poodle proud

I am with Bow wow meow. I have accident and illness cover and a $100.00 excess. Middi ended up at the emergency vet last year with gastro and vomiting. She was in less than 24 hours but racked up over $600 in treatment. It took about a month and a half to come through as it was our first claim but in the end all but the $100.00 was covered. we covered her from as early as you are allowed to so this helps I'm sure but we havent claimed for the 5 year old as yet. Middi will be having an operation for a luxating patella this year and we are hoping and praying it will be covered. If you ring them and submit a plan of what the operation is and will cost they can give you a sort of pre approval. No guarantees though. We will do this to help us decide whether we do it at our local vet or specialist centre. Insurance companies are all the same but really deep down most people have pet insurance so if the unforeseen happens they won't have to make the decision between money and their pet's life. It doesnt mean you will never have to pay for anything again but hopefully the unexpected injuries and illnesses will be covered. At 30 something dollars a month for the 2 of them it's worth it just for that peace of mind. Any other costs we will just deal with.

I think it's helpful if you can have a trial with the new dog to see how compatible they are. After some teething issues our 2 now get on like a house on fire. We have had a few incidents and some resource guarding but thanks to good dol advice and hard work we feel like they have been overcome. They are more work in some ways but just the other day I sat back and watched them play with each other for an hour before bed so that was nice. I certainly feel better knowing they have each other. it's twice the food, preventatives and pet insurance but I think they are worth it.

Thanks a lot pugmum for your reply Im glad to hear maggie is doing well. Although middi was sore over the weekend she is generally doing fine and forgets she even had a sore leg. Thanks to me doing night shift and sleeping during the day she has been resting a lot the past few days. Its good to hear You didnt have to get it done straight away. I think I'll just keep watching and see how she goes over the next few months. Thanks for the heads up on the glucosamine. PP

Hi all, I know this has been discussed previously and have read most of the threads but wanted some specific advice. Its about Middi, my toy poodle who is 16 months. * Nov 09 on routine examination vet discovered she had mild luxating patella- grade 1 (left hind leg), vet said dont worry if she's not bothered by it * over time we have seen it pop out and she pops it back into place with discomfort observed on two occasions months apart. * This weekend it popped out about 5-6 times just during medium level play, she whimpered a lot for about 1 minute each time, limped for a couple of minutes and was then fairly ok. * saw the vet this morning who noticed she was favouring this leg. vet said both hind patellas are luxating, the left one he popped out and she whimpered the right she didnt care about. *the vet wasnt adamant she needed surgery imediately but said it may be necessary in the future and prescribed anti-inflammatories. He has left it up to me to decide. This afternoon she is acting as normal, no more episodes but has had the anti inflammatories. Questions: 1. Considering this weekend is the first time it has seriously and repeatedly bothered her should I wait and see how she goes? Paying for the surgery is not an issue but at the moment feel like I would be rushing into it. 2. can anyone give me specific reccomendations for conservative treatment options (e.g. exercises, joint supplements etc) for this and is it worth trying these or would we just be delaying the inevitable? Thanks wonderful doggy ppl!

Thanks, I found a couple of other areas other than that one. They don't look exactly the same but I'm wondering if there was a flare up of a skin condition he has had before. I decided to wash him in some pyohex shampoo which is what the vet has given us in the past. The original spot has reduced in size by half in 2 days. So I'm not sure whthere it was the injection site or just coincidental. Hopefully it will keep clearing up. Thanks for your advice.

Hi Diva, Thanks for you reply. I wasn't aware of that. Ive had a closer look at it today and it looks like it is like an unpopped blister with some clear fluid in it.

Hi all, Osca had his vaccination in january. A few weeks ago I notice a small raised area in what I recall was the injection site. It doesnt feel like a prominent lump, just more like an itchy bite lump. Its between his shoulder blades. I thought it would go away bit its still there, its not red but pinker than the skin surrounding it. It hasn't affected the hair gowth He will let me touch it but doesnt want me playing with it for too long. It looks like there were remanants of a very small scab but I dont recall ever seeing a sore as such there. any ideas?

