Yonjuro

I wasn't aware that Japanese Spitz were an easy to train dog... ya learn something every day :-) I suppose that being a Husky owner I assumed that all Spitz breeds are somewhat challenging to train LOL. I wonder if German Spitz or even a Keeshond would also be suitable?? Notwithstanding the shedding issues but the odour free coats would be a bonus and they are very clean dogs, and if anything like their bigger cousins - they don't require clipping or regular baths. So the occasional brushing is often less work than with non-shedding dogs. I would also imagine that gentle brushing such a dog would be very therapeutic. And I can 100% say that plucking out little clumps of undercoat when it starts to blow is such a satisfying pastime LOL Also, for some reason I always pictured a medium sized dog to be ideal in such a role, but I will freely admit that I don't know much at all about mental assistance dogs at all. What I am seeing from reading the posts, is that there are a lot of choices and that it will be a case of perhaps making some compromises in coat etc to find the ideal dog.

I think the hypoallergenic and age of the dog are requirements for the training for an Assistant dog by Mindogs ??? (not sure on that though) Dogs that come to mind to me are Westies Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Mini Schnauzers ??? I will readily admit that I am not too familiar with all of the personality and physical traits of these dogs though. I feel that with whatever dog, it is important that Jodi find a good registered breeder with desirable temperament traits from the sire and dam as the primary goal. Most of us here know that registered breeder does not always mean a good and ethical breeder. I guess that reducing the likelihood of a problematic dog is also a desirable goal. I believe that temperament will far outweigh show worthy prospects.

I am so pleased that people are making such great comments on this thread. I also agree with Ruralpug on the Spitz breeds. Sienna did have a beautiful bonding session with my boof-head husky, but such a breed would be a nightmare in most circumstances. Talking with Jodi I think a small breed is more of where she sees the best fit. I am sure she will inform you all if the size requirements change.

Hey Jodi First time I have been back on the forum for a long time - nice to see you here. I would like to ask members to please help Jodi out - I have met her and her daughter and experienced her daughter have the most beautiful experience with my Husky Ronin whom some of you may know from posts here. Please help Jodi with breed recommendations and also breeders so she can add this to her knowledge base. Every bit of information, no matter how small will be greatly appreciated. I know that Jodi coming here and asking for advice is not something done lightly. It is heartbreaking to see and hear of the troubles, so again I ask people to help with this very important step. Jodi is a great dog-person so whatever dog that is chosen will have a wonderful life with this family. I am not sure if this thread should be in the general section to get more exposure - maybe a mod can help Jodi out there if there is a better spot. Cheers Jason

We had our first training run of the season this morning. Up at 4am and then and hours drive south, We did a 3.5km trail which was pretty long for the first of the season, but I let Ronin dictate his pace and didn’t push him. Some was fast and some was just a trot. Quite a bit of uphill too. Temp was 10.5 which was great! File size is pretty big, so press pause and let it buffer before playing. best viewed in HD or 720

Thanks for your interest in this :) We found some lower sodium kibbles. Canidae, TOTW and Ziwipeak all run at around 0.3% sodium. Which is derived from the meat content. The vet is going to try with a treatment of low dose of hydrochlorothiazide (2 mg/kg, twice daily) together with a low sodium diet. I believe that the only prescription diets with lower sodium than the above were canned food, at around 0.21 - but if you take into consideration the water content and the fact that ZiwiPeak canned is 0.13% it still seems to indicate that the non-prescription foods come out better. So that was the latest news, I will let you know if anything else comes up :)

Thanks for all of the suggestions so far. :) Just to clarify a few things :) Numerous tests finally uncovered NDI, they will be back at vet next week to discuss treatment plans and get a referral to a specialist In the meantime my friend is trying to get as much info on the condition as possible - for their own understanding. During their own research they found that a low sodium diet can be beneficial, so they asked me the question of "do you know of any low sodium kibbles ?" As we all know, nothing is ever simple with diet, so I asked them some questions so I could get better info, and this is when they told me about the NDI. It is most likely that a Hills prescription diet will be recommended and it may well be the best food for him. But... if there are alternatives then we can put it in the mix for discussion. It may be that a raw or home cooked diet will be best but I don't know enough about the condition to make this recommendation though. I imagine that all things are on the table right now, and will reassessed after discussions with the doctors. :) @Scottsmum - thanks very much for those links. PS. Too many posts to quote so thank you all for the input thus far :)

Thanks Westiemum, I am also a raw feeder, I know this person is very dedicated, so I would imagine that nothing is out of the 'mix' at this stage. I think, and happy to be corrected on this, but meats do have reasonable levels of sodium, so I don't know what levels of sodium are acceptable. Again I am guessing here and just accumulating thoughts and ideas at this stage. Her initial question to me was "do I know any low sodium kibbles" most of friends know I am a food nutcase so I guess that is why they asked me ;-) I do recall that with some of the 'big three' kibble brands I fed many years ago, some would definitely make my dogs drink far more than with other kibbles. A symptom I put down to higher sodium at the time??? Thanks again for your response :)

