Erny

I don't work on a "standard" feeding amount regime, but I do work "off' one. In other words, the "standard" is what suits the dog to its "standard" exercise routine. I take into account (a) how the dog looks (looking at ribs, waste and tummy tuck) AND (b) how much exercise the dog has had that day. If the dog is at optimum weight or below, and the exercise has been considerably more than usual that day, I'll up the food intake that day. If the exercise has been considerably less than usual for 2 or more days in a row, I'll drop the food intake if the dog is optimum weight or over weight (i.e. not under-weight). I go by (primarily) appearance and (secondary) by feel (especially for coated dogs). From the side, I like to see the last rib, and a little less so, the second last rib. The other ribs I like to see have cover, but that I can see the shadow of the ribs as the dog moves. From above, I like to see the waste which should come in after the last ribs. For "feel" I like to be able to run my hand (without pressing) over the dog's ribs, and feel them. I prefer to be able to feel the hips, but not really see them. A "rule of thumb" rough guide I use when I explain to clients is (referring to the human hand) : Close your hand to a fist. Run your finger over the knuckles. If this is how your dog's ribs feel and look, too skinny (by what margin is variable). Open your hand, palm up. Run your finger lightly over what is now the back of the knuckles. If this is how your dog's ribs feel and look, too fat (by what margin is variable). Open your hand, palm down. Run your finger lightly over the knuckles. If this is how your dog's ribs feel and look, good weight. I don't put much store in measuring weight, per se, other than for confirmation sake and in the event of medication prescription.

I can't help with a response but something I do like and am pleased about is seeing and hearing more and more people opening their eyes and minds to possible natural based remedies/treatments and investigating them as an aid or even an alternative to conventional drug therapy. It doesn't mean we should turn our backs to that but I do think it's great that our minds are becoming increasingly enquiring, more open and aware. It's also not to say that no one has been doing this as I know numerous have and likely for a considerable period of time, but it is good that this is becoming more 'out there' and more readily than previously. Like anything, people should be very aware that what is good and right for one isn't necessarily good and right for the other and research towards possible down sides should be done before trialling, but in general, if it is something that is known safe and has the ability to assist and/or make better, that's fabulous. Good luck with what you find out and what benefits. I'm always interested in reading as one never knows what's around the corner and the knowledge/experience share is good to have as a prompt for ideas to work with. So I'll be looking forward to hearing how you get on. Hoping you have success.

Sorry .... but how does he know kidneys are fine, without a blood test? That aside, how does your Vet know it is not pancreatitis? As dogs get older they might develop food intolerance problems (do they?) but did he suggest why? If it were me, I'd want a more thorough check up and tests, rather than putting this problem down to 'just age' and not bothering with at least a blood check to determine if there is a cause and a treatment that just might see your dog right. 11.5yo is getting on, but not necessarily a decrepit age.

I go through Ross Wilson of Coburg Health & Nutrition (Vic). 03 9354 8007 I don't visit him - I send in hair sample via post and the supplements prescribed are managed by post as well. But there may be someone at least a bit more local to you which might be a bit more convenient? Perhaps even ring Ross and ask him if he's able to refer?? Don't know if the results will prove successful or not, but may be worth a try.

I don't know if it's of any help, Westiemum, but via the hair-DNA analysis and the herbal supplements prescribed in response to the results, my elderly Mum vastly improved in terms of bladder control and frequency.

I'm not going to be much help either, other than a stab in the dark guess that the itchiness might be related to toxins her liver finds too much to deal with and so they are being excreted via the skin. As I said .... a guess. Use calendula tea on the itchy area (all over, if you wish) and leave it on to dry (i.e. don't rinse off). This usually soothes, has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities about it. I find it a boon to keep the discomfort levels down and also helps to keep the skin clean (without affecting natural oils/pH levels) to avoid secondary skin infections, at least whilst you are working out what might be the driving cause of the itchiness. ETA: Don't beat yourself up for the medication dosage. Things change. That, and we are guided by our Vets in these matters. Hindsight makes us experts. Pity foresight wasn't as easy. Sounds to me like you're doing a great job working to look after her and keep her as well as she can be .

Thanks, HMDM ..... Any recommendations from Victorian people for south-eastern suburbs melbourne?

I've made two calls so far. One I'm waiting for a return call from. The other one said they lay bait in the form of powder. The rats walk through it, groom themselves (therefore taking in the bait) and it takes 4 days for the rats to die. (Again, I'm sorry for the rats .... but their damage has to stop.) Is that the style of bait that most professionals would use? I'm told it is relatively safe for use around dogs as it is a "multi-dose bait" and would take a lot of rats to harm a dog.

Thank you. Have no idea what they charge, but that information will soon become apparent when I begin ringing around. Is it a regular 'thing' that the professionals rat proof the home?

