Miranda

My dog developed struvite stones which are less likely to form if his urine is kept acidic and dilute hence the CD and meat diet. Dalmations are prone to urate stones and the predisposition to high urate excretion is autosomal recessive in this breed, for this condition you need to keep the urine alkaline. You also need to to keep the urine alkaline if the dog is prone to calcium oxalate stones.

Yes the Hills stuff is crap, if you find an alternative diet please let me know. I have a boy here who has had bladder stones removed and we have him on CD and lots of meat. At the moment his urine is 6 and the vet is quite happy with that. He is currently on a 6 weeks course of Rilexine as he had blood in his urine a few weeks ago and was diagnosed with a staph infection which is not good news as infection means that he could form more stones. Bloody dogs cost a fortune

kja what were the antibiotics for, did she have a UTI? A dog that suffers from UTI's and has alkaline urine can form struvite bladder stones. If the urine can be made more acidic the dog is less likely to develop UTI's and if you don't have infections the likelihood of bladder stones developing is also less. Meat will also make the urine more acidic. Things like encouraging your dog to drink more liquids (if she won't drink more water try mixing a little milk with it), mixing low salt chicken stock or gravy with her food and making sure that she goes out to urinate every few hours can also help by keeping the urine dilute. Feeding the canned CD instead of the kibble can also be helpful as it's a wet food and adds water to the dog's system. The Hill's prescription diets are horrendously expensive considering that the majority of the ingredients are crap, but it's hard to know what else to base your dog's diet on if you have a dog predisposed to forming stones.

Grooming for the showring requires scissoring and blowdrying as well as brushing and combing, if I were you I'd make arrangements to have a few lessons from your breeder before you attempt it yourself. If your breeder is interstate you could purchase one of the Sonnen grooming videos which are available from Dogwise, the Bichon video is item no. DGR119. Their website is HERE

Yes I bought one of those bags and the food had a really strange smell to it, a bit like rancid oil, it was revolting, quite unacceptable.

That's a real bummer , my dogs do so well on Nutro. I'm glad I read this as I've been able to order another two bags, they'll be the last I suppose. Oh well looks like it's back to Eagle Pack, nothing wrong with EP, but Nutro seems to really suit my dogs. Thanks for posting 4 Paws, much appreciated.

I will only send my clipper blades and scissors to a specialist. The people who sharpen knives etc. often have no knowledge or experience with clipper blades and can make a real mess of them. I use Clipper World in Melbourne.

She could also have bladder stones.

What a load of crap :rolleyes:

Oh ok. Their other products look all right, but I really don't understand why they'd produce a rinse free shampoo although I suppose it would reduce water usage and would be a godsend to people in drought areas. I still think you'd get some form of build up in the coat if you used it regularly. I don't use Fido's products so can't help you there.

I can't find that particular product on their product list 4 Paws or am I having a blonde moment

Where are you bosko, if you're in Sydney I'd recommend Karen Hedberg at North Richmond or Rob Zammit at Vineyard, in Melbourne Ray Ferguson at Monash Vet Clinic. If it's one of the other states I'm sure someone will be able to suggest a suitable vet.

I would never leave shampoo on a dog under any circumstances. A rinse or conditioner designed to be left on a dog after shampooing and rinsing is a different matter, but I can't see the point of a rinse free shampoo and would wonder about the effects on a dog's skin and coat if it was used on a regular basis. Nice smelling dog shampoos and conditioners are designed to attract the owner, a pleasant smell is certainly no guarantee of a good product.

In my experience no, dogs diagnosed with hip dysplasia general worsen with age. If your dog was showing clinical signs of HD at 7 months of age (I'm assuming that's why you had him x-rayed) the chances of him improving are negligible. Does this vet have a lot of experience with joint problems in dogs? If he doesn't I suggest you find a vet who is an expert in the field.

If there's swelling you're doing too much too soon, trying to get the dog back to normal as quickly as possible isn't a good idea after elbow or hip surgery and you may actually be impeding her recovery. I'd ease right back on the walking, it's better to take things slowly and recovery may take several months.

Yes it's extremely salty which is why you have to cook it in water. Actually I doubt that the dogs would eat it uncooked, it would taste terrible. Or is it already cooked?

