sandgrubber

Around $10 US. Probably not a lot more for two than one.

Weed and feed lawn treatments tend to contain 2,4-D, which has the 'good' trait of killing broadleaf plants but not grass. There are a lot of questions as to its safety. Roundup and other glyophate (sp) herbicides have been extensively tested and seem to have no detectable effects on mammals. However, there are serious questions about cumulative and long term effects.

I have choco Labs. I think natural leather as it darkens works beautifully. An embrossed collar might be a good option. I just placed an order with this outfit . . . which came highly recommended and was relatively cheap. https://www.etsy.com/shop/GoK9?ref=listing-shop-header-item-count They seem to be new on Etsy and working hard to establish themselves by keeping prices reasonable. Who needs tags if you can have the dog name and phone number on the collar?

Someone on a well known and controversial blogsite claims that so many brachycephalic bitches require Ceasarians is that puppy noses against the birth canal stimulate oxytocin release. Flat faced pups do this poorly, thus in many cases (a majority of cases for some breeds) a Ceasar is required. According to this theory, the usual argument, that the head is to wide for the pelvis, is not true. If flat puppy faces are the problem, it makes it very simple to breed for free whelping, especially in breeds like the Boston, where some dogs have a bit of muzzle. It might also suggest that some sort of oxytocin therapy could be used to avoid Ceasars although . . . as breeders know . .. oxytocin requires a lot of caution and this would need to be carefully worked out by veterinarians. Does anyone know where the truth lies in this?

This theory has not been tested! The companies that make vaccines have no motivation to test it, and no one else can come up with the money. The duration of immunity IS being tested, ATM, for rabies vaccination. http://www.rabieschallengefund.org/latest/summary-of-the-rabies-challenge-fund-duration-of-immunity-study This study is small budget and funded by private donations. It is necessarily slow because dogs need to be tested for many years, and more than one vaccine needs to be tested. Results to date: Our conclusion from studies with the initial rabies vaccine is that the immunity conferred by that product, and assessed by the in vitro RFFIT, was excellent for the first three years, but declined during the fourth year, and continued to drop during the fifth year. The second vaccine group, which is now three years from vaccination, will remain on study for at least two more years. They are trying to do in vitro tests to see if the immune memory still provides immunity after the antibodies are no longer abundant. This is a horrid process . . . it means they have to subject a control group of unvaccinated dogs and a vaccinated (but no longer showing antibodies) group of dogs to actual rabies. The test fails if the control group do not become infected . . . or if the vaccinated dogs whose antibody level is low do get rabies. For obvious reasons, this has to be done in highly controlled labs. The first set of trials failed because very few of the control group got infected, so they're back to the drawing board. Parvo and distemper are different from rabies in that some dogs do survive, and survivors appear to be immune. So there is a good chance that a vaccine can confer lifetime immunity. However, this has not been systematically tested. I still err on the side of caution and do parvo and distemper vaccines at one, four, and seven and 10 years. I'm in the US, and the law says rabies must be done every three years.

Most likely you won't be able to keep her quiet. just try to keep her from going nutty crazy run-around bazerk and keep the incision dry and clean. Mine have never bothered the incision and E-collars have been unnecessary. Had one mess up the stitches, get infected, and have to go back for cleanout and stitching after doing some crawling on her belly in the dirt under the house. Also had complications, once, with what I thought was an emergency spay (unwanted pregnancy). As it turned out, she wasn't preggers, but something was out with her hormones and the vet described her as "in season" (she wasn't . . . she had been in season 5-6 weeks prior). This resulted in formation of a blood-rich mass in her abdomen . . . which appeared to me as a lump. This got so big it pressed on her bladder and caused frequent urination. The vet monitored this with ultrasound. They had some concern that maybe the problem was that a sponge had somehow been left inside. The problem cleared with no treatment, though at one point they were talking like they might need to do surgery. She's been fine since, and never really acted sick. Bottom line . . . there are occasional problems but they are rare. Monitor carefully. she'll be fine.

A few notes: Unstable temperament seems to be pretty common in miniature poodles. No decent Lab breeder will tolerate it. In my experience, with Labs it doesn't matter much whether you have two boys, two girls, or a girl and a boy. Labs do vary in temperament, some are more active and boisterous than others. Some easily become fetchaholics, others see no point in retrieving (at least if it's not a real animal). A few even dislike water. Dog aggression, human aggression, nervousness, and fearfulness are things breeders select against very heavily, and consequently, they are not common. Naughtyness is generally tolerated . . . and very common. If you visit a litter right after a big feed and the most boisterous pup has a very full tum, you may conclude that the little demon to be is a couch potato. It's wise to listen to the breeder's advice on pup selection cause they see the pups 24/7 for eight or more weeks.

White marking was apparently very common in the lesser St John's dogs -- which contributed heavily to the Labrador breed. It was mostly chest and paws. The English tried to breed this out but did not totally succeed. A small white mark on the chest is accepted in the breed standard, and I've never heard of a dog being disqualified for white hair between the pads. The collar markings you show are not normal. Here's a good article on the genetics of white marking. (I love the spread of white animation). http://www.doggenetics.co.uk/white.htm#series Quoting: Whichever white pattern a dog has, its white will always follow the same rules of spread. White starts on the farthest "edges" of the dog - the tail tip, the tip of the muzzle, the paws and the tip of the breastbone. This is known as the "trim" pattern. From there it spreads to cover the muzzle and forehead, the front of the chest, the lower legs and more of the tailtip, creating irish spotting. Next it spreads round from the front to the back of the neck, and creeps up the legs and tail. On a piebald dog, only the head, back and tail base may still be coloured. The back colouring is the next to go, followed by the tail base, then the face markings. The ears will always remain coloured unless the dog has a very high amount of white. The ears are generally the last part of the dog to turn white.