Did your Vet run any blood tests to rule-in or rule-out other possibilities, or only prescribe antibiotics? ETA: I know where you're at and what you're feeling, at the moment. I got to that point with my boy two or so years ago, when it had seemed I'd run out of options.

I've never used poison here before - don't like it. Primarily for dog-sake, but also must admit that whilst rats give me the heebie-jeebies, I don't like that they suffer pain before they perish. BUT the rat problem around here doesn't seem to be a passing phase and now I can hear that they are in my ducted heating under the house, gnawing away. Also in the garage (one food treat pouch down). I'm not sure if I've heard noises in the ceiling as well, or whether the sound direction of the gnawing I heard last night was my error, or if there were rats above AND below me. So it's come to the point where I will have to do something about them, otherwise I can imagine the amount of (further) damage they will be causing to the home and car. Is it better to get professional help in? And do they block holes where the rats have obviously entered to be able to get in under the house? Or do they only lay poisons just as I may if I have to deal with this myself? Thoughts, opinions and experiences?

I mix spent calendula tea with my dog's roo mince (along with any surplus juice) and it doesn't stop his enthusiasm. He tends to spit the base of the flower (what do you call it, Steve?) that stays in a bit of a lump, but I just break that up a bit and it goes with every thing else.

The AA recommended diet (i.e. roo mince and veggies) plus the SuperBoost, along with the herbal supplements I add as prescribed via Ross Wilson (hair-DNA) Naturopath is ALL that Mandela gets. I don't add offal or anything else. Not because I want to preclude it, but because Mandela will usually not eat it. Mandela will also not eat bones, sadly. Totally balanced? I couldn't answer that. I can only tell you that in the absence of being able to give Mandela much or anything else, he's been doing very well on the "AA diet", much better and for much longer than previously before the AA diet and supplements. ETA: And he has been admired by others who think he is younger than their own young RR's for the fact of his energy and sprightliness, and often comment on his gleaming coat condition. He's lean (as I find it difficult to get and then keep weight on him) but I don't usually get comments on that because yes, his condition is lean, but not really skinny (like he used to be). He's not totally 100%. I'm still battling some things, feeling as though I haven't completely put my finger on why he has the troubles he has and has had, although I'm still in the throws of researching and investigating that and it is something that may not relate to diet, per se. But that's another story.

You can use it as much and as often as you need to. I do like to give the skin a chance to be dry, but for the real hot flare-ups, it's nothing for me to dab the affected areas 4 times a day or so. If that appeases the angriness of the rash a little, I back off a little .... until the skin is down to a 'cool' pink colour and looking a bit healthy. Then I'll drop off to perhaps once a day, then every other day, until I'm not needing to do it for the while. For me, there have been no rule books - I applied on a "gut feeling/sense" basis, taking into account the angriness of the skin and my dog's behaviour towards it. Lol. I have read of someone's dog who was reactive to kykuya, but then they found the dog was ok if it wasn't cut. Lol ..... I'm sure they ended up with a super long lawn. Not suggesting this is feasible. I didn't do an elimination diet per se ..... there wasn't much to eliminate because we'd come to what seemed the end of the road as Mandela simply stopped eating, even though he was obviously hungering for food and too skinny. That's when I turned to the diet recommended/suggested by Augustine Approved. The diet's up there on his website. That's the "full-blown" diet - not everyone follows it to the 'T', but because my boy's issues were pretty extreme, I did and do. And it helped a lot. It's not so much that you should aim to "boost" the immune system - it's already working over-time as it is. You need to support it, so it can balance itself out a bit. This is where I turned to the hair-DNA testing. What my boy gets is not just a "one thing" herbal supplement. It's a mix of things. I know Steve will have some input to this as soon as she gets half a second - she's mega knowledgeable about this stuff.

Steve sells the shampoos and conditioners that DON'T contain the 'nasty' stuff, via her website as well. DOL Members get a 10% discount too :D . SHALARM

Think deeper than just specific food items as "triggers". Although this can be the case in instances, skin conditions can occur due to the digestive system becoming sluggish - i.e. having to work too hard to digest, and that can be not necessarily a specific protein source but due to the way things are prepared, where the protein source came from/how it was raised, etc. Even our water can be a contributor to issues with super sensitive dogs and this is something I've considered I should potentially address ..... if only it were so simple and wasn't going to cost me a bomb, as I tend to totally refresh water bowls daily. I did mention I'd run a thyroid test - however I forgot at the time the age of your pup. The likelihood of even the USA tests picking up on thyroid under 12 months of age is slim, even though their tests are vastly more sensitive and thorough than ours. I ran tests on my boy at 10mo and they came out as "excellent" thyroid levels. Only 7 months later I ran them again (suspecting inconclusive results due to testing too early) and they came in as very low. Thyroid doesn't generally perform irratically like that, which points to it being likely that my did have the thyroid issue at a younger age, but the onset was so early that he fell under the radar, so to speak. I would run a hair-DNA test though, if it were me.

