kelpiecuddles

Is this temporary puppy crate fitting a chihuahua or a great dane?

I agree with dealing with it now. I know someone with a golden retriever who they just gave in to all the time as a pup and he's now destroyed a couple of back doors breaking in to the house!

Personally I think Advance is pretty much middle of the range, it's not super premium but it's not crud either. I don't have much experience with Black Hawk to comment but had understood it to be probably higher up than advance in terms of quality. I wouldn't touch supercoat with a ten foot pole, gives my dogs the runs and makes them stink. As far as easily available brands(Black hawk is non existant here) I like Royal Canin. Is it maybe a case of he doesn't know much about it so it must be bad?

Sounds to me like you vet is getting perks

Where do you get the rose hip vital from (or could I use a human equivelent)?

I'm inclined to think that having one good leg during recovery atleast allows her to maintain mobility and fitness which are both imortant in healing. Even human specialists generally won't do anything major on two legs/shoulders/eyes at once incase of complications.

I've noticed that Sascha is getting a bit stiff on these cold mornings and as she is nine years old I'm thinking it might be worth including something in her diet to help with her joints and hopefully head of any issues before they become real problems. So what are your tried and true supplements to keep your older dogs joints in good shape?

Well the shower seemed to perk her up a bit so she obviously feels a little better. And as a bonus i shampood her while I was at it so she smells pretty for her vet visit LOL

It might make her reconsider running the fence with next doors dog!

I'm happy being able to see the last rib on my dogs but no more than that, so she is too skinny for my liking but it sounds like it's all under control and she'll be looking healthier very soon. She's a beautiful girl that's for sure!

I always make a point of asking approaching kids to wait while i ask her to sit for a pat, it helps them understand that they can't just rush up and expect a pat straight away, they need to be patient until the dog is ready. My kids are taught first to ask me if they can go and request a pat(because I can look at the dog/owner from further back and assess whether they will apreciate the approach), then they mmust ask the owner and wait while the owner explains how they want them to pat the dog. The hold a hand out so the dog can approach and sniff them but I try to make it clear that they can't get in the dogs face so the dog can smell them, it needs to be the dog coming to them.

I worked for parks vic and private wildlife reserves in suburban Melbourne and I can tell you that it is used in some surprisingly suburban areas where there is reasonable security from pet animals. It all seems a little suss to me too, I would be inclined to see if someone will test it for you.

My poor kelpie has hurt her paw. I suspect she did it run along the fence line and has caught her paws on one of the fence uprights(colourbond fence). She ripped the toenail off one toe on one paw and got a small cut on the toe pad on her other paw. Initially i had only seen the ripped nail as it obviously hurt and she was limping a little. I spoke to the nurse at the clinic when she did it(about 4 days ago) and she confirmed my initial thoughts that there wasn't much the vet could do and just to keep it clean and keep an eye on it. Her lost toenail has healed well and isn't giving her any problems now but yesterday she started limping on her other foot and today we discovered the other cut which is looking sore and red and a little warm so she's off to the vet for some antibiotics first thing tomorrow morning. In the meantime I'd love any suggestions that might help it feel better. She doesn't like me touching it for obvious reasons but I thought a warm shower might help soak it and give it a really good clean without me having to physically handle it? She's giving me that pitiful expression that only a poorly kelpie can give and it's breaking my heart

I'm refering to the fact that in the second story they stated they were going overseas for six months only. Doesn't excuse what happened at all, it just seems odd to be to not be willing to leave the dog in the care of the breeder or a friend but they were ok with him spending time in quarantine when they came back in to the country

I drive nearly two hours once a month to go to an evening meeting. I want to be part of the club and I kind of figure that if I want to have all the extra space and other perks that come with living regionally I just have to deal with the reality that sometimes I have to drive a bit further to get to things.

Where are you Anne? Your info says you are 'overseas'!

I got this through my facebook and it really does sum up a basset nicely LOL. Truly the laid back dogs of the hound world. She's weighty but because she's short she doesn't feel that big if you know what I mean.

That's a Reject Shop baifra, I'll have a look in there and see what they have when I do the shopping tomorrow. :) They don't need to be super high quality or anything, my dogs don't chew or otherwise destroy their bed thankfully. My kelpie is one of the few who doesn't do caves, she won't sleep in a kennel and if you ask her to go through something like a tunnel she'll do it but she put her ears down and gives you an unimpressed 'look'. :p She's super quick and super smart and would have been great for agility but she just won't do any tunnel type obstacles.

Thats for that. I know a store that sells them so I'm going to go and have a look at what sizes they stock and maybe get a couple there, i can also take the dog with me and see whether she will get in it.

I don't mind having a carboard box as part of the decor that much, I just know how quickly it would be destroyed. :) That box and it's inhabitant is very cute though!

I want something a little more robust as I have three children who are a little bit cardboard box obsessed. If the dogs bed was made of a cardboard box she'd probably have three children sitting in it with her pertending to be in a bus LOL (She would be the driver of course!) The basset wouldn't mind that but the kelpie is getting old and cranky and less tolerant of kids climbing around her. Apart from that i'd like to be able to stack them neatly or stuff them in a cupboard when they aren't using them. So the dogs don't care but for practical and aesthetic reasons I do :p

As a third oddity to that story they planned to take him overseas for a few months so they wouldn't have to be seperated from him but surely his stint overseas would necessitate a period of quarantine on the return trip that would have resulted in them being seperated anyway? At any rate i agree that this is the fault of the customs people. A very sad outcome for that little fella.

I'm sure she can get on the hammock bed(despite me trying to stop her she takes a flying leap into the back of our outlander if I'm not holding on to her) but for some reason she just refuses. As weird as it sounds I'm actually a little worried that she might not be willing to step in to one of these even, she's a bit precious LOL I did find these: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Soft-Warm-Pet-Dog-Cat-Bed-Kennel-Cushion-Cozy-Cage-Nest-Pad-mat-10-Size-Option-/310658987690?pt=AU_Pet_Supplies&var=&hash=item4854b7f6aa which will cost me all of $8.30 including postage for a 70cm one, I'm sure they are really thin but I figured I could just make a thicker mat for them, being soft she might be less likely to baulk at stepping in to it and then I could progress her on to the hard plastic one. I'm planning to get my butt into gear a come up with a good jumper design for Josie, probably out of polarfleece. Once I get it right I'll send you a pic and if you want one I can throw one together for you :)

While I'm at it I'd love to hear from anyone who has a short legged dog who won't get on a hammock bed as far as other types of beds they have had success with, particularly if these ones have worked. At the moment she just sleeps on a cushion mat on the floor despite us having two lovely hammock beds!

It's getting colder and my girls have proven themselves well behaved to sleep in the main part of the house where the heater is so I want to get them a couple of beds but I'm feeling a little lost on sizing. I need one for a kelpie and one for a smallish basset hound. The kelpie really curls up when she sleeps, the basset curls too but not as tightly. If you have one sort of like this and a similiar sized dog could you tell me how big your bed is: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Perla-Plastic-Pet-Bed-Size-4-/181125200927?pt=AU_Pet_Supplies&hash=item2a2be73c1f Any reccs for a cheap supplier are also appreciated as i'm on a tight budget at the moment. They don't have to come with a cushion, I can sew one if needed.