Kiara&Heidi

I used to order frozen wild rabbits for my dog (with fur on and gutted), but they smelled really bad - is that normal? They were supposedly 'fresh'.

Yes, my dog had a haematoma on her leg from surgery - it started off soft and now it has become hard (feels like bone), but it is a bit smaller than it was originally. Interesting to know that the head bump is common enough to have a nickname.

A UTI can spread quickly, so best to have it checked sooner rather than later if you can. ETA: getting a sample shouldn't be as hard as you think

Wow! Lucky you for having vets like that, mine will charge for anything and then emphasize that they are doing you a 'favour' when you get a discount because they stuffed up.

I hadn't heard of it but it sounds interesting - thanks for bringing it to my attention, it is something I might look into in the future.

I knew a lady who had a 23 year old chihuahua - it is something I aspire to for my dogs

lilli - WHY ARE YOU ON THIS FORUM? It is clear that you are not concerned with the welfare of dogs Is it that you are just trying to upset everyone?

Hydatids (eggs I think) can live in cow and roo poo. It is recommended that dogs are wormed once a month for hydatids, and not all wormers cover for them - I think it needs to be a wormer with parazinquel.

What about a cavalier?

It seems my Chihuahua puppy, Heidi also has patella luxation - every now an then she 'skips' and she is only 3 months old. I am really worried about her, my staffy has only just recovered from her ACL surgery (her leg will never be the same) and now I have to worry about Heidi as well. I have been reading about patella luxation literally all day and it seems there are mixed opinions - some people are saying surgery is needed above grade 1, and some people say conservative management is the way to go as long as the dog is not in pain. I am very confused - hoping she will improve as she gets more muscle, but realising there is little chance of that. I have had her on a raw diet singe I got her when she was 8 weeks old, she also has a fish oil capsule every day and some glucosamine - I am really hoping this will help. Good luck Judy, it looks like I will be with you on your journey unfortunately. I hope your boy goes ok, lucky it is only grade 1 at this stage. ETA: does anyone know if I should take Heidi swimming to increase muscle mass or is she too young? Edit - spelling

My 13kg Staffy often gets a whole raw chicken for dinner - dont cut it up, dogs have teeth for a reason

The longer you wait the more you have to look foward to! I would probably wait until your current pup has grown up - especially if this is your first deaf dog. But it's up to you if you really think you can handle it.

You can try warming it up and partially cooking it either with a little boiling water mixed in or rolling it into a ball and searing it in a hot pan. That worked well for my Chihuahua puppy who was very fussy but now she eats a good varied raw diet with no problems. If you do partially cook it, make sure there is very little or no fat to avoid tummy upsets. I have also heard of people mixing a little grated parmesan cheese in, or you could mix in anything else you can think of that your pup likes. Ideally you should be feeding your pup unminced meat - if she will willingly eat that now, then no problems, just forget the mince! But for most fussy pups I think they prefer mince at the start and then when they get used to it you can transfer them onto unminced meat.

Hi evereryone, I bought a container of spirulina powder for myself, but it is REALLY disgusting, so I have been giving some to my dogs. I just mix it with some water and they love it. I was just wondering if anyone gives it to their dogs and/or knows what amount to give - I have a 13kg Staffy and an 800g Chihuahua puppy. I have read good things about using spirulina for pets, but I am interested to know if there are any risks, especially if too much is given. I have searched past posts but there is not quite the depth of information I am after. Any thoughts on spirulina for dogs? Thanks, Arielle.

My puppy loves to pee on the carpet right next to the pads . I think if you praise the puppy for going on the pads it would definitely be confusing in terms of making them feel like it's ok to go inside. If you want an inside toilet option, I would save my money and go with newspaper.

I walk my dogs several times a day and we have a puppy at the moment. I am definitely not prepared to stop walking my dogs for so long either. My advice would be to avoid taking your older dog to dog parks, and maybe give him a wipe down with a towel and wash his paws before he comes near your puppy. I disagree with what the person said to you - you are still reducing the puppy's level of exposure by not walking him. Whatever your other dog brings in wouldn't be as strong as if your puppy sniffed an infected dog's poo or chewed on a bit of grass that had been urinated on etc.

I have tried it before for my dog and she was fine

I had my Staffy done when she was 6 months (yes, I know Staffies aren't a giant breed but they are definitely not fully grown at 6 months) I have always wondered why she is so much lankier than her parents and now I think this is possibly why.

No, to the best of my knowledge it does not do for Hydatid Tapeworm, or maybe I should say it didn't when I used it last. Ok thanks, I tried Googling it but with no luck... I'll stick to Drontal then.

This happened to my dog once - she would do it almost every night (In my bed ). Took her to the vet and they found nothing wrong, but offered a medication to tighten her bladder (I think, can't really remember) which I declined because I would rather clean up urine than medicate when it's avoidable. Eventually she just stopped, and hasn't done it for years. When you say you had his urine checked, did they just look at it under the microscope straight away, or did they culture it? Culturing is more accurate, so you might want to get it done if you want to rule out a UTI. It is very possible that he is just a heavy sleeper and/or has a weak bladder. I would be more concerned about why he is drinking so much water (if it's a really excessive amount).

You can try giving them a bit less dry food and substituting it with grated veggies.

Does anyone know if it does the Hydatid Tapeworm and if it's definitely safer than Drontal?

I have used a halti on 3 dogs who pull, including a staffy. When they give up trying to get it off all of them walk well without pulling at all.

Ok thanks, I am trying it. I'll post to say how it's going in a few days.

I have heard it's good to wait until they are fully grown - does anyone know if that's true and if it really makes that much difference? I think there was a study done that showed female dogs that were never desexed lived longer on average (something along those lines)...so it's definitely something to think about. I am also wondering about the age of desexing for my puppy, but she is at the opposite end of the scale (a chihuahua) so does that mean she could be done earlier than a larger dog?