mollipop

Maybe you could have kept the snake (in the freezer) and done some training with it like food refusal in UD. I guess you would have the dog on a collar and lead and reprimand him when he went near the snake. Not sure of the exact technique though.

Well - my 12 month old Golden Retriever passed CCD on Saturday night. He got 94 points and came third. I nearly passed out from shock. I wasn't nervous until we got to the stays cos I thought there was no way he would have got that far but we did and I stood there with my heart thumping watching him wriggle around. When he actually stayed and passed I couldn't believe it. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is good luck and if we can do it, you can too.

I forgot to add that we are planning on going to the Goldie Nats. next year so will definately go to the talk by Jean Dodds.

Thanks for the thoughts. I am happy that the diagnosis was correct - we saw one of the top Opthamologists in Sydney ( and spent a fortune). Westielover: she had numerous blood tests for many of the diseases that you mentioned and ultrasounds for cancer, etc. but all were negative. I agree about returning to the monthy heartworm tablets and maybe just vaccinating every 2 years. It was the worst time of my life and we lost puppies so I don't ever want to go through it again.

Last year one of my girls nearly lost the sight in both eyes due to uveitis (treatment was difficult because she had just been mated.) This happened about 6 weeks after her annual vaccinations (C5 and heartworm). Do you think that the eye trouble could have been caused by either injection? The vet has always done both together, annually. This year she didn't have the C5 as he thought that it was more likely to have caused the problem than the proheart. Now I'm really worried and don't know what to do in the future.

If you have a friend with a dog, ask them to walk with you. This might distract your puppy and she will follow the other dog. I have a Goldie pup of similar age. He was a bit nervous out walking by himself but okay with the 2 older bitches and would bound along after them. Now he is okay by himself. God luck.

My old girl (now 14 years) set a record for the shortest time ever in the Obedience ring. She went straight from the starting peg to the barbeque at the other end of ring! Never seen her move so fast.

My 12 week Goldie pup has 2 meals a day. Morning and night he has 1 cup of dry (premium quality) and about 2 Tbsp of mince, canned food, sardines, eggs or cheese etc. If eating the dry food is a problem, soak it in hot water first to soften it, though at 8 weeks she should be able to cope with the dry. She doesn't need the weetbix, toast etc. I don't feed mine chicken necks or wings cos he tends to vacuum up food rather than chew it. All my Goldies are the same - real guts! I sometimes give him warm milk at bedtime to calm him down. The lactos-free longlife milk is cheaper than the puppy milk at supermarkets. PS If you are in Sydney the GR Club is having a puppy info day at St Ives Showground this Sunday, 22nd. If you want more info please message me.

Here is my new baby, Alfie, 8 weeks today. He's not coming home for another week though (I'm away next week). Can't wait to get him. Hope my others Goldies learn to like him quickly.

Hi Rusky Your Cindy looks so much like my old Jessie,a 13yr.old Goldie. She hobbles around like an old woman but eats well and is not on any medication. I think she is slightly demented and pretends to be hard of sight and hearing though she can still hear her dinner bowl being put down and catch a small piece of food if its thrown to her. Sometimes she seems to be a bit incontinent and has wet "feathers" but she is okay at the moment. Everytime I feel she's near the end she bounces back again. I dread the day that she leaves us,especially if I have to make the desicion. Love from Jess to Cindy.