capanash

We feed our poodles on Coprice and they do well on it, with lots of fresh food too. Coprice are now making a good puppy food. I think the BigW food is made by Coprice as well, just a cheaper, lower protein recipe. Haven't tried it, Coprice is reasonably priced and we are happy with it.

We had trouble with hotspots in our first poodle as a puppy. The best remedy was Fuciderm ointment, from the Vet, cleared them up very quickly. The same has worked for other friends poodles. You still need to clip the hair around the hotspot and keep it clean and dry.

I would be asking the Vet if the clinic is actually staffed overnight, not many are. Most dogs and cats go home the same day as surgery.

Our adult dogs are fed a homemade cooked mixture of chicken mince, rice, vegetables with garlic and rosemary. Supplemented with raw chicken frames, lamb offcuts and beef bones. They also get Coprice working dog dry food. We have tried a lot of premium dry foods and our dogs do very well on this brand, it is locally made by an Australian company using no artificial additives. The animal nutritionist for the company is a friend. Our last puppies were raised on Advance puppy food with lots of fresh meat and bones. We have used Supercoat in the past, but the formula must have been changed and now doesn't agree with the dogs.

Have you checked out your yard for possible plants that could cause alergies... http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/health/pplants.htm many plants such as Wandering Jew can cause very bad allergies

Robbo's pet barn(in Dandenong) stocks Coprice... most stock feed places should have it aswell.

Raw egg is good for dogs, good for their coats I think. 1 egg a week is all i would give them... too many can cause stinky farting! We give our dogs a whole egg, they run off with it and drop it in the concrete so it breaks! We have 3 hens... so fresh eggs aren't a problem. Once one of the hens had a nest in the backyard and the dogs kept appearing with eggs, so we had to watch the dogs raiding the nest!

To fully groom my standards for showing.... it takes about 4hrs (bathing, drying, clipping & scissoring) and to do a pet trim takes 2.5 hrs The showdogs need a 30 brush several times a week and re banding (their coat is kept in latex bands)

My personal favourite clippers are Moser... followed by Wahl... then Oster If you want you blades to stay sharpe NEVER clip wet or dirty coat!!! Always wash and dry your dog throughly befor clipping. Clipping wet coat will cause your blades to rust. Also after every use, brush the hair off and then oil your blades.

When i last went 2 Tony(mayb a year ago) he charged $10(maybe $15?) a dog, which is incredably cheap considering what a difference it makes. My dog would walk in miserable and walk out prancing with tail up!!! I found him to be really good, he is gentle but firm with the dogs. You use the greyhound-chiropractor people aslong as it isn't incredable serious. If it is a serious problem then it can be too painful for a chiro to put back in place, so it must be done under anthestic at a Vet (like Barry).

You could also try Tony at Hampton Park. Ph 9702 9027. He was trained by George and does lots of Greyhounds, we have found him very good with our poodles.

I use Fido's herbal flea rinse. It can be used as a straight spray or i put a few drops in a jug of warm water and tip it over the dogs before I dry them. This is used at lots of groomers I have worked at!!!

Our adult dogs love Coprice Working dog food. They also get lots of fresh chicken/ beef/lamb and home cooked pet mince and rice.

Raised our puppies on Supercoat and lots of fresh food. Adults have Supercoat active.

We aquired a mature dog who had never been allowed to run off lead, and would not come back. Our smart older dog solved the problem for us. When we called "come", the older dog ran after the young one , grabbed his collar and brought him back to us! It didn't take the new boy very long to learn what come meant. Poodle are just too smart.

I agree with Poodlefan. You should be feeding a complete puppy food supplemented with fresh bones. BARF is good for large breeds as they do grow slower. Carefull with eggs, they can be too rich for some puppies. Did the breeder give you a feeding guide? Any change in diet should be gradual. Our puppies go to their new homes with printed feeding instructions and endless telephone advice.

Many of the internet pet supply companies sell Fidos. Try www.vetstop.com.au

We really like the Fidos EmuOil Shampoo. Most big pet shops sell Fidos products, we bought it at the Groomex expo in Melbourne recently. It is new on the market.

We use Emu spirit emu oil capsules as a supplement to aid coat growth in our poodles. We have just started using Fidos Emu oil shampoo. Between shows it leaves the coat soft and conditioned, no dry skin which can happen with frequent washing.

Our dogs are fed Supercoat and plenty of raw chicken frames and beef or lamb bones. They love the occasional egg, including shell. One of the puppies thinks an egg is the best toy, she carries one around for ages, carefully puts it on the ground and rolls it along, then finally it becomes a snack! Supercoat has no artificial colours or flavours, unless the dogs are raised on it from weaning, it is not as tasty to them.

Sounds like the dog is going through coat change , like a poodle does when growing adult coat. It is most important to brush from the skin, try dividing the coat with a knitting needle and brushing in sections with a slicker. You can easily brush over the top of matts, we see this in some of the pet poodles we groom and the owners do brush frequently, just haven't been shown the correct technique. If you find the grooming too hard for you and the dog, just clip him short, warm weather is starting and he will be more comfortable.