Jed

How are Boof and Jasper going? Would love updates.

I very much doubt that yuo can euth a dog with valium - but I am not sure. Never done it. I don't think you can buy phenobarbital at all even on prescription, unless you yourself have a medical problem. Perhaps the rescuer didn't recognize the signs. It can be difficult to get someone out in the middle of the night. I don't know of any emergency vets who would travel, although your own might. My inclination would be to do it before the dog got to that stage - recognizing it is the question, which is why old dogs need regular check ups, and sometimes, even that doesn't tell you.

1 tube of Microlax (from the chemist) will do the job beautifully and immediately for a dog which is constipated - and feeding sardines, a bit of Pal will work in the long run. It the dog is straining and unhappy, Microlax, if it is not so urgent, sardines and Pal.

I was just going to say "what they said", but saw the man himself had been here!! And we wouldn't say anything nasty anyhow, how could we?? Give the birds a kiss for me, nicestman.

Agree with Cavandra. It may be a growth spurt or something else. I'd wait and see what he was like when he has matured, or take him to a good chiro.

Either a zoom groom, the brush with rubber pimples shown, or one of those grooming mitts with rubber pimples on the palm. Also, a soft bristle brush.

I THINK kibble and tins became available around the same time. And I don't think Pal was the first, although I may be wrong. We all bought something else (Chum rings a bell?) but that may have been because someone bagged Pal - supposed to be full of whale meat!! Not 100% sure though. there was a successful boxer breeder (forgotten who now) featured on a Pal ad - lots of lovely boxers running about, but the only time his dogs ate Pal was for the commercial!!

When I was a kid, ours got offcuts from the butcher (before they turned it into mince, as they do now), bones, eggs, leftovers, and a WHOLE lot of mashed pumpkin and peas, under the table sneakily from my plate!! They all lived into their teens, and I don't think any of them had any medical problems.

PF No, I don't know either. I know a few of us (breeders, boarding kennel owners) did a run to the abattoir once a week for dogs meat, and I remember the dry food first being sold. Someone with a good reputation said it was faaantastic, so of course, everyone bought some. And it was easier, and up to the minute!! And just full of vitamins (and red colouring). I also remember a friend was enchanted with a new brand of dry food - you could simply fill a large container with it, and the dogs would eat as little or as much as they needed, so in theory, you could simply fill the container once or twice a week. We were amazed at this oh so modern innovation!! I was talking to a friend a couple of months ago, and we were discussing the very first tins of dog food - neither of us remember the name of it, but it was brown mush, with bits in it, particularly disgusting, and on reflection, pretty low quality. Pal came later. I am pretty sure I got on the processed food wagon as soon as it rolled into town I went back to raw food because getting rid of the tins was a huge problem!! No wheelie bins then, only little tin rubbish bins and they were always 2/3 full of dog food tins. I think the penny also dropped that the dogs had never liked the food, and after a couple of years, they didn't seem to be doing as well as they did before, and raw meat was actually cheaper. Must have been a slow learner, I think!! Still am!!

I am surprised. (I knew you'd tell me). There was NO canned or dried dog or cat food where I lived (major city) until the 70s. Maybe it was available, but retailers didn't stock it. I remember we all fell on it, proclaimed it the greatest thing since .....!! The dry food was horrible rubbish, and there was only one variety of canned food. The dogs hated it, but we persisted, coz it was good for them. Maybe US, with a much bigger population, had processed foods long before they caught on in Aust? Maybe it was available in Sydney, but I know it wasn't available in Melbourne or Brisbane - or Perth, come to that, until 1970s.

Poodlefan Correct me if I am wrong (and I know you will), but I don't believe that dry dog food, or kibble was around pre 1970s, nor was canned dog food. I am quite sure that prepared dog food was not available in Australia in 1950s and 1960s. So 30 odd years.

aj88 And, of course, you have references you can quote for the above statement?

He is reaching teenage years, and has discovered he has a voice. Do you want him to randomly bark at odd hours? If not, ignoring him tells him it is ok to bark. You need to voice correct him every time he barks when you do not want him to. Otherwise, his barking will increase, as he has no guidance.

If you watch a puppy/young dog, he will run for a little, and then rest. If he is loose in a large area, he will initially run, then trot and walk. And he will also lie down and rest. It seems to me that nature intended dogs to exercise like this, because this is what they do if they are loose. If you take a small puppy for a 20 minute walk, which is too far and/or too fast for him, in his excitement and enthusiasm, and wish to be with you, he will walk with you. So you have no idea whether the exercise is too much for him or not. I counsel my puppy buyers against long walks. Cavaliers generally get enough exercise on a regular house block. As to way that dog is - could be LP, could be an injury, such as back or hip slightly out of joint, could be caused by over-excercising. A good vet or a chiropractor could diagnose what the problem is. Vets are inclined to diagnose ALL cavs as having LP, which is not the case. Although some do have it. And it is often good to see a chiro, particularly when there is accompanying muscle weakness. Some vets blithely say "genetic" when it is not, but a chiropractor can remedy any damage.

I raise all my pups on raw food. They do have dry food too, but that is only because if owners go to work, they can leave the dry out for lunch for the pup. Otherwise, they wouldn't have dry food at all. Of course vets make a profit by selling dry food - as any retailer does. However, it is not a huge amount. Few bucks a bag maybe. The main reason vets recommend dry or tinned food is because a lot of them know little about feeding dogs (true) - they are VETS, not nutritionists. Also, they are concerned about people feeding raw, or cooked diets, and giving the dog a diet which is not balanced, and will cause problems later. Feeding raw does require some research and learning, so you don't get it wrong, and it is easier for a vet to recommend a complete and balanced dry food than to go in to all the ins and outs of raw feeding. And good vets are concerned about the diet being unbalanced, so they recommend dry food, which, lets face it, thousands of dogs eat and do well on. Properly feeding a raw diet does require some research and understanding. More than can be covered in a 15 minute vet consult. I often advise people who come here asking about raw diets to do their own research, not be swayed by what others tell them - because they might not be right, and it will take years for the damage to become apparent.

