~Midniara~

I do spend the first week or so with mum and babies to make sure that mum is coping well. It has never been necessary but for me it has just been mainly for my own piece of mind. With my litter of 11 pups mum used to call out to me for help if a pup strayed too far from her in the whelping box because she didn't want to unsettle all the other pups that were feeding on her to go and get the stray pup. She really did appreciate my help and would ask for it if she needed it. She raised all 11 pups without my feeding any of them and they all thrived. They are all now 16 months old and as healthy as can be. With that litter I spent three weeks close to mum. I don't sleep next to the whelping box but I do sleep in the same room. I wouldn't call it sleep though as I am always listening out for any noises.

;) My thoughts and prayers go out to your family and to Grover for a speedy recovery.

Absolutely I stay with my litter for the first few days too and get very little sleep. I wouldn't want a perfectly healthy puppy to be squished to death either. By intervening I mean keeping a puppy alive when clearly nature has not intended it for this pup and by consistenly chosing bitches and lines that aren't free whelpers. This is just the way I choose to do things and I believe that for me this is whats best for my breed and my lines. I'm not critisising others for choosing to do differently.

These are fairly much my sentiments too. By intervening we are breeding a generation of problems with dogs that can't reproduce naturally and/or care for their own offspring.

You feel no need and I wish I hadn't. I now just keep my hands behind my back and whatever happens will happen. I believe that intervention weakens the subsequent generations and I feel the same about c-sections. I want bitches that free whelp and do it with ease, I want strong pups that suckle well and thrive. You've put into words exactly what I was trying to express. You learned from experience that it didn't work and I've learned from watching such heartache similar to what you have experienced.

I don't know how to tube feed but I feel I have no need to learn. If a puppy isn't strong enough to fend for itself then I will not help it. I know it sounds cruel but I truly believe that that pup just wasn't meant to be. I understand that others don't agree but that is how it is in this household.

RIP old man. Run young and free again at the bridge with your mate Sqiddy. He knew that he was loved and cared for Squid, there could be no doubt of that. He was a testiment to you and your familly. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this time. Take care mate. Maria

:)

I'm so very sorry Chewy, I know how much he means to you and your family. Sadly it looks as though I'll never get to meet him either. You always had such lovely things to say about the old boy and I know you will do the right thing by him when the time is right. PLEASE know I am here if you need me.

Oh God BK I'm so very sorry. I only found out last night when I saw you mentioned it on OT. Such sad news that the Handsome Seth is no longer with us. Such a sweet and gentle boy taken way too son. RIP Seth, you are now at the bridge with your mates Shelby & Tia. I wish I'd known sooner I would have rung. Take care mate. ;) Maria

I can't speak more highly of a Raw diet. I fed and raised a litter of 11 pups who all survived and their mum who fed all of them on a raw diet of raw meat and vegetables. I did not supplement feed any of the pups. They all thrived with above average weights. Here is a link to Georgie's webpage: Georgie's page She is the one who raised all 11 pups. The pictures of her taken on the 29th of August last year were when her pups were over 6 weeks old. As you can see she looks a million bucks. Her coat is gleaming and shiny. She never looked unwell or worn from feeding so many. I have fed an array of dry over the years from cheap to super premium but in my opinion nothing compares to this diet. All of my adult dogs are now fed on this diet and have been on it for over 12 months. They are all looking better than ever.

Unless I am trying to lose weight on a dog I never trim fat off anything. I have no reason to. I've never had any problems doing this with any of my dogs. Ivy shouldn't have any problems either as her mum and dad are both very healthy and so are her grand parents. edited to fix a typo

I used to feed mine this product before I put my dogs onto raw which is my preferred diet choice. Obviously raw is best but if you want to feed commercial and you are on a budget Barko's is a very good brand. I did find when mine were on it that they did poo more often and when they did it was a huuuuge amount. I also had to watch their weight as it was easy for my dogs to put it on with this product.

I used it as an alternative to making up my own veggie mix to try and make it easier for myself. I had great results from using it but have stopped buying it now as it was too pricey and it's cheaper for me to make up my own mix. The reason it has to be soaked for 12 - 24 hours is for the indigestible seeds to sprout to allow better absorption. If you didn't soak it then it would come out the other end as the grains and seeds used wouldn't have had the opportunity to sprout as yet.

my dog .. my diet choices :p met up with Ivys sister and her owner hasn't stuck with the breeders diet either .. what the breeder feeds you can only buy online and that doesn't suit Ivys owner. Actually that is not entirely true. I used to buy Dr Bruce’s from my local produce store and not online. I found out where to buy it by ringing them and they gave me a list of stockists to buy it from. I used it whenever I didn’t make up a veggie mix for my dogs for convenience. I don’t buy it anymore as it was becoming too expensive so I make up my own mixture. I just suggested some of my puppy buyers use it as an alternative to mixing up their own vegetables as it is a big ask to feed raw when you are not used to it. As you know my puppy packs encourage the feeding of raw but I do not insist upon it. What I do ask is if you aren’t going to feed raw then try to feed a premium dry with its first ingredient as meat. The puppy buyer you are referring to in Melbourne fed her puppy raw for several weeks after her puppy arriving at her home until she adjusted to her new environment and then she slowly weaned her onto a super premium pet food (and not Supercoat) which she is now eating and thriving on. She asked me if the food she was going to feed her puppy was OK with me and I agreed that it would be. Just thought that I’d clarify that to clear up any misunderstanding. :p Cheerio Maria

