ellz

Totally agree that if you aren't going to show, but would like to strip the coat, that the Mars Coat King is excellent!!! :p

No piccies I'm afraid. I got 3/4 of the way through and realised I'd forgotten to take befores and then couldn't be bothered taking afters either! Still have more to do though so will be sure to take a finished product pic if I can find somebody to operate the camera whilst I hold the dog. Used it on my babies too, got rid of some of the bumfluff on their back coats and it brought them up lovely and shiny!! I was lucky when it came to getting mine....I've ordered one, but was given one by somebody else in the breed who didn't need theirs any more....not whatcha know...it's WHO ya know! ;)

Here is some information about winter nose and pigmentation "issues" which I googled tonight.... Cut and paste from: http://www.malteseonly.com/faqamd/index.cg...swer=1062458517 The nose on my Maltese seems to be turning a light brown and sometimes almost pink. It used to be dark black like a chunk of coal. Is this something to be concerned about? The pigment on a Maltese's nose could be turning pink due to lack of sunshine because of the winter weather. Depending on where you live, if the weather isn't too cold and is sunny, take him out on those days even if its for a car ride. It could also be the type of bowl that he's eating and drinking from. If it's plastic that could be the culprit as well. A female going through a heat can sometimes cause the black pigment in their nose to turn to pink also. C&P from: http://www.voy.com/160428/18.html There are 2 main reasons for the nose turning pinkish, one is what is called "winter nose" meaning that in the winter the nose will go pinkish then once spring and summer gets here it will go black again. The other reason is caused by feeding them in "plastic" bowls, some element in the plastic causes the nose to go pink. Try a ceramic or metal bowl to feed and water him in. C&P from: http://www.vetinfo.com/ddepigmt.html 5) Contact dermatitis can cause loss of pigment in the nose -- some dogs are reported to be sensitive to the plastic that is found in some feeding bowls, for instance. Continual irritation of the nasal planum from a cause like this might lead to loss of pigment. Usually the lips are also are inflamed or may have pigment loss if they are dark, too. C&P from: http://www.geocities.com/~kalahari/manual.html Two large stainless steel, non-tip bowls. One is for puppy to eat out of and the other for his water bowl. Plastic is not a good idea for two reasons....Little Ridgebacks can total a plastic bowl in record time and some plastic bowls can cause "winter nose" - a loss of pigment on the nose.

Lilypily, the name "winter nose" is a misnomer. Winter nose can actually occur at any time. Sometimes it is as simple as a lack of exposure to sunlight that causes it.

Well, I'm a convert! I used my Coat King for the first time today and am delighted with the results. I would certainly vouch for them for neck and back coats on American Cockers. I have a 26 and it was just PERFECT!! Thank you to everybody who had some input into the thread and the decision making process!

I don't know the scientific basis of it. I've not had the problem myself. It was just something I was told many years ago by a person who had white standard poodles and nose issues. It works. There was another thread about this not too long ago and as I recall somebody else agreed with me (MersonMalinois perhaps????). Will bump it if I can find it.

Could be a winter nose. However if you are feeding from a plastic bowl, you could try changing to a different type of bowl. You might try supplementing with Ironcyclen or Livamol too.

There is always that possibility, but only your vet could say for sure.

Apparently the particular mosquito which carries the heartworm larvae doesn't do well down here because of the cold. Most vets down here will not test for, or prescribe heartworm medication unless pushed. I personally did maintain heartworm treatments on my dogs when I was doing a lot of travelling to the mainland for shows etc. and after I returned from Sydney in 1995.

Really? Would never have noticed!! PS...hope you feel better soon.....I've just recovered from the lurgy myself!

If all else fails, you may need to consider confining the dog to a crate to keep it off the foot. I know of people who have used that purple antiseptic spray for horses with good results on dog pads. I haven't tried it myself but I'm told it is excellent.

Think nothing of it....will be good to make sure the little guy is ok!

Shekhina if you can make an appointment for him between 9am and 3pm tomorrow I'm more than happy to take you both to the vet.

The only hotspots my dogs have EVER suffered were on exposed areas as well. One on the back of a neck and the other on his rump, right near his tailset. Apparently they're fairly common areas. I'd be doing away with dry food entirely for the time being anyway. Just feed BARF until you have everything (spots and squits) under complete control and then start challenging. If you only change one thing at a time it will be far easier to know what to eliminate.

First question is how long was he actually on the Supercoat for? It can take a while for a dog to become accustomed to a dietary change. I personally have no problems with Supercoat and my dogs, or Pedigree or for a couple of them...el-cheapo old Chum from the supermarket (the ONLY thing that doesn't have them squirting!!)! But having said that, I would still be going back to BARF and then challenging different things from there. I'm always wary of canned anything and especially something which could make the "output" as scary sounding as what you have described.

