Alfie02

I hope all goes well and she is feeling better really soon, poor puppy, its not nice having something in your eye :D

Thanks for all the help guys :D . About the tube and irritation rather than it being kennel cough, we asked the vet nurse at our vets if it could be this and she said that it could be but she seemed to be leaning more towards kennel cough from our description of the cough. And also it completly makes sense about the incubation period now, the four dogs next door had kennel cough about two weeks ago but have been better for a while so i thought that my boy couldnt catch it from them any more (even though their only interaction is through a fence as they generally dont get along). I had no idea that he has probably had it in its early stages before he went to the vets but wasnt showing any signs. He is ok today, still coughing but no too bad since he is staying calm, resting and loving all the attention. Thanks again everyone

Thanks for the replies guys, it is so great having help from others that have had dogs with KC and I can now at least give him something to help him with his coughing so hopefully he feels better. Thanks again

Thanks ashaflynn :D Oops will defs stop rubbing his throat then, dont want to make it worse! He is a pretty lazy boy so keeping him calm shouldnt be too hard , its just when we come home and he gets excited he coughs alot, so we will have to try and calm him quickly. Will go and research about the Benadryl, great advice thank you!

Thanks for that belgian.blue, we have some manuka honey so I will try that now

Hi all, Just feeling bad for my boy and am trying to find something that mite make him more comfortable. So the story is, A while back I started a thread about my 11 year old boy's smelly breath. So from the replies I thought it must be his teeth, so we booked him in at the vets to get his teeth cleaned and at the same time have two suspicious looking lump/warts removed from his leg and head. So he was booked in to have surgery on the Monday and we dropped him in at 8.30 and were told to ring back at about 3 to see when we could pick him up. So we ring at 3 but his surgery had to be delayed cos there was an emergency amputation and they needed the operating theatre, which of course was fine that our boy hadnt been done, we just felt so bad for the poor dog who was loosing his leg. So our boy had his surgery late arvo and stayed over nite. We picked him up in the morning and to our suprise he has his head totally shaved and a large cut with 6 stitches across his head! Poor boy, they thought the little tiny half a centimetre lump could have been skin cancer so left a wide margin. Anyways we had him home over night and he was coughing a bit but we just thought it was from having a tube down his throat or something? But no, he had to go back to the vets today because his bandage on his leg was too tight and making his toes swell, so while this was done we asked about the cough. She said from our discription it sounds like it could be kennel cough even though he is vacinated...he is going back on Friday and the vet will assess him again then for kennel cough and to have his banage off his leg. I feel so bad...this is his second operation in a year (he has cruciate ligament repair earlier this year) and he obviously feels very crappy and he has kennel cough :D Is there anything I can do when he is coughing to help? I have been rubbing his throat but it doesnt really help. Sorry for the long post....just wanted to share and ask for advice :D

Wow, what fantastic prizes! I will definately be entering, such a good cause

Oh I had no idea that lucerne isnt good for bunnies, they just wouldnt eat the timmothy hay so I got them lucerne Belgian.blue, sorry I only found it at my local pet shop....which is in a small rural-ish town....so maybe if you checked your local pet shop they mite have it? Or if they dont have it ring around some more rural pet/feed stores in you area and see if they have it? Sorry I couldnt help more!

Hi, Yep I have bought Timothy hay before for my rabbits and guinea pigs from a local pet shop, however found that they didnt like it. They much rather lucerne =)

Thank you for all the great suggestions everyone, some good breeds to do some research on so I can have some more knowledge about them before suggesting them to friends as suitable breeds Had a look at a picture of some cardigan corgi puppies on the net...and you are right SmoothieGirl and Alyosha, very cute !

Also loving the greyhound suggestion, I think they are just beautiful doggies :p and yes about the cockers, I have met some lovely cockers but then have heard some not so good rumors about them , but personally I adore them and think they look so divine!

