Toohey

Hi Yvonne, she is on mostly BARf as described in post three. She does occasionally get dry and box one biscuits. I vary it up a lot. The three are all on the same diet, but she is the only one with the problem. Erny, the vet admitted she had little knowledge of natural diets and was recommending Euk as that is what she has been taught and is familiar with. Lenni, thanks for your input. Pancreatitis do you mean? Did your dog have any other symptoms? Skye has been restricted for the last few weeks and I was pleased to see she had lost half a kilo today when I weighed her, but she still needs to lose another two kilos. A holistic vet is a good suggestion, thanks.

Well the vet took one look at her nails and decided that it MUST be dietary. She thought 60-70% raw meaty bones is FAR too much and I should be feeding a dry diet like Euk with 2 bones a week. She even took her out the back and asked opinions of several other vets and they felt it must be dietary as well. She said there are no signs of infection so thought it unlikely to be a disease process. She said there was no point taking any scrapings as unlikely it would show anything, but if it persisted maybe blood tests down the track might be an idea. She also considered they might be traumatised, but the fact that I keep them short and neat, and she does not bounce around on hard surfaces, didn't fit that idea. She then examined her all over, and considered that her excellent condition and health, along with the fact that she has been on this diet all her five years, AND the fact that only some nails and not all are affected, that it probably was NOT dietary. But, she wants me to try her on a mostly Euk diet anyway and see if it improves her nails. A mystery.

I did not think abou the possibilty of disease, thanks for your ideas. As for the fungus, yes, she often has wet feet being a cocker, but as she is a pet I keep them trimmed very close, and blowdry in between her toes every day with the Oldfield. That may not have been enough, I don't know. I am meticulous with their grooming, as I keep them in full coat and let them run off lead every day, so I have to be Because they don't seem to worry her, I have not been too concerned, but am just keeping an eye on them at present. It is 2 nails on one foot, and one nail on all the other feet at this stage. Thanks again. Think I will get the vet to check them out, maybe take a scraping.

Thanks for replying Erny, I clip her nails usually, but tentatively as she is black. I had wondered about her diet, she is on a natural diet with lots of variety... lots of meaty bones, fruit,veg, yoghurt, sardines, egg and a teaspoon of missing link every day, some dry occasionally. She does not get much though, as she is a porky cocker. I Have cut her right back in recent months. I have been trimming the affected nails backa little every day, in the hope the cracked and open sections will grow out but it does not seem to be happening. She runs off lead a lot, mainly on grass. When I look at them, what comes to mind is perhaps they need filling with polyfilla or superglue (just kiddin), but if there was a natural and safe equivalent that would allow the nail to grow out and hold them firm without allowing further damage to occur, that would might do the trick. Doi you think a calcium supp of some sort might help?

My girl has several nails which for some time have been splitting way back past the quick. The quick itself seems to have dried up and just has flakey moveable sides around them. They don't cause her to limp at all, and I can touch them and they feel solid in the pads, but when I trim them up she is not happy. I can't take a decent pic as she is black and they would not show up. Am considering having the split ones removed under anaesthetic and will see a vet about it this week. Has anyone had this problem and had nails removed? If so, does it affect the dog in any way to not have nails?

How much exercise and stimulation does he get? Is he well socialised? Maybe try putting his lead on and taking him out to show him where the noises are coming from? I used to do that with my dog, and he got to know the neighbours and the neighbour's dogs. After that, if he barked at noises I would just tell him that's so and so etc and he would settle. Unconventional I know, but it works for me I just think if he can see where the noises are coming from, it would be less threatening for him ...maybe.

Revolution doesn't do intestinal worms, or maybe it's just tapeworm it doesn't do, not sure. I know you have to give some sort of wormer in conjunction with it. I use Sentinel Spectrum. It covers everything in a monthly tablet.

Make it a game. Roll him onto his back and just pat him, scratch his tummy and tickle him. Then gradually introduce a soft bristle brush instead of your hand. If that works you could slowly progress up to the slicker, and eventually the comb. Ideally he should be up on a table; maybe you could buy an old dining table from a second hand shop for outside. You can stick a non slip surface on it.

Hi, some questions for you How old is he now? How old was he when you first started grooming him? What grooming tools ar you attempting to use? Where do you groom him.. ie. floor or table?

Excellent information there in post number 20 Jed (I won't quote the whole thing). Highly comprehensible also Crates definitely have a place in puppy raising, in fact they are worth their weight in gold when used correctly, but puppies should not be confined in them during the day unless absolutely necessary, and for short periods only. They need to run and play and explore. I used the kitchen (when I was out) for my latest pup, and put up a safety gate so the other dogs could be in the other part of the house where she could see them but not annoy them. The crate was for my relaxation time, and for night time, though, she soon learned to open the door and put herself to bed in there when she wanted time out herself during the day. She still loves her crate.

Where did Lillysmum ridicule anyone, and where did she say anything about checking a pup during the night? Why would a pup need checking during the night if it were sleeping in your room Seems to me that LM stopped posting a while back and you are still having goes at HER just to amuse yourself. Yes, anything can go wrong at anytime, but if they go wrong nine and half hours before someone is home to check on the pup...??? I myself would worry if I had no way of checking on a baby puppy for ten hours. The pup may well be ok, but I would not be. That's just me, and I would not allow that situation to happen. Others obviously don't see a problem... that's them. Why the need for arguing? As stated previously, the OP can take the advice offered and do with it what they will. Preferably without being rude to those offering the advice. Parvo is around all the time, especially at this time of year, and I would be very concerned about a puppy school that tells you to walk an incompletely vaccinated pup. New puppy owners need to be well of the threat of Parvo, and a little scare mongering is not a bad thing IMO.

