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While I in Big W today they had Air Dog squeaky tennis balls in the pet section. It actually said they do not cause tooth wear so I bought the pack. 3 for $10 which I didn't think was too bad. Hopefully Bob won't dismantle them straight away to get out the squeaker. :rolleyes: I figured it was worth a try.

Bob is also ball obsessed and has worn down teeth. I'd be interested to know if the dog type tennis balls are actually different. I'm happy to pay the extra if it saves his teeth. Damn always something new to worry about.

Recently I had to put Bob into a situation that he found very very stressful as there were several other dogs in an enclosed area. He was so excited on the way there, pulled me into the room and immediately went on the defensive once we were in. He's fear aggressive and his behaviour I believe was quite typical. After three times I decided that this was not a good thing as I spent almost two hours settling him and repremanding him when he reacted to another dog, so I no longer took him. Why put them through it? I find Bob is ok if he's with one or two very calm dogs, perhaps this is the way to go for your mothers dog too. Don't put him into situations that you know are going to bring on this behaviour. We can't protect our dog's from every situation, but the behaviour isn't just going to go away while he reacts the way he does. A dog can't learn to be calm in a highly aroused state.

Paspalum grass is a common allergen/irritant for many dogs. My Bob has allergies similar to your boy, he licks his penis, butt and often elbows all which are a little stained like your dog's. I keep him on a very simple homemade diet but often the itchies are not diet related, it would be much easier if they were. A good diet is always a good idea though. I also wash him frequently during the warm weather with an antifungal/antibacterial shampoo. All in all he copes quite well. Last year he had a course of cortisone but so far this warm season he hasn't needed it.

This morning at 5am our sweet 13 year old kelpie Tess crossed the bridge. Although not totally unexpected due to her age and condition, still a great shock. Reunited with her best friend Blossom RIP sweetie. Mummy, Daddy, Bob and Rock.

Your poor pooch, sounds like she's got a very volatile gut at the moment. If it's a predominately intestinal problem then a very low fat diet may well help. Fats of any kind can be pro inflammatory to the intestines and cause loose poops. Unfortunately the only way I can get any sort of decent poops out of Bob is to cook his rabbit, drain it and then tip a kettle of hot water over it to remove as much fat as possible. I know raw would be better on a nutrient level, but if it doesn't work it doesn't work. Often too, if a dog has a compromised digestive system, the added burden of bacteria in raw doesn't help. Fine for healthy dogs doesn't work for everyone. I'm sure you're aware that supplements sometimes are not tolerated well. Bob doesn't tolerate Vit C or any sort of fish oil. Hopefully you'll get some suggestions for a vet close to you that will scope your pup, do any other tests required, give you a diagnosis and work with you towards a healthy happy dog. Good luck.

Did he have fleas? If it's a flea allergy it's going to take a little while for the reaction to settle down, some dogs are very sensitive to flea bites. And although you don't see fleas on your pup there may/will still be fleas in the enviroment. I'd probably have it checked again or see another vet. Always remember that you are paying your vet therefore you have the right to be happy with him/her.

When Bob was on roo he stunk. It just seemed to come out of the pores of his skin. It wasn't nice but I put up with it because it helped his tummy so much. I'm not sure if it would help but maybe a little bit of parsley for the roo breath. ;) I think some dogs just smell on it and others don't, a bit like some people and garlic. A vet nurse actually asked if I noticed he smelled when I told her I was feeding roo. :rolleyes: Your pup should be okay on the roo tails. I used to feed them a lot years ago when I got them for free. Keep an eye on her though and if you're worried speak to your vet. Is your dog used to eating bones? Sometimes they just gorge themselves and then vomit.

My elderly kelpie has arthritis in her hips, spine and shoulders. We've just started her on Cartrophen injections three weeks ago and I've already noticed a big difference. She also had one week of Metacam, I stopped it and haven't noticed any change, so hopefully we are on a winner with the Cartrophen. :D

Oh dear. My OH complains about the smell of the rabbit I cook for Bob. And I have to admit kangaroo smells really bad when you boil it up. I now cook Bob's food outside in the shed. I use a slow cooker. Just dump it out there in the morning and it's ready late afternoon. If you've got a garage with power you could try that.

I agree. Your vet is working for you. If you ask for tests then he should be open to that suggestion not take a wait and see attitude.

