fido666

Thanks Noisymina, will check the website later. We feed diced steak (whatever is on special) or human grade mince, I never buy pet mince as you have no idea what's in it. Cheers, Corine

Yes it does but the Junket tablet has to be given around 2 hrs before travel. If you give it to close to travel you will end up with Junket pudding all over your upholstery (trust me, I know). I used this method with a bitch who always got car sick, eventually she didn't need it any more but was never particularly happy riding in the car. Ginger tablets (Travelcalm I think) from the health food shop are supposed to work but I haven't personally tried them. Start with short trips to places the dog enjoys (such as the park) and work up from there. Obviously with a puppy, make sure the vaccination status is OK before going to public places though. Cheers, Corine

Happy 1st Birthday Mallee !!!!! Duncan is almost 2, can you believe it? I was counting how many anasthetics he's had in his short life and nearly fell over, 6 alraedy! He's been so patient through it all a real little trooper. Glad to hear Mallee is going well Antoinette, poor tyke has been through a lot too ;) . Hey Kels Chloe sounds like she's keeping you on your toes too, good to see . Cheers, Corine

I second what Miranda says, ignore the puppy when he jumps, reward only for "four on the floor" and calm behaviour. Shouting at, pushing away, or getting down to the level of the puppy is attention and a reward for bad behaviour. Keep the rewards close at hand, wear a treat pouch if needed, reward quickly when the correct behaviour is offered. Cute puppies are hard to ignore but you have to be firm about this. Cheers, Corine

Thanks for the post Spikey, I have a similar problem with my 2 Collies. I'm having more trouble with the older boy as he has also developed IBD. When we first took him to the vet (in the latest series anyway), she pulled a huge ball of fur out of his rectum while doing her exam . The puppy also occasionally throws up balls of fur and mulch too. Between the 2 of them they never let up . Thanks for all the tips everyone Cheers, Corine

Fly high with those wings dear Bronte Our dogs are with us for such a short time really Regards, Corine

NILIF = Nothing In Life Is Free It basically means that the dog has to "work" for every reward. By "work" i mean perform some sort of action such as a sit. A reward can be a pat, a game, food, walks, etc. Many trainers also believe you should make a dog work for it's meals too (i.e. having to extract the food from a kong or other interactive toy rather than just being given a dish of food). That's not always practical but you can still make the dog do a few "looks", sits, come, etc with a small piece of the meal before they are allowed the rest. A lot of trainers will tell you not to let your dog up on the bed or furniture as you are in effect "giving up your territory". None of us are perfect, mine hop up too sometimes but get off when told. It's all about establishing the rules of the pack and what is acceptable to you. Cheers, Corine Cheers, Corine I'm not a behaviourist but pushing a dog away when it jumps on you is a form of contact and therefore a reward. I haven't seen the DVD so can't comment on how good her methods are overall. Cheers, Corine

Hi KKISIEL, Please PM me your email addy and I will forward the info she sent me. It has some costs listed on it but as that info was sent to me almost a year ago these may have changed. Regards, Corine

Hi KL, Sorry to hear of your loss of old Danny boy. I've never had a horse or pony and can't imagine having a pet so long, it was bad enough when my 14.5 yo Collie passed away . Thanks for sharing the pics, he looks a lovely pony . Regards, Corine

Didn't tape it, just caught the end (with the Star Pets segment). I guess it was Josh & Moses in the "Leaping Retriever" segment? I'll give them a vote to support a fellow DOLer . I thought the dog mopping the floor was pretty clever too, I know it's all training but still pretty cool. I saw the painting horse too, not so impressed with that. I did see the segment with the dog with the grass seed in it's ear for 5 years . I am amazed it took so long to spot the problem, endoscopy aint exactly a new medical breakthrough . Cheers, Corine

Hi KKISIEL, I looked into using Debbie for a problem I was having with Duncan. The trainer I was working with at the time recommended her. I know people who have attended her clinics as students and say she can do wonderful things with problem dogs. I didn't end up going through with a consult as I believe his lack of focus and attention was because he was house bound so long after surgery that he just went "yipee" when I finally was able to take him around other dogs again. Your issue does need attention, having lived with a fear biter I know it's not something that will go away by itself. Good luck with resolving the problem, I really hope it works out. Cheers, Corine

Sorry for your loss K9, I'm sure Pippin firmly implanted his paw prints on your heart in the short time you had him. RIP Pippin, run free forever Regards, Corine