And this in itself leads me to ask what is in it? If it is doing that to his #2's then is it REALLY good for him?? From what I understand of BARF, it has a similar effect on #2's but without the black stuff and smelly breath. I'd be avoiding anything which can create such a "reaction" in his gut and going natural. It's kinda like those hilarious debates people get into over Coke vs Diet Coke. Heck they BOTH have caffeine and one has chemicals which make it sweet, the other has sugar....which one is better for you? :D

Chrissy...first off....I'm not a vet, so like you, I'd be going on instinct. I would be inclined to go back to BARF and follow it to the letter with no additional treats. From the point of view of a human mother whose children have food intolerances, I wouldn't mind betting that the schmackos etc have added "nasties" which could increase the risk of flare ups. As far as I can see it, BARF being natural, shouldn't aggravate anything whereas even a "prescription" diet still contains chemicals etc. and you never ever know what happens in the canning process either, although I'm aware that things are rarely "heat canned" the way they used to be. I think if your suspicions point to dry food, I'd be doing ONLY BARF with no dry food until the hot spots and itchies are under control and then gradually add one thing at a time to test the tolerance of it. I have done this with my children via an elimination diet where their issues were stabilised on a bare-bones (and BLOODY DISGUSTING) basic diet and then we "challenged" them with extras, one thing at a time. It takes a lot of time and imagination but is well worth the effort. In the meantime, I would be using the Apple Cider Vinegar, but be sure to get it from a Health Food shop or Horse Food supplier because the bottles in the supermarket have colours and preservatives added and this might add to the problem instead of helping it. Good luck!! :D

Something to consider is that if she is losing a LOT of coat, you may have problems with your drains if you bath her at home, but I do agree that the majority of the coat will "come away" if you blow her out properly with a high-velocity dryer. I bath all of my dogs in the bathtub at home. I had a plumber come and install one of those laundry tub spigots which have a normal spigot (which swings out of the way) AND a good quality hand held hose. You just flick a little thingy on the side to decide which type of "water" you want. It cost me the grand amount of $60 including the plumbing hardware (the spigot) and took around 10 minutes to install. BEST thing I have ever done in the bathroom (came in handy for washing my hair after my shoulder surgery when I had to keep my stitches dry and had to have a friend do the washing also very handy for sluicing off muddy skinkids AND also for cleaning out horse feed buckets, kitty litter boxes etc etc!!) On occasions, for example if I want to bath out a heavy oil, put a treatment through a coat or if for some reason a dog is PARTICULARLY grotty, I go to our local car-wash place which has a few hydrobaths installed. I don't bother drying the dogs there but it only costs about $6 to put a dog through the bath. Another option may be to give the local mobile hydrobath people a call. They might be relatively inexpensive just to put your dog through the bath right outside your own front door.

I'm not sure I agree. In 20 years of breeding dogs I've NEVER fed the more "expensive" brands of food (unless I won it anyway) and I would challenge anybody to tell me that my dogs are less healthy or less coated than dogs on other foods. I think it is more a case of "horses for courses" and "one man's meat is another man's poison".

I just want to put my hand up as the "minority". I have personally not had problems with Supercoat Puppy OR Pedigree Puppy either now, or in the past. My puppies are happy, healthy and worm-free with lovely coats and looking and acting as anybody would expect 7 week old puppies to. I am on a strict budget (and I mean I probably LIVE on less per week than many people spend on their dogs alone) and cannot afford ANY of the "designer label" foods, no matter how good or supposedly cost effective they are! I am a big believer in not paying for mink when polarfleece will do.

Buy her a good quality dry food and don't give her anything else. Dogs don't "enjoy" or need variety in their diets, they just need quality. Chopping and changing all the time encourages finicky eating. If she's hungry enough, she'll eat it. Put her food down, if it isn't eaten in max 15 minutes, remove it until time for the next meal. Dogs do not intentionally starve themselves so she will eat when she's sure that there won't BE a next meal unless she does!

Excellent! Thank you for the input everybody....collective wisdom is a valuable tool. Tis rare that I don't visit here and collect at least ONE pearl!!

Is there anybody out there in DOL land who knows where I can obtain one of these at the best price? Or alternatively, does somebody out there have one I can borrow to do a "test drive" with before I decide whether to purchase one for myself?

True, but at least xrays are the start of some form of diagnosis.

Bicarb Soda is another little treasure too!!!