Salukifan

Have you had any spinal x-rays done? One of my poodles has a disc issue - one look at his x-rays told the neurologist the issue is not operable and therefore MRIs were not warranted. He gets regular chiropracty to keep his spine aligned and, on a couple of occasions, has had a small dose of valium to relax painful muscles around the affected area (his neck). he now receives regular Bowen therapy too. I'd be reluctant to do any major surgery on a 9 year old. You may find that medication and non-invasive treatments can improve his quality of life so a specialist visit will at least give you all the options for going forward.

You're right - they changed the ingredients some time back and its now Interceptor Spectrum.

Only if there are seven rings. If some judges are judging more than one group, you may not clash at all.

Did the recommending vet tell you that Interceptor does NOT treat tapeworm? I prefer to give Drontal every three months to deal with all intestinal worms and a separate monthly heartworm preventative (I use Proheart) for heartworm.

Not to me. If you're in Bali and your mind is worrying about Hunter, what sort of a holiday would you have anyway?

I use tablets for everything. God knows whose dogs actually LIKE Drontal chews, but it sure ain't mine.

Glad to hear she is home. If you've never thought about some Bowen therapy, now might be a good time!

Can I just say, I'm SO not a fan of this. Twice a day visits don't tell you how often or for how long the dogs are barking, won't give you early notice of a missing dog, and certainly would be too far apart for successful intervention in the event of a veterinary emergency like bloat. Whereever you leave your dogs, leave them somewhere with better attention and monitoring than twice a day visits to an unattended home. If you live in the burbs, spare a thought for your neighbours and don't leave dogs home alone for long periods, especially overnight.

What am I saying, rice IS a grain. I've just asked a Sibe breeder I know what she feeds. I'll report back. ETA: She responded. RC Medium Junior - coincidentally what I feed. The way some websites talk about Royal Canin, you expect the bags to grow horns and a tail. But... my Whippets love it and do very well on it. And the poodles get the RC Mini 8+ and love that too.

Don't forget, if you go on any raw food website, they'll cane you for feeding ANY kibble. If you want to try an Australian made kibble that contains no grains, the Advance Turkey and Rice might be a go when your dog is older. I gather its very palatable.

I have fed everything from a completely raw diet to the best imported kibbles. Let me share what I've learned with you: No amount of star ratings on an American website is going to tell you how well your dog will do on a food. It certainly won't tell you how palatable the food will be to your dog. Thank God for sample bags because I tried my dogs on quite a few of the highly rated dog foods and they turned their noses up at them. In addition, most Australian made dog foods are not rated on any of the main food review websites so you won't learn anything there. You certainly won't find an analysis of Black Hawk outside of the information the manufacturer provides. Despite the ravings on a number of websites that demonise grain based kibbles, grain is NOT an issue for many dogs to eat. Historically its what man has been feedings dogs ever since we put down roots and started farming. What is an issue is when the food's primary ingredient is grain - there is a difference and you'll see it in the back yard quickly enough. Substituting other fillers (like potato) for grain does not necessarily make for a "better" food IMO. Its still filler. It's the quality of ingredients including protein that matters - and for me that means no meat meals and no subgrade fillers. IMO the best way to source which food to feed is to ask people who have your breed or do what you do with your dogs and whose dogs are in prime condition. Or feed what your pup's breeder recommends if you think its a good diet. Ultimately, if your pup is doing well on the food he is on now, why change? I don't think it hurts to improve the variety in a dog's diet and to add some RMBs but don't overthink it. There is more than one good way to feed a dog and more than one product that will do the job.

A motorhome!!!!

Can you define "better quality"? I know plenty of breeders and exhibitors who swear by Pro Plan - it's not rubbish.

Disc or spinal cord issue perhaps? I hope you get answers and a solution very soon.

Amen to that. Unless the child is dog savvy and will take instruction on how to interact with the pup, I'd be giving it a miss. No socialisation with kids is better than a bad experience with such a young pup.

The words "blonde" and "English" lab, say "avoid" to me.

Every breeder has their own way of selling pups - to be "right" it merely needs to suit both buyer and seller. Any show prospect I parted with would be free to someone I knew well and co-owned (and therefore free) with someone I didn't. But that's me Word to the wise Kelpiecuddles - if you are in deadly earnest about showing, I'd be suggesting you NOT take a pup from a breeder who shows in the same areas as you if they plan to keep a pup of the same sex from the litter. Unless you want to be content to play second fiddle to an experienced breeder and exhibitor who (naturally) has retained the best prospect, you might want to look further afield. Second place wears thin after a while.

Dr Karen Hedburg is a highly respected Australian vet - which is why I selected that link. That is an OLD article so perhaps there is newer research around. It might be worth contacting Dr Hedburg herself. As I said, unless the breeder had produced such a pup before, it's really not going to be "bad breeding practices" and more a case of really shite luck that you're potentially dealing with. If this is a first for this breeder, he/she is going to be gutted - as gutted as any decent breeder I know would be. If the worst is what you face and this pup must be PTS, most responsible breeders would offer you a refund or a replacement pup. Hardly a wonderful outcome but the responsible thing to do. I am so sorry that your introduction to pet ownership has brought you such heartache.

I'm really sorry to hear about your puppy. The first thing I would do would be to research as much as possible what you're dealing with. A cursory google threw up some interesting links including this one. Did your vet tell you there is no genetic test for the condition affecting your pup? The mode of inheritance is not a simple one. Personally I think a conclusion of "bad breeding practices" may be a tad premature, unless this breeder has produced the condition in other litters. I gather the condition is extremely rare in males as young as your puppy. I think the next obvious step is to contact your pup's breeder. The second step for me, unless you already have a specialist diagnosis, would be to get a second opinion.

Never seen one. It's completely reliable if you want to test the origns of dogs from known parentage (ie dog and bitch are available). Having seen some of the results published here for breed testing, I'd not trust it as far as I could kick it.

Padlocks or carabiners on gate latches are wonderful things. :)

If there is no other method of ensuring they are warm enough, they do. Ask Sir Walter what a Whippet left to "keep itself warm" outside in a Victorian winter ends up looking like (a toast rack). When you modify an animal's coat type or deprive it of natural methods of keeping warm (like a den and pack mates) then a coat is the answer! Not all dogs have double insulated coats, or indeed, enough fat to keep themselves warm in winter. And senior dogs sometimes need a bit more warmth. I actually coat my aging poodles in summer for sun protection as their coats are thinning. As for the "how". Same as for horses - put coat on, ignore reaction of coat wearer and proceed as normal. Just before feeding is always a good time.

It's not a clear cut "yes" or "no" to me but the idea that its "cruel" to remove them needs some serious testing. Sure beats the hell out of having one growing into your leg.

I agree whole heartedly. There are enough pet owners out there who seem incapable of maintaining the nails on their dogs' feet, let alone dealing with dew claws. Embedded dew claws due to owner ignorance/negligence? I don't need to see more of that. The removal of a damaged dew claw on an adult dog is a major operation - very traumatic for the dog. *sits and ponders the irony and lack of logic of those "animal rights advocates" who argue for desexing surgery on baby puppies while throwing up their hands in horror at the idea of removing due claws on neonates*

And then there are those of us who love their breeds despite their coats, not because of them. As someone who grooms her own poodles, I don't think I fit into the "lazy" category.