7464

I've seen a dog eat a tiny amount with no ill effect. Wouldn't hurt calling the vet for their opinion. Hope puppy is ok.

Good stuff. There's nothing quite like a soggy, tired and very happy Golden.

I forgot about that, Poodlefan. The river that Cody swims in is tested reguarly, there are periods when he doesn't get to swim because thay've said it's unsafe. Another thing I've thought of is to make sure you only let your dogs swim in areas where dogs are allowed and don't forget to scoop their poop. And watch out for people fishing, they often get cranky when dogs swim past and catch their line.

ticks aren't actually a problem in Victoria thank goodness! Aus Thank doG they're not a problem in the ACT either.

Sticks can be dangerous as they can poke the dogs in the neck or throat. The dogs often run at sticks with enthusiasm and can catch them at the wrong angle. Cody loves to chew sticks and I let him do this but I avoid throwing them, if he's chewing it it's because he's picked it up himself. All this advice should be taken into consideration and you should use your own discretion but there's no need to panic. In the 5 years that my dog, Cody has been swimming we've only had one minor incident and that was the cut on his paw. You just need to pay attention to your surroundings but you more than likely already do that to ensure your own safety. ETA: I forgot the minor incident of Cody being run over by a canoe. - Don't worry, he wasn't hurt.

Be careful with sticks as they can cause injury. I throw balls, there are always some in the car because they get lost occasionally and that is not an issue with cheap tennis balls. Cody will find sticks in the water and drag them in, they're often longer than he is but he's a determined old thing. Watch out for broken glass, Cody jumped into shallow water and cut his paw so beware that if there is glass on the bank there may be glass in the water too. Some dogs will keep swimming all day even if they are exhausted, I knew people who had their Lab nearly drown because it had been swimming all day and finally collapsed out in the middle of a river. Also remember that dogs won't always stop when they are cold. I will let Cody swim for an hour or so, I take him to a place where I have swum so I know what the conditions are usually like and I know if I ever needed to I could walk out as far as he swims and have the water come no higher than my neck. Watch out for boats. Make sure you dry their ears, floppy ears stay wet longer than those that stick up and a dog with sore ears is not a happy dog. Have fun with them.

Yay Ollie. You just keep getting stronger every day. Your mummy deserves a medal. :D

Yay Ollie & Jodie

Cody is my second Golden Retriever, both male. He doesn't cock his leg and Sam never did either. I don't mind a bit.

Erny. RIP Kal

My Golden Retriever, Cody was diagnosed with severe HD at 5 months. He will be 6 in December and has had very few problems. When he was diagnosed the vet said he'd seen dogs with better hips that were lame. This set the fear into me but it hasn't been too bad. Cody has had to stay lean as extra weight is more of an issue than normal. Luckily he's not the sort of dog that keeps eating when he's had enough and he doesn't raid the treat jar. He swims a lot in summer and I am now reducing the amount of running he does as arthritis is setting in. He's still a very happy dog. He doesn't seem to complain when he is clearly in pain, he just slows down a bit. The towel sling is a great idea, I'll keep it in mind as Cody's condition is sure to worsen as he ages.

for you all. Feel better soon, Ollie dog

Hugs for Kal. Sorry I haven't followed your thread, I find it hard to read about sick dogs. I hope you're doing ok.

Cody farts so badly. It smells soooooo bad. He's on Supercoat but I'm going to put him on BARF.

Rip Winter. Sorry about your mum's loss.

RIP Bindi

Get well soon Lilly ;)

Sorry to hear about Wags. He went to the bridge with love in his heart. I hope your son is recovering from his fall

My last dog, Sam had to take pills for a thyroid condition. He ate them straight out of his bowl with his dinner. Never a hassle. I've only had to give worming pills to Cody. I just put them as far back in his mouth as I can and hold his mouth closed while rubbing under his chin. He doesn't mind. He lets me do whatever I want with him, I think he knows I'll never hurt him.

He is off the lead as soon as we get away from the road. I'll try him on the lead, he doesn't like it because we never do it (that's my fault) but he'll learn. I thought I was doing the right thing with the walks, the vet said we had to keep him lean. He had Xrays when he was 5 months and then at 6 months when he was desexed they Xrayed him again. He also had them at about 2 years old. I've never heard of sponlylosis of the lumbar region, I'll ask his vet. The vet said he's seen dogs with better hips that were lame. I feel like I've failed him.

Thanks for the advice I will try shorter walks - I thought they were pretty short as he used to do 6km walks when he was younger. What's the new joint guard? I will also talk to the vet about cartrophen. It's great that Angus is doing so well. 11 is a pretty reasonable age too. I'll be very happy if Cody reaches 11 years in good health.

Hi Paula. Cody is not on any meds or supplements. I had him on Sasha's blend for a year but I didn't notice any improvement so the vet said not to bother with it. He only had his annual vaccinations and checkup last month, the vet didn't mention giving him anything.

Cody is a 5 year old male Golden Retriever. He was diagnosed with Hip Displaysia at 5 months old. He weighs 34kg. The vet has said this weight is pretty good but he could be a kilo lighter. Since the weather has cooled down Cody has been pulling up sore after walks. He starts limping towards the end of our walk and when we get home he’ll walk very slowly and limp. He’ll also lie on his bed and not move for the rest of the day. I’ve stopped taking him every day as I thought it might help if I gave him a day to recover between walks. Is this the right thing to do or should he still have a walk every day? I walk about 3km; Cody runs all over the place and does zoomies with any dog that’s interested so he’d do more distance than me. We walk around and over a mountain so the terrain can be rough but he still gets sore when we just walk on paths. He will still jump but I wonder if I should try to stop this or let him do it while he can. He swims in summer and seems to handle the exercise well but it’s too cold to swim now. Cody has become very slow to get up off his bed. His legs also jerk when he lies down, it doesn’t look like a voluntary action and it’s only very recently that he started doing it. Can anyone give me advice on anything else I can do to make Cody comfortable? I want to do what I can to make his life a good one. He is my best friend and it upsets me to see his hips getting worse. I am prepared to let him go when his quality of life is unfairly low and there is nothing left for me to do to help him but I want him around and happy for as long as possible. Thanks

Good to see you're making progress. Two things worked well for Cody. Whispering and a solid word for when he did wrong. When I whispered he listened more. When he does anything wrong at all I say "uh-ah" or "uh". It has to be short, sharp and with a tone of voice that says "I mean business". It also helps if it's a word which you don't often use in every day conversation. Cody has his bed inside, he knows that is his place and he is not to roam the house, he's not allowed past the doorway into the kitchen and he won't cross the line but that's only because he was consistently told not to. You have to anticipate the dog's next move and get in right away, two seconds later is too late. Cody will not touch a thing in the house unless it belongs to him that includes food which is left next to him.

Cody went to puppy preschool at the vets. The most important thing he learnt was it's fun to go to the vet. Has been very helpful having a dog whose favourite place to visit is the vet.