Tilly

ausgirl - the only problem with the slow cookers is that it is toooooo slow When I want corned silverside then I usually want it now

Definately don't waste it on the dogs ... cook in a big pot with some apple cider vinager, cloves, onions, carrots and some brown sugar. Cook until lovely and tender and then serve up with creamy cheese sauce, cabbage and mashed potato

Our GSD goes nuts when you pick up his collar and lead for work/walk. He is always made to sit still/calmly before he gets either put on. Basically I just stood there and made no eye contact until he is sitting and he has learnt the quicker he calms down and sits, then the quicker he gets to goes out. When he knows he is going for a walk he bolts to the garage door and sits.

I do occassionally give our GSD part of a carrot which he chews like a bone. It is mainly just so he thinks he is getting something to eat when he really doesn't need any food. He also loves the occassional apple but only when I peel it for him and share my (cut up) apple.

My GSD also loves the fast recall to heal ... unfortunately one day it was particularly wet and muddy so as he came flying up to me, he just couldn't stop in time and skidded into me sending me flying onto my back. He couldn't understand why he was healing beautifully and I was laying on my back ... so he then sat on me. Needless to say we went home absolutely covered in mud (good thing I didn't have to get into the car but could walk home).

Definately look out for ticks ... and snakes so do keep a close eye on the pup. Your pup will love the experience. We use a tick collar and also wash our dog weekly in Fido's Free-Itch rinse (which is supposed to give about 3 days of tick protection) but he still will get ticks - so we also do a full check twice a day (morning and night) just incase we miss a small one. If your pup is likely to chew the collar then don't use one - they can be highly toxic if chewed on. I have also brought every device on the market to remove ticks and have been shown how to use them properly (because I am just a little paranoid ). And have a fully stocked first aid kit just for the dog with a doggy first aid book ... did I say I was a little paranoid?

I still think of my 6 year old GSD as a pup ... or at least he still acts like it ... but I guess I did considered him an adult at 2 years even though he was often mistaken as a full grown at about 7 months.

Dishwashing detergent worked for us. We poured it straight on and used a little warm water to lather it up. I can take a bit of effort to get the soap out so make sure you rinse really well ... adding doggy conditioner seems to help getting rid of the soap.

If you are buying from a chemist then you might need to order it... particularly if you are after a large bottle of it.

Our boy gets washed weekly in the hydrobath using just Fido's Fre-itch Rinse. I think he has only ever been washed with shampoo about a 1/2 dozen times in his entire life.

Even with tick products such as advantix and tick collars you still need to check your dog daily. My boy had a tick collar on and the tick was on the side of his face. We check our boy twice a day and still watch him like a hawk for any signs of illness. Hope your girl is doing well.

I had some chicken that the dog didn't get to eat and used alfoil to cover it ... as I had run out of cling wrap. Where the alfoil came in contact with the chicken ... the alfoil was eaten away. Had this happen a few times with other foods.

Are the feet smelly? It could be something like tinea ... try washing his feet with Malaseb Shampoo making sure you rinse well and dry well.

Also could be the fleas have jumped on, bitten and then left/died ... this can cause itching.

Papaw is definately great. We used it when our GSD became paw sore when he started working. He loves to roll on his back and get his foot massage

I went in this afternoon to collect him ... took him out of the cage and found the catheter hidden in the corner under the blanket!!! The brat some how snapped it in two and removed it (even with the muzzle still on)!!!! The specialisted said there was nothing they could do but sedate him and put it back in ... so I suggested they try it first without sedation. I got him to lay on the ground on his back while they specialist tried to insert it. At first he wasn't having anything to do with it until I told him that if he doesn't lay still he was not coming home and was going back in his cage. After that point he layed absolutely still and didn't even move a muscle. They had absolutely no problems getting it in and he didn't even growl at them. I then took him for a drive to visit my brother ... he played a little bit but was very happy to get back in the car and sleep all the way home. Now I have a problem as to what to do with the catheter bag? I did tried using a little doggy backpack to hold the bag but it really needs to be under him as things don't flow properly. I have now got one of my brothers old t-shirts on him (back legs in the arms and tied around his waist) but has anyone got any better ideas? The poor boy really looks silly but it will hopefully get him through the night.

The poor boy did not have a good night and is now only dribbling out urine. They have put the catheter back in this morning and will need to keep it in for another 3 days. They think he still has a fair bit of swelling which is causing the problem. I might get to take him home this afternoon for the weekend and take him back on Monday. The problem is that he is really beginning to hate all the staff there and no one wants to go anywhere near him - there is only two female staff members who he tolerates but they won't be working this weekend. They think he would be better off at home (even with the catheter still in) as he might settle down a bit.

