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Yes, if they EAT them and avoid contact with eyes...use commonsense. Cavalier, what have been reading lately? Honest question and am genuinely interested to know. I have been using Flea & tick rinse (pyrethrum-based) for many years with huge success. In fact, you can see the fleas & ticks coming off immediately as soon as you use the product in the hydrobath. I do follow the instructions and have NEVER had a sick dog post treatment. It is very effective for eliminating fleas and ticks but is not a "stay-on" product. For full effectiveness you must treat with the rinses every couple of days which is why, for my dogs, I prefer a spot on, stay-on product like Advantix, Frontline, Advantage etc. You should not use both the rinse and a stay-on product. Recently our chickens had a lice outbreak including day old chicks - it was awful. The ONLY product my vet could recommend was Flea & Tick rinse for the little chicks as it was the LEAST toxic. We gave them all a little bath and they were FINE - no toxic effects at all. I wouldn't know about powders as I've never had reason to use them. Have you tried any of these products Cavalier? Frontline has not worked for us in our area for about 3 years. The vets no longer recommend it. There have been a couple of recent threads about this.

Me too I know they are insectivorous Would someone doing zoology or something be able to clarify? I thought only bears and.... were omniverous! Land rights for gay bacterium!

OK. Lime is good. Fido's Flea and Tick Rinse is BETTER! ;) It's pyrethrum so not toxic city like most other products. Get the concentrate - it'll cost you a bit - water it down in a watering can and spread it around the whole yard. Treat your dogs with whatever flea preparation you want to - I've been using Advantix and think it's a fantastic product Either way, the preparations you have been using would probably work if your dogs weren't being reinfected from your yard. Treat the yard, the dogs bedding, carpets, and your yard and your flea problems will disappear

Why the the hell would you go to these lengths? Just feed the damn cat MEAT! It's not that hard!! As WS pointed out, the amount of energy required to buy these products is actually neglible to the environment in the grand scheme of things. Large scale agriculture is killing our ecosystems. WHY? WHY? Just feed your dog and cat as close to their natural diet as possible. If your cat goes vege it'll sure as heck be hunting for food rather than sport! OK. Cavie is going to be a little different! As nearly a vet, with an interest in Nutrition, you should be able to see how far our pets have gone from a "natural" diet. (Even with thousands of years of domestic breeding :p And the dietary-related problems commercial diets have caused (tooth decay, obesity amongst others) and benefitted (improved nutrition with vitamins as compared to leftover,cooked meat and 3 vege!). What are you PREPARED to feed your dog/cat? I mean, really, you could supplement with CARDBOARD if you wanted - would fill your dog up like most of the extenders that are in commercial mixes. And let's not forget that unless you are feeding a proper BARF diet, all the commercial preparations are PROCESSED. Like, naturally speaking, there were no BBQs...... In the end "What are you prepared to feed?" - that's what feeding comes down to for most owners. It grossness factor, it's ideology, it's finances, it's time. "What is the very BEST diet for the ANIMAL?" Will probably be something very different to the above. Me, I feed raw with a couple of bikkies in here or there without prejudice :p Sometimes, I don't have the time to grate carrot and pulp things - for my own juice let alone the dog! - so the dogs will get a few bikkies on that morning. I grow my own organically fed meat chickens to supplement my own diet and my dogs' meat. BIG DEAL!! That's how much time I've got when I go and kill a chook just for the dogs. Mind you, I kill it because otherwise the dogs would be off to kill every other chook around! My dogs do hunt things though! (You could grow chooks for your dogs to eat as well!) It's the genetic engineering in order to feed your animal because you want it to be a vegetarian like you, which gets to me. It's all getting so bloody complicated and to what end? Regardless of how you wish to feed your animals, Cavalier, I hope that when you are a vet, you do not try to promote vegetarianism for owners generally. It does require a lot of forethought, nutrition info and brains, to keep an animal healthy on a vege diet. Most owners would not be up to the task of feeding more than a can or a bag of something (And that is not a reflection on any DOLers, just the common uneducated pet owner) Remember this thread and look up the other debates here about vege diets. Regardless of your opinions, there are many and they are all valid because if you think about it, what people are saying is how they actually feed their animals. Nutritionally speaking, this is valuable information for you in the future. :p

I'm with Espinay2 : as long as your dogs are in good health, they will not starve themselves to death. All my dogs - 15-20 minutes and it's gone again until tomorrow. (They only get fed once a day once an adult) My Little Miss Fussy may not like what she's getting for 3 days but she will eat again when she's really hungry - whatever day it is and whatever food I may have given her, even if it's the same as her food the day before. She can choose not to eat but she can't choose what I'm feeding her - she will eat what's in her bowl. Fussy dogs, like fussy children, means they are getting too much choice.

