WreckitWhippet

Thanks for the thoughts :p She has been gone quite a while now but on the weekend i found my new Princess ( in Pug form ) I didn't think that there would ever be another dog like her, but this little girl is just as naughty and full of herself as Mimi ever was. I think she'll do nicely as the new delinquent in the house. :p This new Pug is my constant shaddow and is asleep at my feet now. I know the special ones can never be replaced but this little girl is destined to become another one

Marilyn and Tony from Canberra are fantastic :p When my Princess was sadly put to sleep on the 1st December 2003, I was heart broken. Marliyn came to collect my beloved French Bulldog that afternoon. Mimi was laying in her bed in the bedroom, just as she had always done. I was going to carry her out to the car wrapped in a sheet ( not sure what other people would think of a deceased dog ), Marilyn told me that I could leave her uncovered as she looked so peacefull and beautiful. I could not believe that a stranger would take the time to talk to me about my dog but also patted her as well, maybe she just has great skills in making people feel better during these sad times, but to me she cared more than I would have ever expected. My Princess came home to me after our holiday, to sleep beside the bed again. I only wish I could find the right place and the right time to scatter her ashes. Edit: had to change a few words as tears do not help the typing process

Gary Barnsley I haven't needed him for some time now so do not have the details, but would recommend him or Peter Schofield ;)

Many breeds ( not just the coated ones ) have a habit of peeing on the back of their legs. This is a bit yukky , especially for those breeds with long hair that pee down their legs :rolleyes: It smells and can cause stains that are more idfficult to remove, so they are best washed and rinsed when it happens

I have Pugs and Staffords and have a hydrobath The basically pump the water through the hose attached to your bath under pressure, they allow you to wet the coat easily and provide a massaging affect. They are fantastic for stimulating the skin and also for a deep clean and rinse. Some have a heater function, two tanks for dirty and clean water, what you need will depend on what you would like it to do. Mine for example, I use the hydrobath to wet and do the fianl rinse ( dual tank ). I wet the dog using the hydrobath, some of the dogs I will add shampoo to the water and pump it though the coat, others I will hand wash once wet. I then have a hose connected up that I rinse the dogs with to get rid of the bulk of the shampoo and then do the final rinse with the bath. You can buy sets of wheels/ trolleys for them which enable you to move them around, they are not all that heavy. Mine sits right outside the back door in the under cover area next to the laundry and hot water service. I would recommend outside or in a garage or covered area, as you still get the dogs shaking and the smell of wet dog and hair every where. The range from few hundred dollars second hand to a few thousand new, depending on what you want. They are great for sore backs and you can build or buy a platform to fit in them and get those small dogs up to a height where you don't need to bend over. Can I suggest using a DIY bath at a vets etc so you can at least have a go with one and see if you like it :rolleyes:

Hi Babytoes Maybe you could make a new thread regarding your Chow boy, there are plenty of people on here who could offer some advice on bathing etc, but it is possible that his diet ( previous ) has something to do with his condition. Cheers

I know how good it feels to have them back where they belong. My Princess rests beside my bed , just as she did when she was alive. It doesn't take away the pain but it's a comfort to have them back

Big boys are on Bonnie Working Dog / Farrells Kibble One Pugs has Supercoat Sensative Another Pug has Bonnie Light Three Pugs are on Advance Rehydratable Lots of storage containers as I haven't managed to find one food that does what I want for both breeds and every dog

I usually take mine to the vets in a show trolley, it's a bit of a pain but they can then be lifted straight from the trolley to the exam table. I have also requested that vets disinfect the table while I am watching, before I place any puppies on there. It might seem a bit over the top, but you never know how clean the surgery is. Having said that, the surgery I worked at was clean and always clean, I took great pride in making sure it was that way..

Laura, sometimes it's just trial and error. We all start out novices and just learn to overcome each hurdle as it presents itself. Diet, grooming and handling all become easier to manage with experience. I wouldn't get too worried, just do the best you can and seek advice as problems arise, before long you will have answers for others and be able to deal with situations in your kennel with ease :rolleyes: Edit : as i can't spell today

I use the horse grooming blocks on the Staffords. Mine also enjoy sitting with me ( outside ) and I use my thumb and first finger to remove the hair, I usually do this around the neck and over the back, they quite enjoy the attention and the time. Hydrobathing will loosen it all up as will a good blow dry, but be warned once it starts , it's all coming out.

