Erny

Thanks, Trifecta :D. Agree with the above - except it's "Calendula" Tea wash/rinse that I regard so highly and use with much success. Leaves my boy smelling fresh and skin and coat feeling clean, without the side-effects of skin being stripped of oils. It is the latter that can have a dog smelling, because with the oils stripped (i.e. pH levels imbalanced) the body goes into over-drive to correct the balance, and this can result in the over-production of oils ….. which can add to smell. Not to suggest Calendula Tea be used every single time. I think a rinse of after a lark in dirty water using fresh tepid-cool water in between times should do. But some dog-hair does smell a bit like wool drying. I think that's fairly normal for some. But they shouldn't smell when they are dry. PS - I can't see why a Chamomile Tea rinse would be a bad thing either, although haven't used it myself and would need to google it up for info. Would have a relaxing effect (or perhaps not noticeable for an energetic lab!! lol) and a soothing effect to the skin.

The Calendula Tea doesn't cure the cause. But it does soothe and it doesn't send the skin into over-drive to counteract the affects of shampoos. You need to look for the underlying cause in the meantime.

I've PM'd you, JessicaM. Thanks for asking about it. I'm very much becoming more and more conscientious about the skin telling a story. What we need to do is not so much to try to stop it telling the story, but find out what's causing it to tell the story that it is …… and address that. When that's addressed, the story the skin is telling will change.

That's great, Boronia. It's not just about the price though. Check that the Calendula used is organically grown, where it is grown (I prefer Australia grown) and should be pure with no artificial colouring added. Don't know those specific details of the product in the link you've provided. I did check with World-Par-Tea (on-line sellers in NSW) and they ticked the boxes, which is why I generally refer to them for anyone who can't purchase more locally to where they live.

You guys realise that they have just made it super easy to, and clearly have the intentions to, add more breeds to BSL under the menacing category? Owners of any large, powerful breed should be very afraid. They wouldn't have put that in unless they intend to use it. I agree with Melza. Alarm bells rang loud for me the moment I read "… unless the Minister is satisfied that the breed or kind of dog concerned displays characteristics associated with menacing behaviour. …" So the Minister makes the decision based on whether the dog concerned is of a particular breed or type that has been identified (in the Government's view, of course) that such BREED is a breed type that is menacing. Other alarm bells rang as well - based on experience here in Victoria. Terminology is the big thing and all it takes is for one person's word against another's as to whether a dog did really "rush" or didn't "rush", and so on. Split hairs, precedent set …. and all the Governments seek to do is 'TOUGHEN LAWS". That's the catch phrase for the Government here …. "TOUGHEN" - instead of looking to better and different laws (because that takes a bit more thought and penmanship), they stay set on what they have and simply "toughen" them. In other words, add more and more breeds to the ban list and so on. Your laws can be the very beginning of the same as what we've ended up with here. For your dogs' sake, I hope I'm wrong.

In my opinion, shampooing every 6-8 weeks is often. Every time you shampoo, the skin's pH balance is affected and is sent into a bit of an over-drive trying to correct it. But that isn't necessarily the original cause of the problem - just something that is potentially exacerbating it. Try giving your dog a bath/rinse using Calendula Tea instead, to begin with. It won't cure the cause, but does clean and soothe the skin. One way of checking things out, I have found, is by having a hair-DNA analysis done. Non-invasive; not overly expensive; very little effort on the owner's part; and don't have to travel. I use Ross Wilson down here in Victoria (Coburg) for this and treatments to correct what needs to be corrected are based in natural/herbal. A great way to potentially avoid getting on the see-saw of chemical based medications (topical or otherwise). The really up-side for me in having the hair-DNA analysis done was that I could target more clearly the imbalances/needs of my dog's body and supplement accordingly. Takes a fair amount of the guess-work away. I know by my own boy that when scurf appears on his coat, there's a bit of a down-turn in his system going on. It used to be really, really bad. It is so much better these days it doesn't occur that often (*touch wood*).

