~Anne~

rovaaround, I am not really sure what your problem is, but I highly recommend that you lose the attitude and learn how to use quotes successfully.

I have just learnt a very good lesson this weekend about skin irritants.... lemon essence irritates skin! My husband kindly bathed the dogs for me while I was testing out my new Dyson vaccum and he used some lesson essence in their bath thinking it would make them smell fresh.... he bought them all down stairs and commented to me that two of them must have had small cuts on their feet and the lemon might be stining it as they were both suddenly holding their feet up. I took one look and could see all three weren't feeling comfortable and thought straight away that perhaps it had irritated their skin. I used the shower hose to rinse them all again but they were still in obviosu discomfort, particularly Monte. When I looked at hisunderside he was all red under his arms. I rang David, my Vet, and he suggested filling the bath up with tepid water and let them sit in it for up to 10 minutes. Thankfully after I had done this they were fine. Lesson learnt - lemon essence may be fine to add to the wash and to clean things with... but don't put it in the dogs bath water!!

Now that's a thought! Although, sweat is produce in glands isn't it... not pores??? Dogs sweat from theor feet I am sure...

Parra Specilaist Centre?? Tell me more. Where, who.... I have not heard of them and Parramatta is very close to me. What areas do they specialise in?

I too bath mine weekly and I have never had an issue with their coats or their skin. Although I can not be certain, I believe that their hair follicles work simialr to ours. The more they are stimulated, ie the more often they are washed, the more oils they produce. I am always very careful to rinse them thoroughly though. I also do another thing that this document says not too. I was in the direction of the hair growth and against it. I also dry them like this. My dogs both have lovely shiny coats and the rescues, if they are with me long enough, to do.

There are also dermatologists who can use desensitisation therapy to assist. Speak to your vet and determine the exact cause of the issue and then explore your options.

What a lovely tribute petpiggy. RIP Rosie.

Your Vet is the best person to advise on this. Are you getting him desexed? If so, I would combine the two.

I assume you are the same person that asked this question on the Pug forum? If he has stenotic nares then he will not 'grow' out of them. The operation to widen the nostrils is easy but carries the same risk as any surgery. If you are concerned that your Vet is not giving you the correct advise, get another Vets opinion. If he does have this condition then breathing will be difficult for him and he will breathe through his mouth more often then normal. Overall it will place uneccesary pressure on his respiratory system. Edited to answer you last few queries. The operation is simple and involves cutting away the area that is closing off the passage. There will be stitches that will need to be removed 10 - 14 days later.

I was thinking that too... isn't there a simialr thing in humans where the sides of their mouths are dry and cracked??

Thsi happens to Pugs quite often. I have always used vaseline and the results are almost immediate.

Carnivores who would eat a small amount of plant and vegetable matter in the wild. I feed approx 75% meat and meat products, the rest is vegetable/plant matter.

In an adult rescue I do only 1 C5 and record the next due in 12months.

Wow, posts such as this make me realise what a great deal I am getting then. I don't have the breakdown of costs here with me at the moment but I had a Pug at the Vet the other day for C5 and heartworm test and it cost me $60 in total and that was for an 11 kilo bitch. BomaBec, can I suggest you buy your flea and worm products online to help with costs. I buy Sentinel Spectrum (11-22kg) and halve the tablets for the Pugs as most are under 11kgs. It costs me something in the order of $6 per dog per month to treat for fleas, worms and a heartworm preventative this way and that sure beats your cost above of $18 - $24 even if your dogs are twice as heavy as the Pugs.

is this common practice? I would be devastated if I picked out a new pup/dog ..took it to the vet, and found it tested positive to heartworm I wouldn't think of it as common practice. I test all my rescues and if clear they are immediately put on preventatives. Bomabec - are you in a heartworm area?? If you are, then you should be ensuring each rescue is clear before placement.

I must admit to being a sceptic of vegetarian meals for dogs. However, in having said that, I have had one of my rescues adopted by a vegan who only feeds her dogs a vegan diet and the rescue has blossomed in her care. She truly is a very healthy and loved pet. If you would like to be put into contact with her send me a pm and I will arrange for a swap of emails addys.

I have experienced a similar problem recently with a neurotic Pug rescue that was on a restricted diet as he was overweight. I solved it by buying a stand for his bowls that makes it harder for him to keep hoovering the food down while there was still food there to swallow completely. The bowls sit at about chest height for him now instead of on the ground. The other great advice I was given was to feed him on his own so there wasn't any worry for him of other dogs taking his food.

Bomabec, I have a Pug bitch in at the moment who had irritated skin arounf her face, stomach and back legs. She has been to umpteen Vets. I must admit to not having done much but put her on a raw diet with added Vit B tabs and fish oil caps and she has improved out of sight immediately. If you put him on Vit B, buy the low dose complex ones (50 mg per day is all they need). Edited to add- I agree with Jed. The less chemicals the better. Get the internal body health first. I will always worm straight away though.

Feed your dog a good diet and this will lessen the chance of you needing to empty them. The sacs are for two purposes. One is to 'mark' their scent and one is to help the passing of the feaces. If you feed your dog only soft foods with little fibre (such as canned dog food) then you will increase your chance of having anal gland issues. All dogs have anal glands and all dogs will have innapropriate times when their glands will secrete. The reason why it is noticed more with small dogs is that they are often on your lap or your furniture whereas larger dogs are not. The smell will dissapate after a while and only other dogs will be able to smell it. Apart from regularly manually expressing them and making sure your dog is fed a good diet, there isn't much you can do. It is a normal part of dogs.

Not only do I have Pugs but I also had two human children who suffered with sleep apnoea. Scary stuff indeed! PM me if you'd like to chat. I must admit to not having heard of a dog with sleep apnoea. How did they test your dog for this? With human children and adults that connect them to heart, movement and oxygen saturation monitors. I have a fair bit of experience with palates in dogs though, just not the apnoea part.

One of my rescues developed vesitbular disease and she was later operated on but not becuase ofthe vestibular. Her canals were very tiny and caused constant infections. Her new owner reported that she was barely able to walk at one stage, but over time this improved. As far as my knowledge goes she is back to normal now.

No, it shouldn't. It is meant to be used as an aid to protect your furniture while you are training them. If you put it on and use it to do all the work then you have missed the idea of it. You must still be very persistent with training and the band will save your furniture... and sanity. Me either

A belly band is a length of material that is 'wrapped around the belly and covers a male dogs doodle and joins with velcro over the dogs back. You place a sanitary pad in it across the doodle so when he wees the pad absorbs it and it doesn't go on your furniture. If you are clever you can easily make one yourself.

Put a belly band on him and take him out regularly to urinate praising him lavishly when he does the right thing at the right time. Sas - I still reprimand as well but I don't let this override the positive reinforcement method.