Kiara&Heidi

For a wash I find the Fidos dog shampoo is good (it contains pyrethrin to kill the fleas). I find I have to use it quite frequently because the fleas will come back after a day or two. You can sprinkle borax and/or diatomaceous earth and/or hydrated lime on carpet and bedding, leave it for a while and vacuum it up. You can also dust your dogs with diatomaceous earth after their bath (it will make them grey and dusty but it's much safer then frontline as long as you make sure they don't inhale the dust). This should be repeated whenever the diatomaceous earth seems to have all come off until there are no more fleas. The diatomaceous earth is from http://www.berigorafarm.com.au/ Good luck

I'm not saying no dogs should fetch - just that it should be up hill if they do and that I wouldn't worry too much if my dog had no inclination to fetch. I was just putting it out there that fetching is an easy and very common way to tear an ACL so people should be careful. It doesn't really matter whether your dog is running in a straight line or on a curve - it is when they stop suddenly to get the ball and everything below the knee stops while everything above the knee continues to accelerate foward. That is why uphill fetching is better - it reduces this effect.

K9: My Staffy is food OBSESSED. I have tried doing sit and wait exercises with her food in front of her - she will wait but she gets very stressed out and trembles uncontrollably, whinges, makes grunting noises and her eyes bulge etc. When she is waiting she looks like she is trying to restrain herself because she sort of moves around in different positions. My problem is, as far as I know there is no amount of time that I can wait until she stops this behaviour if there is food in front of her. I have tried waiting up to 2 hours (sometimes eating my dinner while she waits for hers) with her food in front of her and I am worried that it is unhealthy for her to be in this state of stress for so long. When she finally does get her food she eats it so fast that she usually has to regurgitate it and chew it again (she is raw fed so her food is in large pieces, not kibble) I would really like to get her food obsession under control because she often starts whingeing if she hears someone preparing food and won't stop for hours. Also I feel I should mention that she is not food agressive at all and will let anyone put their hand in her bowl or touch her while she is eating, but if she is waiting for food and someone goes near her or or the food her level of stress seems to accelerate because she thinks her food is going to be stolen. Do you have any advice?

I don't know why you're suggesting pups and kids aren't a good combination? I have grown up with several dogs/puppies and there have always been kids in the house...everyone gets on great and if anything it is a win-win situation because the dogs learn to be good with kids and the kids learn to care for and respect dogs.

I honestly wouldn't worry if your dogs dont fetch - it's a great way to rupture an ACL as I now know from experience . By the way for anyone who has ball obsessed dogs, according to my vet you're supposed to throw the ball up hill so there is less impact on the knees when the dog stops suddenly.

I took my Chihuahua puppy to school the other day and she slept on my lap the whole time I was in class. Even when people were petting her she didn't open her eyes

You should probably be walking her for one hour daily minimum. I know you said it's hard to find time so I guess the only option is to wake up earlier (I often have to wake up at 5am to walk my Staffy otherwise she will whinge all day). Also try multiple Kongs with whatever moist food you choose (such as soaked kibble or mince meat), and freeze them overnight. You will probably need the XXL black one for your GSD and it should take her a while to empty. There are a lot of other treat dispensers available - I would stock up on them - by the time your girl is finished emptying them all out she will probably be tired of chewing and ready for a sleep. Good luck

Just out of interest, did you try one particular brand of expensive kibble or a few? It might be just one ingredient in the kibble that she is sensitive to, which is obviously not in the Supercoat you are feeding her now (for example it could be lamb in the kibble which you mentioned she cannot tolerate). As far as kibbles go though, Supercoat doesn't seem to be too bad if you compare ingredients with higher end brands. My Staffy loves salmon heads too, but I haven't bought them for her in a while - thanks for the reminder :D

I got them from here: http://www.deerfarm.com.au/ It's a deer farm in Victoria. Thanks! They're surprisingly cheap - I'll definitely be getting some.

Thanks!

When I had this problem the vet put my dog on a course of cortisone...it worked temporarily but the symptoms came back within a couple of days of completing the course. The vet suggested she might just have to stay on cortisone for her whole life but that isn't healthy at all! Maybe it's worth a try but I would use it as a last resort when nothing else works.

My girl used to have really bad skin allergies where she would scratch until she was red raw I switched her to a raw diet and it disappeared gradually in a couple of weeks - no major problems since, but sometimes if she eats some food shes not supposed to it comes back a bit. A friend of mine has since had the same problem with her dog and good results from switching to raw. I know it's not a miracle cure for everything but its worth a try. Not sure about Sulphur...try addressing the problem rather than masking the symptoms and you will have a healthier dog. Good luck!

