~Anne~

Gee........ I can't imagine my nail clippers would be strong enough or shaped appropriately to cut my dogs nails.... what kind of personal nail clippers do you use Dougie?????

Hi Brian_Newcastle, Flea bite dermatitis is caused by the fleas 'saliva'. When the flea bites the dog the 'saliva' is injected into the dog and it causes a reaction with the skin. Always keep in mind that your dog does not have to have fleas on him to be reacting. With products such as all those mentioned, the flea has to bite the dog to die as far as I understand it.... and so the allergy may take a little more time to clear. Always treat the surrounding areas and his environment also. Remeber it takes only one flea to jump on him, bite him, and then jump back off to cause a reaction. Wash his bedding regularly in an appropriate flea rinse and hang them in the sun to dry, vacuum you carpets regualarly and treat indoors and outdoors with pesticides suitable for fleas.

In the bath... every weekend. ;)

Good lord - where did that info come from. What a dangerous piece of rubbish to post. I'm dumbfounded

Wow thanks KathP :rolleyes: My dogs are not vegetarians but they do get a similar diet although we also add fresh meat. Mine adore yoghurt particularly..... well anything actually, being Pugs they are natural pigs and will eat me if I stand still long enough. This topic has been very emlightening but as I know nothing about vegetarian requirements for humans or dogs I'll stick with the tried and tested. Edited to add: What is tvp?

Wow, great thread! Out of curiosity KathP - what does your dog eat on a day to day basis?

I live on a very tight grocery budget and I'd rather pay the extra few dollars also... as someone else said, the way the chooks are kept is no better than a puppy farm.

Discuss the issue with your vet. As to the damage that prednisolone can do - your dog is at an age that he would not be on 'long term' medication anyway and so Predisolone would be fine for him.

My Wei boy weighed in at around 40 kilos (give or take a kilo or two) for the most part of his life. He was at the larger end of the scale for a lad but I never considered him fat. General rule of thought for most dogs is that you should be able to visualise a waist. Looking down from over the top of the dog does he come in at the sides where his waist would be? Think hourglass. Generally this means that he will have at least the last rib defined and perhaps the last 2 ribs. Our bitch, Rhana, suffered from chronic pancreatitis and so she was a thin as a rake. I too had people glare at me like I was an abusive owner because she was always painfully thin.

If in need of another recommendation - Bob May - Chipping Norton. PM me for contact details. He is another Greyhound Vet that has being doing chiropractic work on dogs for more than 20 years. I worked for him eons ago and he was considered one of the the best at that time. We were interviewed on A Current Affair about alternative medicines once..... I was 'star' for 5 minutes!

Hi LB, This site shows you a demo of expressing the glands as well as text... you need shockwave to see the demo. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.p...A&S=0&C=0&A=625

Yay - another Pug person on the forum! I also own Pugs.... gorgeous little creatures they are... and I also have one with anal leakage. His are not compacted and I do not feel the need to express the glands for him. He has no discomfort (he seems to think the smell is fine.... but he always acts fascinated an surprised by it when it happens ) I would say he was leaking at least once daily. Apart from the awful smell, the secretion can also stain as you have probably noticed. As someone else recommended, I'd be getting a second opinion about surgery. To me, when I weighed up the risks, I didn't think the operation was neccessary. As awful that it is, a quick clean with a cloth and soap is all that it takes to fix. Unless he is having problems i.e. they are continually becoming compacted and or infected I'd be inclined to let it be and just learn how to squeeze them your self if required.

Yes, body fat and body weight come into the equation. So does the surgery required, the type of dog i.e brachy breeds such as the Pug and British Bulldog. Your Vet went through years of study to know the difference. However, having said that there are Vets who are not overly experienced with breeds such as Pugs and their particualr problems with different anesthetics. Talk to your Vet to ease your mind. He's a professional and will know what he is doing.

Thanks everyone! I have received some fab advice.

I lurv the tongue hanging out the side! Great photo, she looks fab. I'll bet its a relief that it is nothing terribly sinister.

Cause Pugs being Pugs will choke on most things due to the gluttoness way they hoover it down and the shape of the faces. But.... yeah I agree and I haven't given them any wings for the last week and half as the last episode put the fright in me. Does anyone know if there are any complications to feeding them smoked bones? The bones I speak of are some kind of large brisket(?) bone that is smoked. I have seen them sold at markets and did buy one once and my dog had a fab time chewing it over a 2 or 3 day period before I threw it away. It didn't break up and apart from the chewed corners, he didn't get through it and so I assume the splinter risk would not be there?

I had a dog that suffered chronic pancreatitis and had problems with her coat and weight because of this. One thing that tipped the vet off to her problem was the grey and greasy nature of her movements. Taking a feaces sample with you when you visit with the vet might be advisable as there are many problems that it could be and a lot can be screened for by testing their droppings.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to feed Pugs instead of bones, or how to feed them safely? Perhaps what sort are better than others? My dogs eat chicken wings but due to the nature of their breed, I have to continually drag bits from their mouth that they are choking on. More often than not they will regurgitate it themselves...eeewwww..... but I have to sit and watch them while they eat to ensure they don't choke. I have even watched one of them swallow half a wing and could see he was in pain while it went down but could do nothing to help him as he staggered around trying to get it down. If I cut the wings into smaller pieces they hoover them up instead of chewing them and this then does not help their teeth. Chicken necks are even worse because of the shape... they hoover and choke on these more than anything!