UltimatePup

Hi I am trying to choose a Heartworm preventative for our youngster... Not keen on injectables for obvious reasons, so looking at oral and spot-on products. Which ones have good records for safety and efficacy? Ideally I'd like to be able to treat for Heartworm monthly without unnecessarily dosing for intestinal worms at the same time (that can be less frequent) but is there such a thing as a separate med for Heartworm? Thanks

Hi Our pup seemed to be doing so well. Then one accident in the house yesterday, then another at midday today, then a veritable TORRENT this evening - four HUGE pees in the house in the space of three hours. I don't even know where all this liquid is coming from. That's 6 errors in 6 entirely different spots in 24 hours, following a week of zero errors! She even did one right after coming in from being outside. What does it mean? What should we do?!!! I'm feeling really quite anxious about it - not to mention rather a puppy mommy failure . She's full of energy now at 10 weeks old, and used to being around the house, so I don't feel that a return to strict confinement is fair/viable/wise...but...? Please help! What's going on and what must we do? Thanks! Edit: Sorry, just realised this should really be in the Puppy Problems section...

It was one Japanese company who started genetically engineeering the bacteria they used to produce Tryptophan. Being GM, the bacteria, of course, changed in ways other than intended, which resulted in an unknown toxic byproduct which caused illness in very tiny concentrations. The company settled for a huge sum of money. Tryptophan is now produced (I believe) from plant materials, so should be perfectly fine (unless some bright spark decides to GM those too...) Also, it never went off the market per se. e.g. It was still manufactured by approved companies for use in baby formula for all those years, otherwise we'd have had screaming little nutters for babies. Some countries just restricted its import as a sensible precaution but, because slow bureaucratic minds work v e r y s l o w l y, it was a great many years after this isolated incident that they finally lifted the ban.

Hi I've been reading something that strikes me as utterly daft, so I thought I'd check with you guys for your knowledge... There's a rumour about that Tryptophan is not good for dogs, hence to avoid feeding them turkey. Seeing as Tryptophan has been in pretty much every form of meat protein since the dawn of time it seems very unlikely that any carnivore or omnivore would be harmed by it in any way. Also, it's used in isolated form (L-Tryptophan) in many calming agents used for animals, including dogs. The only scientific reference I have come across was a study that fed large amounts of D,L-Tryptophan to dogs over many weeks, which produced dangerous changes in their bladders. Seeing as D-Tryptophan is not natural(?) and large amounts of any isolate are not natural, that seems like a far cry from normal amounts of Tryptophan bound within protein foods or small amounts of L-Tryptophan in supplements...no?! I'm hoping the rumour originated from the same people that advise feeding dogs toast and Wheatbix, but do just want to check in case there's a real foundation for it. Ta

Hi Which doggy medical insurance providers have you found good to deal with? Which have not been so good? Thanks

Hi Our pup has been quite good with learning to go outside to do her business, but she's not yet 100% reliable and much depends on us correctly estimating the timing and reading her rather subtle signals. How can we teach her to indicate more clearly that she needs to go out? We have toyed with the idea of hanging a bell on the door and teaching her to pat it, but at the moments she's chewing and hanging off everything that dangles or flaps (or, frankly, anything that remains motionless for too long ). I think the bell might end up dinging all day long, or just get broken. Thanks for your tips.

Hi Currently our pup has an enclosed garden area and poops at the far end of it, about 12m from the door. Eventually we will remove the barriers and give her access to the whole garden. We would like her to then learn to use the farthest corner for toileting - about 35m from the door and up a bit of a hill. How can we train her to do this? Thanks

With pups sneezing it out...I wonder how much the owners and vets end up inhaling?!

That's what I am thinking too - but also without any data to confirm either way.