You'd be hard pressed to find a Breeder of Groenendael's or Tervueren's in Australia that remove front dews. I can't comment on the other two varieties as I have not noticed what they do but the rescues I've had come through my doors have not had theirs removed either. I remove rear dews but don't bother with front ones. The rear dews can be easily damaged but the front ones are well protected on a Belgian. I've not heard of a Belgian injuring their front dews and in all my years in the breed (almost 9) I've not had any problems with them. I find that mine use their front dews when chewing on bones. I don't have a problem with them at all but obviously it depends on the breed and the individual dog.

Argh bugger! I knew I'd cry when I read this post. I'm so very sorry for your loss Rajadadoo. I know how much Tucka meant to you and especailly Mr R. He was always such a happy chappy with a tail always wagging. He adored the show ring and show'd almost right to the end. I was the step in handler for him when Mr R was busy showing Tucka's son sookie la la. Tucka was so easy to show and loved every moment. He will never be forgotten and has joined all the Rajacadoo of old at the bridge. I'm sure Cam will be waiting with a grumble, Dallie will be lying there in her usual lazy self, Rad will be wondering what the hell is going on and Buff will be beside herself with excitement that her kennel buddy is back to join her for never ending playing sessions. Imagine what those two will get up to now? Take care :rolleyes: Maria

I just looked at your website and realsied that you've already got some that I've itemised. Ooops.

Here are a list of some Belgian Prefixes within Australia. The letters next to the prefix denote the variety they have ( T = Tervueren, G = Groenendael, M = Malinois and L = Laekenois). Ashendael - T + G Belgalee - T + G Belgenbeau - T + G + M + L Belgnte - T + G Belnoir - T + G Belwarra - G Cashaz - L + T De la Roche - G Erlander - T FauvetNoir - T Graebelge - T + G Grandbelge - T + G Keamaree - G Laguardia - G Lumineux - T + G Mirribandi - T + G MoonShadow - T + G Mucius - T + G Rerifar - T + G Tankarla - T + G Tarraray - T + G Vanrusselhof - M Ventana - M+G Weedram - G+T+M

Hello June, Ivy has been used to eating her veggies mixed in with her chicken mince. She may be off her food because she is still settling in. What you are giving her probably tastes different to what I was giving her. Before she left here she was eating the chicken mince with yoghurt a little oil and the Dr Bruce's Complete mix. Prior to this I was making the veggies myself. If you can't get a hold of the complete mix just throw the raw veggies (carrot, peas, beans, spinach, alfalpha, brocolli etc) after throwing them in the blender and pulverising them. Add some garlic to this, she loves garlic and see how you go. Whatever you could eat raw she can eat raw too. If you aren't feeding her the complete mix then it's probably a good idea to give her some flackseed oil for her skin and coat and don't forget to give her fish 1-2 times per week. The Dr Billinghurst books I suggested are great guides to raw feeding. She was aalways a good eater so hopefully she'll be back on track soon. Cheerio, Maria

There is a big difference between Supercoat and Advance. The change to Supercoat and the stress would be enough to set the poor little darling off. I'd put him onto rice and chicken breast for 24 hours and if his poos are looking better, slowly introduce the Advance slowly back onto his diet if you are going to feed him dry. If you can buy the inner health plus in powedered form then you can mix it in with the rice and chicken. I used this on mine when they were sick a few months back and it was fantastic. I feed all of mine on a complete raw diet which I'd much prefer over a commercial food. But you need to seek advice from an experienced raw feeder because if you don't get the quantities right then ýour puppy would not benefit from it. Good luck with your new puppy. He looks like a real cutie. Cheerio Maria

From memory it was three tests: Parvo, distemper and Bordatella. Edited to add the third test.

I've just asked for this to be moved to the Health Forum. I'd completely forgotten about posting in there. Thanks for the PM Clyde.

When I went into my vet to have my pups 6 weeks vaccination, I asked how much it would cost to have my adult dogs Titre tested. My vet said that they've never been asked this and so do not provide it but she'd look into it for me. They called me yesterday and said it would cost $200 per dog! There goes that idea! What do others vets charge for this? Cheerio Maria ETA Not interested in effectiveness of or advice on vaccination, just how much you pay for Titre testing so I can go back to my vet with prices.

I'm sooo very sorry that I only just saw this otherwise I would've posted much sooner. I'm sorry to all of you for your loss of Buff. She truly was a fighter but her time had come and she was ready to go to the bridge. She is young and free with Dallie, Rad and all the Rajacadoo crew of past. :D RIP Buff, you are gone but certainly not forgotten. Best wishes, Maria and the Midniara family.