Jed

My thoughts are with you. They are such a wonderful dog, it is so difficult to lose one. Good luck with your search, he would want you to get someone else to care for you and your family. Andrea rescues, so does Dogbesotted, and Steve breeds them. Good luck - and we expect photos!!

Thanks, Rappie. So, it is actually a different vaccine. And, I should still be able to get the annual one? This is now a few years old, but relevant

Thanks Cavnrott, for the correction. Must have had a senior moment. C7 also immunises against leptospriosis, which is typically a problem in hot wet conditions (ie, tropical) and also corona virus. This is from the Gov website, giving approval for the use of C3 in Aust and and vaccination protocol As far as I am aware, it is the same vaccine, but vets are telling people it is a "new 3 year one" - and in fact, some vets who insisted on annual vaccinations, when pushed, said there was "a new 3 year one" but it costs more There is a growing body of evidence that immunising dogs with an ever increasing number of live vaccines together does a great deal of damage to the immune system. There is documented evidence everywhere. There is also evidence that numerous (middle aged and older) dogs developed aggressive lymphomas following vaccinations. In fact, if you do a search, some of the owners posted on this forum. Dogs do need protection from diseases which will harm them - but I think we need to be selective about the vaccines we use, so that they are not doing harm. Most forms of kennel cough are easily treated in healthy dogs, and indeed most will repair without any treatment at all. The choice is whether to vaccinate against something which is easily cured - or risk the damage the vaccine may do. If you board you dog, you may need to use C5. And dog club secretaries are going to have to do some research about vaccines, so they are not refusing to let properly vaccinated dogs attend club events. An obedience secretary of a club near Rockhampton would not allow a properly vaccinated puppy to attend classes, because she would not accept the vaccination certificate which was issued - it was a letter, on the vet's letterhead (giving the vet's registration number), stating date vac. given, what type, name and type and age of dog, and the sticker from the ampule containing the vaccine. Apparently it wasn't acceptable because it wasnt on a card!! I ask you. For the past 10 years, my dogs have received 3 vaccinations - with C3 if possible, and if not, with C4. I have never had any develop any of the diseases they were vaccinated against, and on titre testing a 6 year old bitch, last vaccinated at 14 months, her antibodies for parvo were "off the scale", so she certainly didn't need any more immunisations. There is some research that suggests that annual vaccinations may cancel out the antibodies the dog already has, leaving it in an unprotected state. I often wonder if this is why the occasional dog, although vaccinated, contracts and dies of parvo, which is, after all a puppy disease, and adult dogs should pick up some natural immunity by being out amongst other dogs. It's every dog owner's personal choice, but we all need to research what we are actually putting into our beloved pets.

I can read perfectly well, thanks. How long do you advocate the puppy spends in the crate, per day, to rephrase, as you may not have understood my question.

Our cav had heart failure - not mvd, just simple "heart failure". She was on Vetmedin and either Lasix or frudix, and metacam for her arthritis. I am not exactly sure, but I think she was on these drugs for 2 or so years. Sorry, forgotten. She finally passed at 14 1/2. I think the drugs helped enormously, and although not as sprightly as in her younger days, she led a happy, fullfilled life until the end. When she began on vetmedin, it was past the experimental stage, but not used as much as it is today, and my vet recommended it as having given better results with her patients than other treatments, although I believe it was more expensive. I have a 9 1/2 year old girl with a Gr 1 left sided murmur, which I am sure, is MVD, although she has not been scanned. She has a slight cough, is not on meds, and is otherwise quite well. If she has to go on drugs, it will be Vetmedin It is difficult to know what the course will be, but I am sure the drugs did help. Not cheap, unfortunately.

Greencross Vets ARE private vets. They just own several private clinics and employ veterinary surgeons, as opposed to a vet owning his own practice. I understand they have some very good vets working at the various clinics. I think they may have 4 or 5 clinics in Brisbane. No C2 here. Choice is C3 - parvo. hepatitis. parainfluenza (kennel cough) C4 - parvo. hepatitis . 2 types of kennel cough. IMHO, no dog should ever have above a C4. The Australian Veterinary Association released a new vaccination protocol about 3 years ago at its annual conference. They now recommend that dogs received 3 yearly boosters, not annual ones. Not all vets are up with this. As there is quite a lot of evidence that over-vaccinating causes a lot of the damage to the immune system, leading to allergies and some forms of cancer, many people only use the puppy regime which is 2 vaccinations for a puppy, 1 at 14 months, and no more vaccinations ever. Most of the diseases we vaccinate for are puppy diseases, and there is a lot of evidence that following the course of 3 vaccinations 2xpuppy, 1x14 months, the dogs have sufficient immunity to the diseases to not need follow up vaccinations. You may discuss this with your vet, but if he is of the "vaccinate annually" school, he will simply tell you that you should be vaccinating annually. If you are interested, I can post some research by Dr. Jean Dodds, the world wide expert on vaccinating dogs.

lilysmum Are you advocating that the dog spends 24/7 in the crate except when he is tied up (to the owner)? is outside having a toilet stop?