My Staffy had these symptoms when she was about 6 months and it was diagnosed as Kennel Cough. She got over it in about a week with antibiotics. I'm not suggesting your Staffy has Kennel Cough, just sharing my experience. Hope he gets better soon!

Where do you get deer antlers from? Is there somewhere online?

Do you freeze the kong? It lasts much longer - my staffy can get everything out if it isn't frozen in about 5 minutes but when it's frozen it lasts her about 2 hours. I would be careful with giving large weight bearing bones (such as marrow bones and any long bones from cattle)often because they have the tendency to wear down teeth - it's usually ok with smaller dogs because they don't have the jaw power, but your Ridgeback would probably end up with very worn down teeth if you gave these types of bones regularly. I agree roo tails are a good option, but I really wouldnt be giving hard bones every day. Be careful with rawhide too if you are not supervising your dog as it can be dangerous if swallowed in large pieces (It swells many times in size once wet). Usually a few chemicals such as bleach are used in the production of rawhide too so I personally don't use it often. Maybe buy another kong?

Thanks. I hadn't heard of a CC3 before either but i suppose I'll have to wait and see what the vet says.

Staranais - I wasn't aware that there was no good evidence to support the use of glucosamine - but it appears you're right. I just did a search on Google for glucosamine studies and most of what came up suggested glucosamine was no more effective than a placebo. Funny though - I'll still be reluctant to give it up.

I know how you feel! I also get my dog meat from the Fresh Meat Store and have to unpack it - and I am vegan... I just buy heaps at once, bear with it and when I am done I know I wont have to do it again for a while.

My Staffy had TTA surgery for a torn cruciate ligament about a year ago and I have been giving her 6 fish oil capsules and 1500mg Glucosamine daily since. They are both human grade - I choose human grade because I figure anything short of human grade can only mean reduced quality. My Staffy loves her fish oil - she just chews them like treats. You might find it interesting to hear that about a month ago I ran out of both fish oil and glucosamine for a week and she actually went lame again. Within a couple of days of reintroducing it (in conjunction with careful activity restriction) she started walking normally! I am aware that this could be a coincidence but fish oil and glucosamine are supposed to be anti-inflammatory so I think it is also likely that it's not a coincidence. Arielle

Hi everyone, I am relatively new to this forum and I just have a few questions. Sorry if I was supposed to put this topic in the puppy section instead - I wasn't sure. I have a 9 week old chihuahua puppy and am quite confused about the appropriate vaccination schedule for her. She has already had her first vaccination which was a CC3 at 6 weeks. The breeder said the CC3 was more appropriate than C3 because she is so tiny (apparently the CC3 is a ferret dose?) So, her next vaccine is supposed to be another CC3 at 12 weeks, and I believe the one after that will be at 18 weeks. Now, I am thinking back to when my Staffy was a puppy and I remember the breeder (also a vet nurse) told us she only needed two C3 vaccinations if they were further apart - could this be done for my Chi puppy as well? Does anyone have any opinions about how far apart her vaccinations should be and how many she should have? I have been reading about titer testing but I don't know if it is appropriate for puppies or if it is just used as a measure of immunity for yearly vaccinations. Can someone please explain to me the difference between the 3 puppy vaccinations - Why do they have 3? Are they all the same quantities? Are the second and third ones just boosters? I also have a question about puppy preschool regarding immunity. The puppy preschool we are planning to go to is held at a vet clinic, and my puppy is booked to go there when she will be 11 weeks. My mum is worried she will pick something up from the vets while we are at puppy preschool because when my Staffy was a puppy she got Kennel Cough which may or may not have been from the vet. The only reason I want to take her is so she can meet other puppies and people while she is young; we do not need to learn how to train a puppy etc, I have been to puppy training about 5 times before. So I am wondering if it is worth the risk for her health. But then... I thought my efforts in avoiding the vet clinic will be all in vain because my puppy will have to go there for her vaccinations anyway! Sorry, I know my post is a bit all over the place...I am just really confused and worried about over or under vaccinating her, and I dont want her to get sick when it is avoidable, so any opinions are very much appreciated. Thanks! Arielle

In NSW there is also a reall good one called the Fresh Meat Store. http://www.justfood4dogs.com.au/ is the website, it all gets delivered and is really cheap. There are other meats available not listed on the website e.g. I always order sheep hearts and sometimes rabbit - you just have to ask. Highly reccomended The Petbarn stores also have some frozen stuff like roo tails, chicken and lamb offcuts. It is reasonably priced and some is even organic.

I had a similar experience with my Staffy Kiara's breeder. I emailed her twice with photos and updates, but never heard back from her. I was a bit confused and disappointed because she encouraged me to give her updates and she even cried a bit when we left with Kiara. Maybe the emails didn't go through? I would have loved to keep in touch with her though.