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I don't quite know where to start as my brain is swimming with all the suggestions here Currently my dogs get yearly C3 - also have one dog who was originally done with a C7 but that was not my choice - I too think it's a bit strange for a dog to be vaccinated for something that is so unusual in this country (coronavirus - if she were for export that would be another matter :D ) Heartworm and intestinal worms are done with an all-in-one treatment once a month. Only monthly at the moment because of friends with puppies around frequently and I figure the incidence of intestinal worms particularly, must be quite high! I've been looking at the alternative once-yearly vaccination for heartworm. What sort of adverse reactions are we seeing with these yearly vaccinations? How prevalent is heartworm - I understand it is very high in dogs which do not get heartworm preventative? Other than the titre testing (which to be honest, sounds a little dodgy in the way that Miranda said it!) is there any other way to determine if your dog still has good immunity? Would 3 year heartworm vaccination still offer the same immunity for the AVERAGE pet owner? What IS the average pet owner? (a city or country person, or do you live in a rainforest?) ;) A lot of the answers to these questions would need to be determined before giving an individual response. ;) Miranda - what do you use for intestinal worms? Just sounded from your post as if you don't do your animals monthly - Just curious I would definitely be vaccinating more often if I was fostering. More exposure, for sure and a little more vaccination AND exposure would be improving immunity? Just a thought... The only Bordatella case I've had was from a pound case vaccinated with C5.

And giving knitted blankets to puppies can cause their little nails to become hooked into it There are so many schools of thought :D The main thing is just to make sure what you are doing is the right thing for YOUR puppy If you are intending to show your toy dog, it is next to essential that he/she gets used to a crate. ;) If you spend ages grooming your little one for a show, the last thing you want is the coat to get all messy and dirty before you go in the ring ;) Of course, you take puppy to the toilet, (a lot of people at shows use PENS for this purpose!) but the rest of the time, the little one will stay high and dry and CLEAN in a crate or show trolley:thumbsup: It is also convenient in a show envirionment as you can ensure your dog is safe and wander off to the canteen for lunch, go to the loo yourself, check where they are up to in the ring etc (I always make sure there is still someone watching the dog in case something goes wrong or strangers/general public try to stick their fingers in etc ) but yes, essential that your pup is crate trained for showing purposes

Umm....and when you go to work, is someone coming back to feed him during the day? Little pups need to be fed frequently until they are at least 6 months of age - minumum of 3 times per day but at only 8 weeks he should really be on 5 small meals :D Did the RSPCA tell you this? Also, it's highly likely that he doesn't really know what to do with a bone, especially a big one. :D Also little pups should always be supervised when eating bones in case they get stuck, caught on their little teeth, choke, having trouble pooping out the contents later on. :D I would say that this is the MAIN reason your baby is crying - he's HUNGRY! :D (And lonely too )

That's great news

Humping is a dominance thing :D He meets and greets and then humps to let those other puppies know that HE is the boss :D It is a good idea to keep him on a leash and just pull him off when he goes to jump on :D It is perfectly normal behaviour - your boy is just full of himself There have been a couple of threads on humping lately so do a search and you'll find lots of useful info Edited to add: My girls do it too and the worst offenders I've had are desexed!

Morgan - cute puppy :D Every time he growls or goes to snap, grab him by that scruffy little beard and shake his head to the floor and say very firmly NO. I'm not advocating violence or a severe shaking here, just be firm. Mama dog would have grabbed him and done exactly this. It works with my fluffies. :D Half the problem is that a lot of little dogs are treated like babies, picked up, molly-coddled and just generally spoilt rotten :D They start to think they are above you in the pack order and you have to do what they want and not the other way round :D If I were you, I would also try to determine when this actually happens - like is it when he's got food? Being picked up (he may have an unknown injury)? Just explore those ideas as well and see if you can identify any triggers. Training is an absolute must so school is great

Go BLAND with the chicken & rice and definitely give the Chum a miss for now! I can't BELIEVE that a vet would recommend just switching the diet like that! :D :D As for foods, many people on here have different opinions and that's fine - it depends on the dog and one-size-fits-all just never works. BUT please do NOT switch his diet quickly, whatever you choose to feed :D And account or no account - what's the use in paying anything to a vet who can't even give good advice about a puppy with the runs Get another vet. One who will at least give you some sound advice. :D

SP, has he had diahorrea for 4 days? And no solid poop? See the other thread here about runny poop

Yep - trim those hairy little pads (And do the nails while you're at it :D) Keep trimming until you can see all the actual pads. You will probably find that he still won't walk on the wooden floor straight away 'cos he still think he's going to slip. You will need mats, rubber-backed, non-slip stuff until he realises he actually can walk on the floor and have grip. It's not ideal to have puppies on slippery floors anyway, so invest in some rugs/mats you can live with :D :D :D

Hmm...but if it's every 15 minutes, I think I'd be off to the vets just in case Yep, that cordial trick is GREAT :rolleyes:

Yes Puggles. I did manage to get hold of Dura Mater yesterday :rolleyes: She has called the mobile and left a message so hopefully will know something today. Would be great if it is the same dog - I love a happy ending

NEWSFLASH! Baby puppy = Baby human! Babies cry because they are hungry, tired, cold, need to go to the toilet, sick, bored, lonely - need I go on...?? :D Your puppy is only 8 weeks old and has nothing in the world now except for YOU ;) Everything that is familiar is GONE - Mum, brothers and sisters, familiar humans, smells, food, basket and old toy things that were great to play with when you had friends! Be considerate of all those things Buy a special crate or basket for baby - a place that is his. Make it cosy and put a favourite toy in there with him. When he is in it, give him special little treats for being quiet.:D Don't force him and don't make it too longer timeframe. When he goes outside - you take him outside and you play with him and you keep him company, be his friend, make sure nothing scares him and reward him immediately when he goes to the toilet out there ;) If that's too much for you (and some people just are NOT "puppy" people!) think about returning him and getting an older dog who is past the baby phase :rolleyes: I'm not judging at all! Sometimes it's just the better option for human and baby puppy BEST OF LUCK!

