Skruffy n Flea

But isnt there a saying that you catch more flies with honey? Replying to one of these posts with the first line "Your an Idiot rant, rant,rant" isnt going to get them to listen - they will press the x button and take off but a well worded non-judgemental post stating facts and reasons may get them to hang around and learn more. Like it or not but there are still heaps of people out there that think you buy a dog from the petshop and that letting your bitch have a litter will "settle them down" - these people need education not flaming but I guess if flaming someone makes you feel superior then go ahead. ditto

plenty of peeps in this thread have responded according to the rules ... ima gunna respond as a noob this is a discussion forum, and the operative word there is discussion! some posters in this OP's original thread had such venom that even in my limited experience on this forum but plenty on several others, i was very much taken aback when i read them ... it left me thinking look the f*** out should i ever need that kind of help!!! some remarks were flat out blatant while others were laced with vitriolic innuendo ... shame on each of you for adding absolutely nothing constructive and for making the OP's already beleagured position feel even more hopeless! you added to her ache! ever been there yourself?!?! perhaps it's time! the saddest thing about all this is that for all the good advice that the OP has taken note of, this whole experience for her, the OP, this horrible situation with her beautiful dog, her memory of this awful experience with her dog is now likely tainted because of those few that turned her thread to shit when she turned to a community that she trusted to help her out with some advice, even just a little. ya see, for noobs like me, it screams frikken caution as this forum currently is the place i would consider seeking help if a situation with my dogs was dire and i too needed to reach out... just sayin'

nothing more i can add cuz it's all been said! BUT! your mum insisted!??! because your sister was refusing to come otherwise!??! how disrespectful and what a pair of fricken control freaks... man, not in my house ... no way no how, out the back and stfu or leave *hands on hips* i wish you much good luck lisa

by christ i enjoyed reading this thread! bella and byron are the only dogs i've ever had that i can call my own and i've only had 2 years' experience in total... BUT something in the back of my mind settles very easily with the theory that we chemically overprotect them and yes, i can absolutely incorporate that into the possibility [despite the lack of scientific proof, general knowledge and dog experience] that generation upon generation being chemically overprotected MUST have some effect somewhere down the line ... a trickle down effect! what was that drug they administered to pregnant women way back?!?! that drug that caused infant defects! chemical applications have become so sophisticated over the past several decades that it begs the question: how long should a test study take?

it's just sad ... i can't even comprehend putting a living, breathing thing thru that kind of breed torture! madness... at the off-leash park we take our two, there was on occasion an odd looking dog and after some quiet conversation between me and OH, decided it must be a BC x corgi on account of it's absolute BC face, colour, coat and tail but its stumpy *had2be* corgi legs ... i wasn't able to identify it's owner/s so we never did get to learn it's breed but i felt this overwhelming sense of sadness for that dog! some weeks later it came to pass that it must have been a 'neighbourhood breed' cuz there appeared another, exactly the same but for it's eyes, which seemed sibe-like... i don't understand the mentality really!

thanks aj for the update and you are absolutely correct: no point in going to all that trouble only to find that your own anxiety and frustration rushes you to modify so as to get immediate results ... i deal with that too and i'm learning to take a step back and let things adjust. ya see, byron's symptoms subsided ONLY after i plied him topically with 4 different applications ... i don't know whether it was just one thing, several, the lot combined or it was his immune system on its own adjusting! i'd applied the week before a flea spot-on ... he could very well have been reacting to that one single thing and that's why i'm also researching more natural methods for treating fleas or using comfortis or capstar on both my dogs but only when fleas are prevalent or during the flea season! i've heard tho that you don't necessarily have to see fleas for them to reside on your dogs!??!? ... tuff situation to say the least!!!

National study of the gastrointestinal parasites of dogs and cats in Australia Abstract The prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in Australian pet dogs and cats was largely unknown prior to this study. Current recommendations for the prophylactic treatment of parasites in Australia are based on studies conducted 20–30 years ago. A total of 1400 canine and 1063 feline faecal samples were collected from veterinary clinics and refuges from across Australia. The overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in dogs and cats was 23.9% (CI 21.7–26.1) and 18.4% (CI 16.1–20.7), respectively. Overall Giardia was the most prevalent parasite in dogs (9.3% CI 7.8–10.8) followed by hookworm (6.7% CI 5.4–8.0). Isospora felis was the most prevalent parasite in cats (5.6% CI 4.2–7.0), followed by Toxocara cati (3.2% CI 2.1–4.3). In conclusion the prevalence of intestinal helminths in Australian pet dogs and cats is low. Consequently, consideration should be given to the future use of anthelmintics and continued emphasis on pet owner education as means of preventing infection.

excellent thread: should be pinned...

thanks tiggy i'd actually looked at that too and i've a mind to try my two on it in any event cuz we're going on a dog-friendly holiday later in the year!