Posted in "General Rescue" Hills Prescription Z/D FREE cans (dogs) - link to Rescue Forum

FREE 18 x 370g cans of the above. Should be via prescription only - for specific health issue use. (Allergy and/or Food Intolerance) Please don't PM. Send email to [email protected] if you are able to make use of these. Use-by date May 2014. Reason for discard : Used Z/D for a while when I could find nothing else my dog's digestive system could cope with, but have since sourced a diet that suits him even better and has improved him. These are the unused cans which will otherwise be thrown out. Approximate RRP value = $60.00.

I have a strong, partly confirmed suspicion that my boy's iliopsoas muscle is too tight and that it is becoming worse. I also believe that this is in part responsible for the digestive woes he has experienced and to some degree, still experiences. His current diet and accompanied supplements have worked wonders, but I think if I can work to improve the iliopsoas muscle, this may add further improvement to what I've already attained, not to mention better and easier movement in his gait. I have looked into stretch exercises for the iliopsoas muscle and have found two : Using steps : rear feet on bottom step; front feet on third step up (i.e. two steps in between front and back feet - he's a large breed dog). 30 seconds; break; repeat. I do this at least twice a day - more often if I can. Sit on hill/slant. Both on the down angle and on the up angle. I haven't worked on this one yet. I also stretch by gently taking his rear leg, folding in and up, then slowly stretching backwards, supporting the knee as I go. Any criticisms? Any added recommendations? PS - I plan on introducing a wobble board as part of his remedial exercise. Just got to get me a wobble board :D.

BARF doesn't have 'straight' roo, though (to my knowledge). Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's as I remember it when I was trying to source pure, unpreserved, roo for my boy. Most of the foods sold at "pet" level have at least chicken added to it. To be quite honest, I think it's more about what the lamb, beef and chickens are fed on that is a major source of the problem we're now seeing in our dogs.

I don't quite agree with that, although I know some do. I have read (lots) and heard (lots) that raw meat - especially at room or stomach temperature is digested easier than cooked meat - in part to do with "proteolytic enzymes" that exists within the meat cells. And then there's the nutritional value that is lost through cooking. But there's more to it than that - there's amino acids called "peptides" that are released when meat and/or plant protein is eaten and digested. These peptides can greatly effect intestinal function and other things such as rate of digestion. And of course digestion isn't just about the stomach either - it effects/affects the function of all of the other organs. Gall bladder emptying rate; appetite; blood sugar and insulin levels; blood pressure; and something I well know about ….. the immune system. (Hark back to all the allergies we're seeing and hearing for all these years - conditions that are getting more and more prevalent - hmmmm, wonder why? (Rhetorical question.) Be careful of being lulled into thinking that the affects on Thiamine by sulphur dioxide preservative is negated if extra Thiamine is added. Whoops! Just read that you've already realised . Yep - this is a propaganda exercise that reels people in, easily. Although preservative free is better :). Took me an age to work through what was right for my boy. And it turns out to be a good combo of the most uncomplex of food sources :). Good luck with your dog and his diet. Hope it all works out well :).

Learnt and learning a bucket-load from my years of trial, error and research effort for my current boy. I'm even drawing a conclusion in my mind (with the help of what I've learnt, suspected, and spoken to others about) regards to bloat in dogs and what could be one of the common underlying triggers for it. Even the experts concede that a bloat incident doesn't necessarily directly correlate to what a dog is fed; how it is presented (i.e. wet or dry); whether a dog has exercised too soon afterwards; etc. In fact, the bottom line response is that they really don't know why it occurs. We really do need to go backwards to go forwards, me thinks, and begin re-addressing all the things we fill our dogs with. Dry eyes here too, Megan. I think that if I ate what I feed my dog (and I could, as it is all human-grade) would have me mega-healthy. Pity I'm not as strict with me as I am with my dog, lol.

I do *get* that pollens can and often do trigger allergy symptoms. What I don't *get* is why everyone (people AND dogs) seem to becoming so much more sensitive to these triggers. Well - actually, I think I do *get* that as well, but we all seem to stop at finding the topical cause of an allergy problem rather than going further to address underlying cause. In my mind, that has to go back to how optimal their systems are running and that begs the question as to why they aren't running to the optimum they can be. Must admit that for me, this goes back to what we feed; what their parents were fed; what their parents before that were fed. I admit - general contaminate pollutions that are in the air would be putting a tax on all immune systems and having them run hard, which would add to the lowering of resistance to things that would otherwise be easily coped with in the absence of excessive symptoms. Just a muse that I think we should all be keeping in our minds.