I've read that rosemary is a good cat repellant. I don't know from personal experience however.

Thanks everyone I like the idea of rewarding them when they are in their own crate. Tassie, I get what you mean about Kirra. Midnight is a such a bossyboots at times!

Hi all, i Will be crate training my two dogs, 14 months and 5 years. I plan to put the crates in the living area at the moment just for them to get used to their presence. Does anyone have advice on how to teach them which crate is theirs and get the other to respect it or does it not matter? Any advice appreciated. PP

Well then you better start flaming me because I am a Christian and a member of a church. By my very connection with the church I must according to some on here be an animal abuser. Come on people, Last I checked this was the dog forum, not the church-bashing forum.

I wonder perhaps if they don't realise what they are doing is exploitation? When every tom dick and harry is "breeding puppies" in your suburb this might seem normal. Sometimes people do things from a position of genuine ignorance. And when you take dogs to the vet many will not question whether why you have chosen a mixed-breed dog, where you got it from etc. So where do you think people will get the correct input from otherwise? Most people have no clue about the ankc or dol etc. Some people really have no idea about ethical breeding. My first job was in a pet shop. I know, shock horror. I like many people was under the impression that when you breed mixed breed dogs you breed out genetic faults. And I thought it was cruel to put your dog at risk of genetic faults by having a purebreed. Backwards and totally misinformed I know but until I was set straight I thought I was in the right. And I didnt get this info from where I worked, I got it from my local dog club, a vet nurse and other dog owners. I didn't realise how horrible it must have been for the puppies to be in the pens being cooped up all day and all night. All I know is that I worked my butt off every day cleaning out the pens, breathing in strong disinfectants just to make sure their quarters were germ free and spotless. I did this because it was my job and because I wanted them to have somewhere clean to live. I really cared about them. Obviously now I struggle to even walk past a PP Writing a letter or an email is a good idea. But if you don't want them to get their back-up do it from the right place. That is do it to educate and not to condemn. Sometimes the correct information given in the right way can convict a person and make them change their ways. If they continue to do the wrong thing even with the right information then flame them all you want but at least give them a chance to do the right thing.

The compost cages for that size would get pretty exe I imagine. At Bunnings there is plastic mesh stuff you can buy in rolls. We used this on our metal fence to keep midnight from escaping (see my signature pic). If you used wooden/metal stakes that might work. We bought the biggest roll and cut it down to the needed size so it was more economical that way.

secret Kei, I have an ezy dog harness and was finding Oscas would end up sideways. I'm not sure what your car is like but I found that when I swapped him to the middle seatbelt in the back which comes down from the upper left hand side it gave him a bit more room to move around and he never got tangled. I don't know if this is an option for you?

Midnight is like this with her harness. She freezes when its put on. I don't think she is scared of it but I think she thinks it limits her movement. Once she gets walking she is fine. I do let her sniff it and make steps towards me before I put it on though so that it is not somethingI'm forcing on her. I saw this on Cesar Millan. Don't know if it helps. Now the life jacket. Thats another story

Ok, Im going to join mine together and see how it goes. thanks Thats hilarious. Thanks for the reccomendations.

Thanks Christina, I bought 2 sets of those when we brought midnight home. My only concern with using them is how to configure them to pen size? How will they enter in and out of them? As in will I basically make a cube without a front panel or is there some other way to make a door? I will be crate training from scratch. It was also reccomended to me to use crate training to teach the poodles how to spend time away from me calmly as they are used to following me around. Reading all the crate training material they suggest at some point I will need to start enclosing them in their crate for brief periods and then gradually building up the time they spend enclosed. Would this still be feasible with the compost bin panels? p.s I forgot to add in my previous post that osca is 5 and fully grown and midnight is 13 months so I have been told she is fully grown?

Thankyou for your replies. My purpose for crating is for when friends who arent dog friendly or when children visit at this stage and possibly to sleep in our room with the doors open. Otherwise they will be on the brand new leather lounges under the air conditioning vents exactly where they are now I want it to be a place they can retreat to.

