curlyking

Personally as a rule I like to keep my pups on 3 meals a day until about 6 months then cut down to 2 meals a day.

So should we be suing the vets when our pup gets sick from overvaccinating when they do not follow the drug company's recommondation as many don't now that the protocols have changed? Protocols have changed for vaccines recently although clients are not always told about the new details from the drug companies. A new puppy purchaser trying to sift the wheat from the chaff is confronted with so many differing opinions. My advice is to follow what your breeder (assuming you have bought from one) has suggested if you are totally confused by it all

www.herbal-treatments.com.au

When I feed dry I mainly use EP. however, I do find the Ecopet an excellent alternative if you can get it and 10kg is about $22 I buy it from Robbos Pet Barn or Ecopet themselves in Dandenong Vic.

I know people - albeit in Denmark that had used acupunture with some success in treating HD but then had gold bead implants inserted. Apparently the result has been wonderful. I know also that there is or at least was a Vet in Victoria that does the gold bead implants - somewhere on the Mornington Pennsular I believe

Get the owners to contact Robert McDowell in Bathurst. www.herbal-treatments.com.au He will give a consultation over the phone if it is not possible for them to see him and I'm sure he will have something that could help the dog. It sounds as though they have othing to lose by trying an alternative.

quote name='Miranda' date='4th Jul 2006 - 04:15 PM' post='1098374'] The puppy will be quite healthy outside provided it has somewhere warm and comfortable to sleep and is fed three times daily. At eight weeks it is perfectly able to regulate its temperature and it's highly unlikely that it will pick up anything from the dogs next door. The puppy will whinge and cry to start with but will soon get used to the routine. I put my puppies outside at four weeks of age and have never had a problem. It would be a good idea if she checks her yard thoroughly for poisonous plants, holes in the fence or anything that she thinks may pose a danger to the dog. I agree with this Miranda. My pups are whelped outside in a very well insulated building with a run attached and as they grow they just spread themselves further. If we are talking about a reasonable sized dog here I would leave it outside BUT, only in an enclosed area of the yard. Can your sister put up even a temporary yard/pen which will give the pup shelter and space with the added benefit that it will not be able to get into things which may be harmful to itself or your house/garden etc?. The neighbour is going to come and feed the pup and no doubt play with it some and presumably the owners will spend plenty of time with it when they are home. While this situation may not be the ideal, it is certainly possible and many people have and will do it in the future with no ill affects to the pup.. When will some people stop tinking every dog/pup that is not raised as they think it should be has been neglected and will end up in the pound by the age of 2. Many may but it is not because the owner chooses to manage their dogs differently than others, but because the owner chose not to manage the dog at all..

Ecopet also sell an excellent kibble although it is hard to find. Robbo's PetBarn in Dandenong (Vic) sell it and I have found it at a few other places. Good value at about $22 for 10kg from memory. Ecopet also have an outlet/shop in Dandenong

You may be better off taking her to a "doggy chiropractor" for this sort of thing. All a Vet will do is give anti inflammatories and send you home without necessarily finding the cause.

Which is why owners should make up their own mind and not have proponents of one line of thought or the other tell them what they should do or condem then for not following the ideals of others!

[blackfoot wrote: I'm extremely uncomfortable with the view that all dog owers who are not registered breeders are presumed to be so ignorant of what is required to ensure their dogs live healthily, harmoniously and safely in our society that it should be mandatory for all their dogs to be spayed/neutered. Responsible owners, irrespective of the parentage of their dogs, are quite capable of making an informed decision, which is based on a proper consideration of the individual dog and their own social and domestic situation. I agree entirely with this sentiment Blackfoot. Not only that but the inference that any bitch having a litter will have a problem. Most in reality don't but manage to whelp and look after therir litter perfectly well.

Yep, I agree with you morgan. Can't dock tails because the powers that be say preventing an injury is not a good enough reason to do so, but we can/must desex in case the animal produces. Seems like a contridiction to me.

I give daily tablets, it is by far the cheapest treatment I have found and it is easy to remember to give them every day.