If he wants to drink it, that's ok. It's good for drinking too. I drink Calendula Tea when I'm feeling a bit off, or when my throat is sore. My boy doesn't mind it, but I notice that there are times when he's not interested in the taste of it and times when he is. I tend to believe in the body being able to dictate when it needs something. Learnt this when I was decades younger - travelled OS and my diet was seriously bad over quite a duration .... ended up craving for porridge (which I'd never eaten in my life, so who knows what told me I needed that) and, of all things, cabbage. So goes to show, the body has a tendancy to *know* - we just have to listen to it more carefully. Edited to Add : Note - of course, this does NOT mean let your dog eat whatever he wants to. Common sense applies :) The Calendula Tea has natural anti-fungal and natural anti-inflammatory qualities and yes, it is very effective. Many people don't turn to it because it sounds so benign and tend to reach for the things that sud up (visual effect seems to do wonders to us having the feeling we're doing something to address problematic symptoms) and/or chemicals first. My way of thinking has vastly changed and I go for the more natural treatments first as (generally speaking) they tend not to send the body into over-drive to counter other side effects we are often creating by going for the more extreme treatments. Candida is a common ailment in dogs (and in people, I think) and this may be why your dog is particularly partial to drinking the tea. You might want to address your dog's diet. It's not always about top-of-the-range commercial foods .... as even with these there can be components the dog's digestive system isn't processing as efficiently as it should and this can lead to problems, as minor or subtle as those problems might be. I like to clean up the diet by keeping it simple rather than complex. Stick to basics and move from there if you need to. Gives the system a chance to have a break from working so hard. Glad you're finding the Calendula Tea helping with the itchy symptoms. Using this as a skin wash on my dog bought me the time I needed to work through my own boy's issues and resulted in successfully avoiding the use of antibiotics, cortisone (both of which I had some Vets heavily pushing towards) and even the more benign anti-histamines (which would have been the next thing I would have reached for if the Calendula hadn't provided the relief it did). I don't use any shampoo or conditioners on my dog - a full body soaking with the Calendula Tea leaves his skin and coat feeling clean, silky and smelling fresh.

If you're stuck for getting the quality you need, contact Kerrie at World Par-Tea. She sells on-line. I've spoken with her a few times (the first time to check on the purity of the Calendula she stocks) and from what I can gather it's a .

Hi TCL. Only once have I ever received feed-back from someone who tried the Calendula and reported the white patches of fur of her dog staining yellow. But it turned out that the brand of Calendula Tea she'd purchased was colour enhanced - something that some suppliers/producers of the product do to make it appear fresher than it might be and attract the buyer (the fresher the Tea, the more potent and more colourful). Obviously, "fresh" is best, but if I had the choice of only the two, I'd rather go for preservative and colouring free, even though the tea might not appear as naturally vibrant and colourful as it should when not quite so 'old'. When this person reported the yellow staining (a DOL Member, btw), I sent her up some of the Calendula Tea I had in supply in my pantry and there was no staining. So, look for "no added colouring" (there should be no added "anything"), and use some of it to apply to the white of your dog's fur in a discrete place to test, but in my experience, it has been fine on the small white patch on my boy's chest and also on the white of other tri-coloured dogs I've know have had it applied.

My girlfriend suffered badly with very painful ear and ear aches for years. They were treated as ear infections for a long while ..... until she ended up at Monash Hospital with diagnosed gall bladder issues. At the hospital, exclamation was made that so many times, the symptom of ear infections (particularly those that are chronic) was not connected with liver issue and (I think) gall bladder issue. The body can get a heap of things such as flu, ear ache, eye infections - all because the liver is sick. The body's reflex is to prioritise the needs of a 'vital organ' and work hard to fix it. Leave the ears, eyes, etc to later. Survival is the all important - deal with the rest afterwards, if the body survives. So, first thing the Monash Hospital (amongst others who are aware, I'm sure) looks at when someone presents with chronic ear troubles is the liver. I'm no expert, but I'd think that if the liver isn't functioning sufficiently to do its job, other organs are compromised and that would, I suspect, include the kidneys. That's my unqualified take on it. It is also why I'm very much into going beyond and beneath the symptoms of things such as allergies or symptoms mimicking allergy reactions. My question is often "So, the dog is allergic. But WHY can't his body deal with the allergens as it should?" and I delve further. Edited to add : Sorry, no links to anything on it, but if you can't find anything (assuming you've googled?) perhaps give someone at the Monash Hospital a call and they may be able to point you in the right direction?

