batgirlbc

My neighbour adopted a 6 month old puppy who's really anxious with persistent separation anxiety and barking whenever she's not home. The neighbour on the other side have made a big issue of it so she's pretty upset about the situation and trying to figure out what to do - she's clearly making an effort to ease the anxiety but I expect it would take time. So we were talking about Trazadone having read about this golden retriever on Newsweek - https://www.newsweek.com/owner-praises-trazodone-golden-retriever-road-trip-1945360 - and wondered whether low level doses of Trazadone when she goes to a work shift may be a suitable solution. I expect a vet would just give the go ahead ($$), so would prefer to hear thoughts...

We always took our collie to an off leash park - in Scarbs - and it really helped her (and our previous dog) learn social skills. Occasionally dogs would snap at each other, but generally people understood and managed it. It wasn't actually until we moved to the Wheatbelt for a while where our dog lost some of her social skills, and from the age of 5+ she definitely gets intimidated when certain breeds of dog approach her or puppies which are a little too much. Most of the time I can pick up on whether she's about to snap, although a few times it's been unavoidable - usually when a younger dog really gets in her space and the owner has no control. Maybe I'm a little irresponsible, but most of the time she's very good off the lead and will avoid dogs she doesn't like. I think from what you've said, if you know your puppy will get snappy after 5 or 10 minutes, then make sure you put him back on the leash and give him time away from other dogs to settle down?

I think most people are finding pet food really expensive these days. Both myself and my partner work so have always tried to feed decent pet food, but definitely feeling it financially a lot more these days than we used to. Even cans in the supermarket are around $4 these days, and I always question how healthy those brands are. We've found Spudshed a good place to stock up on fresh meats, organs, meaty bones etc. Usually organs and more "yucky" stuff is reduced, so that saves money and helps keep costs down.

Hi all, So we've been feeding Eureka a fair bit recently + some home cooked and raw. Due to busy jobs we're looking at adding a more fresh food we can quickly feed and Lyka seems decent. I know the review on pet food reviews is very good but it doesn't really cover much about how people have found it. Does it work out expensive or do you kinda get locked in with the subscription etc? This is the review - https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/lyka-dog-food-review/

Our cat has Applaws. We feed him lots of raw and other stuff, but in the morning we give him Applaws as it's easy. It's one of the few kibbles he will eat and seems to have more meat than other supermarket kibbles.

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you - we have a 3 year old, dog, cat, and multiple jobs! ;) We used Ziwi a while back. Seen a few iffy things about it recently on Facebook, since the company was taken over (or invested in, not sure the details). Eureka is a bit more moist than Ziwi, but that's nit picking really as my dog loved both. We're now looking at mixing with Lyka which seems expensive but would only be part of her diet.

There are so many things you can (and should do) to make any puppy comfortable when you're not home, but it definitely takes time. I had neighbours complain to the RSPCA about my puppy barking too much, and I barely left her alone for more than an hour or two. My neighhbours didn't tell me directly, so I didn't even know, and before they told the RSPCA they through a carton of rat poison into my garden :/ Training your dog will go a long way. Cesar Millan is brilliant, and his tv shows are worth watching. Here's a video on separation anxiety in puppies: There are also many things you can do at home to make your dog feel safe and comfortable. Making a "nest" for your dog or giving them a window view can work really well. We have a small table by the lounge window covered in a blanket - underneath is our dog's den, and in the day she'll sit on top and look out the window and things going on. There's loads of good ideas here - https://www.dogzone.com.au/boredom-busters-for-dogs/ Read the bit about snuffle mats and scattering dog food around the house and garden before you go out - keeps your puppy occupied and also distracted when you leave home. Probably lots of other things you can do too, and get a wifi security cam which you can talk to your dog through!

You shouldn't feed too much liver. Once or twice a week, that's it. Other organ meats are fine daily, and 10% is still recommended. Most BARF foods have 10% organ meats. It's where most of the nutrients are, so if you only feed mince or chicken then your dog won't get the nutrition they need.

I second raw meaty bones. My butcher gives me bones for free when I buy other meat, so it's a winner. Just keep an eye on your dog if they're not used to bones, and keep an eye out for digestive upset if this is the case. I also give my dog (also a collie) dried meat chews. I know they sound a bit gruesome but maybe consider bully sticks. I prefer to call them pizzle but there's more info here - https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/bully-sticks/ You can also try brushing your dog's teeth as well? Even once a week! Might be the brand of dog food as well.

From what you've said I expect an abscess has formed. This can happen after an injection introducing bad bacteria under the skin, i.e. from bacteria on the needle. Shouldn't but can happen. If that's the case your vet will need to drain it and possibly treat with antibiotics. May also be a reaction to the anti-inflammatories but I think less likely

It's weird reading that. When I watched the Chernobyl documentary what got to me the most was how people had to abandon their dogs - heart breaking really - but there's comfort in knowing these dogs have survived and thrived!

The crematorium we used were wonderful, and the memories we hold in our heart we treasure to this day. That's what matters. I'm so sorry for your loss, I know how hard it is

Keep in mind they're soft raw bones so I don't think would cause any problems for your dog. Mine chews big bones so consumes a lot of bits of bone - I think it's a good thing in that sense as her teeth are in top notch condition and clean. Something you don't get with wet and barf foods. I didn't know what size nerds were either. They're the little colorful things in a packet aren't they? Think I remember them from my childhood a LONG TIME AGO!!!!