Well, I wouldn't be feeding Spook roo tail again any time soon Is this continual runny poop? Or is it just dinner from last night? Does Spook seem unwell? Puppies can dehydrate quickly so I guess the vet is a good idea if you are really worried. Personally, I'd feed plain boiled chicken meat and rice and see if that binds puppy up a bit :rolleyes: Another odd thing that DOES work is to give your pup quarter of a cup of Cottee's Diet Raspberry cordial (concentrated, not diluted) :D I know it sounds weird but when my pup had the runs, that was the breeder's advice and it really DID work!!

I'm with cavNrott about having a 9 week old puppy outside all the time Your puppy is only a baby Is there an area you could put him in at night-time? Like a laundry with outside access or something? Somewhere CLOSE to you? Crate training is a very useful tool and all my dogs are crate-trained - both the inside dogs and the outside ones :rolleyes: It is like a cave for them and they feel safe and secure. It is also excellent for car trips, vets and visiting the in-laws (Take the crate and if they are in a strange environment, they settle down straight away - it's just like taking your bedroom with you! ) skwo2 - your Bichon will be better off in a little crate :D As someone else said, they can get out of the bars in children's play pens. It's also about having a "den" and the smaller the dog, the smaller the den ;) A puppy pen is a great open area for during the day so the little one doesn't trash the place and you can keep your eye on puppy playing safely. :D

Yakult is excellent but if I can't get that, I use the best PROBIOTIC yoghurt I can find A lot of the flavoured and fruity yoghurts do contain a lot of sugar but it's actually better than NO yoghurt IMHO Edited to add: My dogs love it as a frozen Summer treat! A bit messy but a lot of fun for them!

Geesh! Daccydog, I hope you are still around As you can tell WHAT you feed is very important to a lot of people And back to your issue, I'm sure if you have a really good go of "starving" your baby, you will find a lot of your issues will will sorted. Mine ARE fussy too but they WILL eat when they are hungry. Chopping and switching foods will only make your dog think "If I can hold out, there might be something more tasty".... Hope this helps

Off topic here but I just noticed an ad in the classified section... Reward for a 2 year old female pointer X Border Collie lost on the 9th August from Tuggerah. COULD THIS BE THE SAME DOG??

And be wary of underwater weed (Heard a terrible story about a young Lab pup drowning because he was caught in weed - had died by the time the owners got to him )

Hi again Red Mal WOW! Sounds like you've been through the wringer with this boy Just wanted to add that with Nutrigel, you can rub it on the gums...no tablet necessary. I'm interested to know how long he will starve himself?

Obviously not hungry enough! :D With everything you've tried - and it's obviously been a huge variety of products, he's just not hungry enough A dog will NOT starve themselves to death (unless there is some medical problem) Pick a food you are happy to feed him and give him one meal. If he hasn't eaten it in 15 minutes, take it away (and throw it away, give it to your chickens if you are lucky enough to have them ) Next meal time and not before, offer him another meal (of the same kibble or whatever you want to feed). If he hasn't eaten it in 15 minutes, take it away. And keep doing that every day until he eats it! He WILL get hungry and he WILL eat it! :D Too many choices or the "ooh baby you haven't had any dinner, you must be starving here's a little bit of steak" - will get you nowhere! ;) Dogs can survive for a LONG time without being fed but we humans feed our dogs every day because we think it's the right thing to do. Your dog is not hungry. When he is, he will eat. Good luck with those big brown begging eyes

:D Frames are the go!

I also give my lil' dog human glucosamine. I buy capsules and sprinkle the powder into her food. I understand glucosamine sulphate is fine for dogs as long as it's taken with food Jointguard is for dogs and available at produce stores and pet stores as well as many vets :D

I'd also feed larger frames My friend has setters and starts her pups on chopped chicken at 4 weeks and they are up to frames at 6 weeks. :D My own little fluffies also get frames because they tend to hoover necks - the whole point is to clean their teeth! Great post Haven :D

Take the collar off the one who is not the escape artist :D (If that's the one also pulling off the collar ) Microchip the escape artist and improve your fencing or crate the dog overnight - take the collars off altogether overnight if that is the only time it's happening I'm another one for "no collars" after I had 2 youngsters playing in the wee hours of the morning. One got it's jaw caught in the others collar and then they both panicked resulting in the collar winding up tight and choking the other. Luckily, we heard a kerfuffle, went to investigate, found one dog lapsing into unconsciousness and the other totally tangled and bleeding profusely with teeth stuck firmly in the collar. We needed a knife to cut through the collar 'cos it was so tightly wound, we couldn't undo the collar at the buckle. Talk about adrenalin rush at 4am! Brought the unconscious dog around quickly - she was fine with bruising around her neck and the other dog lost 2 teeth and a damaged tongue (which also healed). I don't put collars on my dogs anymore :D

Everything Ellz said Plus: in between baths you could use some Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil. It will protect the coat inbetween shows and keep it nice and moisturised Best of luck for your specialty