Staff'n'Toller

I believe the mini cooper sports model is Cooper S. Mel.

It depends on whether they have high or low thyroid levels. High thyroid will cause a fast metabolism and blood pressure/heart rate so you may not notice if it is just marginal. I can remember you saying a while back that he was 20kg, so that is a noticeable loss. Mel.

What sort of food are you feeding? You might want to consider running a bloodscreen, and testing his thyroid- Tollers can have thyroid issues. Mel.

The advantage seems a bit pricey but the drontal was fairly cheap IMO. You can buy the stuff online but be aware that Bayer in particular, won't do anything for you if you have problems with the product because pet shops and online stores are not supposed to be selling it. Everyone seems to slag Vet Clinics, but most of us do the right thing and only price the stuff at RRP, we certainly don't make 100% on those preventative products- far from it. It's a big freakin shame that these days the large 'buyers' of this stuff make heaps more money out of you because they can negotiate cheaper prices from wholesalers - we can't afford to buy container loads of the stuff and we get slagged because of it!!!

It also depends on whether the GLM in the Royal Canin comes within the therapeutic dose range??? I use Eaglepack and it has Glucosamine in it too- but it's no-where near enough for a dog with dysplasia. Mel.

I'm not sure if you can use both together, but I always give each product a good try to see what improvement there is. I have another dog here who is on Joint Guard and seems to do well on it. Cartrophen- see what your Vet says and do what works for your doggy. Mel.

I will just list the experiences I have had with my little Staffy- she is 8 now, I'm so surprised she isn't worse than she is as her elbows are pretty horrid, and she never had any surgery- we found it too late, and there was only osteophytes- no floating bone or cartiledge. I use Green Lipped Mussel (Technyflex) your Vet can get it from Cenvet wholesaler- they are the cheapest. GLM has more anti-inflammatory properties but it does have glucosamine and chondroiton in it too. I figure she needs more anti-inflammatory than anything else and Cosequin, Sasha's Blend didn't do much. Cartrophen Injections- do them regularly, either do a round of 4 once a week injections twice a year, or monthly if you can afford it (perhaps just in winter?). Controlled swimming is great as the muscles will support the joints. Ideally it should be in a well-heated pool 20deg+ and if you are building a pool why not put a ramp in. I have been told by a K9 physio that the underwater treadmill can exacerbate elbow issues in particular- it's great for hip dysplasia and back surgery but not elbows so much, her preference is heated swimming pool. Cheers, Mel.

Well Werribee Uni Hospital is in the phonebook under Veterinary.

Thanx for your kindness i am in western suburbs ...... Any one know of any good pet ambulances thanx.... Um a taxi..?? Obviously you got your dog to the Vet before so what's changed? If you are choosing to go with a specialist then you absolutely need to be there for the initial consultation! What is going on with your dog today? ETA: Go to Werribee University Hospital!!!

Well mainly I'm nosy and I like to see what's going on on the inside. I guess I would be looking for bone chips, early osteosarcoma, really though I want to see what grade it is- they could be shocking and in that case I would not hesitate in helping the dog out with some NSAID's. On the flip side, my sisters kelpie has lameness on one foreleg and after xrays the Vet reported that she was surprised at how lame Karla was in comparison with the pics- so now we will look at muscle therapy, and can start on measured controlled exercise rather than thinking the worst. My Staffy OTOH has absolutely shocking elbows, so much so, that she is used as a measure stick at my practice ;) "worse than Gypsy's? Well that's sayin' something!!" Now she lives the life of Reilly as a couch dog most of the time. Hope that explains a bit. :D Mel.

Well depending on where you are- you have Melbourne Vet Referral Centre in Mt Waverly, or Southern Animal Referral Centre in Highett. If you can get down to Highett Dr Charles Kuntz is an excellent specialist surgeon :D , both those Referral Centres have specialist surgeons. You will need to get a referral and history from your regular Vet who has been treating your girl though. Best of luck, Mel.

Is the arthritis in the hindquarters or front legs as well?

I have been told by a Veterinary Behaviourist that Valium can cause an increased risk of the dog showing aggression, so it is not recommended *during* a stressful event as it poses a danger to handler and others working with the dog at the time. They use it in a different way, and it would produce very good results....but....this was specific to a particular case, and I had to pay for the priviledge of the info. So I'm not posting any more here. Plus it's not fair to the Vet. I have read your other posts and I really think you need diagnostic xrays first off, then treat accordingly. Dogs that are run hard in their early lives can certainly have arthritis symptoms by 8yrs. I know because I have one. :D I would also be asking your Vet, and doing some research on the new NSAID's out now that can be used at a higher dose, with much less side effects and risk to the liver. Deramaxx and Previcox are a couple of drug names. Cheers, Mel.

I've never had any private lessons myself...but where I do agility it's very small classes, and the instructors are trialling so I feel good about that. The obedience club that I am assisting at right now have a max of 6 dogs per class and often that's a main instructor + assistant. I find it quite interesting though, that in the horse area everyone finds privates more the norm.... :D Mel.

Put Advantage on the mother and she will, in turn, treat the pups. It is safe for nursing mothers and their pups. Mel.

Ok, ta. How much do you put in for it to be effective? What size is your bowl? Mel.

Coz of the smell or???? Have had that question from a few puppy owners lately- seems as though there's an epidemic going around Mel.

As well as the prior learning your dog has JulesP, it is also the fact that the dog will be reading your body language more than listening to the sounds you are making. (and the cat..?? ) Mel.

*If it were me* I would be taking my large breed pup out and about well before 16 weeks. For sure, I would spend a couple of weeks bonding with the pup and letting him settle, but a 4mth old Saint is already fairly sizeable and I would want them to be confident and happy with new environments before that age, than risk a scared large dog. Mel. ETA: Each to their own though, that's why I put my opinion in the asterix.

When I was working at a private club a few years ago we decided to take it out with our own dogs as an experiment- and it proved what we thought- you don't need it. It's more for the handlers benefit than anything. We never used wait anyway- I'm quite sure the dogs don't understand the difference between stay meaning the handler will return, and wait meaning they will be recalled. What I have found is that it works perfectly in compulsion type training where you can give the dog a correction for breaking and then take them back and put them into the position, but in early clicker work there is the issue of 'click ends the behaviour' so if you're using clicker training then you need to be aware of fading the use of the clicker fairly early in each exercise so that you can focus on the release command. I have tried at one particular club that really is 'purely positive' and they basically forced me to use stay, including the traditional hand signal which was my dogs 'target' hand, so it was very frustrating- and contradictory IMO. I am the opposite after so many years of not using it, now I feel totally stupid saying 'stay'. Mel.

Well done- you should be very proud! Mel.

Yes it costs a small fortune. Even as a Vet Nurse I don't think I could afford it. It has come down quite considerably- as it should have- we thought it was prohibitive. Mel.

The makers of Atopica have reduced their prices a fair bit just recently. Cyclosporin has it's own pros and cons, so discuss it with your specialist. Mel.

We have had some good results with dogs referred off for skin testing- the thing is that a dog can be allergic to alot of different grasses and pollens- not just one. The other thing is that it is expensive, and to have the allergy vaccines made up is also pricey, you need to be prepared to give the shots yourself or have regular visits to the Vet to do them, and that it's not just one round of allergy vaccines, the dog may need them for several years to produce good effect. Mel.

Yes it's got chicken fat fairly high up on the ingredients listing, so I would imagine there's a fair bit of it in the duck food. The anchovy has no chicken fat. Mel.