koolietas

His undercoat is not ready to come out yet...which is part of the problem Goes without saying that he has shade and plenty of water... He's happy to wear coats - so don't know why wearing a cool coat should be a problem...especi Anyhow, just after recommendations of products...

I don't intend on leaving a coat on him whilst I am not at home - and I don't want one that needs to be wet either to be effective. I've bought him a cool mat before (Canine Cooler) and he would not sit on it at all...which is why I want the option of a coat as well as to try a different mat.

Thanks for your reply Megan. He's in a fairly shady courtyard during the day - so it's not necessarily sun exposure, more just the warmer temperature that seems to affect him... I have seen the coats you are referring to (a friend has them for her two dogs) and they seem to work okay from what I have heard.

My almost 8 year old sheltie, is yet to drop his winter coat...so, is feeling the mid 20 degree days we've been having... Would love to hear some recommendations for both a cool mat and cool coat... :-)

Koolie's results this year... Both Parvo & Distemper 1:20 so no need for re-vacc... No vacc since May 06 - yay!

I have a sheltie that has reacted to fish, chicken and turkey (statistically, chicken and beef are the two most common proteins that dogs suffer allergic reactions from). If you are attempting a food elimination diet - it will be more successful and easier to observe if you feed a single source of protein and a protein that the dog has not had before. Rabbit is a great source to start with if you have not fed your dog rabbit before...? or kangaroo? Really depends on what your dog has eaten in the past...and what is locally available and accessible to you. The main sources of my sheltie's diet is wild caught rabbit, hare & roo plus he also gets lamb a few times a week. My vet advised that true food allergies (especially a dog like mine that has never been fed grains) are not that common. Most allergies are contact -ie. grass, dust particles etc. I believe Dr Jean Dodd's is currently working on a blood test for protein allergies - that will be useful in the future for dogs with suspect food allergies.

They are super cute Hesa! Congratulations - you must be really pleased with their development :-)

Great link - thanks for posting Janba! The shelties are certainly looking a lot better in recent years...however, can't say the same for the pekes. I wish that they were like they were in the early 1900's...they had legs, noses & much nicer, shorter, silkier coats. We were lucky enough to get a UK imported bitch back in the early 80's for my grandfather - she was very much like the pekes of yesteryear. Would love another one like her...

Dog-owner...I am so sorry for your loss And sorry that you are being subjected to some of the comments on this thread that are obviously upsetting for you. From everything I have heard and read (and yes, living in Tassie, I had also been told the same story that you have written here on the forum) - you were not to blame for what happened and could not have done anything to prevent the situation. Whilst it must have been horrible for your neighbour to experience the mauling of his chickens, an accident is an accident! There was no intent on your part - and I'm sure most (but not all) dogs, if the opportunity arose would do the same as your dogs did...hopefully not all the others will suffer the same fate as yours. I hope your pups did not suffer too much - that would be heartbreaking... Take care :-)

Super cute Collingwood coloured sheltie puppies lol They're lovely Hesa - best of luck with them!

Rough Collie Shetland Sheepdog Siberian Husky Borzoi Border Collie

Slippery Elm Bark is good... For possible IBS - Protexin is great, as is adding some Psyllium Husks to food daily.

My sheltie has a Snooza 'Big Dog Bed' - yes, made for Large/Giant breeds, but I do have a 'Giant' sized Sheltie :D Sorry the photos aren't very clear - but you get the gist...he loves his bed He loves the sherpa cover...I always put a blanket on the top, but most mornings it's on the floor.

Thanks for your replies everyone - some good suggestions there I was given 'A Dog's Purpose' for my birthday a few months ago, so that shall be the next book to read. I also bought 'Red Dog' after watching the movie a few weeks ago but not sure if I'm brave enough for that one yet lol.

I have recently finished two books by David Kennard - a working shepherd in North Devon, UK called 'A Shepherd's Watch' and 'The Dogs of Windcutter Down'. They were both really great books and not only a great read if you are interesting in sheep herding with your dogs, but just in general...I now know lots about lambing! His anecdotes about his dogs are fabulous! They sound like real characters... Earlier in the year, I read a book called "Finding Jack" by Gareth Crocker which I read in one evening (albeit until about 3am!) as I could not put it down until I had finished it. It is based on actual events of a soldier in Vietnam hoping to die in combat as he had lost his family in an accident prior to leaving for the war - but came across a lost Labrador in the middle of the jungle. To cut a long story short, they became a working service team and once the war ended, the soldier was instructed to leave the Labrador as the US government labelled all service dogs as 'surplus military equipment' and would not allow them to return home. I won't give away the ending, but can highly recommend. I have this week just started a book called 'Saving Private Sarbi' written by Sandra Lee. Some may recall the story of this Lab x that was a trained explosives detection dog that went missing during combat in Afghanistan for 13 months only to be found by an American Special Forces troop and returned home to Australia. So...these books that I have recently read, have got me thinking about what others I should add to my list to read... Any suggestions?

