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Sounds like balantitis to me. Very common, nothing too sinister. Basically just a mild inflammation of the end of the penis. All male dogs are susceptible to it and many have it and their owners don't even notice. Try flushing with warm saline.

Would rather have a dozen sweet Yanks than a couple of terrorising Staffords ps still have a few snoods left over from the Bassets Leanne Sweet like this you mean? PS. What kinda snoods and how much d'you want for them?

You are getting off way to easy. There has to be a least 3 more hiding You're just jealous because it's now YOU who has the cast of millions!! Besides, I've still got my Yanklets to contend with and they're probably more work because of the grooming, snood training etc!

SIX! SIX! All that drama for SIX! SIX! :laugh: :rofl: What's she having - six dane babies ;) Hope it is only a couple more, and all goes well. Well they didn't LOOK like dane skeletons but who knows! Still, I'm happy with six, especially at this time of the year and with the forecast we've had for summer. Tassie houses aren't exactly designed to be cool in summer I'm afraid! AND given that I still have the two Yanklets as well and a little voice keeps whispering in the back of my head that both will possibly be staying here! :D

At 18 days, Purple is learning how to do "cute".... Whilst Pink is getting naughty down pat VERY quickly! She is more like her father than I could have imagined!!

Thanks. I'm somewhat relieved. Still a little concerned obviously because they were very LARGE areas of shadow/fluid etc and could be covering a multitude of "sins" (ie puppies) but at least I know to expect 6 and to watch her carefullly after that. And of course, even more relieved to have a concrete "game plan" set down for the whelping. Six is a very reasonable number of terrorists to deal with and will still give me plenty to choose from when it comes time to decide what is staying!

Well *I* think your girls will all beat Koda easily!! THANK GOODNESS!!!!! The first thing my vet said when he saw me after doing Koda's films yesterday was "you wouldn't think that getting decent xrays of a belly that big would be so damned difficult!" Turns out that although Koda was a very patient angel, she is carrying a lot of fluid and having a full bowel didn't help visibility much either. So........the count is a definite six but because of the clouding on the film, they said they wouldn't rule out the possibility of a couple more tucked away. We had a long chat about logistics and timing and have decided that after measuring her pelvis and looking at puppy size, we will monitor her and let her go into labour naturally. If I am at ALL concerned, I'm to ring immediately when I am leaving home and they will meet me at the surgery any time of the day or night. If there is any discolouration of fluid, we'll be heading off immediately due to the risk of placental detachment and meconium aspiration and if she strains for as little as 15 minutes with no puppy presenting, we're off to the surgery as well. Normally it would be an hour, but with the drive to get to the more local practice it would add up to a little over an hour anyway and either they'll have to go straight in when we get to the surgery OR the puppy will arrive on the way and then they'll monitor the rest of the whelping at the surgery themselves. So...one way or another, pretty much all contingencies are covered so I'm going to go and set up the second puppy palace and start taking temps on Monday (she'll be 53 days).

I will HAPPILY allow you and Mouse to win!!!

I've never had ANY breed this big either. Just measured her, she's 79cm around the middle! ;) (That's only 20cm less than me and I'm fat!!!!!!! :0)

Yep, I think it's probably my sanity that I'm worrying about the most! I keep looking on the bright side. If she DOES have a large litter (she's only got 8.5 boobs), then the Yank litter is only a month older and Vanni has plenty of milk so I can always see if she'll take a puppy or two occasionally for milk bar duties. Otherwise, I am probably lucky I got the tube feeding practice with little Purple Yank. AND my Yank puppies will grow up with very thick skins! Editing to add: At the ultrasound on Day 26, they said 5 - 6 maybe more and on her record, he put MULTIPLE +++.

AND she's a maiden and is the first maiden I've ever had who hasn't tried to hide things shyly away! She's booked in for an xray tomorrow. Depending upon the count, she'll be booked in for a c-section. A bitch from the same lines had 11 a couple of weeks ago!

Seriously though, I AM worried. Koda is not exactly a no-legged, small Stafford bitch so when her belly is almost dragging on the ground below......it makes me feel kinda faint!

Bite.Your.Bum.Tongue

Hmmm...well here is Koda at 49 days. Lousy photo but the best I could do by myself outside just now.....she still doesn't stay still even with a pumpkin in her belly!

I hear you! The litter that I wanted and planned on didn't eventuate, the oops litter will be 4 weeks old when the planned Stafford litter arrives and with the work that has the potential to bring, I'll certainly know I'm alive. If everything had gone to plan, the "proper" Cocker litter would be going on 8 weeks when the Staffords arrived so it wouldn't have been anywhere near as much work. Oh well, just think of the puppy breath and snuggles I'll be getting over Christmas.....and you too Norskgra!!

Actually for most Spaniel breeds, the grooming routine is "slicker, pin, comb". Use the slicker on a small area at a time, no more than 5 strokes in any one spot. Follow it with the pin brush to remove any twizzles left behind and then comb through each area after you have finished. The Coat King or Furminator can be used to help any long hair that is sticking up on the top of head and tops of ears, neck, shoulders and sides, back and down the front and sides of the back legs to lay flat but don't gouge it in because used incorrectly it will cut in. If you wish, the bristle brush can then be used on the back coat to help remove any dust, dirt or loose skin and massage the skin to help the natural oils to the surface for shine. If there are any knots in the feathering, use the end teeth of the comb and your fingers to pull them gently apart and then use the slicker and pin brush (followed by the comb again) in the above order to remove completely. And NEVER allow your dog to get wet if it has knots in its feathering because they will tighten and become almost impossible to remove.

Oh dear. I really do feel your pain.

You know that it isn't really a good habit for you to get into ..... the scattering of dry food. Can encourage picky eating if the dog realises that if he refuses a meal that it doesn't matter because there will be SOMETHING available for him anyway. Far better to remove the meal completely and not offer it until next meal and then he'll be good and hungry and far less likely to knock back the next meal. And another reason for not scattering food or leaving dry food down all the time is that you run the risk of encouraging rodents.

Told you it was a cute tummy!

Anybody feel like blowing raspberries on a squishy Purple tummy?

I just got clucky so had to go and squish my American Cocker babies. And then it hit me that I have a whole pile of Stafford babies yet to come...

:D It has long been my argument that nobody has the RIGHT to tell another person what they should sell their puppies for. I see various breed clubs telling prospective purchasers that XX should cost only XX from a registered breeder and if charged any more they are being misled. What gives them the right to do this? Anything is only worth what somebody will pay for it. And if somebody is able to get more $$$ for something than another somebody, then obviously their marketing skills are better, or they have a more desirable product, or they just got lucky that day. I'm a big believer in what you get is what you pay for, but even I couldn't put a fair price on what I think my puppies (in either breed) are worth when I look at the time and energy and LOVE that goes into rearing them. And I have to confess that it BURNS me when I see lesser quality examples that haven't had half as much care put into them being sold for double or even treble what I manage to get. I'm not in it for the money at all, but why should a BYBer who has probably less than half of my knowledge of the breed or even animal husbandry manage to profit and on a continual basis when I'm scratching to find SUITABLE homes for my puppies maybe once per year (if that) and not just selling to the first person who comes along with cash in their hands?

Thank you all! :D They're two weeks old today and Purple weighs in at 361gr. AND I had to change their little collars today because they were getting too small. What a difference a week can make!

In my opinion furminators are harsher than a mars coat king. I use my Mars on the show dogs and the furminator on the pets and horses.