Three Labradors, the oldest (spayed female) just turned 11. I close the doggy door at 8 to 10 pm and open it at 5 to 6 am. Haven't had an accident since the puppy was about 10 weeks old. The old girl shows no interest in going out when the doggy door is opened in the am, and think her latest piddle is generally on or before 5 pm when we go to the mailbox, so I'd say she can hold it for well over 12 hours. The younger dogs go in and out and I can't keep track . . . but a lot of their pee-ing is marking. p.s. Water is always available to all the dogs.

As part of the no crate minority . . . I see no reason to introduce crate training here. If your pup is non-destructive and relaxed with freedom of the place, he or she will be fine in the car without confinement, and more comfortable unconfined in the apartment than confined. If you're worried about safety travelling, you can work on things with straps and / or barriers, or simple training to keep the dog in the back for times the car is in motion. Crates are a PITA. They make it hard to vacuum or mop floors. They take up space. My dogs are much happier on the couch, where they can snuggle up and get their butts scratched!

Possibly, possibly not. Investment in excellent bloodlines and health testing does make good business sense . . . if you're aiming for the high end of the market. Satisfied clients are good business, at least if you're in it for the long term. There are all sorts of breeders.

"Territorio de Zaguates" is a No-kill-shelter in the beautiful mountains of Costa Rica that provides home, food, vet care, exercise, recreation and affection to over 700 stray dogs, victims of neglect, abandonment and abuse. (Came across this in the Terrierman blogspot. Wish it were in English.)

Kennel cough vaccinations are NOT good for three years; probably not good for even one year; and like flu shots, if the strain going around is not one covered by the vaccine you use, they may not work very well at all. When I had a boarding kennel (in WA) my vet suggested telling people that the optimum time for KC vaccination is a few weeks before going to the kennel. Nor is heartworm good for more than a year. I'd avoid the heartworm shot altogether and go to a monthly dose of something such as HeartGuard.

The article said the dogs dug under the fence. It's a bit much to expect dig-proofing if the animals are in a decent sized enclosure. Shame on the council. If these dogs have been reported for killing livestock before they should not be roaming free . . . and their owners should be paying some hefty fines if not loosing their priveledge to own dogs.

Talk has gravitated toward Labs. What do people think about pugs and bassets in the show ring (the study found them worse than Labs . . . both are relatively short coated).

Horrible story. Poor kid. Not clear to me whether Housing or Animal Services is more at fault . . . but it's astoundingly stupid that the dog owner is still allowed to keep dogs.

Exaggeration. I was one of the people who protested. Without feeling that particular dog, I would not be able to say if it was overweight. It's true that many flabby Labs show up in the show ring, but it's also true the combination of well sprung ribs, not much tuck up, and a thick coat may make a Lab look fat when it's not. It would be interesting to know if the study results would have changed had the authors actually set hands on the dogs or done some sort of analysis that actually quantifies the amount of fat present. My old girl LOOKS fat. She has saggy boobs and a thick coat, and a lot of bone. But if you feel her ribcage you get the sense that you're running your fingers over a washboard.

as Granpa used to say: "A fool and his money are soon parted." (I've been a fool myself, a few times). At least no dogs got hurt or abused and they traced down the alleged seller.

Has anyone ever seen any research on exercise and old dogs? The doctors are forever telling us old farts that exercise is good for our brains and our bodies, and that we should challenge ourselves more than we do. Wouldn't surprise me at all if it's good to keep an old dog exercising . . . and that some of them would live longer and healthier lives if we didn't let them turn into couch potatoes. I'm 66 . .. last year I took up running a couple miles a day. Wasn't comfortable at first, but it's done a lot to reduce my aches and pains.

In my experience, kelpies can be remarkably good jumpers. It may require more than a 1.8 m fence to keep a kelpie in. I'd be cautious about invisible dog fence. If she gets out she'll get shocked trying to get back in, which wouldn't be good.

Pet-I-Supply.com is selling standard meds at discounted prices internationally. Apparently they ship from the UK and Australia. They will sell Bravecto without a script. Call me a cheapskate, but I'd rather pay consult fees for three healthy dogs to get scripts. Has anyone used them? Is there reason to fear that they're a company selling counterfeit meds?

what is fex?

+1 The poll forces inconsistency. If you say never, you still have to say when your dog stopped using a crate etc. I tried leaving the second two questions blank and got an error message.

Berners have a bad habit of getting AWFUL cancers. Chessies are hard dogs, not for beginners. Whatever the breed, if you're going to get a pup, training the kids is important. I had one Lab pup I sold to a family with small kids. They allowed the kids to play run-chase games with their puppy and got into a mess with a puppy that nipped and kids that encouraged nipping by running away and screaming . . . which the puppy thought was a wonderful game. Those needle teeth aren't child friendly, and most gun dogs are mouthy.

Not sure what it's like in Oz these days, but in the USA I'm finding that there are various good fish-meal based dry foods on the market. Not too expensive. My dogs love them, results in great luster in their coats, and it's sooo easy compared to dealing with fresh and/or frozen fish. (Now using a salmon based version of ProPlan).