Learnt a heck of a lot, along the way :). Not sure whether Phivo (owner of AA+) will know specifically to 'stones', but maybe check in with him. He seems to have created a balance of the herbs - where one works in tune with the other for the good of the body and its various parts/organs. Maybe he has had feedback from people who have attested to success in the specifics of 'stones' ??? Thank you to both of the above. Given the very checkered health history my boy has gone through, my fingers are always crossed. But I've managed to avoid the use of antibiotics and cortisone - drugs numerous Vets in the early days were wanting to prescribe as they scratched their heads not knowing what was wrong. Back then and because of the pressure of antibiotics and cortisone being thrust upon me, I travelled the 3 hours each way trip a few times, consulting with Dr Bruce Syme. He was excellent and whilst some initial inroads were made in those early days, he did help me continue to avoid the drugs and was the beginning of me understanding more of alternate, natural treatments. I don't know why my boy is so sensitive to proteins - he just is (and I found this out more definitively along the way as well). And so my ambition has been and continues to be to set his body up to function as well as it can possibly function, giving every opportunity possible for it to right itself or at least perform to its peculiar optimum so he can be the best he can be. If I knew back then what I know now, I do wish I'd known about AA+ earlier. I would have saved (literally) thousands of dollars in the various dog food brands/styles I'd tried but which failed, including the Veterinary lines which I went to in desperation but which also went belly-up (pardon the pun) after about 7 months or so (and only really having us limp along for the duration). But we're on a good track atm and as I can still recall wondering if my boy would survive until 2 years old, then 3 years old, I'm really quite happy for the journey we've been on, where it's lead us to and what I've learnt along the way.

I follow the full-blown recommended Augustine's Approved diet. The food items which comprise this diet is no secret and is freely available. Essentially (for my boy) it comprises of human-grade, preservative free, roo mince; lentils; broccoli; carrots; beetroot and zucchini. The vegies are all pureed at the time of preparation. Added to that is virgin cold pressed coconut oil and finally, the Augustine's Approved SuperBoost. My boy is one out of the box - his digestive issues were fairly serious and complex - which is why I went for the full blown version of the diet. Prior to that, regardless of the food he was on, his stools were black and tarry and, as I mentioned, his stomach stunk .... so much so that my house carried the smell almost on a permanent basis. And also as I mentioned, apart from his stools being great (no more scraping them out of the blades of grass), there's no more farting (very very infrequently at worst) and no smell. I got onto Augustine's Approved diet (I think I initially read of it here, even though it was a thread that incited controversy by some) feeling absolutely desperate. I'd tried almost every diet from various commercial through to natural through to veterinary prescription lines, but eventually each one failed. I'd reached the stage where I wondered if this was the end of the line for him, because there just didn't seem to be a food protein he could cope with. Since my boy began the AA+ diet (which, for a large dog, is somewhat exxy and some time needs to go into it for food preparation - I prepare 22 serves of the veggie mix at a time and this lasts 11 days) I know that there have been numerous others who have had dogs without quite the same extreme of issues as my boy has had and have tried the SuperBoost powder (which comprises of different herbs), simply adding it to food they already feed. I believe they have noticed really good results in terms of coat and other things even without altering what they feed. Personally, I think a whole natural balanced diet is the best way to go. The point of my boy's diet is to balance out his system so it can work to optimum performance naturally, which is why I steer well away from chemicals in any shape or form. His coat looks great and he's been the best he's been since this whole health drama showed its ugly face (which was when he was 7mo ..... he's now 5.5yo). He's been doing well on this food for near on 2 years now. Previously, the best run he had with any diet change was 10 months, then his body would erupt with symptoms. There are occasional symptoms that appear now and again but the symptoms are much less frequent and the severity is minute compared with earlier. Overall, he looks well, happy and healthy, with a great gleaming coat and full of beans. He actually looks healthier than some of the 'healthy' dogs around and I often wonder how well they would do on a diet such as this. The only thing with my boy is that he tends on the lean side - a little more lean than I'd prefer. Doesn't help that his main protein is roo mince being that it is a lean meat in itself. But if that's the worst, then I'm ok with that. Prior to this, he couldn't tolerate chicken. In fact, almost every meat protein was on the "no no" list. I've been re-introducing organic chicken back into his diet. Just here and there. So far, it's been tolerated fine.

