Miranda

I do have a breeder's card and I get the 11th and 17th bags free, but yes they do love people like me

Hi panda My dogs range from 23kg to 38kg and I have five. The adults have 1 cup a day and the two puppies have two cups a day, but I also feed meat, wings, frames, mackerel, eggs etc. I use EP Holistic for Large Dogs, but I'm not sure how long a bag would last, maybe 3 weeks? When I had the litter of 10 puppies I was going through one bag of EP for Large Breed Puppies a week!!

A silky terrier eats very little and feeding a super premium food wouldn't cost her much at all, 7kg of Eagle Pack will last her for months. IMO feeding cheap dog food is false economy, you have to feed much more, you have to pick up twice as much poo and it isn't good for the dog.

It might help if you buy a proper wire crate so that he can see you and his surroundings.

Just be thankful she's not a human baby, they're a helluva lot more time consuming and you certainly won't be able to even think about giving it back :rolleyes:

HD can be exacerbated by these things, but IMO the dog has to have a genetic predisposition in the first place. Incorrect feeding and too much exercise may certainly make things worse, but they won't cause HD in a healthy dog with normal hips.

I feed my dogs an assortment of chicken wings, necks and lamb flaps in the morning, if I feed a chicken frame that's all they get as they're usually large. In the evening I feed 1 cup of Eagle Pack Holistic for Large Dogs + a handful of beef mince and they usually also get one of the following, cooked liver, mackerel, sardines, salmon and occasionally yoghurt. They also get any meat/vegetable scraps that are left over and brisket bones twice a week. My OH usually feeds them a little piece of toast every morning too They seem to do very well on it and clean their plates at every meal.

This food seems pretty expensive for what it is, I can't see the point of feeding it if you have to feed a premium kibble as well. I feed my dogs human grade beef mince with Eagle Pack kibble and I can buy the mince for $3.99kg. Also why is kangaroo said to be more nutritious than beef, chicken or lamb, I know it's low in fat, but dogs require much more fat in their diet than humans and kangaroo can be way too rich for many dogs. The food also contains soy and I won't feed my dogs soy in any form, it isn't a grain it's a legume and is virtually indigestable for dogs sprouted or otherwise. BTW who is Dr. Bruce Symes?

It can be hard to feel them under eight weeks, they can be very small and sometimes it's a case of 'now you feel them, now you don't' ;) I've found that the best way is to hold the puppy vertically with his rear legs hanging down, give him a little shake and then gently check the scrotum with the thumb and first two fingers. It's best to do it when the puppy is relaxed and warm. Good luck.

LOL you're looking at it from a human point of view and she's a dog, dogs do lots of things that humans consider repulsive like eating poo (their own, other dogs and as a special treat, the best of all, CAT :rolleyes: ), licking dirty nappies, rolling in anything dead or rotten, doesn't really matter as long as it stinks, sniffing and licking other dogs' private parts.........the list is endless ;) It won't hurt her teeth or gums unless she actually starts chewing and breaking up stones, this may damage the enamel on her teeth. But as I said she'll grow out of it, it's just one of those things that puppies do

I would give her a bath in Malaseb and leave it on for ten minutes just in case there are any secondary bacterial or fungal infections. Malaseb can tend to dry the coat if it's applied too often so don't use it more than a couple of times. As a follow up shampoo I'd use Aloveen shampoo and conditioner, leave the conditioner in the coat. Try giving her a can of sardines or mackerel twice a week and some chicken wings/frames on a regular basis. But whatever you do you MUST eradicate the fleas, if you've still got fleas in the environment you're wasting your time.

Most of the puppies I have owned have done this, it's only a problem if the puppy is inclined to swallow large stones as there is a slight possibility that these may become lodged somewhere in the gastrointestinal tract. I think it's a combination of curiosity, the urge to chew on everything and anything and the fact that they like the taste of the dirt. Don't worry she will grow out of it, however they will still occasionally do this even as adults, usually when the soil is damp after rain.

Your dog sounds like she has a flea allergy, just one flea can cause this in a susceptible animal, the 'occasional flea' is one too many for a dog with this problem. Treat her with one of the topical flea treatments on a regular monthly basis and wash all her bedding. Spray an aerosol flea killer around any areas where she lies down. If you have any other dogs or cats in the household these will also need to be treated, be aware that cats can carry fleas even though they may not show symptoms themselves. As showdog said flea bombing the house may also be necessary. Flea allergies can cause shocking reactions in dogs and if you allow the condition to become chronic you will find yourself paying money to the vet for cortisone treatment. I recommend that you get on top of this problem before summer starts.