Sorry, but what is your point? I should not add my thoughts on the matter? If you believe a pup needs feeding/checking during a long day alone, why are you questioning LM? Sunny70 for one seems to think it is OK to leave a puppy for ten hours with kibble. Why not argue with him/her instead? I know the general trend around here is to disagree with Lillysmum, and I have certainly done so in the past, but I agree with her on this issue, especially being that it is my breed that the OP is referring to. I will support her in her opinion, rather than picking her post to pieces just for the sake of argument, as it seems others in this thread are doing. Nobody has a monopoly on answering queries in these forums. It is an open discussion board. State your thoughts and let the OP take the info provided on board and do with it what they consider best for their dog and their situation.

Ditto to the questions that Lillysmum has asked. I would not leave a baby puppy alone for more than four hours, and would not sell a pup to someone who would. If someone is working fulltime I believe they should make arrangements to either get home during the day and give the puppy lunch and a little company, or, organise for a freind/neighbour to drop in and do same.

Originally my breeder only agreed to sell me a pup because I organised for the next door neighbour to visit and feed him during the day when I was working. He's 6 years old now, and the next door neighbour still feeds him (and the others) when I am at work

Well, perhaps I should refrain from giving advice here in the future.

I am not advising on training issues, I am suggesting to Trini that if her baby puppy has been alone in the yard all day, she should not be ignored when someone eventually comes home. If you disagree with that, fine. I manage my dogs in a way that works for me, and am very happy with my well behaved, happy, and well adjusted dogs, who, BTW, know very well that I am the leader in this house. it's a baby who has been on her own all day!

Trini, I think you might have been reading about separation stress, which is when you are unable to leave your pup AT ALL, without having them get upset and crying. Training methods to stop her crying in that situation, might include ignoring her when you are home until she stops crying. Your pup sounds like a champion if she is behaving so well at only 13 weeks. If she is being quiet when you are not home, she definitely does not have separation stress. If that was me I would be straight out the door and tell her how good she has been and give her as many cuddles as you like as soon as you come home. Don't forget she is only a baby, and is doing very well if she is coping all day without having anyone around. Give her a cuddle for me. I bet she is gorgeous

Hi Trini, is she doing this when you come home after she has been alone all day? Sounds like she is just terribly excited to see you and wants to be with you. Is there any reason why you would be ignoring her when you come home instead of spending time with her? Why not just spend the time with her as soon as you come home and then let her settle, which she will probably do far more readily if she has greeted you and got it all out of her system? My dogs go crazy when I come home from work. There is no way I could leave them out there barking and squealing. Would drive the neighbours nuts! I let them straight in, and after about ten minutes of madness they settle down again.

Hmm, I gathered from the way you speak of the behaviour of entire dogs, that you must be a breeder of many years experience, who has great knowledge and insight into the behaviour of entire dogs of both sexes. Guess I was wrong. For the record, my entire bitches get frisky when in season, but have never tried to escape or dig their way out. Neither have I have had male dogs attempting or succeeding in scaling my fences. And, I live in suburbia. It only takes a bit of common sense to manage a bitch in season, and the people who come to this forum seeking information do not deserve to beaten around the head with what YOU (LM) believe to be the right thing for them to do. Please let them read and learn, and then make their own decisions, rather than coming at everybody with a "desex immediately" attitude.

Lillysmum, out of curiousity, how many entire dogs, especially bitches on heat, have you had to manage in your own yard?

How is Ben today?

i was wondering the same thing. all the vets ive seen dont allow pets to go home unless they are awake, alert and walking. same goes with humans and surgery! It's highly unlikely that any vet would send a dog home if they were not happy that they could maintain their own airway. As Brooke has already mentioned, the vet listened to Ben's heart before he left. If his breathing and heart beat are regular and steady, he is most likely just sleeping off the drugs. Nehkebet What drugs do you mean? And for which anaesthetic?

Everyone reacts differently to anaesthesia, and unless a highly specialised person is administering the drugs required, it is not easy to get the mix exactly right. You can have the individual who is wide awake and screaming as they are wheeled out of the operating room, then you have the other end of the spectrum where the individual is out like a light until the next day. Even with expertise, there can be cases where the outcome/effects cannot be accurately predicted, because everyone has a different genetic makeup. Perhaps your dog does have a slow metabolism caused by an underactive thyroid, and if it is easy to have the blood test done, it probably wouldn't hurt. He is probably just sensitive to the drugs given, and will be fine after he has slept it off. If he has a throid problem that may not have shown itself till now, it can no doubt be easily managed by medication. Please let us know how he is tomorrow, and keep an eye on him tonight. And, don't worry. I bet he'll be back to normal by morning

It sounds like the repeated damage may have caused nerve damage which is the reason he has no feeling. Depending on how extensive the nerve damage is, and how much tail is removed, he may not feel much pain at all after the surgery.

Sorry to hear about your dog's tail damage. What does your vet think?