What a sad time for the Stoney's, my heart goes out to them May he be remembered though his beautiful children and their success

Oh, I'm so sorry Sweet dreams, Nelson

looks like he will try just about anything to avoid grooming and have his own way Henry has it all worked out ;) NEW PIC, NEW PIC :protest: :protest: :protest:

I see it as something that I will continue to do, as long as my body holds up I have combined the grooming with Vet Nursing, the two so far are going well together. I am really only working about 2 days a week grooming, so my body gets a bit of a rest. Even though I get tired and run down, I never get tired of the dogs :D

Ahhh, my pet hate Maltese x Shih Tzu's that have a tail that sits on one side and the minute you try and scissor the back legs , it suddenly sits to the other side and hangs exactly where you want to scissor I have taken to folding the hair over and putting a hair band on it Still makes me cranky though

Ahhh Hellooooo. It's not a simple matter of what the teeth look like, teeth out of alignment are not an issue in a pet, however retained teeth can be an issue as far as dental hygiene and complications from food remaining between than and the build up of tartar. They should be removed. I also believe that because of the excellent diets that we feed our dogs, the higher levels of calcium and good general nutrition that retained baby teeth are a far more common issue these days. I also work on the rule that when the adult teeth appear you would give the babies about a week to fall out, if not have them removed, as previoulsy explained they can adversly affect the placement of the adult teeth and this is of particular concern in a show dog and also for hygiene reasons. Your vet should be able to remove them under heavy sedation, speak to you vet.

Apologies to those who appear a bit stressed that I ate the cat food. I didn't sit down and have a meal of it, like most of the foods ( excluding the canned crap ) I have tasted a biscuit. Other recommendations from my vaste experience of dog food eating, Box 1 tastes better than Farells. Purina's not too bad, as is Bonnie, high on the boring list is Science Diet ( any variety). Pedigree and Supercoat puppy is quite milky :rolleyes: Haven't you ever fed you dogs and wondered why it wouldn't eat it? Having tasted a few things I can understand why. I have not started to bark or meow and have not suffered any side effects as far as i know

This is a touch off the suject but has to do with the Science Diet . I have this very old, old Siamese, he can only eat one brand of cat food and it's a cheap and nasty canned variety. We go crazy when our shop runs out as the cat would have to starve. Feed him anything else and he vomits , I got so sick of cleaning it up that I have not tried another cat food again. Anyway, the vet that I work for suggested Science Diet ( as they all do ), I didn't want to buy a bag so I took some of the stock home from the cattery. The cat loves it ( he loves anything food related) and he has not vomited. My cat would eat just about anything regardless of the consequences so he is not a good advert for fussy eaters food, but he has kept it down and he is now on his third day of the trial. :rolleyes: We have tried Iams, Purina and every other brand known to man kind and this has been the one that works. As for the taste, I tried it, I thought that it was bloody horrible, it tasted like cardboard, it had no flavour what so ever and would have to be one of the worst things I have eaten as far as lack of taste. So I can see why dogs and cats would think that Science Diet is boring and refuse to eat it. I think that if you find a dry food that you pets like and they do well on it, stick to it, make sure that you buy it in bulk ( if you can and you can afford it) and always have a spare bag for just incase the store runs out.

I agree, oouucchhhh. And it can take a long time for injuries of that nature on legs and feet to heal. Poor sweet heart, fingers crossed that it looks worse than it is and that she will be back to chasing her ball quickly. :fetch: ooops, forgot to add that i had a similar injury on a cat ( not quite the same I know) we opted to amputate the toe as the vet thought that it would more than likely be more successful and quicker to heal than attempting to stitch the foot. His main reasoning was that we didn't know how it happened and was not sure what the wound had been exposed to eg a clean glass cut or a dirty tin fence.

whoops. Hit the button twice i can add that we are from the cold and during winter the dogs spend much of their time either rugged or in the kennels. They prefer to lay around in the kennels where its warm. They still go out to exercise but as soon as they have finished playing and are ready to rest it's back inside. Cheers

Apart from adding to his diet i can suggest a couple of other things. I had a Dobe who despite being healthy would not keep on condition. Make sure that the dog is rugged at night and if necessary provide him with a heat pad so he doesn't use up energy shivering. Keep him rugged during the day if it's cold also. Some dogs are highly strung, they may appear normal but use up much of their energy with nervous tension. The B group of vitamins are helpfull in this situation and I can suggest Rebound ( for Greyhounds ) this contains the b's needed and is used for dogs under the stress of woork or dogs that travel poorly. It takes the edge of a dog, it will not harm them of make them dopey. If he is in a kennel situation, make sure that he is not able to run s the fences of pace around his yard. Keep him confined to a smaller area and take him out for some explosive exercise not long walks etc. I'm sure that you are already splitting his meals as he is a larger dog, but try feeding him more often. Cheers

I have had several breeds that have had them removed. The Dobe's were done at 12-24 hours old along with the tails and the Pug's are also done early in life. I know that many dogs live with them but there are also many out there that have had painfull injuries. I would have them removed at the time of desexing, there will never be the issue of injury later in life. It is up to you.

also repair from the inside out, I'd give either a good multi vitamin containing zinc and vit e, or just zinc and E

Good coats = a healthy balanced diet, 1 rebound tablet a day, regular brushing, bathing in a quality shampoo, lots of excerise. I also believe that my dogs are happy and have plenty of attention and this overall well being is reflected in their coat condition.