Poodle wrangler

Not your fault neighbour's dog dug under. Can't blame your dog as other dog may have been aggressor. Not nice for anyone, of course. We had similar incident @ parents with my sister's dog attacking burrowing neighbour's dog. She paid their vet bill, regardless. Neighbour problems are just not worth it, but be cautious as vet bill could amount to anything. Our mini poodle dug under and killed one of the neighbour's chickens. I was horrified, apologised, offerred to buy new chicken etc. ( not that it would make it ok). Lovely neighbour asked if i was ok as ashen faced when went next door to confess. Wire underground+ rocks ok for us, but difficult if need to do whole fenceline.

The first thing that comes to mind is possible diabetes in older dog. Urine sample - as already suggested- will give useful info.

Knew it would be thousands, but $10K+ bit more than expected. For a 12 month trip, might need to reconsider 30 days quarantine better than I expected. Didn't want to put the dogs thru 6 months quarantine at the end of only a 12 month trip. Food for thought ... thanks! eta: Yikes, quarantine for 30 days alone will be ~$1900

We may go to the USA (Fl) for the husband's work for 12 months. Anyone have a ballpark figure for cost to take the dogs? We have a minipoodle and standard poodle, about 7kg and 26kg. How, long in quarantine once back in Oz? Thx

Thanks :) Best wishes to everyone showing

Spectator question... I can't make it @ 0830 Friday for the poodles. The "Non-Sporting Group Specials" are on @ 1130... Not sure what that means, but might there be a poodle or 2 to see then? Especially like to see the minis and standards. Thanks

We had a GSP at obedience that loved to slip his collar- despite it being firm on his neck to start with- and run and run and run.... I'd look at the sight-hound collars.

Whatever you do, don't go for the cheaper clippers- They just don't cut thru the fur! Basic would be #5 for body + #15 for face, feet, base of tail. If dog's skin not sensitive #30 instead of the #15. "Skiptooth" blades go thru dirty/ few knots better, while "F" (for finish) blades give nicer, velvety finish. I bought combs, but only used them once as dogs "airdried" back then. Fur really needs to be blo-dried and very well brushed out to use them. The usual rule is brush, comb, bath, THEN clip. Dirty fur blunts blades quicker. Confess I'm often slack with grooming and- clip, then bath to save drying time. I only bought a dryer when moved to Canberra AND have a standard with a very thick coat AND a rental with carpet all thru house. Definitely gives a much better finish and great to avoid damp, smelly dogs in wet weather. #7 skiptooth blade is good for a clip-off if coat has become very knotty due to lack of brushing. I've been slack with brushing a standard with very thick coat and have just got one to do his knotted legs. #7 is for a cut-off for legs that are knotted.

Frozen fine. My bigger dogs "eats" a chicken neck in one gulp, so it's raw chicken frames for him. Used to eat kibble really fast, too, so had to spread it across the floor to slow him down.

I used a "slicker brush" on my sister's short haired mixed breed. Lots of hair came off, staying in the brush, though it's the brush I normally use on the poodles. If you try a "slicker" brush, just make sure it's GENTLE or EXTRA SOFT e.g. it shouldn't hurt if you run the metal bristles on the skin on your arm.

We did a trip around Oz with a 27kg and 7kg poodles. Many caravan parks say "No dogs" but aren't. A few told us about previous bad experiences. Many managers have dogs. Is worth asking if dogs are well-behaved and you come across as a normal, responsible sort of person.

It's a mechanical problem, so surgery is the only fix. Is like a sliding door coming off it's track- need some hardware to fix it. It cost me ~$1500 all up for a 26kg dog. Medications are by weight, so should be bit less for small dog. One vet I saw said that older, smaller dogs seem to cope OK once patella (knee cap) is permanently dislocated BUT you need some vet advice for your dog- s/he is young and if only intermittent they're nowhere near that stage.

$50-60 per dog is good! Girl I work with pays $130 for a standard poodle to be groomed- nothing fancy- and he's done regularly. Alternative: Buy a pair of GOOD clippers e.g. Wahl KM2 for about $200. This will usually include a #10 blade suitable for a yearly shave-off. Any cheaper clippers are a waste of money as they will make twice the work, assuming they will cut the coat at all (been there, done that!). Other alternative: Brush and comb out the dog's coats over summer and don't worry about shaving them off. You may get away with scissoring them yourself provided their coats are well cared for.

Supplements worth a try. Wouldn't the human tablets be much cheaper? I.e about 1/4 human dose for 15 kg dog? Readily available and same active ingredients? 1/4 tablet easy to get down or hide in food.

Raw bones improve my dog's teeth. Cheaper and tastier for dog, too

I used to live an hour north of Bateman's Bay. Advantix fortnightly & regular checks. Think u need to wait 48 hrs after a bath (if applicable) b4 applying. Something about oils in skin and topical medication distribution. Apparently, most ticks are found fwd of the collar, so i used to check there as daily minimum in warmer months. You might use a tick collar. I didn't only because dogs frequently cuddled by kids and i didn't want the anti-tick stuff on them. Have fun.

Is worming up-to-date? I'm amazed how some people don't think to worm their pups/ dogs!

My big standard poodle had this op about 8 months ago. Is unusual in a bigger dog. A couple of DOLers suggested a great vet/dog-chiro/surgeon in Canberra- thankyou, guys. Talk thru everything with your vet, as they know your dog's condition best. Am happy we had it done at 3 years of age, not later. He dislocated several times in only a few hours one day- not good for his joint. Physio/ chiro and anti-inflammatories can help- depends on the individual dog and what's going on with their knee. Beware of the staples/ stitches... my dog chewed out >30 staples! Also, can be hard to keep them quiet enough. I thought I was doing OK and used a crate some of the time, but recovery would have been better with less activity. So says the vet! Best wishes.

My vote is for Sentinel Spectrum, too. You're not in an area with paralysis tick? Tick collars are much cheaper than Advantix/ Frontline etc. if you need it. Capstar for flea knockdown is also in supermarkets e.g. Woolies, should you ever need some.

Get the $200 clippers. The cheaper ones just don't do the job. I learned the hard way

I used to live on the South Coast, NSW which is tick central. AND dogs went to beach regularly. Happy with Advantix. Tick collar is a cheaper alternative. I didn't use one because young children would have cuddled both the dog and tick collar. Don't like the smell of them much, but people tell me it fades quickly. I have 2 poodles and even with that coat, you feel a tick easily. Most ticks are found forward of your dog's collar, so if you're time poor is very quick to check their head, ears and neck!

Crate, crate, crate! Is pointless putting your dog thru the pain of surgery, otherwise. Short term pain for long-term gain. Our very active standard poodle had surgery for a luxating patella and adjusted to the crate without a problem.

I have a 7kg + 25kg dog and use a needle and syringe to split Advantix between both dogs. You need the needle to get right into the container, not for the dog . You take the needle off and use the syringe to squirt it on. I buy the 25kg+ size to do both dogs. Has been effective for both flea and tick prevention. I'm in Canberra now (no ticks) but was using it for about 2 years this way on the South Coast NSW which is tick central!

Doggyman slicker brush! I got 2+ some other grooming gear imported from USA. Cheaper, even with post! About slickers and short-coat breeds... My sister's RidgebackX loved a soft slicker brush- think he thought it was a sort of massage. Would get a good result i.e. lots of hair off dog and on brush instead of furniture. Hios coat was similar to a staffy or boxer- no long-coated breeds in his background, I'd say.

I used to spread out dry food on the floor to slow our guzzler down. Also ditched the chicken necks for chicken frames. Turkey necks are bigger, too.