Is it necessary for your dog to have a low fat diet? Kangaroo actually has 500 Kilojoules per 100 grams. Lean beef has 500, lean pork has 440, lean chicken breast has 470, and rabbit has 520. So, roo doesn't come out too bad in the value department. Roo is high in zinc, iron and protein though which is good. Yes, a meat and veggie diet will be low in calcium however if you are using this as an elimination type diet for 8 weeks then it will be fine. Healthy adult dogs have lots of reserves of minerals that can get them through for longer than that if necessary. And really when you think about it there are lots of dogs eating diets that are very unbalanced. As far as the low fat thing, some dogs who have intestinal disease need a low fat diet as fats can be pro-inflammatory to the intestines. Your vet may be on the right track here suggesting kangaroo. Eventually you may be able to add in other foods when you work out what is upsetting your dog, and end up with a balanced diet. My Bob is extremely sensitive to fats. A fish oil capsule works like dynamite on him, yellow, frothy runny poops. He eats lean rabbit, rice and veggies. Oh, and veggies as a rule; under the ground veggies usually firm up the poop, and the above ground green type ones tend to make poop looser. That might help you decide which veggies to use. I did try Bob on kangaroo for a while, but found that it made him smelly. He eventually became intolerant of it anyway.

It's probably a grass he's coming in contact with. Paspalum is well known to cause irritation in dogs especially after it's been cut. I find washing Bob regularly during the warmer months helps him a lot. I use Rudducks Soothe shampoo which has an antibacterial and antifungal action. Aloveen although a great shampoo just didn't cut it for him, and Malaseb was too drying. It's just a matter of trial and error.

I'm not showdog but my Bob is intolerant of chicken and the reason I came up with was the fact that so many dry foods are chicken based and certainly all the puppy ones were. He also reacts to corn which gives him ear infections. Corn is often used in commercial food as a filler. If a dog has tendencies to become allergic then it can be to any protein he is exposed to. So far we have found that Bob is intolerant of beef and kangaroo. He is now eating rabbit and I'm hoping he'll stay on that for a while yet cos he's doing so well. No food is more or less allergic than any other. When the lamb and rice foods came on the market people started feeding that to dogs and now more and more dogs are allergic to lamb simply because they have had exposure. No protein is immune to being an allergen, but the dog needs to have been exposed to it. Some dogs are just going to become intolerant/allergic to some things and some never will, just like people.

Like everyone said it's what your individual dog does well on. I have a friend with a black lab, full of energy, shiny, shiny black coat, never sick, perfect weight. My OH was so impressed with it's condition he asked what it was fed. Owner laughed and said PAL.

I second everything that Leo said. Not that I'm biased or anything.

Croydon does from Baby puppy pre-school through to trialing. Also does flyball, agility and Rally -O. http://www.cdodc.com.au/

Yeah doesn't it? There's that underlying metallic smell but also it's like nothing else. I've found adding psyllium to Bob's diet helps the frequent emptying which of course always seems to happen in the house. Bob doesn't scoot and never has. My vet feels that Bob's frequent emptying is related to the fact he's so nervy. A strange noise or upsetting experience and off go the glands. Like a skunk does for protection. I'm so lucky.

I took my sample of poop and a couple of extra worm bits to the vet and the vet declared maggots. I calmly explained that if they were maggots then Bob was sh&tting them out. These did look more like maggots than cucumber seeds I must admit.

Some tapeworm segments can look like maggots. Bob had a problem with tapeworm last year even though I was worming him regularly with wormer from the vet, every four weeks he'd pass these white maggotty looking things. Most times I pick up the poop as soon as he does it. Two vets told me that they were maggots, but I stuck to my guns and insisted that if they were maggots he was pooping them out! Finally one vet did a fecal floatation and did confirm they were tapeworm segments. A good tapeworm only wormer did the trick. i think sometimes the all wormers just don't cut it when it comes to tapeworm.

Our old kelpie is extremely arthritic but I've found that gentle walkies doesn't do her any harm and perhaps even helps a bit. Gives her an interest in life too. Tess has always been quite active though and patrols the yard each day. Perhaps start really slowly and build up as others have suggested.

Poor Sammy. Hope he's feeing better soon.

That's great news. It is all worth the extra effort when you get such a good outcome.

I found Malaseb very drying on Bob. He actually itched more when I used it. I use Rudducks Soothe now with better results.

I'm doing the instructors course at dog club so I'm becoming very, very aware of what I'm doing and why Bob does certain things. I've been having so many light bulb moments in regards to what I've been doing. We have pretty much settled on Golden Retriever and Aussie. I threw Standard Poodle into the mix as well but he's not so keen. Now, to start looking at individual dogs.