Poodle wrangler

So glad never had this problem with either of my dogs . Though one of mine did try to eat a blue bottle

From what I've read, with antihistamines you may have to experiment to see what works for your dog. Telfast comes in different strengths- I'd ask your vet for dosage. A westie is a whole lot smaller than a human! Also Telfast= Fexotab, which is cheaper. Lorastyne is a cheaper brand of Claratyne. Same drug, different brand name.

I've used both, but currently get the Adult Complete because my smaller dog is more prone to weight gain and both are less active now the big poodle is post- knee surgery. As you feed other things, the feed guide on the packet isn't any use. Judge it by your dog- is he lean, plenty of energy- then great If he seems constantly hungry and is very lean, just feed a little more.

Bring your dog around- my poodle chews them out for free- practiced on his own 20-odd staples Our vet includes removing staples as part of the initial service.. so is free. Removing staples is a good chance for vet to check the wound is healing properly without complications (for the average person). Do you know any vet or human nurses who could 'acquire' a staple remover for you? As previous post- you need the right staple-removing tool- and it's not the same as the stationery type ones.

Is pup outside overnight an option? I did this with dog no.2 who was a summer pup. However, he had our other dog for company. No howling/ crying/ barking issues. Never too late to crate train! Puppy toilet training is a PITA, but is only a very short time in retrospect. YOU have to be really dedicated. When you go outside make sure they do something (wee, poo). Reward+++. Walking around outside with them can help them to go. Good luck.

Don't worry about people's reactions to your dogs. I get people who are scared of my apricot standard poodle (25kg)- looks like a big teddy bear- and behaves like one. He currently has a huge Elizabethan collar on (ripped out about 20 staples post-surgery) and someone asked me yesterday if he had it on "because he was vicious?" : Face of the vicious beast :

I sympathise- the grass seeds are incredibly sticky. Perhaps focus on clipping the paws and ears, leaving the rest of the coat? Grass seeds seem to cause the most problems in those areas.

How long since the vet has seen her? My dog had a knee Xray and for bigger dogs it involves a general anaesthetic. Costly and risk of anaesthetic involved. My dog was only 9 months old. Knee Xray + consult+ anaesthetic was about $600 a couple of years ago for a 25kg standard poodle. My vote is: A vet consult+ ? chiro + ? medication. It might be ideal to have XRays to get a better idea of what's going on. BUT that would buy a lot of chiro and medication to make your dog more comfortable.

Keep up the good work and be patient- it's hard to see them so skinny, but healthier to put weight back on nice and slowly.

I don't have Wahls, but have 2 speed. Only thing I use the slower speed for is for putting the blade on. With mine, you slide the blade down (clippers off) -->turn on clippers --->push the balde forward +clicks into place (clippers on speed1). I've sometimes use the first speed on my minis face, but there's no difference in result and they get used to the sound of the faster speed.

I'd go for a cage over harness for sure- safer for dogs.

+1. I fed my dogs bones when I was vegetarian, even though I hated handling the meat.... Got around it by wearing disposable gloves and giving meat frozen when it's warmer weather (less bloody).

Unfortunately, PW, I think that some Vets jump on the "give a pill" button even earlier than that. I have a friend who took her dog to the Vet (not for canine cough) and he suggested antibiotics. She asked "why antibiotics .... there is no infection?" He answered "to make you feel better" :D. Am sure you're right. I certainly wouldn't feel better, given how expensive all pet medications are. Bit like how DRs used to give antibiotics. Now we've got antibiotic resistance, but at least most try to educate patients that a cold will normally resolve all by itself and doesn't require antibiotics. Not sure there's anything wrong with cough medicine per se, but studies show they're not effective in humans. Am guessing same goes for dogs.

Not quite ready to laugh, yet ... still slightly freaked out. Be ready to laugh at his silly woolly head tomorrow. Has been about $1700 for him for this last fortnight (medication, consults, operation etc). What can you do? He's such a good-natured dog and much loved by the whole family. Have to pick your priorities . His crate has enough space and the collar is flexible. I agree it's probably not THAT comfortable, but he just lies his head on the side to sleep and it's held on with soft gauze on the neck. He's on lead at all times when out of crate, so I guide him thru obstacles to avoid him hitting everything with the plastic. Bumping into things seems to spook him. BTW, measured the wound: Was 15cm with no staples holding it together . Am SO lucky it didn't come apart. Mild discomfort vs. open 15cm wound? No contest: He'll be fine with that collar on! Hope others can learn from my mistake: * Be wary that as wounds heal they can become itchy/ uncomfortable. * A dog who previously leaves staples/ stitches alone may choose to get at them later on * Get the right size Elizabethan collar from the vet Charlie did it day 4-5 postop.

