YappyLittleDawg

Dear TianaKaeSha - I am so sorry if I upset you - I wouldn't do that intentionally for the world sweetie. Please accept my apology - I don't retract anything I said, but I just dashed it off when I was very tired, and didn't pay enough attention to how it may have sounded. I was cross, but at the sight of "you can't overdose on RR" (which you didn't say). I should have put more smilies (and laughies) in and will go back an edit my post to show them. I certainly wasn't criticizing you for not being quicker than the little guy who snookered himself a whole dropper full of "the good stuff" - I'm not a vet and don't know anything about rats, but I would think they a pretty tough and no harm came to him hopefully. Again, I'm so sorry - to be honest, I was not thinking of you at all when Iwrote this (again with the "you can't overdose" bit!!!) My mind was on something I read weeks ago when a chap was posting in General Discussion about his two little Maltese pups keeping him awake, and was given similar advice - give them lots of drops of RR. You are quite right, I should have posted something then but it slippped my mind and only came back to me last night reading your thread. Naughty, naughty Yappy - she shall have no supper tonight :p Love and grovelling

I am a Bach Flower Remedies practioner, and it worries me sometimes when I see how freely some people dispense RR to small pets. What a lot of people don't understand is that giving more (of any Flower remedy) is not necessary as it the frequency with which the patient comes into contact with the remedy that matters, not the quantity used. That is, if a pet is taking regular sips from a water bowl which has one drop of remedy in it, the vibrational effect is the same as giving say five or six drops, without the added concern of giving a small animal too much brandy. I would certainly NOT be giving a pet rat more than 1 drop in a days supply of water. Rescue Remedy is not a sedative, and is not going to 'zonk' anyone or anything - it will bring the patient into a postive, confident state but if there is any 'zonking' going on, it is the huge dose of alcohol. For the body weight of a pet rat, I imagine a dropper full was quite a hit!!! If you want to stupify your pet, and don't mind using alcohol to do it, go right ahead and use any of the Bach flowers - the brandy in the stock bottles will do the trick. A far better way to administer RR to such a small pet would be to rub a little (1 drop) on your hands, straight from the stock bottle, and gently stroke the little guys. If they don't like to be touched, just move hour hands as close to them as you can. For fearful animals, pay particular attention to the throat area. Remember , taking 4, 5 or 6 drops is in no way more effective than taking regular sips of water containing one or two drop, over a longer period. And it also saves you money!!! Your RR will last much longer.

Gasp ...splutter... Thanks for that poodlefan - you are legend!!! But guess what - I've decide to forgo the obvious and down-right sexy pleasures you descibe in your post, and get a professional anal gland squeezer in to do the job. Don't want to cross any demarcation lines now, do we. The slicker I got from Gone to the Dogs is fabulous, but they didn't have the one's you recommended in stock. A very pleasant woman from GttDs rang me and explained (within about 2 hours of placing my order - what great service!!!) and I bought an English model slicker - er, a slicker made in England, not Naomie- thingummy's hair-brush :D ) Teddy looks quite the little fluff ball when I've 'slicked' him. Must get some of that coat oil - what's the one that you said smells like cheese-cake? Can you recommend a poodle-groomin', anal gland squeezin' place in Canberra? Thanks again for taking the time to answer - I'm sure it wasn't wasted as that info will now be here on DOL for anyone else foolish enough to want to try "the procedure" (heavy, dum-da-dum-dum piano music ) - and you'll never have to post about it again .... Take care ;)

Way ahead of you there Vehs! ;)

You WHAT the WHAT-now?????????????????????????????????? OK - I never thought in my wildest (and weirdest) dreams I would EVER be asking a question like this - but (and you know, there just aren't enough Vomit.gif's in the world for this one!!! ) PoodleFan, how does one go about ---- god, I can't say it --- how does one ----squeeze ----the ----(oh GAAAAAAAAAAAAAWD) ---anal glands? Teddy is getting a very strange and unpleasant kind of smell - though he does look GORGEOUS after a bath with his new Fluffy Puppy Shampoo, Essentials Conditoner and new slicker brush thingy. Go on - give me a squeeze-by-retch description - I can take it. :drunk: ;) :drunk:

You WHAT the WHAT-now??????????????????????????????????

Thank you poodlefan - that's just what I needed. Yes, Teddy Bear sure is a cutey - the PAWS lady I got him from said he looks like his 'makers' ran out of poodle-fixin's when they got to his neck, and just stiched on some left-over bits of terrier for his head!!! He doesn't shed - not that I've noticed - he has this lovely soft fur, and kind of looks like a lamb, but the 'fleece' is not as thick as a lamb's. I sort of suspected as much - thanks for putting me straight. Well, I would like to try that - I meant it when i said I want him to look his best - he's had a bit of a hard life at times - I want to spoil him!!! (even if he doesn't actually LIKE having a bath!) That sounds like the go - well, "Gone to the Dogs Superbarn" here I come (Just what I needed - another excuse to shop online.)

First up, I know I could hunt through previous threads and glean what I need to know, but I was hoping a few poodle owners could give me a precise, as it were, of basic poodle grooming needs. My newest pooch is not exactly show quality stuff - he's not exactly a poodle, even! But I'm assured that he is at least half-poodle and I am just not used to his kind of coat. He is 'poodlely' over most of his wee little bod, and I do want him to look his best as his fur starts to grow back from the clip he got about 2 months ago. How long does it take to grow to maximum fluffyness? Should I get more than a brush and 'rake' for his daily grooming? Should I be using a dry shampoo on him at all? He is a lovely milk-chocolate colour - does poodle fur fade in the summer? - is there any grooming product to help prevent this?