Ashka

Importing drugs could prove to be difficult but I have no idea what the laws in Aussie are. You could ask your Vet to put her on the cheaper generic drugs that are mentioned on the link which may help your budget somewhat. Best.

Hugs from the other side of the ditch. Costs are mentioned on the website below which may help. There are several heart studies being done as heart problems are so prevalent in Cavs. At least one can take comfort in the fact that Mitral valve disease is not painful to the dog. http://www.cavaliertalk.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=561 All the Best from another Cav owner.

A couple of very good, smooth tooth stainless combs are all I use to keep my dogs' hair coat tidy and the majority of the hair off the furnishings, gave up on brushes for grooming 30 odd years go :D Brushes are OK for a quick tidy up before going into the show ring or for a special blow dry job. (Chows, Springers & Cavaliers etc) Some very heavy coated dogs need a good quality rake to keep their coats in good nick. Brushes should be taken away from all new non shedding oodles & SWF owners ~ give them a good quality comb & scissors instead.

I have to put a vote in for a Cavalier, not yappy, handled Dog Obedience training classes with ease and our boy lives with us in our 7 meter MotorHome since we retired a couple of months ago. Darn near bomb proof with other dogs, toddler and teenage grandkids, the show ring and just being a dog. A poodle would be high on the list as would a Papillion.

My Chow girl had both her ball joints removed after a car accident. I taught her to walk again by lifting her by her tail to keep most of the weight off the back legs as they healed. No future problems at all and she could beat the boys in a running race for years.. Her front legs were always stronger which helped. With the front leg problems the pup has I wouldn't put the extra strain on them. (Nearly 30 years ago, there must be more options now) Only their vet will really know, hopefully one with the pups future health & happiness in mind not just $$s

If you can't trust your butcher not to add dye and or preservatives to human grade mince buy Beef Heart or gravy beef instead. Better yet change your butcher to one you can trust. I wouldn't feed pet mince to any dog because of the sulfur dioxide added to it. Sulfur dioxide removes the Thiamin in the dogs diet, not really a good idea. Worst still the butcher doesn't have to state sulfur dioxide on the ingredients list.

A quick rub down with a baby wipe after a pee is all that is usually needed. I still prefer boys and long haired ones at that. A pack by the house door, another in the glove box ... need to take out shares in the company. Not that he needs cleaning up very often now he's cocking his leg properly. My lad is still being shown so trimming isn't allowed for him.

I'm with wagsalot, a fee free bank account for the dog, interest is a plus if you can get it. An auto payment into it each payday, set up with the bank, is the easy way and the dollars add up quickly. In 35+ years of owning dogs I've only ever had one year that I spent more than a yearly insurance premium would have cost. Most years the actual cost hasn't come anywhere near. Best

New Zealand made ZiwiPeak is available in Aussie and the USA which is why I mentioned it Best.

You could try ZiwiPeak, all natural air dried raw food from NZ. No Fillers at all. •Ingredients ::Venision ::Lamb ::Beef ::NZ Mussel ::Liver, Heart and Kidney ::Chicory Syrup ::Lecithin ::Fish / Hoki Oil ::Parsley ::Green Tripe ::Flaxseed Oil ::Kelp ::Vitamins and Minerals I use it myself, dog loves it and is looking good. http://www.ziwipeak.com/aboutus.php

Very Useful, Many thanks & it's now in my folder too :rolleyes:

Usually caused by an empty tummy, try feeding at least twice a day. There are better foods around but an extra meal will help. Same amount of food daily though :-) Best.

I use my blender but cut everything up well first. I always chuck in a couple of eggs including the shells, ACV and oil so don't need to add much water. Wish I had a juicer though, sounds much easier.

Hi BittyMooPeep, Most pet mince has Sulfur Dioxide added to make it look red & fresh, it kills the thaimine in the meat as well as not being very good for the dog. They do not have to list it on pet food but why the heck they ruin good food I don't know. Human grade mince, chicken frames, pieces of meat, beef heart etc are a better bet or a friendly local butcher who will agree not to add the Sulfur Dioxide or anything else :-) I'd change the treats if you can, I won't ask what's on the ingredient list .. lol. Artificial colours plus preseravatives I'd expect. You could use dried liver or plain cheddar cheese. I can get dried liver slices from the pet food bulk bins at the local supermarket, might be worth a look. ZiwiPeak treats are another option (air dried raw) A few cheap multi coloured cat biscuits are enough to get my dog's eyes watering. The darn cat won't eat anything else. Live ACV is cloudy, some cheaper brands are heated to kill the 'mother' so the ACV is clear and is of very little use except for flavour. I use NZ's Comvita brand HoneyGar, live ACV with' the mother' plus honey, good for the dog and I use it in sweet & sour sauces. It's not cheap though. All the best in getting rid of the darn staining.

If you want a permament fix ~ Change the dog's food to the very best you can afford.. No artificial anything No byproducts or generic meat, poultry etc. Animals and birds have names. First two or three ingredients named chicken, beef, lamb, herring etc. If you can, remove soy, corn and wheat. It's probably easier to feed raw or home cook. Cavaliers, like most smaller breeds are suseptable to staining but my dog has no staining at all now. Feed him poorer food and his eyes start watering and the staining is back within a few days. Live ACV is good for them anyway and it may help, he gets that in his food as he will not drink enough if I dose his water bowl. Some breeders are using butter milk powder in their dogs food, no idea if it helps though. Although some stain removers make the dog look better the fur usually ends up very porous and then it stains even easier. White regrowth = Sucess Best.