Hi I like the sound of nasal delivery Nobivac versus injectable Canigen KC vaccine, but what are your views? Are there any safety and efficacy differences that you are aware of? Any brands that are better than those? It will be for our pup's second vaccination at ~11 weeks old, and for whatever she requires after that. Thanks

Hi I need to get puppy chewing under control in order to save our furniture/rugs/plants/etc. What products are available in Australia that you have found effective? Thanks

Hi We want to get a scamper ramp (dog safety steps) for our small pool. Can anyone please recommend a good but affordable one? Thanks

I don't think I'd get away with modifying the furniture . There's actually a space to the right of the lounge that's almost, but not quite, large enough for a wooden kennel. I am imagining putting something there that could be her little hidey house; I'm just not sure what. It needs to look OK - not too scruffy - because the deck is quite neat. I could ask the cane furniture people to make something to match but that would be very $$$!

That's a creative idea, thanks. Maybe I should just get a trampoline bed...and she'll probably crash under it .

Close . Like this:

Hi My dog loves wriggling under the cane lounge on the deck and will sleep happily in her little 'cave' for hours. Problem is, she's rapidly getting too big to fit through the gap! I would like to get her a cosy kennel instead but they are too big and bulky to fit easily into the space. She just needs some kind of cosy cubby for shade and security... Any ideas please? (I expect her to reach about Labrador size eventually.) Thanks

Hi I like the idea of medical insurance for my dogs but have not yet found a good product in Australia. Has anyone had experience with good/bad pet insurance providers/policies? Please tell. (I looked at HCF's product which is via Manchester Unity, but it appears pretty useless. The clauses cut out all the really serious diseases that you'd want to insure a dog against getting. It only really covers accidental injury, and even then the cause of the injury must be on their list of acceptable causes! It's quite diappointing for an HCF product.) Thanks

What is your favourite book or web site for guidance on training new puppies? I am not so interested in special kinds of obedience or agility behaviours, just the most effective guide you know for training the core basics that make a dog a pleasant family member. e.g: - Toilet training - Come, sit, stay - Walking on a leash - Obedience when off the leash - Road safety - Don't jump - Don't lick - Give (e.g. Release a toy) - Speak/Be quiet / Be quiet when home alone (Yes, short/rare periods only!) - Basic scent/seek training Thank you.

Call me naive, but I didn't know that people still trained dogs to kill the old fashioned way. This guy is selling a 'pig dog' - careful, the photos are a quite brutal: http://www.simpletrade.com.au/pets/dogs/br...g-dog/800180511 What's wrong with a good old bullet, if it's really necessary to reduce vermin on a property? I assume that's why he's doing it, yes???! (i.e. It's not a 'sport', is it?! )

Thanks Showdog. I didn't know about the pet passport system. However, whilst there is Rabies in continental Europe, there's none in the UK - not for 100+ years. I guess that the passport is good because it allows full European passage, but it's a shame if the dog won't be there and will only be in the UK, because it gets a risky jab that it doesn't need. I wonder if there's a 'UK only' passport option... UP

Franjipani, I came across this thread again while looking for other stuff and something struck me... Why did your dog have a Rabies shot to go from one Rabies-free country to another Rabies-free country?? (Or did I misunderstand something? And why was quarantine 6 months?...Surely 1 month does the job between AU and UK??) You are right that it is possible for the problem to have been triggered by medications or vaccines (even indirectly, eg. hypothyroidism can cause aggression, and Rabies vaccines are known to promote hypothyroidism). More info/links here: http://myweb.cableone.net/bdturner/AGGRESSION_flyer1.pdf . Or it may be something simpler... How have you been going with him lately?? UP

Small breeds, possibly two different types, of either: Lowchen, Lhasa Apso, Havanese, Maltese, Bichon Frise. -----------

Is there a reason that anyone hasn't yet suggested a Lhasa Apso? I'm in a similar situation to Georg - looking for an apartment pup, but with less space available. I like Lowchens (but the cutest one I've seen was a barker/yapper...hmm) and Lhasas (are they really as untrainable as rumours claim?). UP

That's the theory I'm working too, Jem! But seeing as I've never raised two pups together, I'm hoping that furparents who're raised both ones and twos can inject some practical experience into our theory ;) ... otherwise I could end up with a very noisy 15 year experiment ;). UP

Thanks Hes! Those are intersting options for the 'crate' part of the equation. I'm still very keen to hear from anyone with ideas for the whole pen too... :D Merry Christmas day everyone... ;) (Still cloudy and rainy!! What's happened to our Aussie skies?! ;)) ---------------------------