I only ever give a C3 vaccination. First at 7 to 8 weeks next at 12 weeks and then one at about 15 months. At the risk of being told I am not keeping up with modern day practices this is all I have ever done and I see absolutely no valid reason to change what I have done for over 30 years

There is no reason in the world in my opinion why your new pup needs to eat commercial or processed foods. Chicken wings, bone included are fine but they MUST only be given raw. I raise my litters on raw food and they have no dry food from the time they have been weened until they leave here. I used to feed some dry as I think most new owners are so conditioned to feeding that way but now I just explain to people what I feed and strongly recommend they feed the same. As kelpiecuddles says do a search for raw food or BARF diets and you will find a heap of information. Also check out this site www.barfworld.com.au As a guide to how much he should be eating I feed my pups about 10% of their expected adult weight per day. As adults I feed between 2 &4% of their weight depending on the dog's condition this may need to be varied

Erny, I'm sorry to hear this was your experience and I do believe it is not good enough. I know Barry's first and foremost interest is the chiropractic area but that is no excuse for that attitude. I went to Barry in part because he was close by - literally at the end of the street I worked in but since he moved to Cranbourne have not been to him. I must say though I only have good reports about him but as with everything one can only go on what one finds.

Ray is my regular vet too and while I have used him for chiropractic things I must admit I think Barry Heywood is better for this. George to me personally is perhaps just a bit past his best. Having said that I know many do and will disagree with me but I also know many who will agree with me. Guess it is horses for courses. One of the advantages of using Ray or Barry is that IF there is xrays or medication needed they, as Vets are able to cater for this. I am not sure what Barry charges now but he used to be $35. Somewhat more than George does but then in my case I would not have 1.5 hours travel and the cost incurred by that.

Barry Heywood at Cranbourne. Check in the VicDog mag for his details. Ray Ferguson at Monash Vet. Clinic -- 9544 7455

We offer a free 6 week insurance plan with our pups. This covers them for the first 6 weeks they are in their own ome. The company then contacts the buyer to see if they will purchase a policy. In the case of our last litter there were 8 pups. 1 new owner opted not to take up the free policy each of the others did not take up the full policy but were not hassled by the company. As for myself with 4 dogs the cost would be far too prohibitive to make it worth while and I am in the fortunate position to be financially secure enough to afford any emergencies that come along. www.petplan.com.au I think in the Uk pet insurance is a big thing but in Australia I'm not too sure it is. You also need to check the age of the dog the policy will cover. Some stop at 8 or 10.

Could not agree more

I don't think I have ever heard of anyone using the Vit C as an alternative to Vet care and anti venene. Nor do I believe the majority of people who advocate it's use would suggest this either. But I can see why it may be the case IF cost is a major factor. Many years ago a friend of mine had a dog bitten and it cost her over $1000 for the anti venene. Whether or not we like it some people just do not have the option to spend that sort of money. This was 20 years ago and things may be cheaper now. Let us keep this in perspective. In the management of any issue there will be those who have set ideas about things and those who just simply are not prepared to spend the money trying for whatever reason. Just as there will be those who are prepared to look for an alternative treatment to either replace or supplement a conservative one. Just because a Vet says Vit C is a waste of time does not necessarily mean that is correct. I'm sure there are as many that say the administeration og Vit C is beneficial. Just like so many things some Vets - and I'm not saying this applies to those raz has spoken to - are not giving care that is the most up to date and best for the dog Another issue all together is the matter of vaccinations. Should we be constantly pumping chemicals into our dogs? Do we really need to do so as frequently as the Vet says? But that as I say is another issue totally and one which I am not going to enter into. And before anyone jumps on me I am not Vet bashing here!

Thanks Kitakisses This is in part what I am looking for.

Thanks Raz, at the moment I'm not interested in scientific evidience. My dog has not been bitten but I do have pups in snake prone areas and i have enough antedotal evidience to suggest that at best one may well buy time and at worst no harm will be done by usine this. Unfortunately I have mislaid the information I had so am unable to revisit this and was just wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction. As I understand from people who have injected Vit C to a dog that has been bitten what they do achieve is slowing down the speed of the venom movement and hence buying a bit more time to get to the vet - particuarly in cases where people live in the more remote areas.