No rinse Vetadine as a general clean up and my VO5 shampoo & conditioner for shows. I love the clean smell of Vetadine, it makes the silver in my ring go black though The resulting slightly yellow white fur goes beautifully white again in a couple of hours.

I have a 4 year old entire Cav boy. The only thing that has helped in the past was to get the boys outside before their bladders were over-full, lowers the pressure a bit. My boy prefers to cock his leg on the most interesting smell he can find, usually on a bush or tree. Maybe your grass smells better than the trees :-) Baby wipes by the door make for a quick clean up of wet legs. Have fun.

After two years of general obedience training & auto sits my dog's breeder asks if she can put him in the show ring. Yikes The belly strap worked a treat and I also stopped him sitting everytime I stopped at road kerbs etc too. With a little dog some options aren't available :-) At nearly four years old the auto sits are a thing of the past as he is still being shown. Bit sad in a way but it was easier than teaching his breeder hand signals just for one dog lol.

Cavalier breeders should have clear heart & eye certificates less than a year old for all breeding stock. My pup came with his own clear eye certificate @ 8 weeks old, he was heart tested clear last year & has just been heart tested again at nearly 4 ~ again clear :-) Inherited disorders for Cavaliers: http://www.vetsci.usyd.edu.au/lida/index.p...es+spaniel&Op=1 Cavaliers are easy to train and you start on day one. A mixed breed Obedience group is usually best when a little older so he gets used to dogs of all sizes, my pup made friends with the biggest Neo Mastiff bitch I've ever seen, he just came up to her knees. He passed the tests easily. Just the usual 'Never give the dog a command you can't make him obey' crate train to make house training easier, good food and heaps of sleep. he's a baby. Sitting on the floor with him is an easy way to teach sit / down etc. Always ¼ commands & ¾ praise. Be Consistent. If he's not allowed to jump on the sofa wet & muddy he's never allowed to jump on it. He doesn't know the difference, he's a dog. Never ever call him to you to tell him off. He only remembers the last thing he did ie. came to you. You may well have been yelling yourself hoarse, no matter, praise the dog for coming. Food treats as praise can be fraught with problems, dogs have a wonderful sense of smell ~ he knows if you have them or not. I use treats for the first couple of days learning something new, not after that. Treats are not any use at all when you need to drop your dog from a distance. Have the same problem with clickers. I always have my mouth for praise and a my hands for a pat. Up to you. You could ask a farmer what he thinks about food treats & clicker training for his sheep dogs. lol Dogs are dogs. Like many others I'm not keen on puppy play groups with crates used for time out and with learner owners of big pups who think it's funny when the toy breed pups get monstered. My dog's crate is his safe place and always has been. The vets, like a hospital, is a great place to pick up whatever bugs are going round at the time. I have replied to your PMs twice but the reply doesn't seem to go through, sorry. Get pup out and about to meet people and get used to strange noises, carry him unless you have a perfectly clean area for him to play on. Took one of my boys pups to the beach at 8 weeks old, clean beach with the tide going out. He had a ball with his Dad. Have fun

The only commercial food I know of without any grain or fillers is ZiwiPeak. It's an air dried raw meat food from over the ditch in New Zealand. I pay NZ $25.50 for 1 kg bag, amount fed is very little in comparison to most foods. I understand it's available in Australia, USA etc. http://www.ziwipeak.com/aboutus.php All the best.

Split one slice of cheese into three. The pill goes in the middle one. Or use anything the dog likes. Give the 1st. piece and even an extremely suspicious dog won't find anything hidden. Give the second piece with hidden pill but offer the third piece straight away. As most dogs are just plain greedy the pill goes down without a fuss. Best.

Besides getting better toys and removing the furniture for a while. Vicks Vapour Rub has always kept my pups away from favourite chewing areas. Best

I personally wouldn't feed Science diet or Euk The main ingredients are those listed before the fat/oil. Why not check the ingredients against those in Innova, Eagle Pack or ZiwiPeak I feed ZiwiPeak as it is basically an Air dried, balanced raw diet without colours, preservatives, grains or fillers. Feed less of better quality food & pickup less. If you feel bad about the quantity fed use a smaller bowl :cool:.

I won't use human smallgoods for treats either. The smaller the dog the more careful you have to be. I know the NZ made Ziwi Peak Treats are available is Aussie. They are already cut into smallish pieces and are just air dried meat mix. No preservatives, colours, flavours, grain or fillers etc. My dog would stand on his head for some. The Ziwi Peak food is good too :cool:

Main meals: Varies I feed Raw or cooked cubed chicken, beef & beef heart, not mince. 1. Cooked meat & heart with eggs & shells, fruit, vegies, mackerel, brown rice, lentils. Fish oil & cider vinegar. 2. Raw meat plus calcium to balance with Canidae kibble. 3. NZ's ZiwiPeak Cuisine, 2 x Raw Chicken necks for breakfast. Treats from Ziwi Peak or dried liver. I will only feed kibble made with human grade food without artificial anything :rolleyes: The first 2 or 3 ingredients on the list must be named meats, no generic items. eg. Chicken meal is fine, poultry meal isn't it can come from any bird. Beef meal is fine, meat meal I'll leave to your imagination. Runny eyes and coat staining is a major problem for my dog with 2nd rate commercial foods. Canidae kibble is imported from the US and was the best food available here in NZ. NZ's Ziwi Peak all natural, dehydrated, no grain food will probably replace it. All the best for the Future