espinay2

Our cats have all lived to 21 to 23 years so far. They are indoor/outdoor cats and all have minimal commercial foods. Out current cats are 11 and 7 and still very much 'young' cats.

There was a court case a while back against a breeder which as won by the owner of a pup who had TNS. If you look through the archives here you will likely find threads on it (the names etc are not coming to me at the moment..) Owey it may be worth quoting the case to the breeder of your pup as 'leverage'? Just a thought....

The important thing to remember is that a 'reward' is not what you think should be rewarding, but what your dog actually does find rewarding. No use insisting you 'will only use X as a reward' if it doesn't work for that dog. This may or may not be treats and could be any nomber of things including a particular game, toy, pat, praise, a type of treat etc etc. It is up to you to work out what that is. Treats are used a lot because to many dogs they ARE a reward to a greater or lesser extent - not all but most - so this is usually the first thing tried. It is also easier to use treats in a wider range of situations as they are small, portable, dont take much space or time to deliver, and can be delivered less distractingly in the presence of other dogs. Some dogs have a few different things they may find rewarding - some more rewarding than others. You can use ALL of them to reward the dog at different times. For example, saving the thing they find the most rewarding as a 'jackpot' for when they do something really well. When it comes to house training, I will say though that I often only use praise and occasionally some other reward. What is important with house training is CONSISTENCY (as you have noted). Take the pup out frequently to toilet in the right spot (this may mean several times during the night at first) and immediately change any soiled bedding so they don't associate the bedding with the smell (which encourages them to go there again). Yes, it can take a little patience and you may lose sleep at first. I have had a new pup here for the last week and I know what I am talking about! LOL! But with consistency she is quickly getting the hang of it, despite being used to going on her bedding and having a couple of accidents in her crate the first evening when I wasn't quick enough. At the moment she goes out about midnight before my OH goes to bed, and wakes up around 3.30 at which time I take her out again and she toilets (straight out on lead and straight back in - I don't talk to her much or pat her or play with her - we are out there for a reason - I give quiet praise when she goes and then it is straight back to bed). Then she is up when I get up at 6 am. The period between toilet stops at night is slowly getting longer even after one week (remembering at this age they really have not much bladder control to speak of) and we have had no accidents since the first day. She is now getting very good at telling me when she needs to go, but I make sure she goes out regularly regardless. -

As mentioned, as soon as they have teeth (puppies can be given bones right from weaning, though they may not be eating them totally at first). I have an 11 week old Pyrenean pup here at the moment who eats chicken necks and wings with no issue and also chicken frames (the ribcages mostly) though is a bit slower with those. She also gets beef brisket bones and roo tails to chew on during the day and as we speak is having fun eating a piece of a lamb flap.

Lot of 'blame game' happening here on the forum, when not even the parties involved, from reports, seem to be doing that. The parents of the child don't want action taken and the owners of the dog have put the dog to sleep. Neither appears to be blaming the other, but everyone involved in this situation, from reports, seems to be acting in an appropriate and responsible attitude to this sad situation. And ALL appear to be taking their share of the responsibility, which to me is something that should be commended, not condemned or bickered over.

Agree on not giving heartworm meds to an 8 week pup. I too wouldnt start till around 5 months or so.

Raw or scrambled egg Yoghurt cottage cheese Goats milk Beef mince or any other ground meat Pureed and mashed veggies (if short of time use the baby food veggies in the screw top sachets). Farex baby cereal if you really must do cereal (IMO not necessary) Beef or chicken stock with warm water to help make it more appetising (and he may like it better at room temp or slightly warmed) Add fish oil (squeezed out from the capsules or in oil form) and perhaps Vit C powder. Mashed fish such as salmon or mackerel or sardines.

Canine Coffee Club

LGD are VERY stoic and many rarely show how much pain they are really in. Yep, DEFINTELY pain killers (pain inhibits healing) and IMO I would dispense with the sling too!! Crate or rest in a small pen Find out what he was eating and how much. When was he last wormed? Do blood tests as suggested. Give Vit C (sodium ascorbate) and a calorie dense diet perhaps (google 'satin balls' as one example).

NO responsible breeder of ANY BREED is EVER going to tell you that, as frankly genetics can be a crap shoot and while you may try with all your might to breed the healthiest dogs in the world, and may pretty much succeed, genetics is ALWAYS there to give you the occasional bite on the bum. A responsible breeder knows that and will NOT make general claims like this. The ony ones likely to tell you their dogs are 100% free of genetic issues are those that either have their head in the sand and/or don't know enough to know better. IT is the ones that tell you what they are doing to LESSEN the chances of known genetic issues in their dogs, and explain how they have been going openly and objectively that I would be looking to. IMO those that are aware of the issues in their lines, and are dealing with it, are the ones I would be looking to. NOT the ones that are claiming '100% healthy' dogs.

