TheCheekyMonster

Hi Guys, A friend of mine as asked me to look around for a pup for them simply because they dont know what to look for. My first suggestion is rescue and they are not ruling out that idea, but it must be small and cute :S I own large dogs and the only small breed dog I think is hell cute is a frenchie so I need some help. They also dont want a high maintenance breed as it needs to be suited to an apartment for your average person who knows nothing more about dogs than they have 4 legs and need to eat and drink and be loved so peoples suggestions of 1. small breeds and 2. rescue places in QLD would be very much appreciated.

This is what I thought but apparently it is not accurate and the only accurate way to test for iron is a liver sample, I will get another opinion, we have been to this vet before and they were excellent but I spoke to someone else so I'll call around. I havent seen any behaviourist about it yet I guess I want to do a process of elimination starting with the physical factors, his Gums are pinky not overly red. I have also heard that about the macadamias I spoke to our local vet and apparently some dogs are fine with it... Gus and Nala seems to be fine with it.... new house has no macadamias :D !!

I called a vet to get some blood work done and they said the only thing they can test is his electrolytes :S his not dehydrated! and she asked about his diet and I told her and she did say that he would be deficient in Iron and Calcium but to test the iron a sample of his liver would need to be taken. Is this correct or is there a specific blood test I can do?? Also I cant just give him iron tablets because he can OD on that so my question is how do they know the correct amount to give him if they cant test his levels without taking a sample

:laugh: assuming you meant toys, not the kids. To get back on topic, he isn't on cortisone is he? That can make them really hungry. His on nothing but love lol. Ill make a vet appointment to get a full round check up and blood work and take it from there I think, process of elimination is best.

It is more upsetting than anything, he cant be happy constantly searching for things new environment, new sports and less chaos hopefully will aid the problem.

Yes, this may be the only way, to keep a muzzle on when he is unsupervised. I'd still recommend plenty of chew items, but to stock him eating the lawnfood etc, a muzzle might be the only way. Or keep it out of his reach. He's only eating it because you let him have access to it. Its not that we "let him", things are put up high on shelving and he knocks the whole shelf over, the lawn food was under the house and the gate was left open becuase someone was mowing out front (all the lawn mower and what not are kept there) he dragged it out in a space of 5 minutes and just ate half of it... Sorry, I didn't mean it to be rude, but in a way it's true. You're the one with the logical brain, he's the dog who has a one track mind and will do whatever he can to eat everything, so you need to take control and do whatever you can to stop him. If he can knock shelves over, maybe you need to close the door to that room. If a gate is open while lawn mowing is being done, maybe he needs to be locked inside for a while, etc I know one of my pugs will eat the cardboard boxes in our storage room if he gets in there, so the door to that room stays closed. The other pug will eat my shoes, even if I put them on top of a table she will climb up onto the table to get them, and she can open my wardrobe, so we have baby gates blocking off rooms. For a larger dog who can probably just bounce over baby gates that solution probably isn't as simple, but conceptually - it might be. I think one can only control so much, we are very cautious of what is left around but accidents happen and my question was more so about the behaviour if it is typical for a dog to be eating uneditable things, he isnt chewing these things and playing with them he is eating them. I do understand your point, but I think this is a little beyond that. :)

He has been crated before for an extensive period of time and showed none of these sings, if anything he calms down quite quickly. I will be moving houses soon hopefully I can get a clearner understanding of it all once we have moved. I just wanted a general idea if it was "normal"

Yes, this may be the only way, to keep a muzzle on when he is unsupervised. I'd still recommend plenty of chew items, but to stock him eating the lawnfood etc, a muzzle might be the only way. Leaving a muzzled dog unsupervised is incredibly dangerous and stupid. I tend to agree its dangerous, especially when you have 2 dogs and one of them is Gus lol, so I dont think I would muzzle him, but crating could work... after reading everyones posts mental stimulation would be our friend here. Having actual food around is out of the question unless both dogs are seperated.

Yes, this may be the only way, to keep a muzzle on when he is unsupervised. I'd still recommend plenty of chew items, but to stock him eating the lawnfood etc, a muzzle might be the only way. Or keep it out of his reach. He's only eating it because you let him have access to it. Its not that we "let him", things are put up high on shelving and he knocks the whole shelf over, the lawn food was under the house and the gate was left open becuase someone was mowing out front (all the lawn mower and what not are kept there) he dragged it out in a space of 5 minutes and just ate half of it...

Theres an age limit? how old is ziggy?

I was thinking his interest in smell might mean he would enjoy some field work, you do tracking with your spinger? does Ziggy do it as well

Tabasco sauce and Gus are best mates, we tried that one lol, also we cant have food out during the day... Nala cant be fed near him. But when he is eating non food items she couldn't care less.

