sandgrubber

Like everyone says, amazing footage. Frightful dog. Amazing cat. Has anyone ever tried to breed cats to be protective? If it could be done, I'd think they resulting animals would be popular. I've met nasty cats that attack people and dogs . . . but it didn't seem like they were doing it out of loyalty. Maybe that's cause I was being attacked. btw., in California, it is the law that any dog that is reported as having broken skin must be put in quarantine for 10 days to ensure that it is not rabid.

Many happy returns

I've been putting a wad of flowers directly into my mouth to deal with a tooth with a cracked and infected root that's causing swelling. (It helps, btw.) Not to be argumentative, but I don't sense any astringency. On the other hand, the very mild taste of the stuff doesn't diminish much in 10 minutes, suggesting that it's not highly soluble in water (or at least saliva). Some herbal essences are more soluble in alcohol than water. Unfortunately, science doesn't take herbalism seriously, and it doesn't look like the basic research has been done to understand what the active ingredients are in Calendula . . . and how best to get them into a solution. But it sure would be handy to have something you can make up and put in an atomizer for spraying on as required in the future.

Great minds and all that teeks Yah, but it might also ruin some perfectly good vodka.

I've been using calendula on myself and reading various prep methods. One suggests doing a 1:1 infusion with 40% alcohol (eg, vodka). I would think that might be a good way to prep it for problems like hot spots, which like a drying treatment rather than a soaking. It would also allow advance prep and storage of the made-up solution (bacteria being unenclined to grow in vodka). Has anyone used this approach?

Yep, have done. Just thought I would get some opinions of recommended breeders, as Dogzonline is where my friend Deb got her puppy from that has had a multitude of problems Oh Wow! No, she didn't get the puppy from Dogzonline but from a breeder who is listed as an independent breeder on the puppy pages of Dogzonline. If your friend's dog has problems she should take it up with the breeder. There are some dubious Lab breeders selling pups on DOL. It makes me cringe when I see labs listed as "golden" rather than yellow, and I've noticed many Labs listed with no mention of hip, elbow, and eye testing. Any breeder may have occasional pups with lots of problems. Genetics is a lottery. But if you learn what questions to ask, you can reduce the risk of getting a 'lemon'. I would guess that there are many small breeders in QLD who raise Labs primarily for pets, but also for a bit of outdoors sport of some sort. Perhaps hunting. Perhaps companions for running or horseback riding, or whatever. Some people who have an occasional litter but aren't really Breeders (with a capital B) are a great source of pups. You can reduce our risk of getting a lemon by asking about testing, asking questions about things for which there are not good tests such as skin problems, cancer, and epilepsy, The more you sense that the breeder knows the lines behind the litter and is able to say there are no known problems in sire, dam, grandsire, grandam, siblings, half siblings, etc., the more confident you can feel that your odds are good. Temperament has a strong hereditary component so make sure they can describe the sire and dam's temperaments in detail. Also look for someone who can screen pups for temperament. If the breeder says they never have problems, either they are dishonest, or pretty new at the game and haven't had problems yet..

I have all tile floors. Thanks, everyone for pointing out the connection to floor material. Come to think of it, my other dogs have pretty much given up sitting ... they prefer to lie on the floor. May be because they can't get enough grip.

Most dogs sit with their thighs more or less in line with their front legs, resulting in a reasonably compact position. Patty (Labrador, 8 mo) sits square on her but, but her feet tend to turn out, like she's half way to first position in ballet. Does this indicate anything? She's lean and doesn't show other signs indicating hip problems . . . no limping, no exercise avoidance, I've restrained her from jumping, but sometimes in play she will spring straight upward, perhaps landing on the other side of the dog she's playing with . . . which I expect of some breeds, but not so much with Labs. I'll try to get a picture.

You'll get a better answer if you specify what sort of Lab you want. Show? Assistance dog? Generalist family pet? Working retriever? Agility?

Done. I did my old girl. I responded assuming you want answers for 'as the dog is now'. She was more reactive and energet when younger, though has always been a calm girl. I say she's not energetic, but she's still quite happy to run for 3 miles.

Worth adding, my girls don't just tolerate eachother, they are close friends. They play together, lie on one another when it's cool, groom each other, cooperate in hunting squirrels and other small game, and will share food . .. eg, if I pour some sour milk in a bowl, they'll all lap it from the same bowl with no conflict. One of the reasons I have three is so the middle girl won't end out bereft when the old girl goes . . . hopefully many years down the line.