Hello Annie, Clancy and Connor Welome to Tassie It 'tis a bit chilly today - I hope the weather improves for you. What are your plans whilst you are here? Cath

We've had a few pekes over the years with ulcers on their eyes - usually the ointment works well (but will take a few days). Obviously the sooner the ulcer is diagnosed and you start treating the better. We've had a couple of incidents where they have had to have their eye stitched over, which is usually very successful. Best of luck for Mini

I have a cat that has 2 bulging discs. She was diagnosed almost 2 years ago at the age of 14 years. We saw her dragging herself down our front path, only using her front legs. We thought she must have been run over by a car (she hadn't) but somehow whatever she had done that morning, had aggravated a likely long term problem that we were not aware of. She was crated for the first 6-8 weeks (thanks for the loan of the crate Cairo 1!) and has been kept as an indoor cat since then (much to her disgust!) and we restrict her from jumping so as not to disturb the scar tissue that is at this stage keeping the discs from damaging her spinal cord. She is on Joint Guard (she was also diagnosed with spinal & hip arthritis at the same time), fish oil and an anti inflammatory tonic from Robert McDowell which has kept her in good stead for the past 2 years. Try to ensure that supplements are taken as required, exercise is still maintained (but should be appropriate for the diagnosis) and that body weight is monitored (any excess weight will place undue strain on the discs). Hope everything goes well for your cav

Yay, that's great news! I'm definitely going to Titre Test from now on Thanks Black Obsession Yes, I wish I'd known about it years ago with my prior dogs. I won't ever vaccinate again (after puppy vacc's) unless titre tested first. I just hope that the vets don't increase their charges (I am lucky that my vet only charges the Vetpath fee plus a pathology handling fee - so $90) so that as more people become aware of titre testing, they won't find it too expensive to conduct. I have read that some vets are charging several hundred dollars for titre tests. I can only assume that these tests are going to local pathology labs for testing or that they include hepatitis which is sent o/seas).

I have just had Koolie's titre test done - results as follows: Parvo 1:20 Distemper 1:80 No vacc since May 2006 Pleased that no further vacc required yet

he he Sounds familiar...Koolie disappeared from my view on an off lead walk a few years ago (very unusual for him to leave my sight) - ended up finding him a few mins later with his head in a bush next to a rubbish bin which was very close to a bbq area. Head was covered in potato salad - he was having the time of his life...took me days to get the smell of mayo out of his fur

:rofl: I would leave him be. . . . you may find some gift wrapped pooh some stage soon. . . .LOL Naughty Koolie. . . . Not surprising though is it :D No gift wrapped poop yet, but imagine will get some in the morning.

Hi Hollys mummy, I have no probs with the biscuit (well, it's not exactly prey model - but as a one off I'll live with it!) its the plastic wrap that concerns me...although, yes, I haven't been quick enough before to stop him from eating plastic wrapped sandwiches (left near a park next to a school), plastic wrapped chocolate fudge and foil wrapped easter rabbit chocolate and eggs - although at least it was white chocolate and last but not least - balloons! He's an absolute shocker (even for a sheltie) with food. Honestly, he checks every piece of dried chewing gum, every white dot, every piece of paper, every road marker (you get the picture) out on walks...I swear he should be muzzled sometimes. Last time I called the vet (when he ate the plastic wrapped fudge) they told me that it would more than likely pass and to check poops to make sure. Will stay at home and work tomorrow to keep an eye on him.

I left my sheltie in my bedroom with a plastic wrapped Kiss biscuit within sheltie's reach...came back in 10 mins later, Kiss biscuit gone and sheltie very busy licking up all the hundreds and thousands off the carpet! Little bugger ate all the plastic wrap too... Why oh why am I so stupid Just pondering now whether I should try and make him vomit or leave him be and hope it passes through ok.

My sheltie & I stayed at a lovely, peaceful, and very private farm stay property about 20min drive inland from Wynyard (NW Tas). The property is called Newry Park Cottage and is hosted by a lovely couple. The house itself is 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom, lovely open plan kitchen, dining and lounge room with wood heater. The immediate yard around the house is completely fenced (although for escape artists or larger dogs - fencing is between 1.2 and 1.5 metres). The whole property is huge with a lake near the house, lots of walking trails through paddocks and pine forests with wildlife aplenty. There are friendly ducks, geese and goats which you can feed. Overall, a great pet friendly, family stay and very reasonably priced. Highly recommend and personally, cannot wait to go back! Website address: www.newryparkcottage.com.au