ellz

IMO anything that looks remotely like pus from the vagina should be seen by a vet.

And this is precisely why, in every thread where somebody mentions that their dog has eye staining or weeping, I tell them vet NOW! (Not sure why I missed this thread or it would have received the same treatment). You just don't mess with eyes. Many vets don't see a lot of eye issues so cannot diagnose beyond the very obvious. Far better to get a second opinion or a referral to a veterinary opthalmologist for a full workup, even if all that comes out of it is a clean bill of health. Better to be safe than sorry. Glad your dog is going to be ok. Distichiasis is quite common in Cockers and can vary from a couple of stray eyelashes to an almost complete row of them growing inside the eyelid. It is hereditary but it can also be devilishly hard to find dogs that don't have it.

I wish it were me instead of her hilaryo! Must say though, for the first time in a very long time, the ducks have aligned and somebody actually happens to be travelling when I need them to AND they're going on the boat so they don't have to limit numbers! I'm VERY VERY excited about this breeding.....

Yes, that's normal (and pretty much what is expected under the rules of the ANKC). I'm talking about what "items" you'd like to receive....ie food, toys etc. Is there anything that you think the breeder could/should provide with a puppy???

Putting this in General so as to get a wider cross section of replies if possible. As a puppy purchaser what would you like (or even EXPECT) to receive from a breeder when you take your new puppy home? The Code Of Ethics of the ANKC state that all purchasers are to be provided with appropriate literature pertaining to the care of the puppy and that is of course a very BASIC "given". So, if you were able to have a choice as to what you'd actually receive in addition to that, what would it be?

My Stafford girl is heading to Melbourne with friends tomorrow on the big boat for her meeting with her prospective husband. Cross fingers for a nice late November litter of Staffords here!

At least you have the correct tools to practice with now! And it will come, for both of you! You're doing a great job thus far, so just keep doing what you are doing! ;)

Awwww....lookit the little prince on his table!! ;)

DOL advertiser Love My Fur Babies sell them too. I do make them, but only for my own dogs at this stage.....time is at a premium most of the time.

I would have thought that disinfecting between use should be the proprietors' primary concern and job. I know if I owned a place such as that, it would be what I'd ensure. For most part, the dogwash is an additional, not a "staple" part of the automatic car wash businesses. I would say very few really maintain them in the manner in which they "should" be maintained as they aren't dog people and would assume that because there is a Disinfect stage to the cycle, that people would in fact USE it. The operator spends the $20k to install the machine, tops up the chemicals inside it, controls the degree of temperature to the fresh water and empties the coin box. I'd say it is probably a bare few who do much more than that. I can speak factually too when I say that the two which I frequent are often out of shampoos and other staples in their supply tanks (good thing I also take my own shampoo and conditioner and just use their fresh water). I daresay most pet people wouldn't realise that they weren't actually washing their dogs in shampoo, or using the conditioning rinse water, let alone that they have to put in extra money to operate the disinfect cycle of the operation.

Cool...see you there! :D

:D It's funny now, every time I answer a post about eyes, I find myself thinking "will Elfin approve?"

Get them checked and certified by a Veterinary Opthalmologist. I don't know what hereditary defects are applicable to Greys but for American Cockers we have yearly checks for Cataracts, PRA, Distichiasis etc and also have tests for glaucoma. There are a couple of good Opthalmologists in Victoria. Robin Stanley is one of them. There are quite often eye clinics held by various breed clubs or you can see them privately.

It would probably depend upon how often they meet and have a full chorum to approve memberships. If you have any concerns, perhaps contact the secretary of the club and enquire as to the status of the application? I have contacted the secretary on two occasions, the first time I was told that it would be checked and that a newsletter would be forwarded to me ASAP and the second time I was ignored :D Can I ask what a full chorum is Sorry newbie with no idea. I know with DogsVic I think my membership was approved and everything back to me in 3 weeks which I though was great considering they probably have thousands of members and with another breed club only two weeks. Maybe I am just being impatient By a full chorum I mean that they may need to have a particular number of committee members at a meeting to approve (or deny) memberships. Perhaps give the secretary a ring and then you cannot be ignored.

CERF is the Canine Eye Registration Foundation in the USA. Link here. Only A.C.V.O. Diplomates are able to issue the necessary paperwork for CERF registration. I think the ultimate aim of the Australian ACES scheme was to have a comparable type of organisation but I don't think much progress has been made in this regard.

It would probably depend upon how often they meet and have a full chorum to approve memberships. If you have any concerns, perhaps contact the secretary of the club and enquire as to the status of the application?

Which is exactly why I carry a bottle of Ajax Spray On antibacterial cleaning spray and give the tub a going over before I put my dogs into it (and again after I've finished....bit of overkill but it makes me feel good! ). The hydrobaths do have a Disinfect part of the cycle but I'd bet pounds to peanuts that very few people actually use it.

Depends what they are made from. I have some made from cotton blend fabric, some in t-shirt fabric and some in lycra. I live in one of Tasmania's worst drought areas and heat, grass seeds and weeds are a major issue here (my dogs run my paddocks - I like them fit!).

These are great but shouldn't be left on for too long at any one time, especially on a youngster as changing coat could cause them to matt up and friction could damage the hair as well.

There was a thread about this in General. As I posted there, it was recently the subject of a number of emails on one of my American Cocker lists and almost without exception, everybody who had tried it was more than happy with it.

Agree 100% Rubbish! Laucke Mills are sending out well over 1000 pallets of the stuff every week. They are making their money on the demand of a good product. I have been breeding and exhibiting dogs for 23 years now and I can honestly say that Great Barko/Uncle Albers are amongst the best of the "budget" priced complete foods available for dogs today.

I feed Great Barko and Uncle Albers and I am very pleased with both of them. My dogs do process it well, minimal waste of reasonable quality. Shiny coats. No bad bathread. No real "doggy" smell coming from them whether wet or dry. Coated dogs maintain coat, smooth coated dogs are coated and shiny. Even the fussiest eat it. And best of all it is great for putting on weight. Too good in fact, at least one of mine only gets a "sniff" of it or she looks like a whale. Chocolate. I have spoken to the manufacturer personally and am more than satisfied with the replies I received. The manufacturer is a highly trusted Australian human and stock food producer, Laucke Mills in South Australia. They saw a need for an Australian made budget-priced dog food and decided to fill that niche. And in my opinion anyway, have done it successfully. Oh and FWIW, Great Barko and Uncle Albers are almost identical except that Uncle Albers is Chicken based and one of them has a slightly higher protein content.

In answer to your question.....the reply is "how long is a piece of string". There are websites which give an amount in figures of various kinds of chocolate, the toxic levels and the approximate weight of dogs. But the reality is that what might give a chihuahua a stomach ache could still kill a Great Dane if the Dane has an intolerance to it. There really is no hard and fast rule or amount which is why the blanket rule of "no chocolate" is a far safer one. It is over 12 hours now since you posted but I daresay you would have noticed signs of a problem by now if there were going to be any. In future things to watch for are increased respiration and anxiety, thirst, salivation etc or the opposite, extreme drowsiness and lethargy.

Except, of course, that I don't lick my privates ... Believe me, they get one teensy lick of Prep-H, Anusol or anything like it and they won't do it again in a hurry!

Yep.....can't recommend the haemorrhoid treatments highly enough! And of course, the added benefit is that knowing you can put them safely on your own backside should reassure many people that they can be used on your precious furkids as well. :p