Longdog

Mas, Is this for your dog or yourself? If it's for your dog, I have mentioned the vet, Clare Middle in another thread. She uses it as part of her assessment. You may also find a lot of complimentary practitioners will use it without you knowing. It can be done without touching the animal/person.

I don't even know you Jed and yet I am crying at Toohey's latest message. Keep strong and look forward to "meeting" you soon. xx

Agree! By coincidence, I was just talking to the greyhound owner at the back, about how his grey girl, Princess (sister to a Qld sprint champ) is so good at reassuring small dogs she meets. When our new tibbie arrived some months back (unused to big dogs), she got a fright when Pirncess trotted up to the fence. Immediately, Princess went into a play bow & all was well. These 2 are now the closest of friends. The owner said Princess did the same thing when they came upon a small dog out walking. The little dog yelped with fright....& Princess went down into her play bow. Oh that is so sweet! I love the expression. I now recognise I have actually seen big dogs do this "bow" to my little dog when meeting and greeting! Yep, I say she lives up to her name.

Hi Mas, I have just re-read the thread and notice your post: I made a mistake last week and took my dog to the vet for allergies ( something I swore I would never do, wanted to treat them holistically) got put on cortisone and anti-histamines and told to feed Hills ZD, oh and my dog got a antibiotic injection. My dog has changed so much in one week it is incredible, I want to stop everything besides the anti-histamine ( I know I have to do the cortisone slowly) and i want to change to a raw diet. He has no personality, is very depressed, he acts like he is starving and on top of all this his paws are still red. Haha....I take cortisone for my autoimmune illness. It is a fact that it can make you terribly depressed (I know a lot of people on cortisone also take anti-depressants) and VERY hungry ("eat the horse and chase the jockey" hungry) especially in the initial stages. I wouldn't be surprised that he is feeling pretty horrible. Poor fella! Also, be aware that if we take antibiotics it is important to follow up with a good quality probiotic to put the good bacteria back into the gut (as a/biotics clear everything out - good/bad). My mainstream local vet, after insisting my dog have antiobiotics, gave me some probiotics specifically for dogs when I askedher about it, with the comment "oh yes, perhaps we should follow up with some of these". It is a well known fact that this follow up needs to be done after antibiotics but very few drs (and vets) seem to follow through with it and then wonder why people/dogs keep getting re-occuring infections!! I really hope your boy starts to improve - either with mainstream medicine (which does have its place) or complimentary. Take care

Hi Everyone, I have been reading these comments and have found some very useful information (eg. alloe vera, apple cider vinegar & chamomile tea). However, I would like to add some info regarding the comments on "boosting" the immune system. I have had an autoimmune illness for 40 years. It is very rare and can be life threatening. To say I have read everything that I can on the immune system that I can lay my hands on is pretty close to reality. Having said that, I am no expert nor am I medically qualified......however, I do point out that even my specialist (world leader in his field) cannot explain how/why autoimmune occurs. What I have derived from an autoimmune reaction is that the immune system comes in two parts, the innate immune system (first line of defence) and the acquired immune system (second line of defence). The acquired one is the problem for autoimmune illnesses (eg. Rhem arthritis, lupus, CFS, diabetes etc etc), and you don't want to stimulate it and aggravate that one. But the innate one can be safely boosted by some substances and can help keep that that part of the immune system strong and as healthy as possible. It is important to stress that some things for the innate system will affect the acquired one (eg echinacea) but most are fine. Often the first sign that our acquired immune system is disfunctioning is with allergic reactions ie skin conditions, hayfever etc. At this stage, it appears it can be possible to treat the reaction with such things as diet/supplements etc. Luckily, if it becomes more serious, we can"dumb" down the acquired immune system by using such things as cortizone and other drugs. Judging by a veterinary approach to allergies etc, a dog's immune system appears to be similar. The bottom line is that the world experts do not have a clue whether autoimmune is heriditary, environmental or (as some drs try and tell me) viral. I don't think we are going to solve it here but I have to stress, I like to hedge my bets (especially where my life is concerned) and I endeavour to have an organic, chemical free environment and diet for myself and my family (including the dog). So far I've beaten the odds so I figure I must be doing something right. If my dog was reacting to "something" (which she has done in the past) then I would definitely look at environment/diet. It turned out she had an immune reaction caused from overdosing from her vaccinations. This manifested in skin conditions, ear infections and bladder infections. Today, we have to seriously consider everything we do and what we put in our bodies (and that includes the 4xleg ones). I certainly respect anyone who views the world differently but thought some of you might find the info interesting. Please pm me if you would like more info re innate/acquired immune system.

Hi BigDaz As far as I know, it is the apple pips that are the problem (for anyone - human/animal). They contain cyanide. So it's a matter of coring the apple first. Apples are a good source of dietary fibre and vitamin C as well as low in saturated fat and sodium. They also contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which contribute to a healthy, glossy coat and help to control skin allergies. On the down side most of the calories in apples come from naturally occurring sugar, not processed sugar that might be found in other treats it’s true. Still, sugar is sugar, so it can contribute to weight gain in large quantities and possible kidney problems....hence my relunctance to give them to her at her request. I guess it's a case of "a little bit of everything" is okay. I'd be interested to hear what other people thought.