In my unqualified (nutrionist speaking) opinion, if farting is frequent and especially (but not only) if it is smelly, there's something not right with the food -vs- digestion and indicates that diet could do well to be looked at to determine what and/or why. Just my late night 2 cents worth. I wouldn't call it frequent, mainly just a gas bomb every few nights or if I take her to work, conveniently when she's greeting my workmates or bosses...and they're always loud when it's in front of someone else! Her diet is Earthborn grainfree (either lamb or chicken) and barf patties (again mainly lamb or chicken). My boy has digestive problems - had them from young outset and I battled to find foods that he would do well on. Top brand stuff as well as fresh natural. Throughout, he farted - a lot. Coupled with the fact that they smelt. His situation is of course far more exaggerated than yours but when I did find a diet formula that suited him, the farts immediately stopped and no smell. It can be months apart before I hear a fart - and when it does occur no smell accompanies it. I was very much relieved at the infrequency and absence of gas from my dog - not only from the smell aspect (and they did stink, which told the story of things not being right in his stomach) but also from the incident of bloat aspect, which was ever-present in the back of my mind whilst I explored to find out what individual food items and proteins would work for him and what would not. Just something to consider.

I don't like rules that dictate what tool people must use on their dog. We are open-minded at our school in that respect. In fact, I encourage people to come with their dogs on a flat collar if possible and this gives me a chance to observe and coach the handlers' lead-handling skills and from there determine as to whether another training tool style is required and gauge what style would most suit that particular dog and handler. That said - I do not allow head-collars at our school. The reason? Because the handling of leashes for neck training collars is vastly different than for head-collars. In a group training session, calling out tips/reminders/demonstrating in the course of coaching handlers who are using neck training collars would not necessarily be good or right for those using head-collars. So I can see the reason why a school would suggest 'all-or-nothing' when it comes to either using or not using head collars in a class situation. If the school is 'pro' head-collars, then that is the style of tool people would need to work on because that is the style of instruction they'll be receiving. I trust they are at least flexible with regards to the brand of head-collar, though, as each one is different and the difference can make one fit one dog better than the next. If the school is not a 'head-collar school' then versatility in style of neck-training-collar applies. Private Lessons are a different kettle of fish as the instruction given can be and is tailored to that specific dog/handler combo.

In my unqualified (nutrionist speaking) opinion, if farting is frequent and especially (but not only) if it is smelly, there's something not right with the food -vs- digestion and indicates that diet could do well to be looked at to determine what and/or why. Just my late night 2 cents worth.

Yes! Not really sure why people buy them in the first place - same goes for cheap imported lollies/treats for humans . I keep well away! This ^^^

Calendula Tea as a wash and leave-in rinse. No shampoo or conditioner. And no over-bathing.

Work on your recalls and strengthen them with motivation techniques. Advance your recall training to include distractions from low-intensity to high-intensity (ie the intensity you're having trouble with at the moment) and do not permit her off lead (long-lines are fine) and out of your control until you know you can recall her away from these triggers/distractions. And "intensity" isn't just about the level of distraction the stimuli is creating. It's about distance from and proximity to the stimuli as well. For family and/or friends who won't listen and respect your requests for the sake of the training you are seeking to achieve ...... crate training. One crate per person. Seriously though (although I was semi-serious .... I think it is extremely rude and disrespectful not to observe reasonable request of others in these sorts of situations), crate training your dog and then using the crate as a training aid is such a boon. And it can help with stopping people from being able to undo your training and confuse the dog.