Erny

Actually, no, it's not (yet) the longest period of time he's remained well on a food. Vets All Natural Allerblend ran for about 7 - 10 months before Mandela's body hiccupped (so to speak) and a break-out of hives returned and he went 'off' the food. So to be fair, the jury is still out on the current "Augustine's" food as well, until more time goes by. Phivo, the 'manufacturer' of "Augustine's" is aware that Mandela is a different and particularly hard-case and that more time than the usual is needed before we can look back and claim confidence that Mandela's system totally accepts the diet. At this stage, we're about 3 months in with the Augustine's SuperFood - a period of time that for most dogs, would be fairly well telling, I'd think. However, there have been other foods (commercial line albeit top of the range kibble) that have not gone the distance and that Mandela has turned away from sooner than this. The fact that he is so enthusiastic for the food and up there and waiting for his breakfast and dinner is a big turn around in my books. That and the fact he is not farting which IMO has got to be a great indicator that his intestines are not objecting to the food. So I continue with . ETA: Phivo's been great and very supportive as well, helping me out with the preparation of the food and its supply. He's been following with interest Mandela's progress :).

Hi Piper - in fact, yes, he is :D. He's had a small amount of irritation evident to a toe or two ..... right at the beginning of the main onslaught of allergy season, but we got through and past that (it seems, *touch wood*) and things are pretty good. He still has gum ulcers and we're still working on that. Teeth have been cleaned (again) but ulcers remain. Xrays show no probs to root of teeth. This one is still a bit of a quandary but auto-immune issue suspected. Don't know where that one is going to go. BUT, X-rays (which I asked for just to check progression of spondylosis) show NO SPONDYLOSIS . Heck of a surprise to me, but a delightful one and about time we had some good news regards his health. Am now under care/guidance of Michelle Monk (Dogs in Motion) and Mandela receiving a goodly amount of massage as a certain muscle group (ilipso, or something like that) suspected as the culprit for stiffness. But, back to topic, the food Mandela is on (Augustine Approved's SuperFood) is keeping him well. He's put on some weight, looking well in his coat and in himself, still no farting :D and his appetite is very good. .

You mean, which international courier? I use FedEx - excellent, although only if I take to their drop off point as I've had disastrous experiences with their outside couriers used to collect stuff and deliver to their drop off points.

All Breeds Boarding Kennels (Lyndhurst) - indoor heated/airconditioned and they take excellent care of their canine (and feline) patrons. I have helped them out on occasion and also train dogs (boarding & training) from there, so I am quite familiar with their standards and their care levels.

This +1.

Oh ...... crappy crap. So sorry to hear .

And I agree with Haredown Whippets.

The "Ear Clear" is based in natural stuff - lavender is one of its properties. Whilst this is not important to the dog, must say it smells nice to me :D. I think it is a "Natural Animal Solutions" product, should you be wanting to know. Must admit, not sure I'd like vinegar in my ear, especially if the skin is irritated. Stingy ??

As the blanket statement that the above seems to be ...... I disagree and I don't think it has been "seriously debunked". I think both sides are taken to extremes and middle ground needs to be reached to become closer to the truth. Just IMO. :D.

I am using epiotic for his ear cleaner and the vet prescribed mometemax as ear medication. Anyone used these before? Thanks for your reply I am going to go back to the cotton balls. Both my previous and current dog find the usual Veterinary line ear cleaners too stringent. Even an ear antibiotic ointment caused irritation to the skin in my boy's ear. I use "Ear Clear" with success and without the irritation.

Possession is 9/10ths of the law when it comes to dogs and possession of bones, IMO, regardless of hierarchy. In polite dog society, a dog has a bone, the other should give respectful space. If the dog with the bone gets up and leaves, finishes interest in bone and turns its back on the said bone, it is up for grabs.

Perhaps the cleaner you are using is too stringent and causing his ear canals to sting? I personally wouldn't use cotton swabs to clean ears. I use cotton balls and only that part of the ear I can see.

To ease the skin rash and help work against a secondary skin infection occurring, apply Calendula Tea as a wash to the affected area. I found it bought me time to work with my dog's issues and avoided the necessity of using antibiotics or for that matter, antihistamines.

