KateAndDuke

Lovely! Thanks everyone :)

Hi all, I went to the local pet supply shop the other day to buy my usual dog ear wipes and was told they were no longer stocking them. My weim has floppy ears which are prone to getting mucky with humidity. Usually wiping them out weekly with the ear wipes has been fine. Unfortunately squirting a liquid in his ears makes him run for the hills - so I need an alternative that's more wipe-like than liquid-like. The guy at the store recommended baby wipes instead. Has anyone had any success using baby wipes for their dog's ears? Thanks, Kate.

Thanks guys. I took him to the vet who thinks it's a bacterial pyoderma - likely due to scratching it on something and getting an infection. Should be able to knock it over with a course of antibiotics. Cheers, Kate.

Hi all, I've recently noticed a spot on my weimaraner's nose. It's a slightly different colour to the rest of his nose. It started off small, but seems to be getting bigger and a bit lumpy. I've attached a photo. Not sure if it's just something temporary or worthy of more attention. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Everybody and every dog is different and you'll find that you'll make your own routine out of making RAW for your pup as you work thought it. Your set up looks good so far, but might need a few more supplements for omegas like salmon slices or flaxseed oil. I'm not an expert on nutrition, so when getting started I found this book to be really helpful - http://www.fremantlepress.com.au/books/house_garden/1060 My routine is a mince meal in the morning (consists of chicken or roo mince with eggs, yoghurt, flaxseed oil, garlic, kelp powder, veggies mixed in) and a chicken frame with chicken wings or offal at night. I buy big bags of mince from the local pet shop and make a big batch of meals in one go and that will last me about 5-6 weeks in breakfasts. He only occasionally gets a substantial bone like a lamb bone as he gets plenty of teeth work with the frames at night. My pup started to walk away from kibble as well. He has never turned his nose up at a nice raw meal! Good luck!

Hi all, I currently have my dog on a monthly dose of Comfortis and Sentinel to cover heartworm, intestinal worms, fleas, etc. I notice there is a relatively new product on the market, Panoramis, that covers fleas, heartworm and some intestinal worms (hookworm, roundworm and whipworm). The active ingredients are Spinosad (as per Comfortis) and milbemycin. I have spoken to my vet nurse who noted that it doesn't cover tapeworms although apparently it's been spouted that the product is so effective at controlling fleas that tapeworm shouldn't be a problem, although I'm not sure how effective that is. So does anyone have any comments or recommendations on this product? Of course it would be much nicer to only have to give the dog one tablet per month, and it works out a lot cheaper too. Thoughts? Thanks guys :)

Thanks for the replies guys. I have passed this advice on. :)

Hi all, I'm on here asking for some advice for a friend who has just claimed her dog back after a break up where she ended up in a situation where she couldn't take her dog when she left. A year down the track she has been able to retrieve her 3 year old mastiff x ridgeback. Unfortunately the dog didn't get much attention from her ex-partner and was rarely taken out of the yard in this time. She appears to have lost her social skills and will now act aggressively to some dogs when going on walks. She has not let her off lead (obviously) as she doesn't trust her dog anymore. My question is, what can she do to help her dog relearn how to socialise? Many people wouldn't be willing to lend their dogs with a risk of them being attacked. Are there classes available or the help of a behaviouralist? Finances aren't great, so it can't be ridiculously expensive either. What about having the dog muzzled in social situations? Although, I do believe she will need professional help learning to control/correct her dog. Any suggestions for behaviourists or professional help in the Newcastle area would be much appreciated. Thanks guys.

How about this for irony? I took the dog to the beach on the weekend and had to pick up one of his poos within about 10 minutes of getting there, only to turn around and stand in someone's left dog poo about 5 minutes later. In bare feet!

My dog's diet consists mainly of chicken frames/wings and roo mince (with the odd duck frame thrown in there). He is fed only raw meat and bones with some vegies. The majority of his diet is made up of chicken and he does fine on it. I get bags of roo mince from a local pet produce supplier, which is great because it's preservative free. I bag it up into meal-sized portions and he gets them for breakfast. Dinner is the chicken frames with some offal. No problems here

I have had a similar problem with my 2 year old weim. I don't mind him barking when he is outside or if someone comes to the door, I think that's fair enough. But he will bark quite harshly simply at someone walking out on the road or parking on the street and shutting their car door. Birds and the dog across the road set him off as well. I've tried getting his attention and rewarding when he's quiet, but once he gets a fix on this it's hard to maintain his attention. Last week I got out the dreaded water squirter. Now, I don't want to get flamed here because it's negative reinforcement, but it's working like a charm. It doesn't hurt him, but it is enough to shock him into ignoring the distraction outside. He also gets lots of pats and treats when he doesn't bark at outside things now. He may start barking now and I'll tell him "ok enough" and "come" and he relaxes a lot quicker. I'm seeing quite an improvement. Good luck!

Walked past a few people in the park one afternoon. They had had a few drinks . . . . "Is that a weimanana?" Yes, weimaraner crossed with a banana.

That looks like Horseshoe beach. We haven't been there in ages! We were once regulars, but the colder weather puts us off (we go to the local bushy off-lead park instead). I've never seen so much stuff washed up on the sand! Will have to come back for a romp when the weather gets better.

Redhead beach has a large off lead area which is usually not as crowded and a wider expanse than Horseshoe. http://www.lakemac.com.au/downloads/DAC%207785%20Dog%20exercise%20broch%20new.pdf

I think it all depends on your supplier. I only have one large dog, but have considered the costs food-wise when I get another. With large dogs, the pre-packaged stuff (Dr Billington's, etc) can be rather expensive. I make mince patties (local supplier with chicken and roo mince) and portion up chicken or duck frame based meals. I've averaged it at costing me around $60 a month for one dog. A second dog would cost me more time than anything else. Search around your local butchers or chicken shops for frames (which are relatively cheap). It takes a while to get a routine together, but once it's there, it's easy. Others here may have better suggestions as I've only had my dog on BARF for about a year.