Amazing all the stringent/harsh chemicals which are contained in the products that the general layperson spends a fortune on in attempts to help their itchy, irritated dogs .... without realising that they may be inadvertently contributing to the original symptom issue. And so they then go and spend more money on the same products, thinking the worsening problem needs more help from those same products. Not their fault. Vet's could do better to inform and stock really good products they KNOW are free of such harmful agents - that would be a great start.

EXCEPT you haven't asked yourself the question of "why" can't his system cope with the grasses. Ok - fair enough ... you know what triggers the symptoms and I agree it is best to try to avoid them whilst he remains reactive to them, but working to support the gut and immune system is a good place to start. And that includes checking thyroid function as if a thyroid is not functioning properly the immune system is affected (and/or vice versa). Anything else that might not be right also loads the system which in turn has the immune system affected. So you see ..... you know what the trigger is, but why is it a trigger? I'd run a thyroid test via Dr Jean Dodds (USA) - not Australia, as our thyroid tests are not as sensitive nor thorough. I'd probably run a blood panel test as well, even just to rule out anything else that might not have been thought of. When I've had these tests run, I did so with the attitude that I was seeking to rule-out possibilities - that made it money well worth spent, IMO. I'd run a hair-DNA test as well as this can point you in the right direction of which supplements your dog's system actually needs to get things running as optimum as they can be. Keep up with the Calendula Tea - rinse off his paws after he's been in contact with the grasses you mention and whenever he is exhibiting signs of irritation (i.e. licking his paws) and wherever you see those signs. The Calendula Tea doesn't cure, but it does sooth and assists in prevention of secondary skin infection.

This is what I think it is all about. We so much focus on symptoms (a lot of Vets do too) rather than focusing on getting the system to run to its optimum best (antibiotics; cortisone; shampoos; conditioners; etc), and that tends to send our dogs' systems into a cyclic frenzy. I'm not saying that drugs aren't necessary in the most of extreme cases (although I often question it, regardless) but in many cases we jump too soon. Keep things simple and plain. Work on cooling the system (game meat is the best for this, I find), along with select vegetables in appropriate quantities/ratio. Ease off the chemicals many tend to religiously apply even though they aren't always necessary. Supplements to support and help the over-taxed system relax and start working better, and the skin will stop taking the heat from the over-exertion the kidneys and liver (and other organs) can't deal with due to their distress. Great work, Lynn168. You've done a remarkable job at walking the journey with Chase .

We service the area too. Pro-K9

From what I've been able to read up on, Moosepup, yes ..... even playing with a dead rat or mouse which has died from rate poisoning, can result in poisoning to the dog. I would imagine the chances would be slimmer, but that's only my guess. I'd be at least ringing an Emergency Vet to query (although typically, emergency Vets don't give any suggestions or information without taking the dog in). Your dogs are only little, which would raise a greater concern, I would think. This is all me hazarding a guess, but it would be something I'd be inclined not to ignore, even knowing that it may prove unnecessary - which, I hope, is the case. ETA: Has to happen on not only a Sunday, but EASTER Sunday no less :roll eyes:

I now purchase mine on-line from DOL Member Steve ..... SHALARM Rather than washing again with shampoo, especially so soon after, have you got something like chamomile tea you can use and just pour on as a rinse, whilst you're waiting to get the Calendula Tea? I've not used this myself, so I can't attest to it, but it is calming/soothing to the skin I believe. I'm just a bit concerned that the shampoo you use will strip the pH balance and send the skin into a cyclic down-spiral. ETA: The mucky eyes in the morning .... not saying it is, but I tend to find with my boy it is a sign that his immune system is taking a nose dive (usually because it's busy with something else it is dealing with). In the interim of Vet, if that proves to still be needed due to insufficient improvement in quick-time, keep the eyes clear by using saline solution, until you can get your hands on the Calendula Tea, then you can brew up some to bath them with. Make sure the Calendula Tea is cool for use around the eyes, and cool to tepid for use elsewhere. Always your judgement call regards Vet though. We can't see what's happening. Only you.

Boy ..... sad end to a thread that was proving interesting and mind-opening reading. I don't think that's about "dumbing down" but it certainly does stop it .

Hope you're ok, Steve. And your son.

ED - I'm sorry you feel the need to bow out. I know that Steve is very well versed in the use of natural based remedies and treatments as well, and it is very interesting to read and recognise thoughts and knowledge from numerous experts. I do take on board both components of what has already been discussed, and the merits to each both have interesting and by the sounds of it, well-founded basis.