<br/><br/><br/>Ditto depends on breed. Have had no problems with multiple Labrador bitches together. I think I've had as many as five. It may also depend on how they relate . . . mother daughter pairs may be different to old bitch and new bitch bought in as adult.

They seem to be available, but expensive, via eBay http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/231182610949?clk_rvr_id=630235848815&crlp=1_262691&mt_id=641&sdc_id=1399488073z916506z42073b0a10771z&mid=428969&fitem=231182610949&linkin_id=8080378&kw=%7Bquery%7D&crdt=0&sortbid=21 Can buy the same product for $US40 at FosterSmith . . . http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=25802 I'm sending them an email to see if they can ship to Oz and what they'd charge.

I've been having horrid flea problems here and am trying something new that the vet recommended. Did some reading on the product. Thought Aussies in paralysis tick areas might be interested in this journal article (says excellent control for 16 weeks . . . but the lead author works for the drug company). Parasitol Res. 2013 Aug;112 Suppl 1:1-10. doi: 10.1007/s00436-013-3276-8. Long-term efficacy of an imidacloprid 10 % / flumethrin 4.5 % polymer matrix collar (Seresto®, Bayer) against the Australian paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus) in dogs. Smith WM1, Ahlstrom LA, Rees R. Author information Abstract Two placebo-controlled pen studies were conducted to assess the efficacy of an imidacloprid 10 %/flumethrin 4.5 % polymer matrix collar (Seresto®, Bayer; Investigational Veterinary Product (IVP)) against the Australian paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus). Dogs assigned to the placebo (n = 8) or IVP (n ≥ 8) groups had collars (placebo or IVP) attached on Day 0 and were infested with 30 unfed, adult, female I. holocyclus at 14–28 day intervals over 227 days. Ticks were counted 24, 48 and 72 h post infestation to determine the acaricidal efficacy of the IVP. The acaricidal efficacy of the IVP 72 h post infestation exceeded 95 % on Days 17 (99.3 %), 59 (99.7 %), 73 (96.6 %), 87 (100.0 %), 101 (96.4 %), 115 (99.1 %) and 171 (95.8 %), but dropped on Days 45 (94.0 %) and 143 (77.8 %), and declined from Day 199 (79.9 %) to 227 (65.5 %). No adverse events related to treatment were observed. This study has demonstrated the excellent acaricidal efficacy (97.9 %) of the IVP collar against I. holocyclus 72 h post infestation over 16 weeks.

If it smells like yeast (my dogs ears always do), use 50% diluted vinegar to change the pH. You could dilute with calendula tea. Worth a try. Ditto the makeup remover pad. Much better if the dog thinks "something wet got in my ear while my ears were being rubbed" than "I've been attacked and liquid forced into my ear".

Are there any documented cases of silicosis in dogs? Silicosis in humans typically shows up 15 to 20 years after regular exposure to crystalline silicon, eg., in daily work in mines. It seems unlikely that dogs would be at risk because (1) they don't live long enough to develop the disease; and (2) the exposure would most likely be for a few minutes a day and could be minimized by careful administration. P.s. I tried to do a casual lit search on silicosis in dogs. The only recent article I could find was a Chinese article where they were trying to use dogs as an animal model for human silicosis. They did this by blowing ground glass, with color markers, directly into the lungs of dogs and then doing CT scans. Talk about animal cruelty! http://aammt.tmmu.ed...ew&id=201202200 p.p.s. I think DE is worth exploring more broadly as a control for arthropod-parasitism, including the mites that cause mange. if there's a way to control a broad spectrum of parasites through physical abrasion of the exoskeleton, dog owners need to exploit it. The drug companies would prefer concocted poisons that kill fleas, ticks, mites, etc., but if there is an old fashioned remedy that does this without poison, it's worth looking at, and improving that remedy. DE has lots of variants, It's not just food grade vs. livestock grade. Could be produced, eg.., in various size classes, with sorting to avoid the sub-micron particles that get into the lungs, with high yield of the particle sizes that kill parasites. I agree DE has its uses but given its mechanism of action, it would need to be reapplied very frequently and any grooming by the dog is not only going to remove it but also expose the dog to inhalation. Using it outdoors.. now that's another matter and one worth looking into further. In a cattle study (involving GI coccidiosis), DE was added to feed and even though it obviously became wet, it continued to work. So.. it could be used outdoors on long shrubs, longer grass, etc (and kept moist) and in theory, should still be able to cut the ticks' exoskeletons and damage their eggs. The obvious downside to this is that DE is not selective so it would also kill beneficial insects that came into contact with it, like bees. DE is not selective, but gravity is. The stuff settles to low spots, which tend to be preferred by earth-dwelling mites and instaars and is unlikely to remain in place on flowers visited by bees. Does anyone know what beneficial insects who go through larval stage in the earth? I don't think the predatory wasps do, nor ladybugs. I agree, it would not be nice to use topically as a miticide. But some dogs can't tolerate ivomectin, and amatraz isn't the friendliest of chemicals. Mange treatments involve high doses over several weeks, sometimes with complex grooming routines.

