Jed

Grapes and sultanas and raisins have caused irreversible liver damage in dogs. My dogs etc all melons, apples, pears, bananas - pretty well everything except kiwi fruit, passionfruit and grapes, as part of their diet - not in huge quantities, but they probably had some fruit nearly every day. Mine refuse to eat citrus fruit, but lots of dogs do.

Best wishes for her. Could she walk following the operation? I too, think it could be a pinched or damaged nerve. If that is so, it could well be worth a trip to a good chiro - particularly before you make any decisions re pts. If the nerve is damaged, it may heal, but slowly. If it is cut, there is no chance of any feeling returning. Conversely, "something" in her back or hip may be out, which can easily be repaired with a little manipulation. I would want to know exactly what was wrong with her, and why - before I did anything rash. I realise it will be difficult to manage a neo bitch with no use of her back end, but it may be worth it in the short term. Even if you have to sling her around the middle to support the back end so she can move about.

Yes, it will be safe to begin him on heartworm treatment without a blood test for heartworm. After the infective mosquito bites the dog, it takes approx 16 weeks for the microfilarea to grow in to worms, and it is the worms which do the damage. So, even if he was bitten the day he was born by an infected mosquito (ie, one which has previously bitten a dog with heartworm), it will be 16 weeks before any worms develop. I suggest to my puppy buyers that they commence heartworm treatment at 12 weeks.

Great to hear about Sophie. Hope Keisha is ok - and best wishes to Zed, Bonnie and all the sick kids. Best wishes to their mums and dads too. Be strong.

No, as long as it is not frozen for an excessive time

The ears could be haemotomas - hard to tell from the photos. A mild antibiotic ointment could do the eyes - with the drooping eyelids, dust etc can lodge there and make them sore and gooey. She wont pass on parvo unless she has it, had it, unless she has the virus (from another dog) on her coat. She may just be a bit unwell, and the runny nose and eyes are a symptom - wrong food, stress; and a course of antibiotics, or good food and vit C would put her right. These things combined can also be a sign of an allergy, probably a food allergy, and a change of food, particularly to raw, might improve matters. She looks like a nice girl. good luck with her.

It is a major operation - an amputation - general anaesthetic, stitches, the lot. Be guided by your vet about length - sometimes is it better to shorten the tail quite a lot so further damage is not done to the stump by wagging during healing. However, it is no more serious than any other operation - less so than speying a bitch, for example. Incidentally, removal of a tail is "docking" of a puppy, and "amputation" of a dog's tail. Different operation. Much more serious with an adult. But, sometimes, there is no option. Not to remove the tail would result in other problems. My friend's cat had his tail removed because he broke it, and there was nerve damage - he could not lift or carry it, and it had no feeling in it.

If the vet is capable, there should be no problem with the anaesthetic. May I ask you what he is eating? Sometimes diet can play a part in healing of bones. And it may be worth looking at his diet, and perhaps adding things for general bone strength. I would also consider comfrey, which has an excellent reputation with healing breaks.

Do you have a site for this, or any reference, I would like to see it? Thanks. This information, from Dr. Bob Rogers DVM in US, may help explain the immune response for anyone confused I personally give 1 x C3 at 8 - 9 weeks. by then maternal immunity should have faded, and that vaccination should protect the pup against parvo. However, in case maternal immunity was still present, I give another C3 at 12 - 14 weeks. Just to be sure. then another C3 at 14 months or thereabouts. I have been doing this for 10 years. I have never had a dog with parvo, hepatitis or any form of KC, and yes, they do go out and about, and some go to shows, but not weekly, and yes, we do have other dogs visiting. And yes, I believe that if the dogs are out and about, their immune systems also develop immunity. My dogs are not vaccinated other than this. They do not visit boarding kennels, and I would prefer them to contract KC than to be vaccinated against it. there are more types of KC than the vaccines cover and KC is easily cured or c ontrolled, plus the mortality rate is about 1%. The C3 covers the diseases I think could be a problem, ie, parvo, hepatitis and distemper. There is NO way I would give any dog a C7 - seven live viruses is too much for any immune system. the 3 year vaccine is the 1 year vaccine in different packing. But giving it 3 yearly works well.

I don't believe it would do any harm to the dog with HG - but I'd be pulling out all stops with the vet as well. And didn't the people who turned blue or grey drink far too much? I read about a couple of people who skolled it and went blue. Ricey Dunno Ricey, I've read all the pro and against references, and it was used quite extensively in the past. I have used it externally with excellent results. I had two (minor) scratches on my arms, used CS on one, and other treatments on the other. The one treated with CS healed without a scar and faster. My stud dog slashed from his chest to his ribs, under his "armpit" - and my the time I found the wound, it was green and infected, and long past stitching, athough it really needed sewing up. Cleaned it with H2O2, and treated daily with CS. There is not even a hint of a scar. Friends give their newborn pups a drop on the tongue, and swear they do better than pups not given CS. Who knows. I was drinking a little every day - I failed to turn blue (damn, could have been interesting) but I see any benefits either, so stopped. But - I am prepared to say it is the BEST wound treatment I have ever used.