Some puppies can appear to be cowhocked when actually they're loose and 'wobbly', this is especially common if the dog has lots of angulation behind. These puppies generally have their feet pointing straight ahead, but the hocks appear weak and wobble around when the dog is gaiting. Usually the hocks tend to straighten up and become stronger and more stable as the puppy matures and builds muscle. You can also get dogs that move 'close behind', the hocks remain straight, but come too close together as the dog moves, this is a lesser fault, but still not desirable. However cowhocks can also be caused by a fault in the dog's conformation, these puppies tend to turn their hocks in and their feet out and I've found that although these puppies may improve a little as they mature, they generally remain cowhocked to some degree as adults. However I don't have GSD's, perhaps you should pose this question in the GSD thread in the Breed Sub-Forums attached to General Dog Discussion, there are plenty of experienced GSD people in there who should be able to help you with some breed specific advice.

A hip replacement can cost up to $5,000, sometimes more. Does this dog have normal hips? Have you had her x-rayed at all? I'm only asking because this sort of injury sometimes occurs in dogs that have abnormal hips where the ball is too small and doesn't fit fully into the socket.

You just need to persevere NoodleNut, just keep doing it and don't put up with any of her tanties, be firm and she'll get used to it eventually, trust me I assume you're using a table, but if you're not a grooming table will make it heaps easier. I usually groom my older dogs outside the puppy pen so the pups get used to the sounds of the clippers and the hydrobath and dryer from when they're tiny babies, I find that helps when I start bathing and grooming them at 8 weeks.

LOL I'm a vegetarian too, seems we aren't entirely all that dissimilar.. I also don't think we disagree on everything, but things tend to get a little bit skewed on these boards..... All part of the fun i guess! Yes it's funny, but I've met a number of DOLers in the flesh and have never come across anyone I disliked, I've even met a DOLer that I had heaps of disagreements with on here, but in real life we got on perfectly well. As you say things can get a little bit skewed Sorry guys for going OT, I'll be off now

LOL Odette this must be the first time we've ever agreed on something I must say that I am also highly sceptical of homeopathy, iridology and all the other pseudosciences. I would never risk a dog's life by attempting to protect it against life threatening diseases using nosodes. I am certainly not against all forms of natural medicine and some would say I'm a weirdo because I don't eat meat, but I would never use homeopathy.

This sometimes occurs in my breed and yes, it's usually associated with teething and the increased need for calcium. Vitamin C helps with calcium absorption which is why it may be effective although I've never tried it myself. They usually straighten up by 8 to 9 months, sometimes sooner, sometimes later, but occasionally the condition will persist into adulthood, they improve, but don't straighten completely. BTW I am not advising you to give more calcium, it's the absorption that can be the problem, not the amount the dog receives.

this works like a dream Yes I agree, I can remember standing outside on cold winter nights for up to an hour but it has to be done and they do catch on pretty quickly. Just thinking about it makes be glad that I don't have any puppies at the moment, rather you than me

Forget about the feeding guides, that's all they are, guides, and all dogs are different. Use the condition of your dogs as a guide, if they're looking good you're doing it right. I feed twice a day, chicken wings, frames, wings, lamb flaps or brisket bones in the morning and 1 or 1 1/2 cups (depending on the dog) of Nutro mixed with meat and other goodies in the evening. I feed beef mince which I get for $3.99 per kg and any of the following, cooked liver (my dogs won't touch it raw), raw eggs, tinned mackerel or salmon and any appropriate leftovers. Once or twice a week I make a stew of chicken thighs or forequarter chops mixed with vegetables and pour this over their dry food, but I do remove the bones first. They also get two fish oil tablets and Protexin which is a probiotic. If I happen to be eating it they also get some yoghurt. I don't know how much it costs me, but the dogs look good on it.

I don't have short coated dog, but I use a comb to get rid of dead hair in the topcoat, get one with reasonably close teeth and comb through with short, quick strokes using your thumb at the front of the comb to help grip the hair. Many people underestimate the importance of a comb in grooming dogs. ETA you may also find that a Mars Coat king would be effective, but as I say I have no experience with short coats so I'll leave that for someone else to answer.