Nope not neutered, and yea he really cant have liver and beef, or lamb.. his urine changes colour and he gets allergies to lamb which is why i cant feed him pro plan, Artemis is the only kibble which has done wonders for his skin. He is currently 25kg and exactly 24" from the withers a good hight Dallie I think 27kg is a good starting weight for him not too big not too small, but he is thin you can see ribs I'll up his food intake to some more meatier chicken pieces and turkey and some oats and see how we go. A friend did suggest it was behavioural and I tend to have a feeling she is right, he is currently in a stressed environment and is a pretty nervous dog in the sense he is always excited and full on, he will lick Nala's face to try and make her regurgitate. Ill get a blood test done and see if he is low in anything. Can anyone suggest a vet in sydney/greater sydney that specialises in this type of stuff? or any vet can do it??

He gets 3 cups of Artemis in the morning and at night he will get 2 frames thats bare minimum, he will sometimes get eggs, yoghurt and sardines with it.

I wish Gus put on weight!! I went away for 3 days and OH dad fed him lots of liver and beef product and he got a little fat but he isnt suppose to eat any of that as soon as we cut it right out the weight went down. Im going to start cooking up a heap of porrige and seeing if that does anything. but its the odd things he eats that worry me, you think his primal instinct would be "dont eat the chemical stuff" but he goes right in there.. ow yea the other day he ripped up a bag of lawn food and ate that, beer testing kit stuff ate that.... he will just eat everything!! like he poos out whole macedamias.

Im self diagnosing, it just seems like he has a chronic feeling of hunger (not that I know what his feeling) I dont think im serious about the Prader-willi was the only syndrome I knew of for chronic eating but its crazy! and his 17 months

I have a problem I think, Gus doesn't have a "I'm full stop eating" alert, he eats a lot but is still fairly thin but he is constantly on the hunt for food. He will eat anything that is left out, so far he has eaten: fire starters, coal, wood chipps, burnt BBQ ash, rotten food, the compost, macadamia shell, thermometers, grass, anything and everything and its getting a little beyond ridiculous. Is it a problem or some dogs are just like that? even on walks he will constantly be sniffing for food, you feed him then let him out he will lick Nalas bowl then start licking her mouth when that doesn't work he circles the back yard sniffing for more food. Any suggestions??

1. it's a common thing with all breeds not just poodle x's :D 2. go the vet and see what the cause of the itchiness is... could be anything.. grass, dust, fleas, certain food etc. I know a few dogs that are allergic go chicken, so changing diet of the food doesn't solve everything

Aaaa awesome!! I thought it might have been a psychological thing but allergies make perfect sence, just the way he said it is why I didnt automatically go to allergy.. I'll suggest a few things and see how that goes, the vet just injects her with anti histamine or something to calm her down.

A colleague and I were having a chat this morning and he told me his dog has started to chew herself again!!. I said "again, what do you mean again" and he responded with she started to chew herself a few years ago and we have to give her cortisone to calm her down. My question is 1. Is this a common problem amongst poodle x's 2. Has anyone had this happen and how do you manage it?

Thanks for that, I'll pass on the info :)

The best she can do I think is grow him nice and slow - no nutrient dense puppy foods or over-supplementation. Either a good mid-range adult kibble, or a well balanced raw diet, and let him take his time growing. Keep him lean, not roly poly. And keep his exercise at sensible levels without too many stairs and such. If he is truly a Mastiff cross RR he will be very big - but most dogs labelled as Mastiff in the pound are mastiff-type at best, and no more a real Mastiff than I am, so he might end up large but not giant. Many dogs are desexed early and grow just fine, so you can't assume problems will occur. But the thread linked in the post above, and especially the reseach referenced in that link, provides lots of info on possible effects. As an owner of a tall breed I would never desex early, but not everyone has the choice. By looking at his paws, and him yes I would think that is his true origins and of course we can not be sure ( no papers) but this little fella has HUGE paws I have never seen such big paws so I told her he is going to be a very big boy

Hi Guys, I know it is an excellent thing that pounds de-sex dogs before letting them go to their forever home, but what happens in the case of large and giant breeds? I have recently run into a lady who has rescued the most adorable mastiff x ridgi he would be about 9-10 weeks and his neutered, the pound did this before releasing him, are their things the owner can do to help the growing process now that his not entire the last thing I would want (and the owner) for this little guy is to not grow correctly, how much does being de-sexed so early effect this?

Gus always protests, especially when I tell him to wait before I open the garage door, he will start with stamping his feel, sighing loudly then excelling to a howl.

Hahaha Gus is like that with a hose, he hates the hose he hates baths but the Ocean he will run into and stay there for hours his an odd pup