Alison

Hi Chugo and welcome to the forum I have a 7 month old Golden Retriever Puppy and I can imagine their growth and nutritional needs would be quite similar so will try to help. Firstly, what sort of food do you want to feed? Do you want to feed kibble or a raw natural diet? What sort of money do you plan on spending and how much time are you prepared to put into preparing your pup's meals. Different people prefer different things, I feed 100% raw, natural diet, but it's all about what works best for you and your dog. If you are going to feed kibble, avoid a high protein food and make sure you get one that is well balanced with calcium and phosphorus. The only kibble I would ever feed is Eagle Pack. 3 walks of 30 minutes a day is way too much and would not be beneficial to a breed that is prone to hip displaysia at all. I walk my pup for 10 minutes daily and that's it. That is only to get him out and have a sniff. His exercise is based on play. I do walk him for a little longer along the beach though, as it doesn't have the same impact. Swimming is also very good. How many more vaccinations your pup will need will depend on how long immunity lasts from his mother. The immunity a pup gets from it's mother's milk fights the vaccines and stops them from being affective in your pup, so it depends on how long these last in your pups body. There is strong evidence that it better to wait (think it is until the pup is 8-10 weeks) for the first vaccination as it is more likely for the vaccine to work at this age. The best thing to do would be to talk to your vet. Rather than taking your pup to meet your friends Labrador, if it were me, I would have your friend come to you.

Exactly my thought TSD. Swap the fresh lamb for a lamb neck or ribs, beef brisket bone, chicken wings or carcuss, etc. I would also be concerned that by feeding lamb meat off the bone, that the protein levels would be too high for your puppy. I think from memory that Euk has a high protein content as it is.

Can anyone tell us if any of the ear cleaners are bad for our dogs? I am using aristopet. Like I said, it burnt my hand when i got it in a cut, but that may just be the alcohol. The dogs really don't like it though. Ingredients are: Propylene Glycol <40% Benzoic Acid <0.2% Malic Acid <3% Salicylic Acid <0.04% Isopropyl Alcohol <35% Polysorbate Emulsifier <2% Purified Water to 100% Any ideas? I don't want to hijack this thead, but it doesn't make sense to start another :D

BTW, your pup is very cute. Same age as my goldie boy Byron

Haha yes I found her quite rude too, she seemed very annoyed to have to speak to customers, lol. I got some ear cleaner the other week, think it was aristo....something brand. I was a bit worried though as it seemed to irritate the dogs ears a bit, and i got a bit on the cut on my hand and it burnt. I was going to start a thread to see if there were any brands to steer clear of, but if it's ok with you, i'll just hijack your thread and see if anyone replies

unless you want the ear wipes I wouldn't bother. I was just in there 15 minutes ago and all they had was the wipes

You can buy special scissors with a rounded edge so you don't accidently snip the pads, i would highly recommend these for getting into the pad. I then trim up with a sharp pair around the foot, but if your not showing your pup, this last step would not really be needed.

Tyler gets them. I just get a lump asperate done whenever a new one pops up. For her, and many older dogs, they are just growths that come with age. Get them checked for your own piece of mind. It only takes a second, it's cheap and it shouldn't hurt Jyra too much if at all.

Thanks anyway for the offer

Breeder recommends the double sided, she used them on him at a show and they did a brilliant job. I am going to clipperworld and will bring Byron with me My breeder recommended I go to clipperworld. Thanks for everyones help.

I am pretty sold on the Wahl and was planning on getting them from Clipper World, it's nice and close. I hope they allow pick-ups to save on postage seen as it's only 5 minutes down the road.

I am after a pair of double sided thinning scissors. I have pretty much narrowed it down to either 1. Wahl 5.5" 2. Wahl 6.5" 3. Shear Magic 6.5" What size would be best for a Golden Retriever? Would I be right in assuming that 6.5" is the standard? At the moment I will be using them to trim his neck, he is only a 6 month old puppy so not much grooming required, but I would like them to be able to do what I need them to do when he has his full coat too. I don't want to spend a fortune, but want a decent pair, I am happy to pay what these lot cost. What is everyone's thoughts on these scissors?

I use the EPO and it is great. Also like others have said, get the omega oil in Aly, it will make the world of difference. If you are feeding fish oil, make sure they ever contain Vit E or you are adding it to her diet as the oil can go rancid without it. I like to use an omega blend with Vitamin E already loaded.

I am adding extra omega oil to his diet to help with his now dry coat and skin. He is on antibiotics to help with the infection and I am bathing him every second day with Evening Primrose Oil Shampoo, if the Shampoo doesn't take away the redness, we will give him an some anti inflams Haven. He has lost alot of his coat the poor bugger.

Sorry Tyler can't post links, you will just have to have it from me instead Long Term Health Risks and Benefits with Spay/Neuter in dogs

Yes Puggy Puggy I live right on the beach so I will be taking him there now instead of the pool. He was going to the beach as well, but now it will just be the beach. I have taken him to the vet and it was the Bromine.

I can't tell you what food to change to. Probably best for you to do some research and find out what suits your dog and yourself best. I don't feed commercial food, but when i did, the only one I would touch was Eagle Pack Natural Formula and Large Breed Puppy. Although, if i was to feed one at 6 months i would just use the natural formula. They both have 23% protein. Calcium and Phosphorus levels are also good. Like I said, I dont feed commercial dog food anymore though.

I wont be desexing before 18 months. I have a good link for studies done and there are quite alot of problems related to early desexing. I will post the link tonight.

Does anyone know if Bromine can cause skin irritations in dogs? I have been taking my pup swimming and they use the Bromine in the water, he has had a reaction to something and I am trying to eliminate possible causes.

From what i have heard and read, you can straighten them as long as you do so before the growth plates close. Also, vitamin c should not be a regular additive to your dogs food or your dog will cease making it's own vitamin c. Give it daily in the correct dose until the feet are straight and then stop giving it.

I believe it can be caused from too much protein. I have been told this by my breeder, my dogs nutritionist and quite alot of people. 30% is quite high for protein levels, i think it should be somewhere around low 20s. I would take him off the Pro Plan, i have heard that it is quite high with protein. Too much protein will cause growth spurts adding weight onto bones that are not capable of carrying that weight. I would (and have done myself) lower the protein and feed vitamin c.

OMG!

Kim, I am trying to avoid weight loss, if I was to put a life jacket on him and put him in the pool, would that help? He is a 6 month old puppy, so I don't want to build up too much muscle, expecially considering his growth plates are still very open.

Freezing the offal, pig and fish was told to me by a canine nutritionist.

I managed to get some Goat to try for the dogs today from a halal butcher, it's human grade (actually bought the last of the goat and the guy behind us missed out on goat for his dinner ;) ). I got one cut of flap (ribs) and the other i think either neck or back bone. Was just wondering if I need to freeze it for 2 weeks? I freeze offal, fish and pork for 2 weeks minimum before feeding, but i'm not sure about Goat. Also, what are the best cuts for dogs? The butcher was saying that the bones can be quite hard. I also got some whole mackarel (think it was yellow fin from memory), do I need to gut it or scale it? Do I need to worry about hooks or anything in the fish's belly if I feed it whole? They aren't big pieces, so i dont want to go cutting it up if i can avoid it. I also got a massive Australian Salmon last weekend, that's in the freezer, got 1 more week to go before I can feed it. Is there any fish to avoid? Any special preperation or just throw it out as I do with the other bones they get?