ShesaLikeableBiBear

Frequency depends entirely on the dog. Mine bitch had a course of weekly for a month, then once a month for three months and now she is once every three months. I also have her on a senior dog food with glucosamine and chrondoitin, and also give glucosamine tablets.

I thought cabana, cabanossi, etc would be too salty?, use dried liver whch I do in the de-hydrater

Have had just my youngest do it as a puppy and yes she too grew out of it.

With long coated cats, such as a Birman, (mine gets huge hairballs when moulting) adding olive oil to their diet aids in the elimination of hairballs. You could try feeding sardines in oil.

The Kong is similar to a treat ball, they come in varying sizes, I put peanut butter in mine and it takes ages for the puppy to get it out.

A citronella based spray works well, rather than buy something like "Scram" buy a bottle of citronella from hardware or Supermarket, and water it down into a spray bottle-somewhat cheaper.

I give sardines in oil once a week mixed in with their dried food

De-barking actually doesnt take away the ability to communicate, it just lessens the noise, and once they are over the op, they dont know any different. Unfortunately Shelties are well known for yapping and I have four who all had to be debarked in N.Z. It is not something which I like doing but when you have neighbours who complain and it is a mattter of debarking or the council removing them then that became our only option. Since arriving here in May 2005, I have met a shletie breeder and all hers have been de-barked as well. LOL our new neighbours (we are on just over an acre) have moaned, I said for f**** sake they have been de-barked, oh but they go arf arf arf!! so I told him to moan about the shepherds opposite who bark at 5.000am and have not been de-barked.

Hi there I too lost my heart dog at age 16, 18 months ago. It is a very hard decision to make, and is the worst thing about having our friends. Sandy had been going downhill for a while and I was avoiding the inevitable. I hope this helps you. If it be I grow frail and weak, And pain should keep me from my sleep, Then you must do what should be done, For this last battle can’t be won. You will be sad—I understand Don’t let your grief then stay your hand. For this day, more than all the rest, Your love and friendship stand the test. We’ve had so many happy years, What is to come will hold no fears. You’d not want me to suffer…so When the time comes, please let me go. Take me where all my needs they’ll tend, But stay with me until the end. And hold me firm and speak to me Until my eyes no longer see. I know in time you too will see, It is a kindness you do to me. Although my tail its last has waved, From pain and suffering I’ve been saved. Do not grieve that it should be you Who must decide this thing to do. We’ve been so close-we two-these years, Don’t let your heart hold any tears.

Tramissa I guess it depends on individuals as to their interpretation of nutrition, the piece I wrote on dogs needing fibre was taken from notes on one of the courses which I have done in Animal care and the course was written by a veterinarian.

Ruffles Dogs need fibre to maintain the health of the large intestine and to prevent constipation, it also helps to prevent colitis and bowel cancer. One of the sources for this is rice. Very often when a dog has had a tummy upset and diarrohea the recommended diet is a bland one of chicken and RICE, or plain cottage cheese and chicken. From my experience with bones, marrow or otherwise, it gives mine the trots so I feed raw chicken wings instead

Have a look under the recent thread on Grass Allergy for a reply by Rappie who is a vet, he has mentioned in this and a previous post that I had read that he is happy for people from DOL to pm him.

There have been several previous postings on chewing feet problems, so if you do a search here you will find the threads. Some suggestions include malaseb, ban itch, woolwash, listerine etc etc. If however the chewing has been going on for a long time and the feet are red raw then you should seek vet help.

Thanks for the update, lets hope he continues to improve. Re previous question, are the owners on tank water or do they have a bore?.

There is NO substitute for mum and littermates at such an early age.

There is a HUGE difference in a puppy's development between 5-8 weeks, so yes that additional 2 weeks at home with Mum and litter mates is very important. As cavnrot has said it will learn bite inhibition, how to play with other dogs etc. This is where the first socialisation of a pup comes from. Undue stress or trauma at an early age may affect a dog's behaviour for the rest of its life. This is when the pup first fully becomes aware of its surroundings. During this time the pup will play with litter mates, learn to bark, begin to respond to human voices etc. A breeder will also introduce the pup to numerous noises such radios, vacuum cleaners etc. Most breeders start weaning at 3 weeks, but at 5 weeks they are only just off Mum fully, and this is the week that generally Mum can be taken away from them at night. So if Mum has only just been taken away at night, what is the trauma involved to suddenly be taken away from Mum and litter mates.

I feed Nutro Chicken and Rice, Lamb and Rice, puppy mini and senior. Then chicken wings once a week and sardines. (treats not included here) The only other commercial dried which I have tried have been Eukanuba and Science Diet and they wouldnt touch it.

PLEASE can we have an update, nothing for 24 hours.

There are mobile groomers and mobile washers, the majority are the franchises who quite frankly I think dont give a hoot, and probably dont know anything about skin care. I have my own service and carry a range of shampoos, I think at last count 9, then tick and flea rinses, this doesnt include stain black etc for colour enhancing which I dont generally carry in my van but have at home, three shampoos for skin problems and then conditioners. It all boils down to what type of service you want to provide.

As dogbesotted has said, it is more likely to be the hair around her back end. Are you using an undercoat rake?. (see in vetproductsdirect, gripsoft u/c rake). It does take a while for them to get used to the dryer but it really is the best for getting that hair out, alternatively if she is matted there and doesnt like being brushed in that area (probably cause it hurts and pulls) then you could have it clipped out and let the hair grow back and start again. When you comb, mist the coat with water. Re groomers, if no one from WA comes in to this post, check your yellow pages and then call some. Ask what long-haired breeds they have exp. with. Ask if you can meet them and have a talk. There are a HUGE range of shampoos avail. again ask a groomer. Most mobiles just wash and nothing else.

Sasha's Blend is in the form of a powder.

Hi there Any news on the puppy?.

Hi there What type of brushes are you using?. You mention that your dog gets washed once a fortnight, but does that person dry your dog thoroughly?, by this I mean with a blow dryer. With this type of coat it needs to be dried otherwise as dogbesotted has said the damp areas will smell. With a long coat you need to get all the old dead hair out to make room for the new coat to come through and the best way to do this is to give your dog the works. It is a threefold procedure, brush, wash and then blow dry. You should look at doing this several times a year.

Look forward to hearing about the puppy and hope all well

I dont know about a puppy, or a dog having had it, but I do know of someone's cat who had Giardia. The treatment is the same as for humans, Flagyl or fenbendazole (Panacur). It is caused by contaminated water, are your friends on water tanks, or a bore?. They can have the water tested which wil show up bacteria.