SparkyTansy

yay well done!!

oh one more - HOOZAT

awesome - thanks for the tip Sway!!!

aw she looks like a little froggy

Liath my boy is fussy but he eats the food with powder in it when he decides to eat (some days he decides not to eat). I usually mix it in well with his kibble and I feed raw mince so that usually disguises it.

Thanks Aziah Do you know if any/most of your puppy buyers have continued to feed raw or if they have changed over to something else?

Thats just me being extra, specially careful ST!!! I guess I hope that by being "super sensible" when it somes to eating, drinking and exercise I am lowering the risk of bloat in my ridgie....... I am still very traumatised about losing our first girl that way..Its not something I even worry about with our Kelpie though, even though there is a chance she could get bloat too!! That's ok - although it's interesting that there was no link, I still tend to wait to feed before or after exercise and dont allow them to drink copious amounts of water at a time... I haven't lost a dog to bloat but it's such a common occurrence in my breed I don't want to risk anything.

As the title suggests - if you feed raw to your adults and also the puppies, how do you suggest to your puppy owners to give it a try? I know that for a large number of puppy buyers, they might try it for a while but change over to what they think (or their vet thinks) in time. We all know feeding raw can be seen as more expensive, less convenient, more time consuming etc... Do you, or would you consider, reverting to a good quality kibble for your litter as well as feeding some raw, so that the transition onto kibble the new owners feed will be an easier one, but that those being fed raw can also continue on this?

Im sorry to read about your puppies MG RIP little ones.

dependant on breed for me... Champion Tails always worked best for me with the english setters (soft coat) DazzleDog works best for the old english sheepdog (harder coat)

Taken from the study link Several popular theories regarding bloat were not substantiated during the study. There was no correlation of bloat risk to exercise before or after eating, as most dogs bloated in the middle of the night with an empty, gas-filled stomach. There was also no correlation to vaccinations, to the brand of dog food consumed, or to the timing or volume of water intake before or after eating. not to say it doesnt increase the risk, just that no evidence during the study didn't produce any correlation to the above (eating after/before exercise and water intake) good luck with ideas for the meeting tonight. I cannot come but I hope that it is successful.

There are some scary factors in there Mas here is the link again hopefully it'll work... http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings...1&O=Generic Weims have a high risk of bloat... the fact that I do not know one of Ari's relatives that has bloated gives me some comfort, but she is slim and deep chested and she eats fast... she gets two meals a day with raw mince and kibble... seems I am doing some things right and some not... but the risk is always there. if/when she is desexed I might consider the gastroplexy surgery. I'm planning on switching slowly to raw once things settle down a little at my house so hopefully this will only help matters.

boxagirl i hope your sisters dog will be ok... There are studies that show raising the height of the food bowl can increase chances of bloat by 110%Linky to bloat study

oh and IL I found the puppy dishes on pet network although I swear I also found them somewhere else and now i cant find where!Linky

IL yes that is the same whelping box design I used My dad is very proud of himself. I am probably not going to go for an xray unless she has I feel as though she has to (maybe if she doesn't have many to see how big they are/how they are presenting) piper does the heated base only heat in sections or is it the whole thing? Fingers crossed piper!! Ari is 4 weeks today from first mating.. photos tonight!!

I'm ultrasounding Ari day 30 from first mating (which is day 28 from second mating), but as I am unsure of her ovulation date, i figured somewhere around there would be ok. I've read up to day 31 is ok. 3D ultrasound how cool - can you take home pics? I am wondering if my vet prints out the photos but I am guessing not... and also am wondering if they'd think i was weird if i asked for a print out anyway!! I spent ages looking at designs too - i settled on a design online designed by a great dane breeder... there were bits of advice saying that they built a 4'x4' for labradors etc, but Ari is a fair bit taller/longer than a lab, so glad I went bigger than 4' but kind of wish it wasn't as bit as 5'... my dad doesnt' listen, and he was annoyed he had to buy more wood because all the lengths came in 4'... lol Yes I agree wtih you piper I figured putting it in the corner would mean puppies can migrate over there if cold but Ari can stay cool if she needs to.

IL - My dad made my whelping box. Ari is quite a stretcher and a fairly big girl so i wanted bigger than 4fx4f... i told him 4.5ft x 4.5ft but he did a 5ft x 5ft which is probably way too big... but we shall see anyway. i have the room for it but obvious concern is heat... i have a heat lamp to set up that i'll put in the corner i think...

I have never heard of it for allergies... I use it in Ester C powder form for my HD dog... I might have to give it a try for my allergic boy!! (yes, i drew two short straws)

gosh flatties have a lot of babies!!

So sorry for your loss. Kuges was a beautiful, amazing boy. RIP

ncarter you don't need to fill in the special class or height at shoulder. For breed class Number for Baby is 1 and because it's a bitch you put in 1A. if you have an official entry form, the class numbers are on the back with the ages.

I fell in love with my breed when I was very young... everything about them suits me... except that they aren't really as suitable as an obedience dog... But English SEtters are so perfect for me that makes up for not being able to do other activities with them... but... I've always had weimaraners, so getting another was an easy choice. They are a challenging obedience dog, but I think i can make it work... one day...

towels, because you can never have too many... money, or vouchers to buy more dog stuff I love the idea of crate mats, vet bed, dog beds, crates... all good value as long as they aren't used!! My favourite prize is a salad spinner.

Thanks Pap!! her breeder says given she is a maiden also so her belly is likely to stay tighter for longer.... she might just be saying that to shut me up though!!

That's just what I thought Tris... you can't see much with her standing but she is quite deep chested with quite a tight tum usually. She's also quite a big girl. I wonder has anyone ever read about doing Bowen on pregnant bitches? Ari's topline is a bit average at the moment and I'd like to get her worked on,but I don't want to if it would cause issues... It's good we are a few first timers together...