I've heard nothing but good things about Dr Debbie Calnon, I believe she runs a weekly clinic at Doncaster on Tuesday nights. She will do home consults too, I will PM you her contact details. What others have said about not teaching her not to growl makes sense, it's better she growls than bites first. Please do go and see someone this problem needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. Cheers, Corine

Hi Malleerr, Mallee looks great, good to see her up and about :D . Cheers, Corine

Hi Kelly Louise and Malleerr, Thanks for the well wishes for my accident prone boy . He seems fine this morning, had another run in the park with my 6 mo pup. His bowel problem has been diagnosed as Inflammatory Bowel Disease as was expected. Tummy wise he seems fine since we have stopped feeding him boiled chicken (skinless), we think it the protein in this which sets him off. The problem was that he got the runs, we were told to feed him bland food, chicken was the food of choice with some rice. The very thing we were feeding to settle his tummy was causing the problem it seems . Since switching to beef and Hills z/d dry he's been fine. The z/d does have chicken in it but the protein is hydrolised in such a way that no antibodies can attach to it (so the Vet tells me anyway). As for his weight, I don't know as I haven't weighed him since the last vet visit, will have to do that. He still seems so awfully thin though . Cheers, Corine

Hi all, Duncan gave me a heart attack again yesterday . He tried to rush past me and slipped on the polished floors. All his legs went out from under him and he started to panic. When he got up he was holding the surgery leg up in the air. He put weight on it again fairly quickly and seems fine on it now. It does seem a bit hot around the joint, I hope he hasn't snapped a pin or done further injury. I'm hoping he has only strained a muscle or something but will keep a careful watch on him for a few days. He was tearing around like a loon again today and does not seem troubled, I'm probably just stressing for nothing . Hope Mallee, Chloe, and Koza are all doing OK . Cheers, Corine

Hugs to you Colleen, I know Maggie is sorely missed . Regards, Corine

Hi Malleerr, Glad to hear Mallee is on the mend, see I told you it gets better . Cheers, Corine

So sorry for your loss MM, Mack had a good innings though and he is free from pain now. RIP old boy :D Regards, Corine

There are so many variables here it's hard to say what caused the illness. OBS you mentioned chicken as a possible culprit, I would not be surprised at all. Chicken goes off very quickly and if not cooked correctly can be a problem. I strongly suspect boiled skinless chook being a major source of my boy's suspected Inflammatory Bowel Disease (still awaiting test results). We were told to feed him bland food every time his ummmm "squirts" started, boiled skinless chicken seemed perfect but now we have found the squirts start every time he has the chicken, he's fine on Hills i/d. Rasberry juice cordial and water can help with Giardia or "scour" but it must be at least 25% juice to have much effect. The internet is not a solution for a proper vet diagnosis though, none of us have seen your friends Sheltie so we are really just guessing. I do hope the little tyke is OK and the problem is sorted soon, little ones can go downhill so fast. Regards, Corine

Hi Antoinette, If the surgeon has said he does not need to see you again that's a really good sign , really it is. Our surgeon said much the same thing after our 1st lot of follow up x-rays, that we could dispense with the next set if we wished. We got them done anyway, just for peace of mind. We kept up with the K9 physio as well, then the physio said we didn't need to go anymore the ROM was so good ;) . Young bones heal quicker but be careful not to overdo it until the healing is complete. Who was your surgeon (have lost track), PM me if you prefer. Cheers, Corine

Thanks DB, shall mark it on the "To Watch" list Cheers, Corine

What's the program called? I shall mark it in my Calender. Cheers, Corine

Hi Kelly Louise, Sorry to hear your news was not quite what you had hoped for. It's not fair is it, all that waiting. Duncan's leg healed relatively quickly, I think mainly because he was young and his bones were in their natural growth stage anyway. Try and stay positive, at least you could see some improvement this time. I haven't got the results back on Duncan yet, in the meantime he is handling the Hills i/d canned food OK, nice formed stools YAY! I'll let you all know once I know more myself. Cheers, Corine

Hi Antoinette, I can fully symapthise with you, Duncan has had a poo fest a couple of times this week. We are starting to suspect the so called bland food we have been giving him (boiled chicken) is the very thing which sets him off. He seems fine on the Hills I/D and was even OK on some beef but as soon as we fed him the fresh chicken again WHAMMO! We are still waiting for biopsy results, will know more then I hope . Cheers, Corine