Mana

I second that. He is wonderful. Thanks baifra and Wolfsong - we'll see if we can get on his books!

Hi, We'll soon be moving from Canberra to Queanbeyan and I'd be grateful for any recommendations or general feedback on vets in Queanbeyan (for two 5yo labrador/rottie crosses). Forgive me if I'm duplicating another thread but my searches didn't turn up much. Happy for you to send a PM if you prefer. thanks in advance, M.

Hi Karma12 - I'm sorry to hear what you and Karma are going through at the moment. Our Rosie the Rotti had osteosarcoma - but the first we knew of it was when her thigh snapped up near her hip - so lumps or obvious pain or lameness are not necessarily good indicators. I hate to think how much pain she may have been in before we were aware of it. When the vet xrayed the break, the sarcoma was obvious - and the size of a tennis ball - but had not been apparent from the outside. He said that the cancer had probably already spread to her vital organs, in the end we put her down while she was still under the xray anaesthetic. As others have mentioned, amputation was raised, but our vet's view was that it may have given her another few weeks at the most. I'm not suggesting that this should be any sort of indication as to what you should do - just that circumstances vary immeasurably and no matter how much good, thoughtful, considered and sympathetic advice you get, you'll just have to pick the right time. I really hope things go as well as possible for you. Thinking of you and Karma, M

Just saw this had resurrected... :D The pee sample showed some inflammatory cells - she has had a bit of an infection, but the vet felt that the cause was physical, not infectious. There haven't been any more plate-sized puddles or sopping wet tails... not sure what the triggers are, but at the moment it's manageable without drugs. She may be wetting her bed in the crate a bit but I haven't been aware of it, and there's no smell and she doesn't seem bothered. If the dribbles get more frequent I'll try the hormone (stemerole or something?) that the vet suggested. Weird thing is, though we've had the dribbles in the new house, there have been no toilet training mistakes here (ie intentional peeing or pooing) which was still an ongoing-vigilance thing at the last house we lived.

And now for something completely different.... This is a hotspot that I clipped back as far as I could with scissors. The skin was all scabby, but not pussy and red like in the other pictures. It was pretty much gone after 4 days of Pyoderm cream - but Ruski was also on antibiotics for a contact allergy at the same time so that may have sped up the healing of the hotspots.

I have been told by my vet in the past that dogs' eyes are very close in pH etc to human eyes, and that human eye meds (at least the generic lubricating types) are generally fine for dogs. For this reason we have a bottle of contact lens saline for washing gummy dog eyes, and the vet recommended this.

Thank you so much for all the replies - it's really encouraging, whatever Gracie's issue turns out to be. She's pretty good at peeing on command (piddle piddle piddle pup!) but I will def try the dustpan trick! I was following her around with a shallow bowl... lots of splashwork! As soon as I've got the sample to the vet I can start her on a course of antibiotics just to rule out any infection, and then I guess we take it from there. I really can't imagine a dog in diapers though? Would certainly make it harder for her to pass as a savage guard dog when she fronts up at the front door with a pad on! :D

On the same day! Foolishly, I have them both... Grace is on the left. Six months wouldn't be regarded as "early" though would it? Their brother was done at 9 weeks, I'm not aware of any probs with him... though it's more common with girls isn't it?

Grace was desexed just on 6 months, as far as I can tell it was before her first season (I think this is even more likely given her development was delayed by parvo and septic arthritis at 8-10 weeks). I have heard that letting them have a season first can reduce vaginitis / incontinence risks later on? She's now just over 10 months, first leaked at 8-9 months. Rotti x lab. Her sister has no apparent problems.

Really?? Ooh I hope that applies to us! That would be a big relief!