States growing tougher on animal abusers

it's a bit of a drive but i hear really good things about bayview boat ramp you could consider making a day of it ... a nice day at the beach for both man and beast i've not been myself but as i said, i've heard good things!

can anyone hear me screaming!??! nothing more to add cuz it's all been said ... good luck kk

excellent thread! and can i just say that i reckon moose is one of the cutest lil monsters in the world! back on topic: the annual vac bothers me a whole helluva lot ... last year my two suffered for several days from the vac's effects and being one for limiting exposure i'm certainly interested in the 3-yr vac! this titre test, if it's unreliable, why do vets still provide that service!??! and these two additional strains of canine cough, are they prevalent!?!?

this is what i was looking at also and i'm really glad to read you've had success with it! i haven't yet been able to determine the cause of byron's allergy issue - as his vet said the other week, happy to take a scraping, but there's nothing to scrape! i recently introduced artemis to both his and bella's diet and i'm hoping it will help stablise his condition... ... this damn near sold me... ... brilliant success story aj! thanks for the info who knows! if i don't have success curing byron's itchies on the current plan, then i might still give van a go... Skin allergies are because of an over-active immune system so you don't want to 'boost' the immune system. Although what you probably want to do is go more natural and remove presavtives and fillers from the dogs diet, therefore going natural would be a good idea. I'm in two minds on this Sas. I get the "over-active immune" line of thought with the conventional methods being designed to dumb it down a bit (ie suppress the immune system). But I also think along the lines of "the immune system not functioning as it should" (whether that be over-active OR under-active) and therefore think that if the immune system can be nourished (ie supported) by natural means (eg. Aloe Vera Juice) could it not result in the immune system finding its proper functioning level? frankly, i don't know what side of this argument makes the most sense but what i tend to believe is that animals in the wild have naturally occuring defence systems to combat all the nasties and because we bombard our domestic pets with all these synthetic and toxic chemicals to keep all the nasties at bay, those defences, still naturally occuring, no longer have a job and therefore manifest themselves in other ways ... admittedly, i don't have the stats on life expectancy in the wild but going natural certainly has my vote... i'm really happy to read this sezling and i so very much appreciate your very kind offer but i'm continuing with barf at this stage ... if i do turn to van it will likely be the plan aj is currently using ;) right, and there we go... *thinking* but then maybe the skin support program is still an option for byron if my current plan doesn't succeed! thanks stitch ... i'm a yuge fan of barf too and i love hearing all the success stories from ppl that feed it to their pets an update now from me! byron's itching has subsided this past week but i don't know whether it was the topical applications of essential 6 spot-on, calendula tea, 50:50 acv or 100% aloe vera gel [not all at once!] --- yup, his itching got that bad! he still has a flushed appearance in some areas of his body and he still licks his forepaws but not as often ... the base of his tail still aggravates him a little tho but his back no longer ripples nor does he beat his back legs when i scratch for him... i'm close to working out his diet i'll save the parasite treatment regime for another thread ;)

so, it's not related to bsl BUT this in from China! ... The "anti-animal cruelty" law (draft) stipulates that individuals who illegally eat or sell cat and dog meat will face a penalty of 5,000 yuan and 15 days detention. ... i ask: define illegally eat! and then comes this!

what an absolute godawful situation for that poor dog and his owner! thru no fault of his own, or his owner, bureaucratic bs heaves its mighy chest and dictates that even tho his owner did castrate him, he did not cage him, and so therefore it is justified to dislocate this golden oldie animal that bears no dna resemblance to those breeds classified as Restricted Breeds and Declared Dangerous Dogs... someone, plse, explain why do i not get it?

Important Information for owners of Restricted & Dangerous Dogs in NSW

What brand would that be, Steve? good question erny thank you so much steve for the info and, yes, dolers are absolutely on the ball mason's mum, i reckon given what you and sezling are dealing with, i'm really glad i asked the dolers that question before i took the leap ... it's quickly becoming the rule of thumb for me i wish both of you the very best of luck... *waits for steve to answer erny's question*

