Ashka

If your dog is staying at 7kgs she's getting enough I'd give her a sardine in oil occasionally, peanut butter is usually fine as long as it isn't the cheap 'Made in China' brands Good whole meal bread is OK occasionally but not the white cotton wool stuff. Cheese of any variety goes down well around here. Not cheese slices though, your dog doesn't need the preservative and aluminum they contain. Dried liver makes good treats, I'd give the rawhide stuff a miss. Once you have dragged a long, soggy raw hide mess out of your dogs throat you never buy it again. Please, No cooked bones and that includes the dried bones from the pet shop. No ham, bacon, sausages, corned beef etc as they all contain sulphur dioxide plus other preservatives which are poison to your dog.

Puppies need puppy food not poor quality adult dog food. Any puppy food would be better than what you are feeding him, chicken necks excepted. You are going to turn a gentle little Cav into a very frightened sick dog who will bite to protect himself as obviously you won't protect him. HE'S A BABY. Suggesting that a baby cav can pull any child into a kennel is absolute rubbish. What the hell is a baby cav doing in a kennel anyway? Give him back or rehome him to someone who cares before you ruin him completely. PS Get a stuffed toy for your adult dogs to chew up not a baby Cav.

For itches and any fungus type skin problems I'd always bath my dogs in Vetadine which is an iodine animal wash from most vets. I now use it 99% of the time as water is often limited and it doesn't need rinsing out. The slight orange/brown staining on white feet etc only lasts a few hours. (Turns silver rings black for a few days) I'd get a diabetes & UTI tests done on the dog for the extra water intake if the problem continues after the settling in period. Hope you can get it sorted out quickly.

I really wish dog owners would learn to use any training aid properly before using it on their dog. Check chains are used LOOSE not tight, you check the dog with immediate loose lead & Praise. It is NOT a choke chain. Use your wrist as the dogs neck, put it on the correct way round so it loosens as soon as the pressure is off and practice... If the dog pulls and chokes YOU have make a mistake not the dog. Halties / halters have been used for generations on calves, foals, horses, goats, pet sheep etc. without problems. I've never used a prong collar and never will as they are illegal in NZ. Personally I use a check chain for formal obedience and when I want 100% attention and NO leg cocking or squatting. ie when walking through town, outdoor markets, crowded areas etc. The chain is loose 99.99% of the time. No squatting or leg cocking allowed in the Obedience ring, no tight leads either. A very fine chain is used for the Show ring (No sitting) and a flat collar is used the rest of the time. If you are as consistent as you should be the dog always knows exactly what is expected from what is put around his neck. They are not dumb. My Ch. Cavalier wore a check chain for obedience training from approx. 3 months old. Same as all my previous dogs, most of which gained CDX incl the Chow boy and an Obedience Champion Springer. I use what works for me and mine as should everyone else.

As I understand it a dogs' digestive system adapts to the diet it is fed. A totally different meal will usually cause diarrhea as the enzymes needed to digest it are not available in sufficient quantities. A large quantity of Bones will cause constipation / blockage in a dog not used to them. Probably not enough acid available. Change over slowly and give one or two RAW chicken necks first as they are one of the easiest bones to digest. Pork I steer clear of, many dogs can't digest it. Please never feed cooked bones or the brittle smoked / cooked bones from the pet shop.

The drop in quality when Proctor & Gamble purchased Eukanuba. Research after reading the ingredient list on the back of dog food containers. The peanut hulls in Science diet. The back handers to the Vets and Vet schools including the nutrition text books written by Waltham one of the biggest pet food chains. The latest pet poisoning episode and pet food recall in the USA which implicated most of the so called 'Good' brands. I could go on but I won't. I make up his meals myself, balanced through info on the net and nutritional data spreadsheets. What I spend on food I save on vet bills. Have fun learning.

Hydatids, sheep measles and I can't remember the one that affects beef, ALL use the dog as the intermediary host. If livestock is your living & you don't want it condemned at the works you keep offal fed dogs off the farm. Bottom line, hydatis can kill humans. Freezing and or cooking offal doesn't make it safe to feed. Dronal plus kills the hydatis worm in dogs. If you feed cooked or raw offal think about worming with a hydatis wormer every month or so to keep you & yours safe. HISTORY: It doesn't seem that long ago when all dogs (in NZ) were regularly starved for 24 hours then tied up at the local dosing strip and drenched. They were then left tied up till the drench worked and the results tested for hydatis ...... the fines were large. Dogs died at the dosing strip, mine thankfully survived. We then had the hydatis dosing guys come round to every house and farm and dose all the dogs with Droncit. Every couple of months from memory. We also had to carry the dogs dosing certificate with us everywhere we went . No dogs behind 6' fences ~ all were tied out the front and dosed by strangers whether you were home or not.. mmmm Maybe I should add to the Wiki entry

Lack of copper causes loss of pigment in coloured sheep pelts. http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/pls/portal30/do.../FN028_2004.PDF Vitiligo (lack of skin pigment, often patchy) is fairly common in humans but doesn't seem to be caused by lack of minerals. (Michael Jackson has it )

I use an aluminum tramping pole or carry a baseball bat depending on the number of out of control dogs / idiot owners around. My Cavalier dog has already been attacked twice by huge out of control dogs while walking at heel on lead. Hubbies boot solved the last problem but he's not always available.