Try a produce store or one of the larger pet store chains. :rolleyes: I know a lot of people on DOL are buying their pet products directly online so maybe someone can offer a link to one of those sites? NB. The Vet Shed is advertised at the top of this page right now!!

If you are worried about dry skin/coat with the Fido's, why not put a little Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil into your final rinse? I'm only saying that brand as it is a water soluble oil. Pine oil isn't soluble but you can also use Pinetarsol (for humans) which clears up itchy dry skin and chickenpox!! I've never had any issues with Fido's flea and tick Are you sure it's that product causing the skin problems? My chooks got lice this week They were washed with Fido's on veterinary advice - even the day old chicks! :rolleyes:

Show dogs get a bath before every show which means they are usually bathed weekly :p Lil mutt gets a bath when she needs it which is about once a month. Outside BC X gets a bath every now and then. She takes herself for a swim in the dam each day so I won't waste the tank water on her I think she hasn't had a bath for about 8 months now.....no smell though. MO2LB: Pleased the hydrobath experience has helped you out (well, the Labs out of their coats - hey LABCOAT!! ) Oh god I need some breakfast :rolleyes:

Yep, a good age because she's had a great life methinks I'm so sorry for you Rozzie. Keep your chin up and know that she's going over the rainbow to another lovely place. :rolleyes:

Same here Georgie-boy ;) But the Advantix is definitely working

Pull the tick off. The longer it's on the dog, the worse it gets. Also, not all ticks are paralysis ticks, so you could end up going to the vets for nothing. Just try to get the head out too. We have ticks EVERY day here. Just go to the vets if you're dog is getting sick - glazed eyes, laboured breathing, any sign of paralysis, excessive salivation.

Ditto shehkina! Only thing is I'm going to give Pro Plan or Eagle Pack a go. No issues with Supercoat but it's not the only thing I feed - it's more like a side-dish in my dogs' diet. Still look into food though Leenie - there might be something which is not agreeing with your friends' dog.

Oh GOM, your Goldens are lovely They are so rich in colour and they remind me of my boy when I was a kid -especially the dog in front. Are you showing these 2? I was going to suggest having a play around with a few different products - and the hairdryer Have you tried blowdrying them before? Brush and blowdry, give the really curly bits a spray with the right product for your dog (or even conditioner watered down in a spray bottle) and brush the curls straight as you're drying. Don't stop brushing and blowing until the coat is completely dry or you will end up with the wave coming back. Just to add, if you haven't blow dried them before, keep brushing "with" the coat rather than brushing it all up. Otherwise you'll end up with giant Golden fluffballs!! Then once the dogs are all done, you could wrap a towel around them like a cloak which will keep the coat flat. Of course, it's not really worth all the trouble if you're not showing them. The curls are quite lovely! As long as they are clean and smell pretty :D

Aww GAWD Peibe - you poor thing! Allergies! (Must be the "allergy free" designer dog you have there ) Take an antihistamine half an hour before you groom. Does it happpen when you are just giving him cuddles? Or is it only when you're brushing? MAYBE your allergic to grooming :D !!!!!

I'd say brush first, comb next or during brushing. Combs are basically for getting out the knots. and doing the tricky places like around the eyes and ears. What breed do you have?

I'd be using a pin brush rather than a slicker as slickers tend to be a bit more harsh on the skin (JMHO) And seem to also break the hair more easily. He may be squirming because it's a little more sensitive around his bottom. Do you know how to choose a nice brush that won't hurt the skin? And I would be spraying and brushing or blow-drying, spraying and brushing. Gives a lovely fluffiness, you find any knots easily and then have the extra conditioner/water mix to "slip" the knots out (and yes, do that with a greyhound comb or similar). People do things differently and that's the way I do it :rolleyes: You find out what's best for you and pass the info on to this dogs' forever home. You are wonderful to take the time to groom and get him used to it, as most wouldn't. Another suggestion - when you pat or stroke him, without getting out a brush, spend a lot of time playing with his rear end!!! Sounds sick but if he gets used to a pleasurable experience having his botty stroked or rubbed firmly, the brushing will become less of a hassle! *Added to note that my Lhasa X Poodle is harder to groom than the TT or the Hav

Also if you go back and do a search,there are a number of helpful threads about poo-eating Such delightful topics but don't worry - it's perfectly normal behaviour.

Boxers are prone to Wobblers as well..... If it is Wobblers, your boy will not be in any pain which is one good thing I suppose ;) Have a look at the web pages mentioned and I'm sure they will give you some great ideas.

My dogs all get Supercoat with no smells! Mind you, the rest of their diet is all raw food... I understand the main difference between Puppy formulas and Adult food is the fat content which is much higher in Puppy food. Milo, have a lookie at your Poodles' teeth. Might be just bad breath from new food but more likely just a plaque problem that's built up over time co-incidently ;) I'm with Rugerfly. Some dogs just can't handle cereal bases.

