sandgrubber

If the bitch is in good health and parvo isn't going around, I wouldn't worry much about disinfection. Normal cleanliness is quite adequate. Just be prepared to wash a bunch of whatever you put in the whelping box, and clean up after spills, in case she does some out of the box whelping. Nature is good at keeping infections away from pups. Far more pups are squished to death by their mothers than killed by infections.

Another thought. Try the jewelry section of a crafts store. You might find a heavy ring that's open at the bottom and bendable. You will surely find beads and elastic thread or fixed string and class from which you could make a tiny weighted bracelet.

Guessing. Maybe vet wrap around something heavy... like the lead sinkers fishermen use.

Round tummies at six weeks is not abnormal. I've often wished poos would firm up sooner, but squishy with occasional runny isn't unusual. I don't worry if it's not liquid. The antibiotics may be part of the problem...it may have killed off gut flora. Pumpkin tends to stabilize the GI tract. Canned is fine, or you can cook a natural one. If you do raw chicken anything, make sure it's very clean, human grade. Salmonella is often found on raw chicken, and it can kill pups whose immune systems aren't fully developed. As for necks, I'd say they are a bigger risk than whole carcass because the pups may be able to get the whole thing into their mouths. How big are these guys?

Awfully pointy for a Lab, and the set of the shoulder blade is wrong. Looks more like a greyhound to me. But really...breed identification is not easy for probable mutts, and with a photo like that, it's impossible. Maybe they should just say 'large dog' and show what they have for a picture.

If he's weighing in at 35 kg, maybe his body is telling him to eat less. The amounts recommended on the bag are often on the high side. My adult Labs eat less than 450g dry food a day...they get some veggies, occasional eggs, a pinch of fish meal, and opportunities to 'lick the bowl' when I'm cooking. But the dry is by far the mainstay of their diets. If you do supplement, feed less dry food. You don't want to end up with a 45 kg dog. I agree with ish, 'boring' is a non issue. If a dog likes it's food it is happy to eat it every day. Variety is a human concept. On the other hand, 'treat' is a concept many dogs appreciate from the bottom of their hearts.

Jarrah turns 13 today. Apart from being deaf and night blind, she's in pretty good nick. Still goes three to five k on morning slow run. Still plays with the other dogs, though not for more than a few minutes. No lameness. She's still able to jump up on the bed and into the car, thought it takes a little encouragement to get her to do it. And, of course, she sleeps a lot.

But the news reports mention liver damage if taken over a long period of time. Not good...or perhaps other animals metabolize it differently?

Curious. Can anyone explain why there's such a big fuss about fipronil being found in eggs when it's been permitted in flea meds for years. If it's that dangerous, why is it allowed in routinely used pet meds?

Please put location in heading. It helps people figure out whether or not to look at your post.

I'd go with a good kibble and avoid rolls. No point paying for water, and dry food doesn't clutter up the fridge and keeps for months. Personally, I don't think it matters much what brand, though I tend to avoid the cheapest stuff with grain as first ingredient and mystery meat.

Tragic. As for Dr Lindsay's comments. Sure, most any dog could turn aggressive. However I'd much rather cope with 20 kg (or less) of aggressive dog than 60 kg. Caution needs to be scaled to a dog's size, musculature, and signs of aggressiveness. I look back to a huge, bad tempered Dane I once looked after and say, "That could have been me."

Having fed a mostly frames diet, I'll make a few comments: 1. Evidence is poor. No one has fed pure frames and monitored the outcome in a scientifically meaningful way 2. If you feed a lot of frames the dogs turds get whitish and hard...they seem to excrete excess calcium. 3. The biggest problem I had was dogs getting fat. My source of frames supplied a lot of fat and skin with the skeleton. Also lots of meat. I did a lot of trimming. No fun... disgusting waste. 4. Too much of anything tends to become a problem. I found other cheap raw stuff to add..eg horse carrots at $5 for 10 kg. I also fed some dry kibble for 'balance'... whatever that means. 4. Some sources warn that salmonella can kill pups and oldies. I'd pay attention to freshness, and perhaps hold back on raw where there's doubt about immune system health.

Thanks, guys. It does kinda seem like this product is fat rich floor sweepings. Supplement could indicate that it doesn't qualify as a balanced/ complete diet. Just provides extra energy...as any high fat food will. Also a bit of a worry that they aren't specific about what critters the meat cam from. I'll give it a miss.

Oops. Senior moment. You're right. Praziquantel is what is used for tapeworm. Fenbenzidol treats various other worms. In the USA praziquantel relatively expensive, enough so that people with many dogs sometimes get the same chemical as sold for fish farming to avoid the mark-up on veterinary medicine. Sorry I got mixed up. But I think it makes sense to taylor meds to the worms you anticipate ...or see. I worry that worms may develop resistance if workers are used indiscriminately.

There are lots of local add for a frozen dog food supplement called Mighty Mix. Some locals swear by it. I have Labs, who eat pretty much everything except citrus and onions. A friend gave me a few cups of the stuff and I tried it on the dogs. They turned their noses. From the online description it's very fatty (30% plus) and could be anything from lamb/mutton to salmon. I've never seen them turn down high fat food. Curious to know if others have experience with the stuff...or ideas about why my crew don't like it.

Fenbenzidol (sp ?), used to treat tapeworm, is expensive, and unnecessary if tapeworm isn't present. Not sure what it's like in Oz...but in the US I did regular heartworm treatment and only treated worms when they were detected. Tapeworm is gross, and very obvious. Roundworm and other easy to treat worms are covered by some heartworm meds.

I'd be more worried about a kid drinking coca cola than a dog ;-). It's just sugar water with a bit of caffeine and some flavoring. Kids will clamor for more. Dogs don't love it.

Hard to know. Mild, infrequent seizures isn't all that common. Seniors changing peeing habits isn't uncommon.

I'm in the multi dog camp...the pros outweigh the cons for me. Presently I have three. On a very selfish note, be warned about having two young guys together. It will eventually mean you have two elderly dogs together, and the sadness and expenses that come with the last year's and months. I try to keep at least four years age difference between my dogs. Also, a young adult dog will often help teach manners to a young pup.

I'd be cautious about GSPs. As someone else mentioned, they tend to be very high energy, and can be quite loud. They want to RUN more than sniff and poke around. Why not another Lab? You will have a wealth of breeders to choose from, and most Labs are good with other dogs, so dog park could be fun. Also, you might consider a standard poodle...if you don't clip them for show, they look like real dogs :-! It's often the case that 'working' means high drive. It sounds like you want a relaxed but intelligent dog. Or am I misreading? I guess the deciding question is: Agility for fun? Or competitive agility?

On the other hand, a thoroughly disreputable breeder would have just lied and said sorry, the puppy died. If the person hasn't been breeding very long... beginners make mistakes. There are too few people going into hobby breeding these days, and it's good to be helpful to those trying to get off the ground. In your position I would have agreed to the idea of giving the breeder limited stud rights, but insisted on very clear definition, and perhaps some financial compensation (or a pup) for drawing semen.

My vet says the same...and my oldest is a few months shy of 13....but I feed mostly dry food. Mine love bones, but I don't have a good source and I fear cracked teeth from the big soup bones they sell at the grocery. As for pulling apart a carcass... that's never going to happen.