Montall But, in the case where there is a problem, which MAY be hereditary, it is a good idea to involve the breeder prior to spending any money or taking any action. As a breeder, I would "make good" - but I would expect to know before any vet work is done, and I may want to get another vets opinion. Because I trust my own vet, and he is familiar with my breed. Then I would want to discuss with the owner what is best for the dog. I might refund the purchase price, I might give another dog - it would depend on the situation, and what would best suit the dog, the owner and me. By not informing me, the possibility of me helping is vastly reduce. Me too I often wonder that myself!! But, if you look at a situation like this from the point of view of an ethical and responsible breeder, this is something the breeder never wanted to happen. And the question would be what would the best option be to have a favourable outcome for all parties. Magthedag Holy smokin batshit!! When you buy another one, please see me first, and I'll send you to a breeder who will take responsibility for hereditary diseases. I can't believe that

lillysmum And don't forget their telemarketing!! Wonder how much that makes?

Eukanuba is ok - I have fed it, Nutrience, Nutro, Advance, Innova, Royal Canin - and the dogs seem to do similarly on all of them. The ingredient list of Euk looks ok, and it is certainly better than most supermarket foods. The people who make Advance also make and sell Pal dry food through the supermarket. They did feeding trials a few years ago. Advance was about $90, and Pal $24. If you fed the same dog each of the foods at the recommended quantities, you actually were $1 odd better off by feeding Advance, because you used so much less per meal. It might be worth looking around for cheap deals on raw food. I buy chicken mince for $1 kg from a pet food wholesaler (same mince is $1.30 from the pet shop), no preservatives, no hormones, no antibiotics, and always fresh and good. The "right" butcher will sell a shopping bag of bones for $2.50 - $3 - about 7 to 9 bones. I feed my dogs raw mince, to which I have added veges/fruit. This works out cheaper than dry food, and I think the dogs do better on it. You do have to shop around to find out where meat etc is cheap. Liver etc is about $4.99 kg at the supermarket, but it is often reduced in price to $1.99 - $2.99. Anyhow, you didn't ask about raw food, so back to the dry!! It doesn't work out too expensive to feed the "better" brands, although it hurts your wallet when you buy it, it lasts for a long time. You can also add table scraps, (as long as you don't live on curries or mexican), which the dogs will enjoy, and it makes the dry go a bit further. Plenty of variety in scraps, and with the dry, the diet should be balanced.

Pleased you're laughing!! :D Yep, well known fact that cocker spaniels are chick magnets, but don't tell your wife!! :p

Frank, sit down, have a stiff scotch and chill out. Your cocker is not a GSD- they have different eyes!! That's normal, and they are probably more so as he is teething. The "sag" will probably take up as he grows. Again - normal. Sleeping a lot, teething and diet can all contribute to this. What is he eating? Be patient. He is only a baby. If he is white under his eyes, the stains will show up more. Buy some tear stain remover from the pet shop, and wipe t he tear stains every day. I think "very common" is a bit of an exaggeration!! He could have entropian - BUT the vet has checked him, and he doesn't have that, so cross that out. PRA - which is hereditary. Hope the parents were checked and you saw the certificates? But, even if you didn't, HE WILL BE SHOWING NO SIGNS OF THAT AS A PUPPY. It's not "very common" anyhow, although cockers (and some other breeds do get it). Hereditary cararacts - Wont be showing any signs of these either at this age, and highly unlikely that he has it either. So, Frank, stop gazing into his eyes, and enjoy the little guy So, what's the worst that can happen? He'll have t o have glasses!! Here's a photo of a cocker with glasses - it's not so bad!!

Wonder where she got her information? If we are counting brownie points here, I've been a registered breeder for a lot more than 15 years, and all my pups have about 5 meals a week of whole eggs, and my adult dogs have whole eggs two or three times a week. Unfortunately, there is a lot of incorrect information out there, specially on biotin - which is what the breeder is talking about. Trust me, whole raw eggs will not hurt the dogs.

The yolk contains a chemical which negates the chemical in the white, so you can feed the WHOLE egg, and to do any damage, you would have to feed dozens a day.

Depends on what type of spider, Dogmad.

Sorry to hear about Abby, nasty thing to happen, for you, and for her. It does sound very much like 1080 - or snakebite. A GP friend of mine once told me it is nearly impossible to detect 1080 post mortem. He suggested it was the poisoners' choice, and one of the reasons the baits are accounted for so carefully when baiting is organised. And I know dogs who pick it up do tend to run - the symptoms sound like 1080. Maybe check that with your vet? So easy for a bird to drop a bait, and the dog needs to eat such a small amount. Edited to add: Am not sure how long she was in the bedroom for - but if she picked up 1080, it would have been outside, and the time frame sounds a bit long for 1080 (depending on how long she was in the bedroom for), so snakebite seems more likely.