I always train my puppies to go outside from the very beginning, sure it's hard work watching them all the time, but I've always found that they catch on really quickly. Outside after sleeping, playing and eating and every hour in between, it's hectic at first, but if you're vigilant and consistent it only takes a few weeks. I've never bothered with newspapers, pee pads or anything like that, I think they hinder rather than help. I can't help you with the housebreaking aids as I've never used them.

Have you had her teeth and gums checked? Sometimes gum disease makes chewing painful for older dogs and discourages them from eating.

DEFINITELY Ray Ferguson, no other vet is in the same league, he's fantastic :D

My 5 1/2 month old pups are just starting to lift their legs on the odd occasion. You will find that dogs will lift their legs at a much earlier age if they live with other males who do it, the behaviour is as much imitative as hormonal.

Paspalum grass can also cause allergic reactions in dogs.

Also if you're using a cheap dry food with a high cereal content you will need to feed much more than if you're using a more expensive, super premium brand. Often buying cheaply is false economy.

Don't forget that far more food is needed for growth than for maintenance, therefore it's normal that puppies require more food than mature dogs. I have two five month old large breed puppies and they are still on three meals a day. For breakfast they each have 1 1/3 cups of Eagle Pack Large Breed Puppy with about 1/4 can of Advance Puppy Growth. Lunch is two chicken wings and for dinner they again have 1 1/3 cups of EP with a handful of beef mince and maybe a little cooked liver/mackerel/sardines/raw egg. Both of them are a good weight, you can easily feel their ribs and they are very active. I would say that they are probably consuming three times as much food as my adults. When they're six months old I'll cut out the midday meal and give them chicken wings/necks/carcasses for breakfast.

You are risking his life by taking him out if he hasn't been vaccinated at all, unfortunately it would be wiser to keep him confined to your property. Why can't he have a vaccination, what exactly is physically wrong with him?

And how much warmer will the puppy be in a bathroom or laundry than outside? Bathrooms and laundries are the coldest rooms in the house and the puppy will still be alone. And what about boredom? A puppy kept outside will get a lot more stimulation and will be much happier than a puppy locked in one small room for eight hours a day. I think people tend to forget that dogs are animals. I agree that leaving a single puppy outside while one's at work isn't the ideal situation, but it's infinitely preferable to leaving it confined in a crate or a room.

Sorry but I don't agree - big, small or indifferent - just plonking an 8 week old pup in a backyard is IMO negligent. Miranda - you say you put your pups out at 4 weeks - do you then just leave them out and go away for 8 hours at a time? I certainly wouldn't. if I get a new pup at 8 weeks into the house I take time off and acclimatise them and over time leave them for short periods then longer periods - but I am talking over the ensuing 3 - 4 weeks and mine have other dogs for company. A pup at 8 weeks left alone in a yard with a neighbour just plonking food down every few hours is NOT IMO good practice and I'm sure you may end up with a pup that barks. whines and makes a pest of itself at su=ddenly being in such circumstances. Russaird unfortunately many people buy puppies at the weekend, keep them outside and go back to work on Monday, it's a fact of life. I didn't say that I agreed with it I simply stated that the puppy would be perfectly healthy kept outside at eight weeks provided that it had somewhere warm to sleep and was fed three times a day. I mentioned my puppies going outside at four weeks to illustrate that an eight week old puppy is old enough to regulate its temperature. The poster asked if the puppy would be physically healthy and I said that it would, the puppy's emotional wellbeing is a different thing entirely.

The puppy will be quite healthy outside provided it has somewhere warm and comfortable to sleep and is fed three times daily. At eight weeks it is perfectly able to regulate its temperature and it's highly unlikely that it will pick up anything from the dogs next door. The puppy will whinge and cry to start with but will soon get used to the routine. I put my puppies outside at four weeks of age and have never had a problem. It would be a good idea if she checks her yard thoroughly for poisonous plants, holes in the fence or anything that she thinks may pose a danger to the dog.

LOL that's like trying to train a puppy to chew one slipper, but not the other one I suggest that you remove the good couch or put some sort of barrier around it. Good luck