Miranda

11 hours is a long time to leave these dogs locked in a sunroom, is there any reason why they cannot be outside? I also agree with the others, the dogs need to get out and about, they are lacking stimulation and are bored. Locky is probably 'unsociable' because he doesn't get out enough and hasn't had enough exposure to other dogs from an early age. It's also not a good idea to have two dogs constantly together, they have to learn that being alone is ok. Walking them separately a few times a week and training them separately should make them more independent.

I think the temperature must be 17 celsius while the larvae are developing from the L1 to the L3 stage inside the mosquito, if the temperature drops below 17 development stalls and if it drops below 13 development is aborted. The larvae must reach the L3 stage before they can infect a dog and a mosquito only lives for about 35 days so if there are a number of cold days the larvae simply don't have time to reach the L3 stage.

Dogs have amylase in their saliva, Cavalier said so and she's a vet! Yah, about that, the endocrinologists don't actually agree, bit of a dilemma there Oh dear, what a shame ;)

Dogs have amylase in their saliva, Cavalier said so and she's a vet!

Yes they may well thrive, but can they reproduce successfully over a couple of generations without any reduction in fertility or the survival rates of puppies. Will puppies weaned directly onto a vegetarian diet have any problems, skeletal or otherwise at maturity? I am talking about ALL breeds of dogs not just toy breeds. Are you honestly asserting that raising a litter of great danes on Veganpet would be the best thing for them? What insults?

My dogs love fruit and vegies and not just cause I offer them. They seek them out, much like foxes I believe who will help themselves to windfall fruit and I often see blackberry seeds in fox poo. I think dogs are predominantly meat eaters but they do love variety and eat all sorts of other food they might get access to. Kirislin my dogs eat just about everything too, fruit, vegetables, nuts, whatever, but I still maintain that their GI tract isn't that of a true omnivore, if it was they would have a much longer GI tract and would secrete enzymes to break down cellulose. There is no doubt that dogs are scavengers and can exist on just about anything, but their bodies definitely resemble a carnivore inside and out.

I'm not sure, would he have the energy? ;) I'd also be concerned about the viability of his semen, it would be interesting to see a comparison between the semen of a dog on a vegetarian diet and the semen of a dog fed meat and bones. I'm not saying a vegetarian dog would be sterile, but I'm pretty sure that his semen would differ in quality from a dog fed a more natural diet. I've just had a look at that Veganpet site, apparently their food consists of soy and maize (corn goes straight through my dogs so I couldn't use it) plus various additives. Interestingly one of the additives is the enzyme amylase which is involved in the breakdown of vegetable matter. According to Cavalier dogs produce amylase in abundance in their saliva and gut so it makes me wonder why Veganpet feel the need to include it in their food One of life's little mysteries I guess.

I remember Kyla

Well obviously my dogs must be tougher than yours Cavalier, I've had dogs for 35 years and they've all eaten raw meat, smelly bones, dirt, insects, dead animals and poo from many and varied sources including human and they've all been perfectly healthy. They've even caught wild rabbits and eaten the complete animal including the fur, I don't think a human GI tract would cope with that do you? Strange really because you'd think that if the human and dog are exactly the same a human would be able to chow down on a raw rabbit with ease I seem to remember from previous discussions that you wish to show and breed cavaliers, I'll be very interested to hear how successful your breeding program is on a vegetarian diet, semen quality, conception rates, survival rates, milk production, you know the sort of thing Regarding carbohydrate I consider that word perfectly sufficient for a discussion between laymen (other than yourself of course ) on DOL.

Well as far as I'm concerned if a vegetarian diet is an optimum diet for a dog it should be perfectly possible to breed and raise all dogs on a diet consisting solely of carbohydrate. You should be able to wean a puppy directly onto it and that puppy should be able to live on that diet for its entire life and successfully produce puppies which will go on to become vegetarians themselves. If it isn't possible to do this then obviously a vegetarian diet isn't a suitable diet for dogs. I actually hope it is possible because it would be a hell of a lot cheaper than the diet my dogs are getting at the moment

I disagree with you, you may be a vet, but you appear to know very little about nutrition. If both humans and dogs have the same digestive tract how is it possible that a dog can have a meal of cat or human poo or eat a rotten bone that's been buried for weeks with no ill effect whereas a human would almost certainly become very ill? Can you crack open bones with your teeth and grind them up and swallow them? Would your stomach be able to deal with a whole brisket bone? If your stomach acid is as strong as a dog's then you should be able to digest one with no trouble at all. BTW I never stated that a dog was an obligate carnivore.

At what age was the dog put onto a vegetarian diet? Why was the dog 'slowly introduced' to the diet, surely if a vegetarian diet is perfectly suitable for a dog it could have been weaned straight onto it with no problems?