Silly question, no. I'd say dremel little-by-little so as to avoid hitting the quick. I suspect that the live tissue grows outward toward the end of the nail, so will have grown further out where nails have been long for a long time. Little-by-little should allow filing back as the live tissue recedes. This is a guess. If anyone knows different, please say.

Vet advice required. If they're not willing to go to a vet for these symptoms, they shouldn't have a dog.

Are there any documented cases of silicosis in dogs? Silicosis in humans typically shows up 15 to 20 years after regular exposure to crystalline silicon, eg., in daily work in mines. It seems unlikely that dogs would be at risk because (1) they don't live long enough to develop the disease; and (2) the exposure would most likely be for a few minutes a day and could be minimized by careful administration. P.s. I tried to do a casual lit search on silicosis in dogs. The only recent article I could find was a Chinese article where they were trying to use dogs as an animal model for human silicosis. They did this by blowing ground glass, with color markers, directly into the lungs of dogs and then doing CT scans. Talk about animal cruelty! http://aammt.tmmu.ed...ew&id=201202200 p.p.s. I think DE is worth exploring more broadly as a control for arthropod-parasitism, including the mites that cause mange. if there's a way to control a broad spectrum of parasites through physical abrasion of the exoskeleton, dog owners need to exploit it. The drug companies would prefer concocted poisons that kill fleas, ticks, mites, etc., but if there is an old fashioned remedy that does this without poison, it's worth looking at, and improving that remedy. DE has lots of variants, It's not just food grade vs. livestock grade. Could be produced, eg.., in various size classes, with sorting to avoid the sub-micron particles that get into the lungs, with high yield of the particle sizes that kill parasites.

The rule of thumb in biology is a doubling of decay rates for each 10C. Reality is much more complicated, of course. But bottom line is that rates of decomposition depend on temperature. If you leave it at outdoor temperatures in the summer, especially if it's humid, it may not be so nice by the use by date. You may go well beyond the use by date at winter temperatures, or with indoor storage under a good air con.

Fair enough, so what do you use...or do you not get ticks overseas in Florida?? Fortunately my dogs don't lick each other. We get lots of ticks, though they are more annoying than lethal. When the ticks got real bad I tried tick collars - Preventic which contains amatraz but no premetherins. It worked well and had no side effects. I was careful to keep the tick collar buried under the leather collar so the dogs wouldn't chew them. At the moment, ticks aren't bad, so I'm not using anything. Keeping the lawn short and getting rid of underbrush on my property seems to reduce both flea and tick problems . . . and chiggars . .. I don't think you have them in Oz. Be grateful. (Chiggars bother people not dogs and head straight for the crotch. The bites itch furiously for weeks.)

I've had trouble with spot ons, not because the dog licked itself but because my dogs lick eachother. In particular, my older bitch licks her grown puppy. I don't know about Advantage, but this can be very serious with premetherin-based products. My girl ended out with horrible cluster seizures that might have killed her if they'd gone untreated, and she has had occasional focal seizures ever since. Bottom line: it may not taste good, but if your dogs lick one another, spot-on products may end up being ingested.

In chain stores you have to realize that the person asking you has no influence on the system . . . they are at the bottom of the pile, minimum wage employees. They may or may not like the RSPCA, but their understanding of the situation is irrelevant. Some boss has told them to ask. No point going on and on. If you want to have an influence, better to contact the company HQ and voice your opinion there.

How would a JRT selected for agility differ from one selected for the ring? Larger, perhaps? With Labradors, show conformation is generally too heavily built for competitive agility, but there are enough people breeding for field work or other dog work that you wouldn't have much trouble finding a breeder who would shift a good performer to Main. My impression is that the working terrier crowd is small in Oz. But because a good earth dog is small and fierce in a hole, the ideal working dog may not be well-selected for agility. Silence from the terrier crowd? It would be good if someone could offer leads for specific breeders.

It seems possible that nails change with age. My almost-10 year old still walks with the other dogs, but her nails get too long now. They never used to. Sad thing is that exercise has always kept them short before, and she hates to have her feet worked on. My own nails have changed with age . . .