Lesley

A friend of mine had a litter with 2 of the puppies diagnosed as 'swimmers' and this was easily corrected by completely lining their whelping box with egg cartons. I know it sounds weird, but the egg cartons are not slippery and their mountainous surface made the little swimmers use their legs as God intended them to. By 7 weeks you would have been flat out picking which ones were the swimmers. Hope this may help, Cheers, Lesley

We have used both and found that the UA put weight on the quickest and our British Bulldog loved it. Sure the pooh volume increased when they first started it but that settled with time. Having older dogs we have to be careful that too much weight isn't gained and so they are back on the Hills right now. Cheers, Lesley

Go to the Supermarket and buy a bottle of Bluo! You will find it in the aisle with the soap powders and you will be amazed at how easy it is to use! :wink: Cheers and good luck, Lesley

Treasure your memories of wonderful times spent together, for they are yours alone, and no one can take them away from you. And know in your own heart that you gave Oakley the best always. I think when we are robbed of those we love, our pain is always harder to bare. But Oakley suffers no longer Cassie! Life for us all is short, but quality of the time that we each give to our loved ones, is what we choose it to be! Take Care, Lesley and Frank

Many thanks for that 4 Paws. Both I, and my 'Golden Oldies', greatly appreciate it. Cheers, Lesley

Thanks for your reply, do you have a link for that?? Cheers, Lesley

Does anyone know where I can get Dr Bruce's Joint Formula in the Western Suburbs of Brisbane? Cheers, Lesley

Cassie I too just saw this post. Our thoughts are with you and if it is any consolation, we do know what you are going through right now. Oakley is waiting for you with the best of them. And your video clip is superb, you are lucky to have it along with many wonderful memories. Hugs, Lesley and Frank

Hi Chelby, We lost a very special Saint bitch to Lymphoma in 1999. She was diagnosed in the April, her symptoms were very enlarged mammary glands and she went off her food. At first I thought it was a phantom pregnancy. But other than her loss of appetite, she was very happy in herself. Our vet suggested that we try her on Hills NCD food and her appetite returned to normal. A friend told us to try her on essiac tea, which we got from the health food shop. Had to boil it up, brew it and place it on her food. She ate it and we had a terrific response initially, however this did not last long and we lost her in the July that same year. We refused chemotherapy for our bitch, having had another friend try chemo and she regretted it, claiming that her bitch was so very sick, lethargic and vomiting all the time, she lost all quality of life whilst on it and eventually succumbed anyway. Our decision to refuse chemo was also made as the odds given to us were not good, and we wanted our girl to spend her time with us feeling as well and happy as we could allow her to be. On a more positive note, I gave the left over essiac tea that I had to a friend who also had a bitch diagnosed with the same, and her bitch lasted for a further 22 months. She swears by the essiac tea and I have since heard many other success stories from people who have also used essiac tea. I truly believe that some forms of Lymphoma are a lot more destructive than others, but if I was given the same diagnosis again, I would immediately resort to essiac tea again, as I believe in some cases it does work wonders and any chance is worth grabbing. Just remember that Chelsea does not understand why she is not feeling as she should be and as hard as it is, having you upset will only upset her more. Smile for all the happines she has given to you over the years and love her like you have never loved before, for you owe her nothing less, than seeing the joy she gives to you on your face every day. I send you our prayers for success and every good wish for Chelsea, treasure every day that you are blessed to spend together and enjoy every moment of that time with her. Lesley

Junket tablets are also wonderful for car sickness, although they can be hard to get. Coles no longer sell them but Woolies do. Make sure you only get the plain ones though. Cheers, Lesley

Ok everyone, I am the person who instigated with both Craig Taylor and the Great Barko Manager from SA to introduce it to Queensland. Great Barko and Barko are not the same company, which I am told is why the latter have now changed their name to Boomer. I tried to buy a pallet as I had friends willing to share it with me to trial it, however they were adamant they would not sell to anyone direct and would only send to QLD if I could find a produce store willing to purchase and then I could rebuy from them. The Goodna Produce on the Old Road adjacent to the river agreed, and have been successfully selling it from there since early June. They are selling both Great Barko and Uncle Albers and as I instigated them getting the product, I am also able to buy at a very good price from them. Initially there was two of us in the first purchase to share in the pallet, then both of us offloaded a bag here and there to various others to try and I think there is about 8 of us now all sharing a pallet. Like most foods, I guess it suits some and not others; however in saying that, all of our dogs liked it and all were happy to eat it dry and on its own. And I have some pretty fussy eaters too!!!!! To date I am not using it on all, but instead I am currently doing comparison feeds. Our British Bulldog has been on nothing but Uncle Albers since June, and we have had many comments as to how good he is looking. He is a fussy eater and loves it, he has always had trouble holding weight and is currently maintaining beautifully, his coat is always good and is as usual, his breath is fine and he is an indoor dog and loves our bed so I would know, and yes he farts, but always has! He is both male and a bulldog! With any changes in food the pooh situation can alter, I find it usually increases but that is often the bodies way of coping with a change. With the introduction of GB and UA, I found no difference in quantity or texture after the initial changes were adjusted in their bodies. I have a few samples of each if anyone is wanting to try either products and I will be at GD & HB on Sunday, so if you want to email me we can work something out, or alternately if anyone wants a share in our pallet, I currently have some bags of GB only. Cheers, Lesley

So sorry to hear of your loss Dru, you certainly gave Victoria your best and in doing so, received all the love that she could give to you (Saint sized) in return. She will always hold a special place within your heart and was a great age for a Saint, which is full credit to your love and care. Thinking of you and fully understanding, Lesley, Frank and the Queensland Bernedale Saints.