Hi, Looking to buy crates for my two poodles, a mini and a toy. Now ive read most of the crate posts and I know the general standard is that they should be able to turn around in it and lie comfortably. I found these instructions online. If I followed them would the crate be big enough and also not too big? Thanks PP http://www.wikihow.com/Buy-a-Dog-Crate

Hi all, I apologise for my late reply. Work has rudely taken me away from the forum lately I am very grateful for all the advice and personal experiences that have been offered. I realise that the advice may not preclude the need for professional intervention at some stage. I was more wanting to know what I could be doing in daily life to help my dogs cope better with visiting kids as I said. So the exercise that have been suggested are very gratefully recieved. I am really going to need to sit down and write myself a list and just start including the exercises into in the training I am doing. Erny I did the ignoring trick when I got home from work today and it didnt actually take long for them to calm down and do their own thing before I could call them over. ;) Plus I am searching online for crates. I really want to get the fabric ones but after reading lots on crates I should probably go for a wire one. Osca would be fine in a fabric crate but Middi might learnt to escape too easily too quickly. Thankyou everyone. Edited because I pressed the wrong key which submitted my post too early.

As always Erny you have given me such practical advice, Thankyou!!! I have done this once before but it ended in a massive fight when one dog wanted the others bone. I could try and plcae them in separate parts of the yard though. The dogs are in the house when I am home so would it be the same thing if I went to my bedroom and shut the door until they were calm? Does this mean you say hello instead of sit when you are asking for the behaviour? Yes, I certainly will. Given your suggestions I have a lot to work on but plenty of time to get it right thankfully. Thanks so much everyone else for your replies! As I was expecting crating looks like it comes highly reccomended and will be the way to go. Further to this (and will sound silly) But do they feel left out if you send them to their crate rather than seeking refuge in the crate themselves? Or am I humanising them too much. I'm happy to be set straight

Firstly a big thankyou to the dol'ers who gave me heaps of info when we had an incident with OH and midnight last month. Advice has been implemented and things are improving significantly. So thanks! Question: My two poodles are mostly inside dogs and dont have a lot to do with children under 3. Both have weekly supervised contact with next-door neighbours grandkids outside (they are 3 and up) We were visited by friends yesterday with a 14 month old. I had both dogs onlead and separated them from us during lunch by confining them our hallway. They are used to following me everywhere in the house so they cried when I did this. Does anyone have advice on how to handle inside dogs and kids? At the moment it may just be the odd vivsit I have to contend with but eventually we will have kids and I want to plan for the logistics of that arrangement now. Thankyou in advance PP

The poodles and I got rushed by a large mixed-breed dog on a walk a few weeks ago. It was on our usual route but as the dog is normally in the backyard I wasnt paying too much attention. At the last minute I looked up and saw the dog and realised he was offlead and alone. He charged down the driveway towards us. I panicked a bit but then remembered cesar millans session at the dog park and how he reccomends placing yourself in front of your dogs, standing tall/proud etc. So I did this, stomped my feet and let out a short/sharp HEY!! and no joke he stopped dead in his tracks and ran back up the driveway. Maybe a fluke but a lot easier than trying to worry about picking up a dog in each arm like I would have done in the past.

just joined. Good on you

This is where it is important. "Trying" I don't think I quite understand other than it makes me think that there continues to be inconsistencies. Your dog wants something? Make her do something for you first. Each time . You need to have it so your dog actually believes in what you are doing. And if you're not consistent, that is not likely to happen. In fact, inconsistencies both do not work and also make the problem harder to resolve later on. I have been making her sit/drop to enter/leave rooms, for food, for play, for treats etc. So by trying I mean I am doing my best as a novice to implemement what I have read but I'm sure i'm not perfect at it yet Thats a good idea PF about calling her off and planning ahead a bit so we don't even have to risk the growling. Thanks. Thanks JudyG for the reccomendation. Thanks for the advice all. I understand specific issues need a specifically tailored approach. I appreciate the info you have all provided.