd start thinking of some quiet things to do with him. Sit out in the yard and call his name, toss a treat as soon as he looks at you. Then start tossing the treat as he comes to you. Within hours, if not minutes lol you will have a pup that will hardly leave your side. Teach him to lie on a mat. Same deal, toss a treat on the mat saying go to bed or whatever you want. Soon he will be hanging on the mat of his own free will. Then you start tossing the treat when he actually lays on the mat etc. Same with feeding him. He does not get fed until all 4 feet are on the ground, even if it's only for a nano second. He'll soon learn to plant those feet as if they are in concrete. As for out the front. Start with taking him just in the front yard, sit out with him and let him watch the world go by. Make sure you are out with him when the garbage truck and postie go by. Teach him to walk on lead in the back yard first,then the front, then step out to the footpath. At 10 weeks of age he does not need a walk as such. He needs exposure. Drive to a busy area, a supermarket is good, and let him watch people and cars. Stop thinking you have a high energy pup, start thinking you have a smart pup!

ask the breeder for copies of the parents results. If parents are clear then pups will be clear. If one parent is a carrier then some, or all pups could be carriers. I used a carrier for one of my breedings. 6 pups, 2 clear, 4 carriers. All pups sold with full disclosure of status. Not a problem as long as owners of carriers seek a clear dog to breed to ( if they are going to be bred ). I know of a litter where all 9 pups were DNA tested as clear even with a carrier parent. In theory it's 50:50 but doesn't always happen that way. As for physical exam, as Perse said depends on the breed and tests. Can't check for dysplasia on babies but adults can be xrayed but even if they are good doesn't mean the pups will be and there is a large contribution of how pups are raised as well. Some eye problems only show up well into adulthood as do some heart problems. Ask your breeder why they haven't done some tests if you are concerned but remember not everything can be tested for and just because there is a test doesn't mean it's in the breed. My breed can be tested for black skin disease but have never know a Greyhound to have it but some toy breeds get it. And remember, Mother Nature rules the roost and sometimes all the health testing in the world won't prevent a problem from occurring. That's life.

You might have to visit your local parks and wait until there are more suitable size dogs before letting her off. Of course the chance is still there that a particular dog may not appreciate your girls style of play so you need to make sure you have a good recall and don't allow her to intimidate other dogs. You could also try Facebook and see if there are any Amstaff groups in your area.

Depends on the test. DNA testing can be for some health conditions as well as parentage/colour. I do use Orivet and if you go to their website and look up your breed then you will see all the tests they have. Then there are eye tests, heart tests, hip and elbow xray's and others that need physical examination, though I know some inherited eye conditions can be tested for via blood sample. My Greyhounds have a lethal disease that needs DNA testing for so as not to produce infected pups. They are fairly sound for other things but I have hip and elbow scored them in the past. I haven't heart or eye tested them though that is more common overseas. I consider doing as much health testing as possible if there is a reasonable chance it could affect your dogs/pups particularly if you are /giving away your pups.

Personally if I was the breeder I would be paying for all the tests and giving petrol money. As the owner I would want to take my bitch myself unless the breeder has a strong relationship with the dog. Also depends on things like: did they pay full price for the bitch, half price, do they get to keep a pup out of this final litter etc as to what each person contributes. And most crucial of all this would be what has previously been agreed to. If your friend has questions then they should be going back to the breeder rather then getting you to ask on a forum. Breeders terms are very individual, very few people will be on the same page.

I'd relax and not stress. Your dog has already made it to 4, majority of inherited conditions should have shown up by now. You could be unlucky and get something show up later and you could also be unlucky and get something show up that has nothing to do with genetics but just luck of the draw. She's a pretty little thing, stop looking for problems and enjoy your time together.

I know I am coming to this late but the weeing in the crate could have been as something as simple as "I'm still young and forgot my training" and the bent bar, again " I'm still young, wonder if I can chew this just because I can!" The fact that Kane does settle with a kong is very encouraging. Also, as he has spent a lot of time in a crate he might be a bit sick of it all. Have you tried Crate Games by Susan Garrett. I think you are doing a great job.

seems a bit strange. 100% sure no accidental mating? ETA a quick google tells me Lab's are one of the breeds it's more common in, no mention of constipation, that it's hormonal and it is recommended the bitch be desexed.

why not? No different to me feeding pretty well 100% raw chicken when I feed meat. ETA I suppose Mercury may be a problem in wild caught fish but it would seem you have a friendly local fisherman if you can get as many sardines as you want. I'd be asking him. Quite a few years ago I know there was a flake shortage because of high Mercury levels.

I don't see why one meal a day couldn't be fish and the other the dry food. After all dog breeds that evolved around the coasts were mainly fed raw fish.

a ceaserean would not be covered

I assume 3 years ago that it did cost the vets more to buy it so of course they will pass it on. My vet knows I don't vaccinate yearly so she had nothing to gain from me.

I agree but if it costs more for the vets to buy it then they are going to pass that on

thanks everyone. It's as I thought, no difference between them just the label really. I know the kennel won't accept the annual as they are all overdue. My vet and I agree about vaccination and as she told me the "3 year" vacc was more expensive then the 12 month one I opted for the 12 month one. Pretty sure she told me then there was no difference between them except for the labeling. It's 3 years since my older two were vaccinated. I am asking some local kennels if they will take titre test results instead.

Ok, dogs might need to go into boarding kennels so they will have to be vaccinated. I will only do a C3 with the kennel cough part the nasal application. They may also be needing boarding again next year which got me thinking about the 3 year vaccination. If I recall rightly the last time the dogs got a C3 I was offered the 12 month or the 3 year and I only did the 12 month. My question is: what is the difference between the two? What makes the 3 year a 3 year? Are there extras added and if so what are they?

asal I would gladly charge more to at least cover my costs but when the market doesn't want what you are offering then not much you can do except retire from it all. Which I have done.

last thing he needs straight after bowel surgery is rock hard poo's. I'd be pretty annoyed as well

off the top of my head I would think things like walking over poles on the ground, under raised poles, figure of 8's around poles. I have also used the tellington touch figure 8 bandage on adult dogs while doing the other stuff. Not sure how you would go applying it on a rambunctious puppy though