My best advice is to read reviews on product review, trust pilot etc. Most of the time the positive reviews are stuff like "The policy was so easy to take out", but the real truth is in the lower rated reviews for people who were unable to claim on insurance. Just wrote about my previous dog who had lymphoma as we weren't insured back then. Basically it meant we couldn't afford chemo, but in hindsight we still did the best for him and glad we didn't put him through chemo. So there's that mindset as well. (More info on this post - We have Bow Wow insurance for our collie who we're really happy with. Actually took the advice from the pet food review website - https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/pet-insurance-in-australia/#6-bow-wow-meow We've had it for about 4 years now and they've been really good. We pay monthly and don't even notice the amount coming out (about $20!??). We wanted to be covered in case our nutty collie got injured. Our friend's collie had an accident with a door and another accident with a stick in the space of the last 12 months, and it's cost them $$$$s without insurance :/

My dog had lymphoma - he was 5 when diagnosed. So hopefully I can offer you my retrospective thoughts, and feel free to ask me anything. Firstly, I'm very sorry - I know what you're going through. We left our dog with a sitter for a month in their new house, and her dog and my dog dug up the garden. Both ended up with T-cell lymphoma so I believe from weed killer. They were insured so went through chemo, but we weren't insured so opted for alternative methods - keto, CBD, prednisolone. Our oncologist offered a number of options, including IV chemo and tablet chemo (much cheaper). IV chemo was quoted at around $12k. Tablet chemo wasn't much at all, but obviously an ongoing cost. Our costs with the keto/cbd/prednisolone weren't much at all (we fed him raw anyway). I know it's hard to hear this stuff but we had another 6 months with him. Apart from a couple of lapses he actually did really well, and the day before he passed he was running along the beach like a puppy. The next morning he didn't have energy. He tried to play with a ball but couldn't. An hour later he fell asleep in my arms. We had time to say our goodbyes and I thanked him for all our happy days. The other dog lived 2 more years, so chemo worked. For me, in hindsight, I have no regrets. He wasn't afraid, and wasn't in pain. All the hard stuff was my emotions. For the owners of the other dog, they went through 2 more years dealing with the hardship of knowing their dog was sick. As hard as it was with my dog, I didn't envy what they continued to go through. Acceptance is the hardest part. We now have our girl BG. She's 7 now. She's amazing. I still miss my old boy, but I have so many happy memories!

Yes, but there's billions of puppy photos on the Internet so it's easy enough for scammers to get hold of them.

I'm trying to think how cute puppy pictures can be used for nefarious reasons? Dodgy Facebook spam account profile pictures!? Fake driving licences or passports!? I think when advertising puppies transparency (pics + info) will help sell. Personally I'd be put off if an ad was vague. It would make me think there's something dodgy going on, and I'd likely avoid. I wouldn't rant about it though - that's kinda up to the seller?

What food are you feeding? Keep in mind reactions can develop over time or ingredients and quality can vary between batches. Sometimes something triggers a reaction or the microbiome gets disrupted which is hard to rectify. If the food has stuff like cereals/cereal by-products then thats probably a sign to try something different to see if it helps. May help clear up the itchiness in a matter of a week or two. Environmental factors may also be a trigger, so assess anything which has changed recently.

I think this could be useful for anyone training their pup! There's a checklist you can print out, plus a simple how to for each command. Makes training more of a fun challenge - how quickly can you train your puppy for each command! https://www.dogzone.com.au/10-basic-dog-training-commands/ Here's the checklist (it's a PDF you can download) -

Just got an email about this. Amazed there hasn't been more talk about Woofbix in all this time! Pet food reviews - https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/woofbix-dog-food-review/

My Mum feeds her cat a brand called Yora which is insect based - over in the UK. Ingredients are quite good in terms of animal ingredients over grains or carbs. I think it's a good idea in terms of a pet food. Protein from animals or protein from insects, when the latter is cheaper to produce and "more environmentally friendly". Makes sense. I don't get lured in by wacky marketing claims though!

Hi guys, it's been a few months but we actually tried Eureka. We were a little put off by the website and the amount of info we had to give, but they were absolutely great when I called them. After about 3+ months all I can say is it's a great dog food. Very much like ziwipeak but a bit different texture - neither in a good or bad way, but different. At first my dog noticed her food was different but after a few days is definitely more enthusiastic about her dinner than before. Coat is shiny and she's full of beans. Not bad for a 7 year old going on 8!

I feed such a variety including fresh, raw, and BARF. Recently Acana to keep costs down a little (two dogs) as can't really afford Orijen. We've also been feeding Ziwipeak as part of the diet but just going to try the new Eureka food which is Australian and looks amazing. I always check pet food reviews as my pet food bible. Such insightful information and gone are the days my dogs had itchy skin and other issues (won't name the brand we used to use, but it's mentioned by someone above.)

We use a FURminator which is great (we have two medium to long hair border collies, one is like a rasta dog). You need to get rid of mats first though, as the shedding tool will tug otherwise. Some info on undercoat de-shedding BCs here - https://www.foodiepooch.com.au/undercoat-de-shedding-how-to/

We had a litter of pups who managed to get fleas. You can't treat puppies for fleas so we did our best to manage the situation with combing etc but you can image how tough it got in those 8 weeks - the stuff nightmares are made of! We found frontline wasn't very effective. It definitely didn't work on our cat, and when we hired a pest controller he said the same about Frontline. We used oral tablets from the vet - Nexguard - and they worked far better for our cat and dog. We treated the pups with Frontline as soon as we were able but it wasn't very effective unfortunately. Also, once fleas are in the house they're 30% on your pets and 70% in the environment. Flea eggs can hang around for a year before hatching. Thankfully flea treatments really helped, and a lot of cleaning. Because our situation was so bad we had the pest controller come out and spray (which was worrying for our pets) But a couple of fleas found on your dog should be easily treatable if they haven't laid eggs in the house, and once treated any hatching fleas which jump on your dog should die with a day.