goldielover

I've read that comment before somewhere as well. Dogs have quite short digestive tracts compared to humans... i wonder how much difference it would make feeding kibble and raw?

They're all so different. 4 months is still pretty young though but it wouldn't hurt getting her checked out. It's funny how it all comes together... have an 8.5 week old pup here who whines at the door to do a poo, but will wee anywhere, so she half gets it! LOL. I expect it to take a while yet!

I'm happy to support my vets up to a certain point. I can't justify paying $20 to $30 per product PER DOG though as i'm on a fairly tight budget too. I also think that if people are prepared to pay exhorbitant costs for products and services then it will just continue. I was going to get a puppy micro-chipped at the vets the other day and it was twice as expensive as i can get it done on one of the VCA microchipping days so obviously didn't get it done there. I did ask about discount micro-chipping though, particularly for breeders.... just to let my thoughts be known! This vet surgery is frequented by lots of breeders so if enough of us ask perhaps they'll consider it?

My young golden also had clicky knees for a few months (around the same age as your pup) and turned out it was just the same thing... growing quickly. Always safer to get them checked out though!

I think it's a good idea to trim the hair between the pads as the pads are part of the 'brakes'... they help provide some traction. Also easier to find nasties that way as well. Plus if they come inside they drag less grass and dirt in!

Just try and increase her fluid intake. If she is also not eating very well 24 hours or more post c-section, perhaps start her off on some half-strength biolac or similar. I had the same problem recently with my bitch and actually had to syringe feed the biolac to her for around a week. I've also read that there is a recipe for milk production, so would love if someone could post it!

Could try sending Eaglepack an email with your breed, age of dog, which state you're in, problem, etc. They will supply samples but perhaps not enough to determine whether or not your dog is improving on the food. www.eaglepack.com.au

oohh... she's a cutie. Congratulations!

One of my Goldies was always obsessed with socks as a puppy (she still occasionally carries a pair in her mouth... clean or dirty - she doesn't mind). One time she completely emptied out our sock drawer (over 40 pairs) and brought them all one by one to the sliding door. I was oblivious to this at the time!

I had the same with my golden. The amount of drool was incredible! LOL. I never fed her the day of traveling anywhere. She often vomited and on several occasions even poo'd in the car. I tried Rescue Remedy and Blackmores Travel Calm Ginger, but neither worked. By the time she was around 1 i started trying 'Be Kalm' tablets and they did help somewhat. At least she didn't vomit any more... still drooled and finally did grow out of it at around 2 years of age. I'm not sure where you can buy 'be kalm', or even if they still exist as this was almost 5 years ago. I bought it at the dog store at the Melbourne showgrounds and you used to be able to get it from the online store: www.petnetwork.com.au Best of luck!

Best of luck with the fleas. I hadn't heard of stick fast fleas either! I do remember how bad the fleas were where i lived in Qld as well. What product do you usually use? I guess if they're a problem you do need to treat the whole environment and the dogs/cat. Could take a little while to get rid of them all though.

I don't think you could go wrong with either EP or Nutro... both excellent quality foods. I've only trialled Nutro, but would be happy to change if i had problems getting EP. Have fed a few varieties. We used EP Natural for ages before trying the Holistic range and the dogs (goldens) did very well on that. Otherwise we've tried the duck & ?oatmeal, chicken, and lamb ones. The girls went absolutely ape over the chicken one for some reason.

a little off topic (sorry!), but musik... we NEEEDDD some pics of your puppy. He looks like a gorgeous boy!

I've used Proplan in the past... i think it's a very good food :rolleyes:

aahh. I haven't looked it up yet. Are you buying it from vetproductsdirect miranda, or elsewhere?

Aloveen is really nice. I just went to buy some, but it is awfully dear, so came home and told my girl i'd better look online and see if i can get it cheaper! LOL. I generally use Fido's Puppy and kitten shampoo though... leaves them clean and fresh, is nice and mild and very cost effective as i buy it in 2L containers which last me around 1 year or so for the 2 dogs.

I use www.pricelesspets.com.au for my heartworm/worming meds, and www.vetproductsdirect.com.au for pretty much everything else and have never had a problem with either.

Have to agree with others here. Goldens are real 'people' dogs. Personally i would never sell a golden to anyone who keeps them outside 24 hours a day. Not to flame you tashnsw, but this is where researching a breed really is important. Goldens are high energy puppies, they dig, they destroy (as most puppies do), and they shed a lot, all of which your breeder should have informed you about before you purchased a golden. Sounds like she has plenty of toys. Perhaps try walking her in the morning before you leave for work? Also go to obedience classes if you don't already do so, and so some obedience exercises with her at home... even 5 minutes a day is better than nothing. If she's outside during the day, consider blocking her off in a certain area eg a puppy run... large enough for her to have a good play, and obviously she'll need shelter/shade. As for the pulling on the lead... it takes a lot of patience. There are some old topics about this in the obedience forum that you can check out. Also worth brushing her daily with a slicker brush, comb and undercoat rake if needed, which will minimise shedding hair inside.

I've found Eagle Pack holistic excellent, but i'm not sure how much Natural Balance is? As others have mentioned however, it can take a bit of trial and error to see what is best for your dog.

I buy my Eagle Pack Holistic from either Robbo's Pet Barn in Dandenong, or Pet stock www.petstock.com.au (have a list of locations). I personally don't think Hills Science diet is a bad food, but IMO you can get better quality food for the money.

Hi Mel, He's probably scratched it on something. Don't worry, it will go back to black within a few months. When you go and get his 12 week vaccination done, just get them to check it out as well, just in case. Of course if you think there's a problem or it's weeping or looking infected best to go sooner. Cheers, jenny (aka goldengal on the retriever forum!) PS. We need new photo's!!

I think sometimes it depends on what else you get done during the visit, who you get, and what your relationship is with that vet or clinic. Sometimes i get charged a $29 consultation fee, sometimes $48. I'd like to ask why (time spent is around the same), but i don't want to get charged $48 each time hahaha

Hi jbbb, Fleas are such a bugger! I guess all you can do is find out the ingredients in Advantix and choose a product that doesn't contain that ingredient or similar. Flea bombs will kill the fleas in the carpet, but it's more than likely you also have fleas outside as well. Since i've been in Melbourne the dogs have never had fleas, but living in Qld, the only thing that worked was a spot-on. I avoided them like the plague at first and sprayed the carpet and outside god knows how many times, but nothing worked. Hopefully someone can come up with more suggestions! Adit: I think Advantix is made by Bayer. If so, they are fabulous with advice and can probably help: 1800 678 368 or their website is www.bayeranimal.com.au

I feed sardines in oil once a week (occasionally twice) and just pour it over their Eagle Pack dry food. I also use an Omega blend probably about 4 days a week.

May be worth phoning around to see if any of the stores have stock. There were a couple in the Fountain Gate store, but that was a month or 2 ago now.