I do think we have to be careful about judging a breed by the dogs seen in a vet clinic though. Remembering that those particular individuals that are seen there the most will often be there because they have an issue and will therefore perhaps present a skewed sample? Particularly given that the healthy ones may only appear at the vets perhaps every 3 years to be vaccinated.

that definitely wasn't my experience when grooming them and i have groomed a lot of cavs. I actually didnt see too many with major issues (and those that did generally just needed better attention to grooming by less than attentive owners!) I have also had the pleasure of knowing some cavs owned by friends - one i helped them purchase from a breeder as a youngster who lived a happy healthy life and passed at 14.

It really depends what you are after. Privately run training will often be more expensive than club training. With clubs, the trainers are volunteers - for the others it is their business. $180 is reasonable for a session (about 8 classes?). You won't find many professional classes for anything for much less than that. You will find good and not so good in both fields (private and clubs) - so it pays to find out a bit more about the different options available to you and what they offer to find one that suits you and your situation best. I would definitely not generalise and say that classes run by vet clinics are 'limited in their training styles' as it really depends on the individual trainers. They can very significantly in their experience and qualifications and in the way they teach - in the same way instructors at clubs can.

I have given stuff away. To friends who have helped me out for example or as a donation. But I see no issue in someone selling something. If they won it fair and square, they can do with it as they wish.

Add Rocky Ridge K9 Breeding Services in Calga, NSW (between Sydney and Newcastle) to the list: http://www.rockyridgefacility.com.au/ A lot of people seem to be having success with them lately. K9 reproductive management is all they do.

While the condition is prevalent in Dalmatians, it is certainly not the only breed that can be affected. Pugs seem tyo be another breed where it can be an issue and I have often seen it listed in the past in literature on the condition. The info used for Dalmatians is still useful for other breeds (it is just easier to find more info used by Dally folk as they have had more 'practice' shall we say). Some links that may be of help: http://preymodelraw....es-raw-feeding/ http://hattrickdalma...eFormation.html Having the liver tests will certainly help give a fuller picture.

You actually took the words right out of my mouth!! This is always my first reply :D . If I think they will listen, I then go on to expand about appropriate supervision, management and training.... as well as discussing how children don't always understand what they are doing, act on impulse and can occasionally cause hurt without knowing or thinking (in more situations than with dogs). I generally stress that the child will likely need just as much, if not more, training than the dog.

Yes, garden lime. Hardware stores should have it. Even Big W etc can often have it in their garden section.Yes, you can buy it in small bags and shouldn't be too expensive.

Oh I am so in love with those gates!!!!

Jamaican A Fuss

Perhaps stick to lower fat meats at first. chicken necks/turkey necks etc or frames with the fat pads removed? Fingers crossed the transition is smooth and they are all settled and back to health soon :) I know what some can look like coming out of quarantine and yes, it can be worrying when they are skinny like that.

It is the EXACT same chicken we eat ourselves. If concerned about it for the dogs, be concerned about it for yourselves too and seek out a better source of chicken for all. Besides, in a good raw diet, anyone feeding it will generally feed a variety of meats anyway and not just one type. That is 'balance over time' as no one item is 'perfect' as some would claim.

IF it were me, what I might do is make sure I established a good routine, reduced stress as much as possible, gave Vit C, and I would likely start on a raw diet right from the beginning, though may keep it simple at first. I would not 'over compensate' with the diet, but just build the weight back on slowly with good nutrition (i.e. slowly introduce what you want to feed the dog 'normally'). Particularly if the dog is still youngish and there is a possibility of growth spurts if you give them too much too quickly.JMHO

Pretty sure there is just one prey model diet. Doesn't matter what breeds they are, all dogs are the same species and have the same alimentary system. Perhaps you can explain why you disagree? Not trying to pick anything, just interested in hearing what people have to say :) Agree with this. Interesting to note that you say dogs are carnivores and as such should be fed meat, yet you also state that your dogs diets do consist of vegetables, eggs, yoghurt etc. If they were carnivores, meat should make up 100% of their diet. But we all know that even in the wild, wolves and undomesticated dogs also eat vegetable matter. But our dogs are not in the wild. While I do not agree with alot of the additives that pet food companies put in the dog food, it is still a million dollar plus a year business and up to each indiviual person what they should feed. Myself, I prefer to add vegetables, fish and yoghurt etc to their dry food diet. Even cats, which are obligate carnivores, will eat things other than meat....even in the wild. But they are still carnivores. And bone is an appropriate source of calcium for them too......whether in a natural diet or used by a manufacturer to create a commercial product.

Hmmm, as a chicken breeder I can tell you that chickens DEFINTELY eat meat :laugh: In fact animal protein is very important for their health. Kangaroo as mentioned above is way too low in fat to be 'perfect'. In fact I have found my dogs don't generally do well on it so now feed it only rarely. Is this leading to a product promo? I would also like to understand your purpose/source for the info..... (edited to add - have read the links and see the 'subtle' product advertising now.......)