I've been chasing Grace for a pee sample, and will drop it in to the vet on the weekend, but it seems likely that there's a physical cause for her leaking... Though I'm hoping it's just stress / UTI. It's intermittent, usually when she's asleep or relaxed, varying from a few drops to a whole piddle's worth. If she's aware of it she gets very distressed and tries to clean herself up. Do you have an incontinent dog? How do you manage him/her? (I am in a rental property, and if this gets worse Grace won't be able to spend as much time inside... :D )

Sounds like you had the shampoo, caslero. Did you know you can get it in a lotion now? Much more concentrated and you can leave it on.

It cleared up Ruski's hotspots in a day. I haven't treated them before so I don't know if that was fast, but it impressed me! It was from the vet's, and had only just become available in October. BTW I was told to keep it in the fridge.

Everything EW said... but re the eggs being fed whole - and I'm sure someone else will know the specifics that I don't remember off the top of my head, but my understanding is that it is necessary that the yolk and white are fed together because of a binding process that happens between the two... and stops overdose of a certain amino acid for young pups???? or something? I've read about it on this forum I'm sure - can anyone fill in the gaps? ;) ( ) And I'm glad to hear it Pixie! :D Does anyone else wonder though, with all this detail we go into with formulating dog's diets when we're feeding raw, whether it's all overkill? I'm careful with what I feed the dogs, and try not to let the vege pulp sit for too long, and I add Vital Greens powder etc etc etc... but I never add up all the food groups and amino acids and vitamins in my own diet, I just eat as wide a variety of food as possible, as unprocessed as possible... My dad ran a husky team in the antarctic and they lived and worked as healthily as all get out through the antarctic winter on hunks of seal blubber... not much more...

I wouldn't want you to be espinay! I value you both! No I haven't tried giving them frizzed carcasses, if they have it's only cos I haven't defrosted them enough.. I guess I imagined bones splintering more if they were frozen - that's silly, innit? Will give it a shot, thanks LP. (How's Kaleigh's barking when you leave going?) & O-Ren - I'm not espinay either :D but - I reckon fresh eggs is the best - try giving them whole, and if they don't figure it out at first, crack them... but a dog dealing with a whole egg has the potential to be one of the comedic masterpieces of this world! (and they will often happily eat the shell too - beaut minerals in there if they do manage to eat and digest it).

Apologies, espinay, I was so caught up in my Photoshopping that you posted before I did! :D Can I ask then whether you have any other suggestions for recreational/diversion chewing etc? There are occasions where a big marrow bone has been very useful to keep my lot occupied, but I certainly don't want to cause them tooth trouble. Kongs don't last as long, and Ruby will start chewing sticks and stones if she doesn't get a bone... When I go back to full time work I had planned to leave them with a big bone when I left in the morning. It does take them a while to get through lamb ribs etc, but that's no match for the entertainment of a beef shin or something! And, if it's not a secret supply source , can I ask where abouts you get kangaroo tails from? I think they have them at PetBarn but I've had some dodgy meat from there...

Please forgive me, but it's a slow afternoon out here in the bush and I've nothing better to do (other than try and answer more bloody selection criteria!)... :D But my doglets had bones this morning... & I think this is what you're describing lilysmum. Red bits were originally all that beaut white knuckle material, the pink bits were lick-outable marrow. So this is when they should be removed, yes?

We call it "party food"! I worked out all my expenditure a week or so ago, it averages at about $10 per dog per week on RMB/BARF, plus another couple of dollars for supplements/eggs/glucosamine etc. I think that's about the same as mum used to spend on our old dog on Supercoat, but with the posh kibbles the price goes up a lot - my bag of Royal Canin will probably work out at about $20 per dog per week... so at the moment, it is more economical for me to feed raw - but that said I'd be interested to see how they go on some of the mid range kibbles. I've heard good things about Bonnie? I've never done a changeover in diet to be able to compare condition on the two - these pups have grown up on RMB/BARF with an occasional bit of kibble or Nature's Gift as a treat, and Ruski was in pathetic state when he came out of the pound anyway, so being fed anything much was an improvement for him... everyone does comment on how healthy and shiny they look though...