Have they considered asking the breeder? The breeder may know - or may not, but most breeders have a wide network of other breeders some of whom may have experience with the problem. I would also consider taking the dog to a GOOD holistic vet.

My desexed 9 year old dog marks too. All desexing does is stop them siring pups. this is a training issue for me. I don't like them marking around the house, either inside (definitely not inside) or out on the walls etc, so they are chastised if they do it. Marking on the bed would produce insane howls of rage from me, and the poor dog would probably be too terrified to pee anywhere again!!

Agree with Cavandra - keep on eye on the pup. If he gets worse than tired, off to the vet. And discuss the reaction with your vet to ensure that the pup does not have a worse reaction the next time. I once saw 3 maltese of a litter of 4 go downhill, and despite vet treatment, all die the day following the vaccinations. Quite a few breeders on here have had pups die following vaccinations. Funny thing, Inspector Rex, I knew of 10 pups which died following vaccinations one year (the 3 maltese for a start), all of which were reported, and if you extrapolate that over all the vaccinated pups in Aust, you would think you might reach 20? Yes? The stats for that year on the manufacturers website showed FOUR dogs had a reaction!! That bothered me a lot But, yes, please do report it.

It sounds as if he has had a reaction to the flea shampoo. Anything which kills fleas IS toxic - although mostly safe - but some dogs react badly, depending on the chemicals. It may have been something he ate, a gut obstruction, or a stomach upset. And it just happened to occur when he wa bathed. He could also have a large worm burden if he has not been regularly wormed, which could be making him ill. Take him to the vet. It's difficult to diagnose on the 'net Don't have him vaccinated until he is 100% back to normal. Vaccinating an unwell dog can kill at worst, and at best, lay in problems for life. good luck, let us know how you go?

Sounds as if she has anxiety brought on by getting into trouble. She doesn't feel secure yet, after a couple of months, and getting into trouble upsets her. I own dogs I could hit over the head with a brick (I don't) and it wouldn't alter their behaviour at all - apart from stopping them doing whatever I didn't like at that particular time. Other dogs, if doing something wrong, are terribly upset if I say "no" in a big or loud voice. They simply need distraction from the sin they are committing. And a pat when they desist. Like people, each has an individual personality. When you own a dog from a pup, you learn what he needs, but when you get him as a difficult teenager, it takes a little time to discover the most effective training method. I had a dog who yearned to please. Early on, he did something wrong, I said "Bad Dog" - and he went directly to his bed, and grieved because he was distraut to have me speak harshly to him. From that day until he died, I never spoke to him in a harsh voice. If he did something, and I called him off, and rewarded him, he rarely did it again, and if I had to call him off again, he never did it again. Talk about the perfect dog!! As mentioned, you may have to make the enticements to err unattractive - ie, citronella, or "Stop Chew" on furtniture etc. If she has been an outside dog until now, all those interesting things inside would be very attractive, and she is trying her teeth out on them. There is no difference to a dog, between a chippendale table and a lump of firewood!!

Agree with everyone else. I am allergic to a certain type of wasp, and if I am bitten, need an anti histamine ---- fast!! I still do have some reaction to the bite though. If I take an anti histamine in anticipation of a bite, I have no reaction to the antihistamine.

Dry food (kibble) takes longer to work through the dog's digestive system than meat. So if you feed meat and dry at the same meal, digestion will be slower. Therefore, if there is bacteria, salmonella etc in the meat, because it is in the gut longer, there is more chance of the dog having a problem with it, than if the meat was fed by itself, as it would be digested before any bugs had time to take effect. This is not very likely to happen, but more likely to happen if you feed dry and meat at the same time. Or so it is said.

I think he has reached adolescence, and his guarding instincts are kicking in. He is acknowledging someone is there, and doing what he is supposed to - and then he realises it is you.

Pups and dogs do get worms. That's why we worm them regularly. No big deal. The worms breed and multiply, and you need to worm the dogs regularly to keep the population under control. The generic wormer from the pet shop may have worked well, killing all the worms thedog had then - but she has more now. It may NOT have worked well either. Who knows, worms are a fact of doggy, and particularly puppy life. Don't stress

I've had a few singleton litters. The oldest is now 10. Perfectly normal. The 3 year old one, ditto, and the 1 year old one also is fine. the 3 year old is a boxer, which is unusual in itself - older sire, only 2 in the litter, one had a cleft palate. I don't believe there is any difference between him and other pups from "full" litters. However, they are left with the mother for longer than a larger litter, I play with them, as I play with all the pups, and from the time they are steady on their feet, they are introduced to a gentle, but playful, companion. From about 7 weeks, apart from normal socialisation, they play with all the dogs who will play with them, and the mothers usually play with them too. When (and if) I take the mother away, I provide another companion, or if that is not possible, ensure that they have as much time socialing with other dogs as possible. Differences people have noticed in singletons may just be individual differences - in any litter, there is the rough one, the noisy one, the gentle one, the sooky one, and so on --- and they grow up exactly as they were as pups, although their behaviour is modified by age and training. I believe if singleton pups are reared as normally as possible, they will reach the same potential they would have reached if they had been part of a litter of 5 or 6. However, if they are reared very differently from the way a larger litter is reared, there are going to be differences. Socialisation is important, and so is learning new things in company.