sandgrubber

1. Lamb is pretty common US dogfood. 2. Do you need evidence to suggest something might be due to a cause? In this case, evidence of small brands going big on marketing can be found in any large pet store. Linda Case's blog had some nice evidence of poor quality control (and fraudulent labelling)...if I remember correctly, smaller brands were the worst offenders.

The article is circumspect about exotic ingredients... I don't see that it says anything stronger than that they, or some of them, can't be ruled out as contributing to the problem, and there's little evidence of benefit. In short, research is needed. On the other hand, there's LOTS of evidence that exotics are good marketing.

Don't worry. It's harmless. Helps to have dark colored puppies .

Sorry, I spoke too soon. Been many years since I looked at this subject. The scientific evidence seems to be turning against use of floride. Here's a good review article. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3956646/

The long term effects on us are well know. Trace amounts of floride harden dental enamel. Epidemiological studies haven't turned up adverse effects in regions where floride is present naturally.

I'm a food skeptic. Can't see the need to buy anything fancy. So much hype out there. I feed Coprice working dog at $55 to $60 for a 20 kg bag. My dogs love it (they're Labbies and there's not much they don't love). Their coats are lovely. Their poos are firm. They have no allergies. My old Girl will be 14 in August, and she's still pretty healthy.

An interesting podcast. Interview of a neuroscientist who has done extensive work using MRI to study what goes on in the minds of dogs and other animals. http://traffic.libsyn.com/sciencesalon/ss022_Gregory_Berns_rec2017_09_01_post2018_04_16.mp3?dest-id=513978 P.s. this goes off to an animal rights discussion that may bother some.

Interesting article. Hope it's followed by research, thought I don't see many funding sources for long term dietary studies. Changing breed mix and increasing prevalence of dogs bred to fill market demand (especially for brachy breeds) is another possible cause.

Ate you sure it wasn't xylitol (the sweetener for many toothpastes) that did the poisoning? Sodium floride is toxic, but it's generally ok at the tiny levels present in toothpaste.

I love that photo, but doubt Avon was the ancestor of all modern Labradors. Lady Howe's Labs weren't all Avon descended. The breed has been diverse from the time of its origin.

So the observation of "pacing" in the OP may indicate a good observer, but not a health problem?

https://cambridge.eu.qualtrics.com//SE/?SID=SV_bjsFIv4ek6IIjQN&Q_JFE=0 May not work on cell phone

Great photo. Doesn't look like it would be a health problem, or interfere with chewing a bone or killing a rat. I have no idea what show judges would say, but probably not good.

I wish that we're a real option for me. My own hip Xrays show moderate to severe arthritis. My old girl had 2:1 hip scores way back when. I work through pain to do the daily walk. I don't think I can manage pulling 27 kg of Labrador, especially as our sidewalks are hit and miss and roads are narrow. It can get complicated with both old dog and old person.

Exercise is a fraught questions. My old girl, just shy of 14, clearly has some pain on walks, and she breathes heavy. But she's better at the end of the walk than at the beginning. Same with me. The doctor tells me it's good to walk through the pain. The vets' advice differs from vet to vet. If I try to leave the old girl behind, she show's distress bordering on panic. I suspect that being left behind is more painful than walking on her old bones. When she truly can't manage, I think it's a downward spiral, and it's time to give her her wings. Bottom line: Don't rush to judge. Physical pain may be less important than retaining and increasing mobility.

Yes, be wary. Show winning and health can be at odds, especially for relatively rare (in Oz) brachycephalic breeds. Read up on breed health problems...Boston's have many....but there are some very healthy and athletic Bostons (in the USA...less sure about Oz where Bostons are rare and expensive). Ask breeders how their breeding choices work to avoid know breed health problems. Also use your eyes. Steniotic nares are a very bad sign, and it's good to see some nose sticking out... even if that doesn't lead to a title in the show ring. Color is insignificant to health in this breed (no double Merles, no congenital deafness of the overly white), but breed standards can exclude various colors from showing. Note, few Bostons are free whelping, most deliver via Cesarian section, and litter size isn't large. So finding a good pup may take time and be expensive. They can be great little dogs.

With Labbies there is always more demand for girls.... could be a way to encourage people to buy boys.

Pictures would help here...or have a breed expert look at it for you. Undershot is a matter of degrees... I'm not a SBT person. With Labbies, the severe malocclusion cases typically show in the first months, but to confuse matters, some fairly bad looking bites come good. I think the story is that the lower jaw sometimes grows faster than the upper jaw (in my years breeding I only had a couple bite problems, neither serious). I guess that could make a bite go bad, though I've only seen it cause improvement.

Sounds like business as usual. I'd love to see a critical doco on raw food practices as well. I've seen some pretty slimy frames and bones being sold as pet food in Oz. I'm in NZ now...a gross very fatty product is marketed locally as being 'natural'. Dogs have been fed garbage from the earliest domestication. They seem to do ok on many things, including some pretty revolting stuff.

You gotta read the fine print, no matter where it comes from. The Chinese are fast learners, and an increasing large number of Chinese products are quality. Meanwhile, regulatory control is dying in the USA, and you can expect more crap from that direction.

Boxers and Labbies go great. Boxers run circles around...and Labs like it. Intros depend a lot on age and temperament of the two. Your guy is likely to bowl over a puppy. You want a robust pup and some supervision.

Good on ya. thanks

https://asunow.asu.edu/20180103-discoveries-asu-awarded-64m-grant-test-preventive-cancer-vaccine-dogs If this works it's going to be wonderful! One vaccine good for many if not all cancers! They're trying it on 800 pet dogs (400 control, 400 treated).

For working or recreation under hot weather conditions, I think the kelpie x Labrador is a great cross. I've read that this was the preferred dog for ADF tracking work in Vietnam. I love Labbies, but they tend to wilt in hot weather. Kelpies are smart, rugged, and trainable, but tend to be a bit too nervous. As a (former) Labrador breeder, I got occasional calls from people with a lot of K9 experience looking specifically for kelpie x Lab. No sign that anyone is working towards a new breed (F3+ with selection) that preserves the temperament traits that have made Labs so popular with genes from a smart, heat-tolerant breed...so I'd say there's a case for F1 breeding.

Of course supervision and monitoring required, you don't want him going to earth and getting dirt in his sutures. You need to check and make sure he hasn't pulled stitches or gotten infected. But in my experience, walking is ok... with increasing intensity over time. Had a vet tell me something similar.