I'm a comparative novice with rmb/barf, but it was the RMB Promote Health book that convinced me, not Billinghurst's. I have bought and referred to Billinghurst's books, in particular for supplements (for pups who had been sick), which Lonsdale doesn't advocate, but overall what they get is in as big chunks/carcasses as possible, and more towards the 80% RMB ratio. Any higher vege component was on the basis that they were large breed pups who had had bone problems and I wanted them to grow slowly - oh and a chubba labrador who I was trying to slim down got a bit more vege pulp to bulk up her meals too. It's probably unfair to say this, as it's really a comment on writing style, but I trust Lonsdale's science more than Billinghurst's... ed to add - I've still fed kibble on occasion (we are 90 mins drive out of town and my chest freezer is still up in Sydney) and I'll be feeding mainly kibble when we go camping next week - I'm trying out Royal Canin. But if circumstances allow it, I would hope to be able to stick with raw feeding for the long term.

Thankyou Sheppity.

Just a side note - but it might be useful. I feed my guys flaxseed oil and was buying it from the supermarket which was expensive but I've since discovered that Horseland have 1lt bottles for $12.95 ;) Much better. Much better indeed. ;) Thankyou. Maybe the farm supplies place in Yass?... I think Horseland in Fyshwick has closed...

I’ve spent about $950 on food since June, which by the time we get through our current supplies will be about 30 weeks. This was largely raw foods / BARF, and we’re just coming to the end of a free bin of odds-and-ends kibble from Paws’n’Hooves, which was a mix of Iams, Euk, Supercoat and leftover my left-over Advance and Proplan. I’ve just bought our first bag of Royal Canin and pups will be eating that while we’re camping. It seems very expensive in comparison but I imagine they’ll eat less by weight of Royal Canin than they do of BARF – otherwise that $100 bag will last a fortnight for just two pups! ;) Overall works out to about $32 per week, which has fed 2-4 dogs - 2 female rottixlab pups, who are now 8.5 months and eat a lot, 1 male rescue black lab who I was feeding up to get a bit of weight on and is now on much less tucker, 1 small but chubba female black lab who was on truly minimal food and serious-labrador-boot-camp while she was down here with me – i.e. one chicken neck and a spoonful of vege pulp, or one spoonful of kibble and 2 sardines… bulked up with nyummmmy warm water with a stock cube! So say that averages at 3 normal large-breed dogs… …About $10 per dog per week for their tucker. Supplements – over the same period works out at $9.60 per week, and they all get something, so count four dogs... ...$2.40 per dog per week on supplements: Sasha’s Blend for the old farts, Vital greens and Glucosamine & Chondroitin for the pups (Gracie in particular) and one of the old farts, apple cider vinegar, and one well meaning but too expensive attempt to get codliver oil and flaxseed oil Training treats and chews $140 over the same period, (including $24-worth of liver treats that Ruski scoffed overnight and resulted in $325 of after-hours-vet fees, x-rays and treatment… but I’ve only included the $24 ;)…) ...$1.16 per dog per week for treats. Plus a number of pretty serious vet bills, new crates, collars, leads, tethers, harnesses etc etc etc Better get back to writing out those job applications! Hmmm I got a bit carried away in this post didn't I?

Really important to get a heartworm test before starting her on anything that claims to kill / prevent heartworm. The preventatives can kill the dog if there's already an infestation there. There are a number recent-ish threads about recommended worming treatments etc... Off the top of my head, Drontal seems to come in on top as the Mercedes Benz of gut-wormers, and people use all different stuff for the fleas etc. Some people have seen resistance developing to Frontline, but others still find it ok. Others that seem popular - Advantix, Advantage, Revolution, Advocate. Cheapest by a long shot to buy online: try Priceless Pets or Vet Products Direct. Ed. to add - I've been reading this thread tonight - lots of info: Advantage v Advocate etc etc etc thread

;) Ok (Never had an entire girl). Sorry to go off topic, but up to what sort of age do they regularly have litters?

Do dogs still come into season at 10 yrs old?