My dog learnt very quickly to be discerning in the game of tug in terms of obedience accuracy and response as well as in terms of teeth not touching human skin. He knew the game would finish if he didn't exhibit at least some degree of self-control and forethought. I can hold the tug fair in the middle or anywhere else for that matter - even on the command that says "you can have the tug" he will not take it if he doesn't see he can take purchase of it without touching skin with teeth. Having said that, I taught the "be discerning about where you grab the tug and avoid human skin" only once he'd well and truly learnt the initial game commands. In the mean time it was my job to keep my hands clear of his mouth ........ that was when he was much younger and I was building drive though. I think that a dog who has been taught the rules of tug and learnt to observe them is a safer dog than one who has not and who is reliant on no-one waving around a toy he thinks just might be for him. But I don't generally recommend against another trainer's advice. There is more than one way to train a dog and all ways might potentially be correct. And your trainer has the advantage of knowing yourself and your dog.

:laugh: China owns half our Country. They were just headed there to get it back.

My membership with a certain 'group' was refused because I supported the good use of the PPCollar and E-Collar and I guess because I was fairly public about it.

Don't be embarrassed - I didn't know either of these things, so even your 'error' has proven to be informative :D. What would the magnesium dosage be and is it something you need to give before the event of a thunder storm or can it still be effective if given after anxiety levels have risen?

How does plain calcium tablet help, Perse? Genuine interest.

You can try human antihistamines. I can't help you with the dosage though. I remember it being recommended that I have antihistamines on stand-by if the Calendula Tea wash/rinse didn't help with the (estimated) 800+ hives that affected the whole of Mandela's body at one time and I knew the dosage back then, but as the Calendula worked a treat and kept the hives at bay, thwarting secondary skin infection, I never used the antihistamines and have now forgotten dosage.

Oh yay! Glad you found it worked well for you. WM - it can be a combo of mild dose of CC plus the attributes of AMH but I too have found that the life-time of the cough with my boy (on the two occasions he contracted it) was very short-lived with its use. Would the cough have gone on longer without it? Don't know. But I do tend to find that when my boy was having a coughing bout, the dosing of honey very quickly soothed it, so even that is a great thing on its own, I think :). I keep AMH in the pantry for whatever use I find for it. Along side the Calendula Tea :D . Glad your Westies got through the CC suitably efficiently :

I would go the coconut (virgin, cold-pressed, unrefined) addition to diet as well. And I would bath him using Calendula Tea. Might sound too benign to be effective but the results can be surprising. Not being shampoo based, it doesn't strip the coat of oil nor does it send the skin's natural pH balance into a spin.

I went through the same dilemma as you are experiencing now, when I lost my RR girl. As it turns out I decided on a RR boy. Well, the two could not be more like chalk and cheese (and that has little to do with their genders being different) and I admit I am completely pleased about that. I still love and miss my girl and she will always be an incredibly special dog to me, but my boy holds an important and large but different part of my heart. It's not about one taking the place of another, it's about the fact that your heart will grow to make room for the extra even though right now you might not feel that is possible. That's how it was for me and how it has now become. So go for the breed that suits your lifestyle and your heart. Know that the pup you get (of whatever breed, and that includes AmStaff) will be his or her own personality and open your mind to him or her to be different to your girl. Knowing and accepting that I think is the easiest way for both yourself and your new pup/dog as you don't start with pre-conceived expectations.

That's a shame - it still remains an important mission and topic requiring the attention and education of the public. If only they could know that the current law is NOT going to help reduce bite injuries.

I couldn't make this one. How did it go?

Perfect! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this Megan, it's exactly the sort of direction I need. I am going to read it a few times today to make sure the process is firmly cemented in my head. Between your explanation and Kavik's suggestions I think I can do this! :D OK I need to pick a new word that means playtime starts now. I like Persephone's idea of giving her a treat too - she knows all about treat training, and loves it. Would a treat after "out, good out" be appropriate too? "Good" means "treat incoming" in our world. My training is bribe based, maybe not the best way, but it's always worked for me. XD As Megan knows, this is some of what Pro-K9 teaches in our classes. The essence of it is allowing the dog to make the choice to relinquish the tug and initially learning that the sooner s/he does the sooner the game will begin again. By making the tug 'dead', the dog initially tends to become puzzled and let's go OR the dog loses interest (much depends on the dog's drive). If the dog loves the tug more than food treat, giving a treat isn't absolutely necessary and I guess is not something I've brought into my training regime because response speed through drive has always been my aim. When I decide to end the session I give a 'finish' command (ie off-switch) but it is then that I normally follow through with giving a food treat. I don't allow free access to the chosen tug toy because it is *my* tug, is something I control but happily *share* it and the game that goes with it, with my dog when he is working with and for me. Keep the game rules simple. A word that permits the start of the game (i.e. an on-switch); and word that pauses the game (ie a relinquish command) and a word that finishes the game (ie an off-switch).