Vet said not to put an Elizabethan collar on unless he's licking his knee (post luxating patella surgery). He wasn't in favour of them as they "restrict the dog". Well, no licking, but found him this morning having ripped out all but 2 staples overnight :p . Didn't hear a peep out of him, either. When in doubt, get the Elizabethan collar on and save yourself about $120 at the vet + increased risk of infection. Best bought at the vet as the one from a pet store would have been too big around neck, but too small to be effective. I actually asked about it and they said to leave it. Would have been a lot more $ if he'd needed sedation for the new staples. Lucky I had some steri-strips here to hold it together at home b4 getting to vet and that the wound hadn't come totally apart (it's ~ 10cm long!). Looking suitbaly sheepish with the mother of all E Collars on (actually the correct size for him) ......

I have a UV filter, but only to protect the lens. Have read to avoid the very cheap filters as they can produce unwanted reflections etc. Kenko and Hoya are OK brands. Am still looking for a tripod. Not so many photo shops where you can try them out near me. Advice on forums is - buy a good one to start with, otherwise you'll have wasted $ ... i.e. very stable, quick release, practical height for you.

Quite a few people around here seem to leave their dogs inside during the day. It muffles their barking You could try outdoors, but warn the neighbours, and ask for honest feedback about any barking or whining. It's reasonable that they will object to any change in routine. If indoors, I'd prefer to confine a puppy to protect the house.

Our younger dog was a pup during summer and had some coat on him (poodle) so he slept outside. No midnight and early morning toileting! He had another dog for company and settled very quickly.

A cav would weigh about 7-8kg? I'd give about 1/4 tablet Claratyne. Lorastyne is the same drug, but cheaper. Box says for children 12years and over- 1 tablet/ day. I have given my 5 year old (about 23kg) 1/2 tablet for mild allergy with Dr's advice. I think it will take time for the skin to settle. Takes about 18hours to kill the fleas. Are you supposed to wait 48 hours after a bath for FrontlinePlus? Something about the oils in the skin and absorption?

Definitely consult your vet. Cortisone can be given for all sort of reasons. It could be the underlying problem causing this behaviour, not necessarily the drug?

When one of my dogs had KC, it sounded like he was trying to vomit more than a cough. It's a virus, so antibiotics are only given by bets if it gets worse and they're concerned that they have a bacterial infection on top of the initial KC. (kind of like getting pneumomia after a severe cold or flu). TLC is good treatment- rest, plenty of water, warm environment etc. AND avoid other dogs.

Does WA have Petbarn? I got one there.

You could ditch the pasta (is only filler food) and up the rmb (assuming that's Raw Meaty Bones). Also, split meals into 2/ day if you don't already. 2 small meals easier to digest. My standard poodle has a more sensitive gut. Our mini poodle is the opposite and can eat anything (including dead animals) with no obvious ill-effects. The standard ate 2 semi-raw sausages (fell off bbq) and had vomiting + diarrhoea. Change of diet in kennels also produced near-diarrhoea. I find adding more raw food e.g. chicken frames, turkey necks, meaty bones makes a big difference- stools much firmer. Which dry food is then less important. He's on Bonnie Complete which is in my price range and seems good with it. Vet told me to give more bones to the mini poodle to clean his teeth. Said he'd occasionally vomit up a bit of bone. Vet said is normal, not a problem. Brisket bones are great for dogs- as long as it's raw, they can eat the lot.

A slicker brush works well on short-haired dogs to get fur out, without cutting. I use them on the poodles to get rid of dead hair, but worked great on my sister's shorthaired Ridgeback/ StaffyX. He liked the feel of it, too. Make sure you get an EXTRA SOFT one. A good-quality slicker brush is much cheaper than a furminator. The Purina brand ones in Coles look pretty good. http://www.ozpetshop.com.au/product_info.php/products_id/409

Am so sorry to hear of your experience. It sounds as though you did everything you could, and far more than many would do. Very sad to PTS at only 5 years of age, but far better than extending suffering. I would have made the same decision even if $ were no object. Is too much for any dog to be put thru. We just decided to have surgery for a luxating patella on our standard poodle. Another DOLer suggested a vet in Canberra who also does chiropractic- her suggestion was conservative management (cartrophen, anti-inflammatories, chiro and exercises) and see how it goes. But we planned to travel next year with the dogs and there was a fair risk conservative treatment wouldn't work in the medium term. I thought it would be even more painful for him when travelling. He's only 3, recently started to dislocate about 10 times a day causing more damage to both joint and cartilage. Advantage for surgery was was conserving the joint, ligaments and cartilage before any more damage was done. I will certainly go for conservative treatment first if there are any further problems. My husband was also very anti-poodle, but when it came to getting a 2nd dog, told me he didn't want to consider another breed. I also thought some of the 'labradoodle' websites seemed good , but fortunately found DOL before committing to a pup. Husband even walks the poodles- though went thru a phase of pretending the mini poodle nearby wasn't actually with him . Most people really like poodles if they meet nice ones. I had big, tough-looking Islander teenage boys patting our apricot standard when he was a pup and syaing how cute he was (looking like a teddy bear). Best wishes.