Labrat Have you noticed if feeding chicken wings every day makes Wandy constipated? My dog gets a chicken wing once a week (tried the necks but she swallowed them whole!) but if I feed her more she has trouble. Mas, We also feed her lamb but have no problems with farting. That may be helped because she loves an apple every day (if she can) and has lots of raw vegies as a treat. We have a frenzy freezing session of dog food and freeze it in those little plastic Glad (cheap) containers. The lamb is bought chopped (arranged via butcher) and vegies are frozen so it doesn't take much time. Just the thought of it beforehand is the pain. She also has an egg occasionally and yoghurt along with her fish oil. We have had visitors who have looked into the fridge and looked at her dinner and can't quite believe it's for a dog it looks so good!! Haha....the things we do!

I would suggest Clare Middle's (vet) book on Natural Raw Diet. We changed our dog over (cold turkey) and find that as well as being cheaper than commercial, she is much healthier. It also cleared up her skin condition and general health. It takes in everything from vitamins to how/what a dog eats/needs (in contrast to humans). It is very insightful. This vet might also be able to help your dog re allergies if you arrange a visit (she is in Bibra Lake Perth WA).

Okay, just did some googling and found that it is an american product only and not available in Australia. Yes, perhaps I should have done the googling first! However, a reminder perhaps to everyone that we need to continue to read labels on what is considered "normal and safe" household products. Sorry if some people are "bored" with it!!

I have just received this information as an email and thought it might be wise to pass on to any of those not already aware (I certainly wasn't) Please tell every dog or cat owner you know. Even if you don't have a pet, please pass this to those who do. Over the weekend, the doting owner of two young lab mixes purchased Cocoa Mulch from Target to use in their garden. The dogs loved the way it smelled and it was advertised to keep cats away from their garden. Their dog (Calypso) decided the mulch smelled good enough to eat and devoured a large helping. She vomited a few times which was typical when she eats something new but wasn't acting lethargic in any way. The next day, Mom woke up and took Calypso out for her morning walk. Halfway through the walk, she had a seizure and died instantly. Although the mulch had NO warnings printed on the label, upon further investigation on the company's web site, This product is HIGHLY TOXIC to dogs and cats. Cocoa Mulch is manufactured by Hershey's, and they claim that "It is true that studies have shown that 50% of the dogs that eat Cocoa Mulch can suffer physical harm to a variety of degrees (depending on each individual dog). However, 98% of all dogs won't eat it." Snopes.com <http://snopes.com/> site gives the following information:http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp <http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp> Cocoa Mulch contains a lethal ingredient called 'Theobromine'. It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs. They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already occurred in the last 2-3 weeks. Theobromine is in all chocolate, especially dark or baker's chocolate which is toxic to dogs. Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from cocoa bean shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours later. Analysis of the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts of theobromine.

You are all so gorgeous - must be the fact you are all doggie owners! I'm sure Jane can feel the love.....she will have no choice the whole forum is willing her back.

Has the airport offered the use of the beagles (customs). If they can sniff out a bottle of lavender oil in my handbag surely they can sniff out a dog in the bush surrounds. Or simply having dog as a decoy to coach her out if she is hiding in the undergrowth. It's the least they could do!

Do you have a facebook page for Goldie? Perth can be such a small community and the more people that are aware of her disappearance the better her chances of being found. Really hope she is found safe and well very soon. The airport should be made accountable....this situation is total negligence on their part!

Mum of 3 Bring back the small farmer, I say. The bloke with freerange chooks, who lets the pigs turn over the fields between crops, keeps his own bees, a handful of cattle and sheep and a field of pumkins or tomatoes or potatoes and a field of corn or barley. Rotational, permaculture systems with lots of love and care going into the mix. Gosh I'd love to do that. TOTALLY AGREE!!! I'm lucky I live in an area where I can source lots of home grown/organic/biodynamic produce and there are more and more freshproduce markets popping up around cities. A good sign of what the consumer wants....just hope the big boys don't squash them. Of course, we do have the battle of GM on our hands....now, don't get me started on that!!

Mum of 3, The butcher slaughters his animals on his own property in a small family operated business. Maybe I should modify my statement The animals are killed on the farm without stress to say the animals are killed with minimal stress. As you say, the less stress the animal is the better the meat. There is no doubt in my mind that the farmer cares for his animals. It is a family run business with Dad and son running the farm and the other two sons running the shop. They are borderline passionate about what they do....and yes, there is money involved BUT maybe that is what will drive for change with all farming practices. If we (the consumer) demand quality and ethical practices then other producers will follow. Yes, unfortunately it's all about the big $$$. Good luck with your enterprise!!