We have a British Bulldog that the mossies seem to attract to. From when he was a tiny puppy, at first we could not work out what all the little indentations were in his coat, and then it was drawn to our attention that mossies were in fact the culprits. So we had to test to ascertain, and sure enough when we left him inside for a week they all disappeared, and when we put him out for only one night they were all back again, so consequently from puppy on, he has always been an indoor dog at night. We also burn citronella oil in hanging lanterns when the mossies are at their worst and this too helps. I think like humans, some skin is certainly more attractive to the little biters than others. Cheers, Lesley

Try Eulactyl Heel Balm, it is a product for humans but works great on dogs and you can buy it over the counter at the chemist! Cheers, Lesley

To Kayla's Mum, along with Julie and Michael, our thoughts are with you all. Treasure your wonderful memories of Kayla, for she will always hold her special place within your hearts, Lesley and Frank

LOL Ours was "Montahontas" cos he was our little Indian Brave! Cheers, Lesley

What's in a name????? Puggles, I have to add, that our Saint was Monty too! Different spelling but never the less, a Monty! We used to tell everyone he was our "Full Monty"! God bless them all! Lesley

Hi Meg Ed, I reiterate all that Wolfie has said. Our first Saint suffered from Epilepsy amongst nearly every other nasty one could think of. He too had Grand Mal seizures and was on Epiphen which is a Phenobarbital. The Epiphen initially did not stop the seizures but rather slowed them somewhat, however eventually they increased again and medication was also continually increased to help cover this. Eventually he was on the highest dose the vet would prescribe, explaining that the long term side effects were liver damage so we just had to live with it. We knew with all of his other problems that he would not be with us long enough to show liver damage, as he also was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, which caused a conflict with medication. Scary as it is for you watching him seizure, when they come out of one they are unaware of the fuss they have caused! We were not at home when our guy had his first seizure and we got a very distressed phone call from our son who was only 12 at the time. By the time we got home our Saint was running around the yard and we were sure our son had dreamt it all up. His next seizure we witnessed ourselves and it was a case of I told you so! We too witnessed the foaming at the mouth, thrashing around, urinating and defecating, it made us feel so helpless. The vet explained that it is extremely rare for any to die as a result of a seizure however if death occurs, it is usually due to an injury caused whilst seizuring. We woke one night to heear him thrashing around and he was lying on his bed and actually hitting his head against a brick wall. In this case we had to move him in the midst of his seizure to prevent injury. So scary as it seems to you now, it is something you will learn to live with and also learn to cope with. Sometimes you can find a trigger, we were unable pinpoint one but I have heard of people who are fortunate to do this, which in some cases can alleviate some seizures happening. We were told bright lights can be a trigger and we always made sure he did not travel at the back of the trailer where lights from cars behind could set him off, but we could not assert this for sure. Also when one works, it is difficult to monitor all seizures but our guy was having them at least every second or third day that we knew of, so I would say his were very frequent. Epilepsy is not a death sentence it is a way of life and as he looks at you in the same way, you also owe it to him to show him that he is just that little bit more special but never the less he is still your beautiful boy who you love regardless. Hang in there and just show him that he is loved and make him as secure as you can and most importantly treasure every moment you have with him. Life is too short with no problems, the ones that do have them I am sure are sent to us for a reason and only you will be able to look into his eyes and try to understand why! Our boys breeders denied any knowledge of such and yet only months after he was diagnosed and we were on a visit, we witnessed his dam also incurring a seizure! We made the decision to release our boy from his suffering at only 3 years of age when his hips popped their socket due to severe displaysia. He was a truly beautiful soul who was robbed of his life by being created in a body filled with destruction. In retrospect, his epilepsy was the least of his problems and he just should never have been! But I thank God for sending him to us, as in his short time with us he made such an impact on all our lives. And every day I look at all the healthy Saintly souls that now surround us and continue to fill our lives with happiness and I look at his pictures and I say to him, this is all for you! He made us enquiring, he made us research and learn about many problems we would never have even known existed but most importantly he made us learn about ethics in breeders. Just know that you are not alone and if your breeder is ethical and close by, he/she should help support you through this. Take care and all the best, Lesley

Hi to all, It is just 6 years ago that we lost our dear Miss Scarlett to Lymphoma. We had just three months with her after her diagnosis and during that time we received many emails from all over the world with people offering advice. One remedy all seemed to mention was Essiac Tea, which is apparently quite commonly used in this form of Cancer in humans. We immediately bought some, we were at the point of trying anything, alas it was too late for our very special girl, however I handed the remains of what I had over to a friend of mine who had a cattle dog that had just been diagnosed with the same. Jessie today at 12 years of age, still drinks her daily dose of Essiac Tea and whether it is fate or not, her owners sware by it and declare that they would never stop giving it to her. I have been told that their Vet rolls his eyes, BUT, he aslo acknowledges that a miracle has happened and that if Jessie were his, he too would continue to administer her with her daily "cuppa"! Essiac Tea is available from Health food shops in different forms, however the better kind for this treatment is the one that takes the most preparation (who cares if it will help) and that is boiling and simmering for some time to brew. For those concerned about administering, their food can be soaked in it until they develop a taste for it. Also for any that are off their food due to feeling nauseous, our girl responded very positively to the Hills Science Diet NCA formulas, when even fresh chicken could not tempt her. Lymphoma ia a heart breaking disease and all I can say is I feel for anyone who falls prey to it. Treasure the times you have with your loved ones and count every day a blessing, Lesley