ellz

Vale - Aust Ch Gamester Street Machine 6.6.1997 - 12.4.2007 Retired from the ring for some years now, Reginald's greatest delight in life was his tennis ball (well ANY tennis ball really), a sock, food and his family. A Specialty BIS winner, Group winner, Royal RUBIG winner and multi class in group winner, he loved the ring and the attention that came with it. One of the sweetest dogs you could hope to meet. He never met an enemy and there was no such thing as a stranger. Rest In Peace Boofy-Snodge, we love you and the world won't be the same without you.

Honestly, I know that all of the "experts" say you shouldn't use human shampoos on dogs but to be honest, I've been using various combinations of human shampoos on all of my dogs for the past 20 years and can count on less than one FINGER the number of problems I have had with skin reactions, allergies etc. A lot of it is in the rinsing, conditioning and FEEDING!!!

I can relate. I use Plush Puppy on myself and my horse but it doesn't do good things for Michael. Forgot to mention Laser Lites smells nice too!!

Another for Plush Puppy here. I also used to use Flex Shampoo and Conditioner and that stayed smelly for yonks. Oh and one of Australia's top American Cocker breeders put me onto another really good cheap human shampoo which has a lovely lasting smell and that is Papillon Shampoo and Conditioner which comes in a huge pump pack from Big W and Woolworths and only costs $1.98 a bottle.

Hi Bruno Agree with Toohey about the apples. Personally, whilst the bulk of the diet you feed sounds pretty good, I'd also be considering a better grade of dry food. I really do believe that there are better puppy foods than that brand around at a comparable price. Would also be careful with the blood from the meat if the meat has been left standing at all. Tends to breed bacteria. Much the same reasons why it is best not to use leftover marinades from human food preparation. Also best not to boil the heck out of any vegetables that are fed. All this does is removes the goodness. Raw veges are far more beneficial.

Kitty poo = Doggy caviar!!! I have found that squirting my dogs with a spray bottle deters them when I am around to see what they're up to. But failing that, keeping the litter tray clean works pretty well too. Outside is a bit more difficult but most cats in this neighbourhood are smart enough to stay out of my backyard and as my dogs rarely venture out the front without a human they don't get to find the treasure! Friends of mine built a really good kitty litter cupboard which has a door opening built into the side relatively high up that the cats can get into but small enough that the dogs can't. They open the door to change the litter and the cats can do their business in peace.

NEVER, EVER, EVER should bones be fed cooked!!!!!!!!!! That is cardinal rule number ONE!!! Raw bones splinter and can cause terrible damage internally. And if you are lucky enough that they don't, they have very little nutritional value and it is pointless feeding them.

My puppies start getting bones from the time they are first weaned. At first it is just the wingtips and crushed necks, but they soon learn to crunch them up. As they get older, they are then given full wings and necks (although the piglets still have them crushed) and by around 8 - 10 weeks, they are MORE than capable of managing a full chicken frame and do so with great enjoyment and more than a little noise!!

:rolleyes:

Hey Sil!! :rolleyes: How goes it?

Really is a "how long is a piece of string" type question. As the PP said, what breed, what age, etc? You will get many varied replies according to each individual breeder. The correct answer is of course, a balanced diet with ample fresh water available at all times.

Glad to hear all will be well. I had a puppy some years ago with intussusception (where the bowel telescopes back on itself) but his had tightened instead of loosening and he had to have 6 inches of bowel and 6 inches of intestine removed. Happily, the surgery was successful and he went on to live a good life, but it could have been fatal.

I find too that quite often it is a territorial thing. The best toilet trained dog of any age will quite often have an "accident" in a new location. As suggested, check her first for a urinary infection and then take her back to basics and you'll probably find she is back to trained again in a very short period of time.

Most tear staining is caused by bacteria that discolours when it makes contact with air. I'd imagine the eye wash would remove the bacteria. You may also investigate Tetracycline Powder from Aquarium shops. Many US people add a small amount of this powder to drinking water for the same reason. It is simply an antibiotic for fish but is a lot cheaper than the same product for companion animals and doesn't require a script from a vet to obtain. I have an email tucked away about this somewhere, I'll try and find it.

ACV with honey is Mountain Maid brand. Bottled in Tasmania. Should be available from a Coles supermarket and if they don't have it, they should be able to order it in.

I swear by ACV. I think I'm addicted if I'm truthful! I use it for EVERYTHING, I've even been known to add it to my bath water and it really does help when you're a bit ouchy from the sun. Stings a bit at first but then becomes rather soothing. I drink it myself and haven't had a UTI in a very long time. You can also purchase ACV with honey added specifically FOR drinking!! Kitty litter trays don't smell. Stud dog pee doesn't smell. Water buckets don't go slimy. Heck, it's Nature's wonder cure-for-all!

Something to add here. Brown paper apparently undergoes a different "purifying" process to white paper which leaves it still quite primitive in its form. Something to do with the bleaching and preparation process according to Mr Ellz who is a printer. Perhaps that is why the vinegar and brown paper poultice was seen as being medicinal?

Okey dokey. Some news. I have just spoke to the guy who does the Innotek collar rental/try-before-you-buy scheme and he has given me the lowdown on prices etc. His website is here if anybody is interested. If I can sell some of my gear that is on the Buy and Sell forum, I'm good to go. The rentals are done on very reasonable terms and all rental costs and bond is taken off the price of the collar if I decided to keep it which is pretty darned good too. So....cross fingers but I'd imagine that Michael will be wearing a nice new Innotek collar by Christmas!

He certainly sounds like he has "small dog syndrome". BUT...how are the guests and/or other dogs approaching him? Think about it, if you were a little dog like that, would you want people rushing up to you or towering over you? You'd probably find it threatening and come out with your teeth showing as well. Until he is comfortable with people in your home, I would probably suggest people ignore him and allow him to approach them. Then if/when he does that, have them offer a hand for sniffing and certainly don't try to pat his head from above.

It's a wonder mine haven't complained by now!

Obviously a woman with excellent taste!

Thanks Rusky, I appreciate it! I'm embarrassed to admit that whilst Michael DOES have a Kong, he seems to be too dim to work it out. Either that or too lazy.

Thanks Erny. I really do appreciate your input. You've given me lots of food for thought with the issue. I'm pretty sure you can see that I'm not just a lazy dog owner looking for an easy out anyway. I'll get there. I love my little monster too much not to try everything I possibly can!! PS. Yes, I'm quite mad really. I find it is the only way to survive. Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you get a wet face!

YOU can laugh!!

I've filled in the response form on the Innotek website with regards to their rental/try-before-you-buy scheme. Hopefully they can help. I really don't know of anybody over here who either a collar or remote trainer that I could borrow unfortunately or I daresay I would have probably ripped their arm off taking it from them!