thank you everyone for your replies i'll continue using barf... steve, very interesting info you provided as regards the imune system ... i am so on board with that thinking and i reckon i'm gunna give the 'treat fleas and worms when necessary' philosophy a go *bites the bullet* my only hesitation tho is worms ... is there an outward sign that i should look for should either of my dogs get worms!??! flea infestations i can see myself dealing with ... but worms are an enigma! maybe i'll just stop the flea treatments for now! i might consider too the 3-year [as opposed to the annual] vacs ... following their shots last year both dogs were out of sorts for several days and that srsly bothered me... i did some research into aloe vera! and it just screams do iiiiiit ... i gotta get me to a garden centre because i can't wait to get started, and WOAH, even for myself! are those infusions board certified? if not, what preparation are? how much should i give to a 6 to 7 kilo dog? as for the ACV, i add a teaspoon to each barf brick from which i get 4 meals ... i was adding ACV to their inside water container but they were choosing to drink instead from the outside containers so i added it to their outside containers too but then we got the clam shell! i'll give ya 2 guesses as to how that panned out... we rarely wash our dogs and i think its been about oooh, 10 weeks or so since their last bath and we did use ACV in the final rinse then but i wasn't sure as to the ratio so thanks for that info too tilly, thanks for the reading tip ... i'll keep it in mind secretkei, no, we haven't tried the elimination diet yet ... i thought i'd take the path of least resistance first and if that fails, go the next step both dogs are fed on barf, some boiled chicken, tuna or salmon in oil, artemis weight management and lean raw bones when we're out... erny, thanks, i got my first batch of calendular tea today along with some rolled oats cuz i will try anything to alleviate his condition while i'm dealing with the cause woofenpup, thanks for that! neither of my dogs need condition so that was very good information sandra64, thanks for your reply ... they each get a cap of fish oil per evening meal [i'm about to change to a teaspoon of FO per EM] but i am curious about flaxseed oil and willing to add that too ... i wanna see first how treating his immune system with aloe goes christinex, WOW, what a situation! thanks for the camomile tea tip i've just bought calendular tea [not cheap!] so i better see if that works before i buy another tea that i am also unlikely to enjoy drinking! shmurps, i can't help ya with that one but i'd be interested to know why too sezling, it sounds like you've got a tuff case too! i wish for you guardian angels thanks again dolers for your invaluable advice steve, if you could just answer those 3 questions for me, i'd be most grateful

don't lose any sleep over it LC ... i can assure you, i meant no malice. i just missed a word or two and it made a difference ... i adore jr's, i have 2 x's myself and i can safely bet that what happened to your neighbour's dog simply put me off my game...

oh man! just when i thought it couldn't get any worse... srsly, i'm near staging a frikken boycott *clenches teeth*

okay, this may have been done to death but every circumstance has its own merits... byron is itchy, it's incessant when there's a flare-up (like this week) and unless i understand and address the cause, it'll be a lifelong treatment of his symptoms *sadness* he has no skin flakes or spots, but tonight i decided that his pale skin appears too pink in some places and THAT in itself is a revelation cuz until then, i thought he exhibited absolutely no outward signs [other than itching] whatsoever ... even the vet was in a quandry last week saying she'd be happy to take a scraping but 'there's nothing to scrape' and 'his skin is the same pink all over'! it occurs to me NOW that the 'same pink' is perhaps 'too pink' and THAT, my friends, may lead us to a diagnosis! :cool: anyhoo, i've read some interesting things about VAN and i wanna know your experiences comparing that product to BARF. if you've had a similar experience with what seems to be a chronically itchy dog that shows no serious skin condition at all, and you've changed your dog's diet, then plse share your experience with me... poor byron is being driven nuts and i am so nearly at my wits end trying to help him ... i need to cure him! thanks :D

ooh, sorry LC! i meant no implication on your part, even tho it seemed that there was in my post... i meant the vet didn't convey his/her motives behind saying 'leave it' ... nor it would seem, the vet's nurse! apologies :cool:

i reckon in some respects we're really lucky cuz we live in a really dog-friendly neighbourhood :D every few streets, there's some kinda dish or bowl filled with water, waiting for the panting parade to rehydrate :D it's a shame that some of those streets have inconsiderate bastard recidivists that park their cars across footpaths, INCLUDING on a main arterial!!! idiots like that don't know the meaning of 'recidivist' ... bastard recidivists *angry face* i stay away from those areas :D anyhoot, i don't take water for my dogs because my dogs avail themselves of the good-hearted kindness ... upon our return tho, my command isn't 'home', it's 'drink' and both dogs dart up the driveway to the front door :cool:

srsly, i would be sweet-talking your fb friend around to your thinking ... i wouldn't contact the breeder myself but get her to understant that it's the right and proper thing for her to do and quick smart [even if her dog isn't pregnant]! breeders [without any experience myself but it makes damn good sense] are a wealth of information and yeah, i reckon i'd be interested to know that one of my pups was about to have a dangerous litter, likely even a c-section... be wise cassie, take the high road here but don't damage whatever relationship you have with your friend ... she's in a difficult position and how you handle it will fairly dictate the outcome! breathe, don't condemn her ... it's a situation she doesn't seem to have a whole helluva lotta control over! you have in the palm of your hand an uneducated dog owner ... now's the time to help her, she needs you... on the down side, if she fails to follow thru with your wisdom and advice, be sure to contact the breeder yourself ... no bones baby, from what i've read in this thread, this shit is serious! good luck :cool: