~Anne~

If the scrape was confirmed then I would follow their advice even though, personally, I think it might be alittle over the top. But, on the other hand demodex can spread very quickly and easily and can be very difficult to get under control so I guess they are just being cautious.

Why has he been put on antibiotics? Unless there is a secondary skin infection (usually initiated by all of the scratching) then there isn't a need for them. They are also in unusual spots.... normally it starts around the face. Did your vet do a scrape to confirm it was demodex? If it is demodex then the Ivermectin is important. This can be given by injection of orally as well. Sebazole is only a bacterial wash.

Getting rid of your carpet works even better!

White vinegar is great for cleaning and removing odours I have recently discovered! I also use nilodour and mix it with the spray I use to clean my floors.

1.Would you feel that paying 4 times as much for one over the other is justified and if so which one. ? Based on the limited information you have supplied I would say at this point no, I wouldn't be prepared to pay 4 times as much for either becuase the information is too limiting. The technique that appears to have been used to list the ingredients could give the impression that product B is better quality as they have grouped the cereals whereas product A has listed them individually. If product A also has the same percentage of meat products as product B then I would put them close to equal each other in value as they both appear to have equal or close to equal nutritional values as listed. 2.Would you choose to try the most expensive or the cheapest first ? If they were comparable products I would opt for the cheaper version providing it was a brand I trusted. 3. Do you choose your dog food based on something else? Trust and knowledge of brand and referral.

I give mine their eggs mixed with pet milk and lightly whisked to mix the egg in. (Do a chook a favour and steer clear of eggs from caged chooks)

Thanks Rusky! I wonder if this will help my epileptic dog. He wakes me every day anywhere between 4.30am - 5.30am and we have tried everything for more then 2 years trying to stop him.... it might make him more relaxed perhaps?

K9: yes, & there lays the problem with Internet advice. Your initial description left out the humping & marking, but did say he is barking to find company? This would be a stress issue if the marking etc wasnt present... There could be other signs that would give us more direction, hence the advice, read the dogs body language... I assume the DAP Defuser is available from Pet supply places? I thought perhaps the marking may have been related to him 'mapping' out his area..... so he knew where he'd been and he was perhaps marking his spot so he didn't get lost. He only does this when he thinks he is on his own because no-one is near him..... he kind of wanders around aimlessly as if looking to see of he can come across company (even though we may be only a few feet away he can't hear or sense us). He's been desexed since he was 12 months of age and is now 7 years old.... not sure if he had issues with marking before as the person who surrendered him kept him outside all the time and he was an only dog. Now he is with two other Pugs and is inside most of the time. He has never humped humans, only the other dogs.

Do you mean 'rank' as in his place in the pack??

Ummm... yeah I guess I did but I thought that by following this with; "He is not barking just for the sake of it or because he can hear a noise (coz he can't hear noises...)..." and "As he can not hear me if I growl at him or tell him to stop I have been using a water spray..." and "How on earth do I control his barking when he can not see or hear me?" I thought it would be obvious he wouldn;t hear a little bell. Thanks for this. What is a DAP Defuser?

I did this last night and made a real point of letting him know what a good lad he was when he was being quiet (and not marking in the house or humping... which are the other two exasperating things I am trying to change) and he did show improvement so perhaps this is the only option I have to alter his behaviours???

He's deaf...................... Unless I put cow bells on the dogs and play the music up very loud he won't hear it.... and all it will result in is very upset neighbours and my other dogs requiring physio after their necks being put out of alignment.

Do I ask hard questions or is it nobody wants to offer suggestions?

Thanks for your response Dog Logics. Ralphy is 7 years old. There is no obvious reason for his deafness but his sight is due to pigmentary keratitis. The damage to the cornea is from sever and chronic dry eye and so neither disability is age related. His health check was all clear and so he isn't in any pain or discomfort.... just lonely I think as even tho you may be only 2 feet away he doesn't know you are there if you are still and quiet. When you say 'vibrations' do you mean acutal movement or a sense of movement? The cube might be a good idea although he still will not chew on toys or smoked bones (I am yet to try a fresh bone) so it may not work for him.

I have rescue that is almost completely blind and has very little hearing..... and is an avid barker. He is not barking just for the sake of it or because he can hear a noise (coz he can't hear noises...), but rather, it appears he is barking to find company? When he is put outside he immediately starts barking at the door wanting to come back in. He does this off and on non-stop ALL day. He is put in a puppy pen at night inside to sleep and wakes anywhere form 3am to 4.30am and barks. He does this off an on until he is fed breakfast. As he can not hear me if I growl at him or tell him to stop I have been using a water spray everytime he barks (obviously while I ma not around during the day he can bark all day and no-one sprays him). The water spray is only resulting in him becomeing very wet! It stops him in the short term only. How on earth do I control his barking when he can not see or hear me? Am I being too impatient perhaps? His barking habit has no doubt built up over the 6 years so that he has been blind and I have only been using the water spray for 5 days. Can anybody offer a solution? He is being rehomed this Sunday and his new owners are keen to work with whatever I tell them.

Is this because many people are using heartworm preventative, just as vaccines have reduced the incidence of other diseases? Yes. And mosquitos have to bite a dog infected with heartworm larvae to become a carrier of heartworm as far as I recall. So, once the idea of preventatives took hold, less dogs had it which meant less mosquitoes carried it which mena tless dog were infected by it and so it goes.

A quick call around to the vets in the area will give them an indication of the prevelance of heartworm in the region. I was only having a discussion myslef about this last night with my vet. He stated that he had not treated a case of heartworm for over a year and that the prevelance of heartworm has reduced dramatically over the last 20 years.

Mine too. They only get a small fistfull of kibble per day and, as i said earleir, I've never had a problem. I've just bought a pack of Nature's Gift kibble to trial but I haven't opened it yet. Has anyone tried it yet?

Good god... that explains our stand-off... I am an Aries as well!

I use Optimum and have never had any issues with it.

I also have a licker that drives me spare. He licks clothing too though. From the minute I walk in the door at night he starts licking my pants. He is relentless and this continues for several hours until he becomes tired and then he will wander off to his bed. I have never been able to stop him. Never, not once. I can't believe it is a dominance thing with him though??? I think his maybe related to his pica??? But I don't know. If I wear perfume or have just come out of a shower he is even more inclined to lick. Lordy knows what my neighbours think as I walk around every day yelling "Stop licking me for chrissakes!!"

Oh no! I am so sorry Warley. You battled so hard for him. RIP little Puggie slug.

Plus... I think you missed the point Zia. I was agreeing with the fact that dogs reprimand and teach each other (ie. mum to her pup) by far harsher methods then a human 'smacking' a dog. When a dog wants to say to another dog - "I am the alpha and that bloody bowl of food is MINE!" he sure isn't going to sweet talk the other dog. PLease - before anyway even dares to suggest it - I am NOT saying that we should walk around biffing our dogs but, in my view, little children and dogs need the occassional smack to get the point across.

Now that is the most sensible answer I have read so far in this thread! Daniel, there are some dog that are just naturally timid of animals that appear larger and scarier to them i.e. you! I have a cat that has never been smacked but she had also never lived with a man until she was 5 years old. She is petrified of my brothers! When they came to visit she runs and hides and will not come out until they are gone! She is still like this to this day and she is 9 years old. She is fine with my husband though but he is a gentler man then my brothers. My brothers walk heavy and talk loudly. Even one of my Pugs will bark like crazy at them for the first few minutes but they are not like this with any women. Always be aware of your body language around them. Get down to their level so you don't appear so big. Carry small treats with you to give them and play with them whenever you can.

It 's only semantics P&R, ignore me, I am being picky. From my understanding they don't buy it bulk and re-label it. The labeling is done at the place of manufacture as is any of the generic supermarket brands. My brother worked at Arnotts and explained even with chips, the product is graded (although it was the original potatoe I think that was graded before the chips were made). Grade 1 chips went down one conveyor belt and were packaged as Arnotts varities, grade 2 travelled along another and were packaged as another brand and grade 3 tavelled along another and was packaged as No-Name chips.