Yes they are almost identical when compared with a herbivore, but humans are omniverous whereas a dog is first and foremost a carnivore. Although able to deal with small amounts of carbohydrate a dog's GI tract is designed to process flesh and bones. Starting from the head a dog has a long protruding jaw and large canines both of which are designed to grab and hold its prey, the jaw only moves up and down not side to side so dogs are unable to grind foods such as cereal grains or corn. The molars in a dog are used to crack and pulverise bone. Unlike us a dog's saliva contains no enzymes to break down starch, a dog's saliva acts solely as a lubricant to allow it to bolt down its food in large pieces as quickly as possible. The dog's stomach is relatively small because a carnivore eats a nutrient rich diet so only small amounts are required at each meal and their stomach acid is approximately three times stronger than hours having a PH of 1/2 compared to a human's 4/5 thus allowing the dog to to break down bone. The very strong acid also kills most bacteria. Their gut is comparatively much shorter than ours and food passes through much more quickly, this is another safeguard against bacterial infection. However the shorter gut also means that vegetable matter isn't well processed which is why cheap dry foods with lots of cereal fillers can cause digestive disturbances, humans with their much longer gut process carbohydrates much more efficiently. For those of you who consider a vegetarian diet completely suitable for a dog tell me have any of you ever bred a litter from two medium sized vegetarian dogs, weaned the puppies straight onto a vegetarian diet and successfully raised them to adulthood?

I'm a vegetarian and I strongly disagree with the concept of feeding a dog a vegetarian diet, I also disagree with the idea that dogs are omnivores. Humans are omnivores and a dog's GI tract has no similarity to that of a human, their teeth, the composition of their saliva, the strength of their stomach acid and the length of the tract itself are completely different, a dog's GI tract is quite obviously designed to deal with flesh, bones and other foods derived from animals. Vegetable protein is also inferior to meat protein and harder to assimilate, to get enough protein you have to eat large amounts of fibre and a dog's gut is very limited in its ability to break down and process carbohydrates. Dogs may be able to survive on a vegetarian diet, but whether they will actually thrive and be able to successfully reproduce is another matter. As a breeder I would never sell a puppy to anyone who wanted to feed a vegetarian diet because I truly believe that it's not in the best interests of the dog. As others have said if you don't want to feed meat get a pet that's a natural vegetarian, don't get a dog.

So are you saying that any dog that doesn't like puppies is exhibiting abnormally aggressive behaviour? None of my little guys tolerate any shit from big baby pups.. If pup wants to get physical, pup is told to piss off. They give no license for being pounced on, grabbed or mouthed but they dont' over do it. They are better with pups that don't physically overpower them.. well two are anyway. Same here PF, that is why I was querying Aidan's statement.

So are you saying that any dog that doesn't like puppies is exhibiting abnormally aggressive behaviour?

What breed is Sarge?

I clean mine with Blade Wash after every use, dry them with a paper towel, put a drop of oil on them with the clippers switched on so the blade is moving and then wipe off the excess oil. I don't oil the blades while I'm clipping. Oh sorry I missed the bit about a scissor recommendation, buy the best scissors you can afford, they work better, last longer and are easier to use. I have Roseline and Jaguar, thinning shears and straights, Roseline are better IMO.

blackdog

Responsible ethical breeders do not sell their puppies through pet stores so if the puppy does have genuine ANKC papers I would have a very low opinion of the 'breeder'. If the puppy doesn't have ANKC papers it was probably sourced from a puppy farm. Anyone purchasing a lab puppy should ensure that the sire and dam have had their hips and elbows x-rayed, ask to see the paperwork, if the dogs have been screened the paperwork should be readily available. If you can't sight the paperwork you have absolutely no proof that the tests have been done and HD and ED can be crippling diseases. Also I wouldn't expect much help from the pet store, the staff are simply there to sell and usually have very little knowledge about the puppies they're selling.

I'm surprised you have any grass long enough to seed if you have goats, calves, steers and sheep! I used to live on 23 acres and we had 6 poll hereford steers and 2 horses and that was enough to keep the grass short in all three paddocks. We also had a 1 acre house paddock and kept the grass short with a ride on. If the livestock aren't keeping the grass down use a tractor and slasher next year to cut the grass before it seeds, I wouldn't be happy living in a situation surrounded by long, dry grass, apart from the hassle of grass seeds it's also a fire hazard.

Yes I agree. Just remember that any money going to PP will be used to buy more stock from puppy farms, more puppies to put in those glass containers purposefully placed at the front of their shops to encourage impulse buying

I have long coated dogs and I take the hair out between the toes and underneath the pads with scissors, there is no need to clip them. You need to train your dog to have his feet handled. I check their feet, ears and under their elbows when they come back from their run and make sure that the grass in the yard is kept short. Grass seeds can also occasionally enter the nostrils and eyes and sometimes travel through the body, I know of one dog who died when a grass seed entered a vital organ. There are no home remedies that I know of other than to bathe the area in hot salt water, this may help to draw them out. You can either leave them to make their way out (painful for the dog) or have them removed by the vet if they can find them. The best solution is prevention, check your dog for grass seeds on a daily basis or keep him out of the grass. Personally I wouldn't run any of my dogs in an area infested with grass seeds.

Have him next to your bed so he's not alone. If he whimpers just put your hand down to reassure him, it won't be long before he's sleeping through the night. They don't remain puppies for very long so savour every moment

It is highly traumatic for a puppy to leave its dam and littermates and be transplanted to an unknown environment with someone it doesn't know so of course the puppy will cry. Get a crate and keep the puppy by the side of your bed where he will have some reassurance, as he gets older you can move the crate to wherever you wish the puppy to sleep permanently. Either that or leave the puppy where he is and put up with the noise, he will eventually adjust and stop crying, but it's pretty hard on the puppy.