Hi all. I need some help from the braintrust A friend has asked me for some food, diet and supplement suggestions. Before I outline the dogs condition it is important to say that my friend is in regular contact with their vet and will be seeing specialists. The info we can get will just be going into their "information gathering files' and will be discussed with the doctors. They are just trying to get as much info and ideas that they can to try and help their much loved boy. He has been diagnosed with Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (after months of lots of different tests) Preliminary research seems to indicate that a low sodium diet is beneficial with this condition. So are there any suggestions of low sodium kibbles? Are there any other suggestions that I can pass on. Hope to hear from some of you soon :)

Thanks Perse :) Thanks DA :)

Thanks Stressmagnet :) Thanks DDD :), yeah they still have fun together. Luckily there are people with more experience in rescue than myself on the committee so things are going okay. Too many dogs needing rescue and desexing which is pretty normal and sad. But we are trying to help a little.

Many thanks Snook :)

Thanks Roova, he really has a pretty good time most of the time LOL

Thanks Sars, that is very kind of you :) :)

Hi all, I haven't been here for a while so just thought I'd pop in and say hi :) Hi! Have been quite busy with helping set up a new rescue group. Husky and Malamute Rescue Inc. (H.A.M.R) I haven't updated any Ronin and Tigger adventures for a while either so hope to do some soon In the meantime here is a little vid from Ronin's adventure at a doggy swimming pool :-) I hope everyone and their dogs have been well and my apologies if I have missed any news from any of my friends oh and here is a recent pic of the two clowns that continue to play their silly games :D

Hahahaha - Thanks Denali :D That is exactly what Caitlin wants to do for Halloween :-) which also happens to be Ronin's Birthday

It says refrigeration at < 8 C can prolong the shelf life by up to 12 months.

I read somewhere that it doesnt have to be, but it will extend its shelf life if it is. But i feel like that technically means it needs to be BTW, which colour protexin do you use Yonjuro? Thanks Denali I normally just go for the green label powder. The last times I have bought it they only have a 6 odd month shelf life. Dunno if I would be wanting to purchase in Perth in Summer ??

I thought I'd ask the braintrust here... Went to the pet shop the other day to get some Protexin Probiotics- didn't see any in the fridge this time. Asked and it was behind the counter on non-refrigerated shelves. I queried the sales person and she said it didn't need to be refrigerated ??? Apparently 'the rep' told her? I am positive that it must be refrigerated after opening, but was still under the impression that the sealed containers should still be cool? Can anyone confirm this???

Yep :laugh:

Many thanks Luck-dog, no apology necessary your comments are much appreciated :) :)

Its great that you are thinking about it and developing your own opinions but not everything is as easy as it seems and you need to be careful about who is doing the pushing - there is a long journey yet in your research before all of the issues can be considered and you can grow in your understanding and knowledge. This sums up pretty much why Im against the term guardian. My link Thank you for your comments, The flip side of my inexperience is that I am not stymied by labels and terms that may or may not be popular in political dog circles. I wrote my own opinions on something I feel strongly about, this is due to the many problems I see happening in my chosen breed. I see this every day and hear a lot of tragic stories due to this belief that "It's my dog it's my choice" - it certainly was for the person that had a second litter of pups, four of which have Megaesophagus. It was also the same for the "owner" who bred their dog with HD and also the other I met with juvenile cataracts. Not to mention the many with behavioural issues that see them surrendered and destined for the green dream. So my opinion is based on what I see every day at the dog park and as a member of a very large group of husky owners. I have friends with these affected dogs and I know the pain they go through on a daily basis, so you will have to excuse me for being passionate and sharing my opinion. I don't care what the term is - owner, fur-dad, guardian, boss etc, I use the term owner too, but in this personal opinion piece I argue that a dog is not a toaster or a car to do with what you please, so this is why I attempted to describe what "owner" means to some people . I am fully aware of how ownership is viewed in regards to legality. I really don't think many on this forum would fit into the "owner" category I attempt to describe. There are so many layers to these issues, I don't know the solution to each layer. I put my thoughts down on the subject yesterday, I stand by them today...hopefully I will learn more and have better ideas or thoughts on these matters in the future. Incidentally - I wrote this for myself, I decided to share on my personal FB page as most of my friends know I am a mad-dog-guy :-) As an afterthought I decided to post it here despite this being a different audience. So I haven't exercised some sensibilities that I perhaps could have or should have done :)

Well I think it should be left up to the experts and I have given my reasons why. I support ethical registered breeders and I think I have made that clear. Without these types of breeders we wouldn't have the purebred dogs we love so much. Having said that I don't expect everyone to agree with me though :)

Just removed Oscars law from my post :)

I didn't know Oscars law were anti registered breeders too, I thought they were just involved in trying to shut down puppy factories and stoping sales in pet shops. I am obviously a supporter of registered breeders I may have to modify my piece if in fact Oscars law are anti breeding "full stop" as that is not a view I share. Yep, my argument is from a moral and ethical view rather than a legal standpoint. What is law and what is right are not always the same. In any case I wrote this quickly today as I have been having a few discussions on these subjects recently and thought I would attempt to put my thoughts on paper and out of my mind for a short while :)