Well said, espinay 2. I don't think Tom Lonsdale and Ian Billinghurst were ever aligned, were they? Lots who espouse a BARF diet have not read Billinghurst, and are either making it up as they go along, or have read various websites which seem to have altered what Billinghurst wrote (or I can't read). I believe anyone who intends feeding BARF should obtain Billinghurst's book/s and read them first. If you read Billinghurst and Lonsdale and Juliette de Baraclay Levy, it can be very confusing, but any or all the diets are good for dogs. The main thing is to feed different things - over a period - so all the dog's nutritional requirements are satisfied by balance, and to give preservatives and artificial colourings a miss. I basically feed BARF, but pups and in whelp and lactating bitches get what de Baraclay Levy recommends, because I have found, over years, that that is what works for me, and the results have been good. Too many make the simple art of feeding dogs into rocket science, when it isn't. Our dogs thrived before commercial foods, on table scraps, eggs, meat offcuts from the butcher, offal, bones, bread, oatmeal, whatever was about. I was speaking to an older, and very successful breeder today, and in years gone by, their dogs thrived on bread soaked in the water the meat was cooked in, and meat + eggs and some grains. And they all lived long and healthy lives. I can't comment on the patties - I have never seen them!

Well, come on. What happened? Did the bum fall off? Help? Can anyone hear me? Hope it wasn't too serious.

It looks like some sort of protusion of the rectum - maybe caused to too hard stools, or too much straining. It may well go back inside itself. If the dog is going to the vet in the am, it will be find until then. However, if more of whatever it is comes out - try to keep it clean, and perhaps make a little sling to keep it in, with a damp pad of wadding or material to keep it clean and avoid infection. I wouldn't like the look of it much, but I wouldnt panic. No big deal. One of those things which looks bad - and the very worst is that a bit more will come out ---- and then do as I suggested above. Probably it will stay as is, and will probably go back by itself, but worth having the vet check it, whether it is in or out.

If the flies are really bad, I used Aeroguard or Bite free - but not where they can lick it. It works well. I also used fly traps - a bottle with an attractant - the flies crawl in the hole and can't get out. I use these where the dogs sleep, and hang them out of reach so some dopey dog doesn't eat them. They really clear the area - about $10 each.

If you ever go by Woolies, it is worth going in to see if they have any turkey chops or turkey necks - sometimes they have them reduced - close to the use by date - I 've picked up the chops for $1.99 kg, and the necks for slightly less, but it doesn't happen all the time. I wont go there specially now, but if I am walking by, I check them out. Where I shop, turkey chops are in the deli.

After ensuring there is nothing amiss, via the vet, I would be inclined to try to remedy it from within - more oil in the diet, sardines, sunflower, omega 3 oils, and perhaps a change of diet.

Yes they are. The odd one wont hurt, I don't suppose.

I don't take my pups out until 10 days after their final puppy shot. If I want to take them somewhere, I take them in the car, and then carry them. Scales of Justice Are you sure? I read a couple of vet. medical books on parvo, and the information in both of them was that parvo is not airbourne. Has research revealed that it is?

Wash any dirt out with clean warm water. And then the Betadine should be fine. Unless it needs a stitch, it should not need the vet. I don't think it matters if he licks it. It's not like stitches where he can pull them out, and he will keep it clean.

He can have the whole yolk, raw as Cavandra suggested, but if you are eating the whites, the yolks are fine for him. Lots or protein, and good for the coat.

So sorry to hear about your pup. Don't beat yourself up about the second vaccination - the pup probably would have contracted parvo anyhow, as the vaccine wouldn't have had time to work. The length of time parvo persists in the soil varies, depending on which expert you read. I have been told 1 year, and 7 years. Have you been living in your current house for very long? You might be better to get an adult (fully vaccinated) dog, or an older puppy which has had all it's shots, and time for them to work. A friend of mine, a vet, lost an adult staffy to parvo. She had been vaccinated every year, but according to research, the vaccinations cancel each other out, and the dog has no protection. Dru I don't know, but my vet touted the "new" you beaut 3 year vaccination, and it was exactly the same as the "old" vaccination, just repackaged to fit in with the new protocol. Which I have been following for years anyhow.

So sorry to hear about George. If the vet thinks it is a MCT, I too would opt for removal, rather than biopsy. No matter what it is, it should come off, and removing it means only 1 anaesthetic (and probably less cost). I had a MCT removed from a boxer, good margins. Lived until 9. Sorry to hear about Sophie too, Cavnrott. Will send healing vibes to both dogs, and both of you.

Hi, Delta Charlie, that is interesting. Do you have some references for the diet? What are the ratios for the diet please?

There are points in what Mark says. I have spoken to a few excellent trainers who feel that all positive is not all good, and agree in principal with Mark. When the RSPCA comes out in opposition, people think it must be right, because it is the RSPCA. Different strokes for different dogs, I think, and, more importantly, the wisdom to see who needs what. If I raised my voice to some of the girls here, they would faint dead away, but you could positively train one of the boys for years, and still not get the same response as waving a newspaper at him gets!! And it's not a boy thing either, my other dog would go white around the gums and die immediately if I used anything except rewards on him. I don't think he has ever received a correction. He thrives on pats, smiles and kind words, coz he loves to do right. The only people who think check chains are cruel are those who don't understand their use, and misuse them.

Also be very wary of hypoglycaemia - ensure she is getting glucose or honey or something. that will kill her as fast as a virus. I agee with the Manuka honey - it is very easy for a dog to digest, and I find it excellent for pups which wont eat. And it will certainly help with hypoglycaemia. I presume she is a pom pup, and if so, try to get manuka honey and/or glucose into her 2 hourly to ensure her blood sugar levels don't fall too much. A couple of years ago, several litters had a parvo like problem - some were just dead in the morning without any symtoms, some had yellowish diarrohea, without the parvo smell. The vet tried Bactrim (sp??) which did work, all pups on Bactrim survived (with supporting treatment). They weren't my pups, I was speaking to the vet about it. He said he had tried everything else, and thought to try Bactrim, which did work.