Sorry lappiemum, just had a blonde moment What a beautiful looking Lappie, loving the colour :p

Thanks a lot for the responses guys, very helpful. Most of the medium dog breeds that are more 'common' seem to be mostly working breeds I have found, so its good to know of some breeds that may not be as common and more medium energy

Hi :p I love researching breeds on the net and get asked by a few of my friends and family about different dogs and what dog breed do I think would suit their needs. I am usually pretty good at matching dogs with their lifestyles and preferences..but one thing has me a bit stumped. A lot of the time people are asking for medium sized dog breeds (border collie size) that are not known for being ultra energetic.....so medium dog breeds that are medium energy levels (in general of course). So my question is what medium sized dog breeds are considered 'medium' energy? Thanks! PS. I know that I can look this up on the net, but I find that personal experience is much more reliable than random information on the net

It sounds like you do a lot already to mimise the doggy smell, so maybe your guest isnt around dogs much or is just sensitive to odours. I know some poeple who think every dog they meet smells, whereas I cant smell a thing?? So maybe get a second opinion from another friend or family member?

Thanks so much for the replies everyone I will definatley not be buying the Kmart cheapies and will go for something a bit more pricey if that means they will last longer. Thank you for that contact Boronia! I will do a bit of research of what I want, now that I know what to look for, and then contact nicestman77

Hi all, Just wondering if anyone could recommend a set of clippers that are not to fancy but will last a while, for clipping my two dogs. They are both maltese if that makes a difference to the clippers I should buy? (I am pretty clueless about this, lol). I saw some at Kmart for just $94....has anyone used these before and are they any good? Also, are there any good web sites that tells you how to clip a dog properly? We usually just have our boys in a 'puppy clip'. Thanks!

OMG awesome! So getting a pair! Thanks

hahaha so many cute outfits Beautiful piccies of your Pug Huga! Just out of curiosity, are those your shoes? Cos they are awesome! If they are yours, did you make them or buy them?

Im sorry that your girl has a heart murmur, its never nice to find out somethings wrong with your fur-kid. My youngest boy who is 4 was diagnosed with a heart murmur last year, but we have had no problems with his health at all yet, he is very fit and healthy and enjoys a good run

Will definatley ask the vet about all these possibilties so we can get to the bottom of this all! Thank you very much for your help DOLers!

Thanks tdierikx, I was thinking it may be that before I got the teeth answers as he does have a beef allergy (so we do not feed him any beef products), so he may have some digestive problems aswell, so will get that checed out at the vets that same time as the teeth

Im so sorry to hear that Dogmad, how terrible for that to happen Thank you for pointing all this out . The vet just had a general look when we took him in last year and she said that his teeth were fine. However we have been to the vets quite a few times after this (as it has been a year since then) and have not had his teeth re-checked....so I think its time to make an appointment for the vets to have his teeth and mouth looked thoroughly at and then another to get them cleaned

Thanks for the relpies guys. I forgot to say that his teeth dont actually have a significant build up of tartare or anything. The vet said to us that his teeth in her opinion are pretty good for a dog his age. It was just us who wanted them cleaned to stop his breath smelling so bad in case that was the cause. So if its not his teeth could it be his diet? I will definatley try some of your sugestions ren83 I had forgotten having bad teeth can cause heart desease, thanks bridie :p I will keep my eye on his teeth in case they do get a build up and keep giving him his chicken necks.

Hi everyone! My eldest dog who is 11 has very bad breath! Its just so offensive! And to make matters worse he likes to sit really close to you and 'smile' and pant at you....so after two minutes the whole room smells like dog breath :D We feed him a chicken neck each night with dinner and give him chewy things such as pigs trotters and lambs ears occaisionally (maybe once a month). When he was at the vets getting his crutiate ligament in his back leg repaired (about a year ago) we asked if they could clean his teeth whilst he was under anesthetic, but they said that this could stir up bacteria or something which isnt good with his big operation. We really dont want him to have to go under anesthetic again to get his teeth cleaned as he is getting on in years. So is there anything we can do to make his breath more pleasant? Thank you!