The little boy is still in hospital ... the catheter came out today and everything is working well but they want him to be under observation for the night. The nurse on duty today has managed to take him out hourly to use the back yard. They are taking the IV out in the morning and if all goes well during the day my brother will pick him up on his way to work about 4pm. This way my brother can keep an eye on him during the night to make sure he is ok. The results of the biopsy also came back today and he gets an all clear ... so there is definately no sign of cancer which is excellent news.

Just been up to see the boy and to feed him. He is now eating and drinking well and polished off a big bowl of chicken pieces tonight. He had a bit of a game with my mother but we did notice he tired quickly. He is getting lots of cuddles. We were most excited tonight because he has done his first "Number 2" since Friday. We won't know if the surgery was successful until Thursday when they take the catheter out. So far everything is looking good - he is so much brighter. He is not fond of all the tubes but has been tolerating them well. The poor boy was crying when we put him back in his cage and left him there ... he just wants to go home. Hopefully if everything goes well tomorrow he should get to come home. Fingers crossed...

My poor little boy is currently in surgery. Examination by the specialists have found a "growth" on the prostrate which is pressing on the waterworks plumbing. They are currently operating to do a biopsy on the growth, remove it and desex him - hopefully he will be out of surgery soon. They currently don't think the growth is cancerous but they really won't know until the results come back from pathology in about 3 days. At this stage it will be a few days before they know for sure that this is the cause of the problem. Fingers crossed that he will be on the mend. They will leave the IV and everything else in for a couple of days until he is over the surgery.

Have the vets given him a NSAID or just the pain relief? You might need to look at getting a NSAID which usually help a little bit in freeing up the joints.

There is no improvement at all and he is completely miserable and snappy. I went to feed him today and he got a bit snappy with me - he wasn't serious just cranky. He didn't eat much (just played with it) and ended up going back into his cage and turning his back to me ... he is sulking because he can't go home. I feel so terrible for him. He will be seeing the specialists on Monday and probably go through a whole lot more tests. I just want a test to come back that explains his problem - so far everything is normal except a slightly high protein level and a slightly low white blood cells count. The culture on his urine is expected to come back on Tuesday but they really don't expect it will show anything. And if the stress wasn't enough I had a friend come over to mow my lawn ... and the mower flicked up a rock which went through the back window of my car. Just waiting for disaster number 3!!!

You would try cleaner her ears with an ear cleaner - I haven't found a petshop with anything useful. Start by putting some of the solution on a cotton pad and wipe the area you can easierly get too. Then squirt some in the ear and give it a bit of a massage and allow to shake out. Then wipe again with the cotton pad and solution to clean up again. I use Bayers Ear Cleaner because it doesn't contain Alcohol. Alcohol can hurt if the ear is already sore. Alternatively you could try finding a vet open on Sundays ... this place is open on Sundays if you wanted to drive to the Southside of Brisbane Calamvale Vet Clinic Cnr Beaudesert & Compton Rds Calamvale Ph: (07) 3272 6844

I am very disappointed to find there was no improvement overnight. At 5:30am they were sedating him again to put in another catheter. I will need to go in about 10am to offer him some food to see if he will take it. The staff had offered him food during the night but he didn't take any - he wouldn't even look at it ... I had to explain to them again that he won't eat without his food word. His last meal was on Friday morning but he had vomitted most of that up later that night - so he is probably starving. I am about to head out to the shops to get him some chicken and/or steak to see if he will take some of that. I can't imagine the hospital would be upset if I took some of our own food in for him. One think I particularly noticed last night was when he is straining to pee, the pink bit doesn't come out - it remains in the shart. Any ideas on that?

I got a phone call from the hospital at about 9pm ... he was being difficult and having a go at all the staff. They wanted to put another drip in him but he didn't want anything to do with it. When I arrived he was so happy to see me that he just wanted to jump and roll around on the floor and play silly buggers. He was so glad to be of the cage he just wanted to play with everyone - the doctor and nurses that he wanted to eat not long before were very please to see him trying to kiss them and wanting cuddles. He is still not peeing but to see him so bright was wonderful. This morning he was just so flat and unresponsive. Fingers crossed but hopefully this means he is feeling a bit better ... I am really hoping when I go in tomorrow morning that he will be getting better ... but the vets have admitted they have no idea what has caused his problems. They have consulted with specialists but at this stage the only answer they have is a possible infection. I have asked them about the possible causes of being tick, meningitis, spondylosis and intersusseption but they don't believe he has any of these.