I Obedience train my boys to walk at heel. The latest one is now 5 years old, he will not lift his leg on anything if he's wearing his Obedience check chain unless I walk him to a lamp post or tree and use our toilet command 'Hurry up' Used mainly for town walks through cafe seating and the normal crowded footpath items. Also for visiting non dog people friends. Slip his check chain on and he's at heel, no messing around. Ordinary fun walks are on a collar and extender lead and he can please himself as long as there is still an instant recall to my side when necessary. Keep it simple & consistent and most of all don't forget the praise. He's an entire Champion Stud dog. (Cavalier)

The coat, if well looked after, will insulate the dog from the temperature extremes. Desert nomads wear long flowing robes in the heat, they don't run around nekkid.

The container gives dire warnings about getting the stuff on your own skin and you put the dogs reaction down as behavioral? Use it if you have to but don't expect the dog to like it. It is a deadly poison.

I had one male Springer done but only one ear, was as good as gold afterwards with no further problems. His sire (Owned by my Vet) had to be done too, also one ear only and he was OK afterwards too. In those two cases is was the best choice and there were no further infection problems. With a smelly, itchy dog I'd be changing the dogs diet first.

Mushu, I always get my dogs used to laying on their side so it's easy to comb under arms and tummy etc. Stand the dog, use one hand and hold low down on back leg furthest away, use the other hand low down on furthest away front leg. Pull gently towards you and dog will on it's side... Praise and rub tummy which most love. Roll over to comb other side. Worked well for my big dogs including a couple of chows and still works well for the doglet. He goes to sleep

Grooming is so much easier if you get the dog up out of it's normal play zone. Bench, table even the ironing board for a smallish one gets the dog to your waist height. The dog is then slightly apprehensive and more likely to listen and stay still.

Yes they moult but they don't need clipping every 6 weeks. Entire Ch. boy with easy care coat. Photo of our motorhome carpet after 3 days, DH uses his sneakers to collect fur. :rolleyes:

Bless you for looking after a sick little man. Archie isn't going to be using up much energy running around so I'd increase the protein & fat in his diet but cut the carbs / starch down. eg. cut down the biscuits and add a scrambled egg or some sardines (Both a hit with my Cavalier boy) Feeding him small amounts three times a day if possible would be easier for him. You may need to comb his ears everyday and a full comb every other day or so depending on his coat. If he gets a bit dirty or greasy a small amount of baking soda (bicarb) rubbed though his coat and combed or brushed out will help. There is a school of thought that talc is bad for babies (can get into their lungs) so I don't use it as a dry shampoo. If Northumberland is the UK one Many Cav owners there feed tinned tripe. Best.

Ears: Cavaliers or Charlie's for that matter: A Snood is a necessity to keep long ears out of the food dish. Cut the top off an old adult sock and pull over ears, you can always make a pretty one from a small amount of material made into a tube with elastic both ends. :rolleyes: I find a smooth metal comb best to use to keep knots at bay. A brush can smooth the top coat but leave mats at skin level. I would trim up his feet, at least underneath and keep the nails trimmed. Many toy dogs are just not heavy enough to keep their nails worn down. Most Good breeders remove the pup's dew claws at three days old but best to check as they can get hidden in the feathering, they will need to be trimmed too The heart grading is a worry, for your own peace of mind I'd get a vet check done as soon as possible. A heart specialist check would be best if possible. All the best ~ they are lovely little dogs.

Dronsit for tape & Hydatids worms every 3 months because I feed some meat raw. Hydatids & Sheep measels are still around and Hydatids can kill you, dogs are intermediate hosts. http://www.science.org.au/nova/056/056key.htm Flea treatment when necessary No heartworms in NZ No Vacs after 1 year

Starve for 24 hours then small meals of boiled rice & skinless chicken with a dollop of good plain yogurt. Dehydration can occur quite quickly. Sticky rather than wet gums are a symptom as is a hand full of skin on the back of the dogs neck which stays crunched up when let go after being grabbed gently. If you can't get hold of an electrolyte mix at the chemist: 1 teaspoon sugar & one eighth teaspoon salt dissolved in a cup of water works. So does a teaspoon of black strap molasses, which contains Sugar & Sodium plus other trace minerals, dissolved in water. If the dog will not drink, a syringe without a needle can be used to get liquids into the side of the dogs mouth and hopefully he will swallow at least some of it. Keep dog quiet & warm and all should be well in a couple of days. If worried or not sure things are improving Get to the Vet.

Not just dogs and cats in rendering plants if this news is anything to go by. Note: Not nice, the guy has been charged with murdering 26 women. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/...kton-plant.html No meat or bone meal for my pup thanks

Vet report on Ziwi Peak a No grain No filler air dried raw food if that's of any use http://tinyurl.com/yu8knx http://www.ziwipeak.com/Vets-Q-and-A/Vet-Report-on-ZiwiPeak/

Who the heck still believes the major pet food companies: The last 12+ weeks of pet food recalls in the US, South Africa, Germany, NZ et al proved that the pet food labels mean nothing and the cheapest possible ingredients are used. Poisoned imported grain fractions from China are just the start. The bottom line & shareholders are far more important than your pet. Euk, Nutro, Iams, Royal Canin, Science Diet were included in the recalls. http://itchmo.com/ It's not that difficult to set up a spreadsheet and make up your own dog's food. There's heaps of info out there. Yahoo groups: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Kitchen/ http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

Issues regarding Castration: BreederVet http://www.showdogsupersite.com/kenlclub/b...tionindogs.html

Cavalier Photo Thread: http://forums.dogzonline.com.au/index.php?...mp;hl=Cavaliers Have fun