Certainly seems strange but I'm going with the too hot theory at this stage. It does seem coincidental that it only happens just as he's waking up. ie. too hot, gotta move, betta wake up, pant for a while, find a new cosy spot. If he's healthy, if he (honestly) is not anxious about anything then I'd say he's too hot. Only reason I say this is because that's exactly what Tashi does. Once she's moved on, she goes back to sleep and is perfectly normal and healthy and doesn't pant anymore. And it happens more frequently when she's allowed to sleep on the bed with us. I've never known it to happen if she's in her crate or downstairs where she chooses to sleep on warm nights.

Sorry Showdog - I'm confusing myself now! :D My apologies. OP- Congrats on your #1 rating!! How excellent! WELL DONE!! Would like to come and see one day. Miranda - do you use a slicker on the Gordons? Just asking 'cos we don't on the Irish..pin brush and a greyhound comb. Showdog, what would you use? Just wondering if it's a heavier coat type thing?

We don't clip them Miranda - that's just what the OP wanted to do! Working lines (generally in the smaller English lines) have shorter coats anyway so they don't get bogged down in the bog! No 30cm feathering here! Showdog, not talking about shearing the entire dog, just the feathering God, they look ridiculous enough without feathers, let alone naked I'm talking about leaving the body of the coat at natural length and just clipping off the feathers only. I haven't ever done this myself, just have seen it and had a look at how it was done. I agree, the coat is needed for protection. Think about sunburn too Working Setter even though you won't have your dogs out working in Summer. They need their coat. Sunsuits are great, I have one for my TT but they can't be worn in the field. And what's the point in clipping them all off and then BUYING a suit when the dogs' coat did the original job properly. ;) Also Working Setter, are you kind-of thinking that you should be clipping them simply to keep cool in Summer? If that's the case, that theory is a little out-of-fashion now. I remember we always used to get our Newfie shorn but that was in the 70/80s. Those big fluffy coats IMHO are a bit hot still in Summer but the theory is that they offer insulation against the weather - all weather. But I still remember what Emma was like after a clip - danced around like a puppy!! Still, really not necessary with Irish Setters. I don't think you'll find a single setter person who completely clips their dogs off for "comfort" just because they live in Qld. The Setters adapt to the heat and just use regular cooling methods for your dogs, shade, a damp towel in their kennels/cages, ice packs, spray bottles... Do they swim? Also, here in Qld, the temperatures do tend to get you by suprise. It might be 35 degrees during the day so when it drops to 20 degrees in the evenings, you really start feeling chilly! And a dog without a coat would feel the same way... Olive oil: The dogs don't seem to be fussed with the taste but then, they are bathed first and then oiled up - the shampoo/conditioner smell is still there. I've used Avon Skin So Soft as well, but Olive oil is still cheaper! Mind you SSS smells yummy! Whoever it was about the beach - don't clip off your doggies! Just give them a good proper hosing after they've been or get them hydrobathed the day after. A bit of sand is not going to give them matts.

Hi there! Welcome to DOL! You could try Caroline Pearen (Hi-perelle Irish) She's just bought kennels at Greenbank. She has show Irish though... With my local Irish Setters, we oil them up for working - those grass seeds are an absolute pain in the rear end - and the BURRS Greasy dog for a day or 2 while you're in the field but believe me, totally easy to brush out. Incidently, not doing trials, just herding cattle!!! For that kind of thing, we just use Olive Oil or a good vege oil but if you want to be fancy, Plush Puppy has Seabreeze Oil. If your dogs swim, it's not worth using an expensive oil. Just drench them in it the day before you go out - NO COUCHES PLEASE! - brush it through and the next day they won't look like such big drips! The burrs and grass seeds just slip out! If you don't mind an "odd" look about the dog, just buy some clippers and take off the feathering with them and trim the bulk of the body where the feathering meets, with thinning scissors as recommended by Miranda. The thinning scissors "blend" the hair so the you don't get ugly demarcation lines where you've been clipping. It takes a while but hey, if you're not showing them, you can afford to learn from your mistakes! Have fun!

Well, except for your dog LittlePixie - isn't it weird how the dogs seem to treat eggs gently?

I have heaps of problems with eggs - I don't get any!! Buttercup scavenges and then eats them. The only eggs we find is a bit of shell in the poop occassionally She often will stand around the chooks bum just waiting for the egg to come out She eats them whole, crunched, shell and all. Sometimes she just puts a little hole in the end and spends ages licking out the yolk and white and then she crunches up the shell. She has been seen with 3 eggs in her mouth at one time - obviously discovered a secret chook nest ;)