kwirky

Does anyone use a compost bin for dog poo? I have Murphy, a champion poo maker (4 bags a day from 2 walks), who is a large golden retriever and we currently collect the poo in a nappy bin (in the bags) and then this is thrown out with the general waste and the smell when the lid is open is extraordinary to say the very least! I would like to have an above ground compost bin which needs to be in the full sun as the back yard is always in full sun. Is this doable? Also I have compostable poo bags (from Oh Crap!) so should they be able to be added also? I think that it would be a case of putting in Murphy's offerings in the bin, covering this with some soil or wood shavings (how much is some?) and occassionally adding an accelerate. Would this be accurate or am I missing something? Also what do you do with the compost or does it just break down? Many thanks

Our golden retriever, Murphy, loves walking and goes 2 or 3 times a day. He is 3 1/2 years old and in good physical shape. If he wants to go for a walk he is very insistent and will not let up until he gets his own way. Now that the heat of summer has come to Melbourne, I am trying to figure out what is best for him, versus what he wants. We walk every morning at about 5am and usually at 5.30pm on week nights after work (he gets a lunchtime walk on weekends as well). When it is hot I would like to take him about 7.30pm once the sun has started to go down. The problem is that Murphy is very routine orientated and wants to still go straight after work instead of waiting until later. How can I train him to be more cooperative (ha ha ha)? We do have and use a cooling vest when it is 30 or more but I am worried about health and paws. thanks

Hello, We have been to the vet who thinks, based on Murphys health and condition he just has a sensitive tummy. He did a faecal test and this was all good, next step would be further testing which he does not think is necessary at this point

Thanks for the suggestion. I have just placed an ordet for the 3 trial pack flavours ☺

Our Murphy (3 yr golden retriever) has always had a sensitive tummy which usually involves loose stool. We have tried him on a variety of things over the years - raw, single protein source etc with minimal success overall. Has anyone had any experience with this and what has worked? Thanks ☺

Thank you so much for your feedback. What sort of height do you use? There are so many and I am not sure if there is a guideline. I have a BIG golden retriever so an idea of how to measure would be great.

Does anyone know whether there are any health benefits with having a large dog eat from a raised feeding station? To me it would seem a good idea from a purely postural perspective but are there pros and cons for this? Thanks

We have been feeding raw meat (beef and chicken on alternate days along with wings most days) diet for our 2 year old golden but he has started having problems with his anal sacs recently (they are located deep inside). We want to bulk up his meal to help the poor boy. Can anyone recommend how and what to add? Should it be shredded? I am thinking apple and carrot. If this is okay can it be stored for a few days in the fridge or should it be shredded daily. Thanks

Thanks. I was thinking a trip to Bunnings is in order to see what can be McGyver'ed.

Hello, We have a doggy door built into the security sliding door which works beautifully in Summer. The problem I have now found is that as a result of the glass door needing to be open we are now getting the cold breeze coming in. With Winter approaching I want to get some sort of cover for the section above the dog door to keep some of the cold out. Has anyone had any experience with this? I have tried Googling but have not been able to find anything helpful. Thanks

Hello, we just got back from holidays to find our Murphy has some stains on his fur which I can't wash out. They seem to be kind of like dried streaks and are mostly on his head. I have tried scratching them off and also washing with a face was er with some dog shampoo but no luck. Even brushing does not take the stuff off. Any ideas??

Skin soothe recipe (for treating skin infections, hotspots etc) 1/4 cup Calendula tea [soothes skin] 3 tablespoons Apple cider vinegar [relieves itching] 3 tablespoons Colloidal Silver [antibacterial; promotes healing} 500ml Boiled Water, cooled spray bottle 1. Make some strong Calendula tea (I use loose leaves and add a good couple of spoons to a steeping cup). When cool, add to about a quarter of a cup to 500 mls of cool, boiled water. 2. Add Apple Cider Vinegar and Colloidal Silver (approximate values, I do not measure, just add a bit) 3. Add to spray bottle and shake before spraying on affected area. Expect to see significant improvement in only a day or so, after using 2 or 3 times per day. ** We had a Golden Retriever who had obsessive licking problems and these areas would become quickly inflamed and infected. This obsession developed when he was about 10 years old and we spent the remaining 5 years of his life 'dressing' him arms and legs so that he could not lick at the area.

Hello, We have been feeding Murphy on essentially only raw meat for the past week or so and he seems to be doing well. He is eating every night and is excited about eating it, so we are very happy. We have tried many different kibble brands, none have become regular as he stops eating them after a few days. At the moment we have BlackHawk but he is just not eating it. I am concerned that he will not be getting enough vitamins and minerals. Does anyone give supplements of any kind to a raw diet?

There is so much information available on what we should feed our pets (canned vs kibble vs raw vs.....) and so much of this information is contradictory. Is there a definitive answer at all on what is the healthiest way to feed? We have an 11 month old Golden Retriever male who had originally been fed on ProPlan however due to frequent tummy upsets whilst on this, we changed to a home-style minced meat, veg and pasta/rice which we were buying from a local pet food company. Murphy did really well on this until he simply went off it. We would give it to him and he simply would not eat it. Since then we have tried canned food (doesn't seem to like any brand or variety), raw animal grade meat (does not like at all), raw human-grade meat (loves it!!!), and kibble (would rather not eat it unless he is starving). With all this experimentation, I am getting lost in what we should be feeding him. Have other members had experience where their dog went off something and what did they do? Thanks

Hello, Can anyone recommend a pet/house sitter in the S/E suburbs of Melbourne? We have had family in the past but do not want to burden them any more. We are looking for a genuine dog and cat lover who can be firm with a very lively, high energy golden retriever (almost 12 months old). Excellent references only.

Thank you so much for your reply. I guess i already know the answer to this but have there been any issues with your minders? Are they screened in anyway? I am nervous about having a stranger in my home and taking responsibility for the welfare of my boys.

Hello, We found a company/service called Pawshake which offers pet sitting etc on Facebook and looked into it a little more. Has anyone heard of them or has any experience? I am a little nervous as we have never had a non-family pet sitter/house minder before and just wanted to put out some feelers. We are looking at one of the minders in Melbourne - Mel and Lawrence who have been doing this for 2 years. They provided a reference and will provide a contract. We are hoping to arrange a meet and greet sometime this week. Thanks Joanne

Out of interest...when does the next group start...I couldn't find anything on their site, except that one started on 19th Nov. That's the one I signed up for. There were 2 weeks worth of lessons availabl.

Would you mind explaining what you do during the structured time?

You guys are fantastic. I found a different post which mentioned kikopup and we have watched all those videos this evening. We did some work with recall and getting Murphy to respond to kissy noises and he is now sleeping like a baby (no second walk needed)

Photos of my darling Murphy :)

Thanks everyone. I have just signed up for http://petlovers.com.au/puppy_club which I found on the forum. So we will give that some effort. I genuinely thought that physical exercise what super important; I only want tye best for him.

We do play fetch with a soft ball inside, which seems to tire him. We do have to walk him twice because he is very insistent. Would you suggest 20 mins instead?

Murphy decided to help with the gardening when we went out.

Hello everyone. Murphy is a 9 month, high energy Golden Retriever boy, who likes (I mean, INSISTS!) two walks each day. We usually walk for about 1/2 hour each time. If I try extending this a bit, thinking 40 mins would be good in the mornings, he seems to get so tired he needs to stop and have a few minutes of rest and doesn't want to get up. Is this normal?