Ceilidh

Do you have white tail spiders in your area? My old fellow, when he was young. according to the vet must have sat on a white tail and he lost all the skin between his anus and his testicles. Boy, that was close I would be trying some aloe vera gel. Neocort is also very good, it is an anaesthetic/ antiseptic but only from the vet.

Some still do the three shots, others just the two. I just have two for my puppies.

Most vets will only give two vacc's, first at 6 weeks, second at 12 weeks. At 12 weeks puppy is usually still about 4 days under 3 months, you wait 2 weeks and you can show puppy. It works out to just under 3 1/2 months.

I would give her a meaty bone, like a shank, to chew on. That may help to bring it out. I wouldn't worry too much unless the new tooth is through and it is still there.

Just be aware that adding oil can heat up the body and if you have a coated dog they will start to shed so don't over 'oil' so to speak. I add a teaspoon of LSA (Linseed, Soy & Almond) mix to my show dogs meal each night. It is available from the health food section in the supermarket for around $8.00 per 500gs.

No worries Tramissa. Don't forget to be very strict with the routine and I almost bet my booty you will clear those ears up.

Epi Otic is NOT alcohol based and keeps the ears moist. If you use Leo twice a day for a week you will see a quite considerable difference. Then use it every other day for a week and they should be just about clear. Then use it once a week religiously to keep the ear dry and therefore not a haven for yeast growth. I am not a vet but see many many dogs come in here with bad ears and I always recommend Leo (yes I sell it but that is only because I believe in it). When they stop the Epi Otic and change to Leo the ears clear up. OK the vet has said they will never get better so what have you got to lose?

Clean them once a week with an alcohol based ear cleaner, such as Leo. This will keep them dry and, therefore, no yeast infection. If they are still yeasty then you will need to do them once or twice (depending on how bad they are) a day for about a week, then they should be fine to do once a week. The trick is to keep them dry, a lot of ear cleaners and drops keep the ear moist which incourages yeasty infections. An alcohol based one helps them to dry out.

Only when someone comes along with a problem with their dog and states they weren't planning on spending any money on vets! Dogs have accidents, bee stings, snake bite, etc etc and it all costs money. Get a grip and re read what you first said instead of spending your energy on being upity. I am just surprised no one else commented about being worried about your dog. If you didn't really mean what you said then that is good only in the future if you make statements like that then be prepared to be critisized.

Oh my god Carlee, I hope for your poor dog's sake that he never gets sick again! If you weren't prepared to spend money on your dog you should never have gotten him. Dogs DO cost money, and regularly. Vaccinations, worm tablets etc etc. I won't apologise if this sound harsh but I am worried about your dog growing up.

I can't help with most of your poor doggies problems but as far as the ears go, please please stop the epi otic, it leaves the ears moist and that encourages the fungal infections. Change to something like Leo ear cleaner, it is alcohol based and helps to dry the ears out. As long as you continue with the regular epi otic cleans the ears will not clear up.

I would go the dremmel, it seals as it grinds. The longer the nail, the longer the quick so you would need to do this, just a tiny bit, weekly and it won't take too long for the quick to shrink back to a reasonable length.

I definately would'nt vaccinate him. My old boy, nearly 14, hasn't been vaccinated for quite a few years now.

I swear by Biolac but you do need to feed every two hours, day and night. Give mum a few drinks each day too, that will help build her up as well as promote her milk supply. I have to ask though, why was she allowed to have the pups given the appalling condition she is in? Was she surrendered/impounded after the birth? Poor poor baby.

OK I have to ask, what goodness is there in the shell for the dogs?

Even if you clip him down you are still going to have to go over him, unless of course you actually shave him literally to the skin ;) I personally would never clip him, just rake out the dead hair, use a tick preventative and go over him regularly.

Some days I feel I am getting too old for this caper I intend to sell the shop in around 4 years time and work from home selling the grooming wear, by mail order, that I am now importing. (first shipment due any day now yipee!!!!)

OH MY GOD!! What can I say? ALL THE ABOVE, you have all hit the nail on the head, everyone of you. I can relate to every post. And yes, PUTRID is definately the word.

I DO!!!!

Thanks for all the replies, as it is rich I will feed it mixed with their usual meal. I did think that maybe I could just throw a drumstick and let the lot of them just get in there and go for it, a bit like the lions do in the wild but I am afraid it will be a bit more like the vultures :D Wouldn't see a cocker for days I imagine.

:D Now I have this vision of one of the dogs trying to tackle a drum stick and I just can't stop laughing.

We were offered some emu meat for our dogs. Is it ok to feed them emu meat and does it actually have some good value to it?

Actually I have to differ here. When I recently got my finger savagely ripped open by a SWF and went to the emergency dept at the hospital the doctor asked if it was an animal or human bite. He was relieved when I said a dog. They place bites in this order, the worse to get is last: dog, cat, human. Yes that's right, a human bite is by far the worst as the human mouth is not as hygienic as a dog or cat and you have more chance of infection.

Maybe one of our groomers here is in North Sydney and can contact you to bring the dog in to them to be assessed to see what is going on. I am in Wagga, so no help at all

PP2, where are you? There are quite a few professional groomers on this forum and maybe you will find someone near you who is happy to give you some tips. That is the best way to go. Even when a dog comes in regularly every six weeks I still teach my clients how to care for their dogs in between. It really is easy when you know how and have the correct tools.