Goodness, is Krool rooly Dougie? Rooly? Tell me it isn't so. Now, back to the business in hand ---- This is just what I think, and which has been firmed up by discussing parvo with various vets. Staff nToller]

Purina owned it for a while before it changed. I think both the working dog and puppy have changed.

Kool Milosmum - The virus tends to come and go in various areas. Dog in an area contracts it, more get it - and so it goes. Sometimes there is no parvo around. If your pup has been vaccinated, you ought not to have problems. Some breeds; rotties, dobes, staffies, chihuahuas to my knowledge are more susceptible to it than other breeds. I'm with Toohey on socialisation - if the dog has the right temperament, and you go about it the right way - they will still turn out ok, despite no early socialisation. I bought an 8 month old as a stud dog, who had only been away from the kennels for vaccinations. Three days later he went on a 2 hour car trip, visited 2 households, and met about 20 dogs -- had a wonderful time, and behaved well. He wasn't even lead trained, but acquitted himself 100%. However, early socialisation is much better.

I have to agree on the quality of Bonnie - I feed it occasionally - and I have noticed that since Purina took over, the quality is not as good as it was. And the ingredients have changed drastically. Smells different too. Perhaps Purina is using left over/spoiled/not so good human products? Cheaper that way. I think it used to have roo, didn't it? I have forgotten. My dogs used to really like it, but when it changed they were very lethargic about eating it. That is unusual in itself - I always think one night I'll fall over when I'm feeding them, and they will simply gobble me up with everything else!! OK for your "cheap change" but not OK as a prime source of nourishment for the doggies, I think.

10 days after the pup has had his second shot, he should be protected against parvo. Vet surgeries which conduct puppy pre-schools should have disenfected the floor (against parvo) after surgery, before puppy preschool begins. I know, from here, that some don't, but all should. If I was taking pups to pre-school, I would want to know the floor had been disenfected. I also like to see the the examination table has been disenfected between patients, and like Showdog, I also enquire if there have been any parvo cases before I take my pups for their vaccinations. I also take a clean towel for them to sit on, on the examination table. It gives them comfort in a strange place, plus, just in case the table has not been cleaned, they have some protection. kool, an in depth study of ice skating rinks showed a 53% incidence of parvo transmission there. This rises dramatically when rinks are used for puppy socialisation. Ice skating in the park is out, too much parvo, plus there is no ice in summer. Might be worth trying paragliding to socialise them.

Take a deep breath Arley. No matter what you do, at 12 weeks, she just cannot hang on, when she needs to go, she needs to go NOW. I'm not a big fan of endless crating. She needs to go as soon as she wakes up, shortly after she eats - 5 - 15 minutes, and at other times during the day. So, if you take her out when she wakes up, and after food, and about every hour during her awake times, you should get a few strikes outside. You can use a word - "wees" or "quickly" or something, which you say in a happy voice when she does something, coupled with making a fuss of her when she she has toileted outside. If you take her out and she wont go, simply wait and wait until she has been, and make a fuss of her. Then take her inside. If I catch mine going inside, I say "uh", pick them up and take them out. Unless she is extra special, you probably wont have her trained until about 5 months. No matter what you do. Some take less time, some take more. Rubbing her nose in her mess does nothing except give her a dirty nose, and releases some of your frustrations!! Doesn't work either!! The dog doesn't connect the nose rub with the act which produced what you rub the nose in! If you are worried about the carpet, see if she goes in one spot. If she does, buy some of those puppy pads, and put them down in the spot, which will at least save the carpet. They don't work for all pups though. I've had a few who messed everywhere, and dragged the pad up and down the hall, shredding it as they went. :D

Jimmythehuman, if the chicken mince smells, it isn't suitable for your dog. I use chicken mince, and it never smells of anything except chicken mince. Chicken breeds bacteria faster than beef, so perhaps your mince is a bit old, or off? Beef is fine. Tinker, that is one really cute pup - what a winning smile in the second picture. What is she? Edited to say - Tony, I don't think I'd recommend roo for pups, speciallly small breed ones - it can be a bit rich for pups, and you know what happens then!! Beef and mutton are good though.

If the mince is cooked, the bones are too small to be a problem. The reason for not feeding cooked chicken with complete bones is that the cooking makes the bones brittle, and they are more likely to splinter. Cooking the mince destroys the calcium. There are lots of methods of feeding dogs - most of them work as well as other methods.

If someone gave me pallets of Divine, I'd use them. Maybe give him meaty bones as well, or a top quality dry food.