cavNrott

That's exactly the way I fitted a prong...when it was legal here. The check chain is a good backup as long as there is enough length in it, as you mentioned. A longer check chain hangs loose further down the neck. It doesn't interfere with the operation of the prong but I imagine it would if it wasn't long enough.

Doesn't having a second collar interfere with the action of the prong? You can use a connector, Blackdog Wear have them or just use a choke chain with the prong and connect the lead to both. Of course since I'm in Victoria I wouldn't use a prong because they're illegal here I've actually given my prong collar to someone else who is also in Vic so he wouldn't use it either His dog has some lovely bandanas too. They look so cute on big dogs. However if I was in another state, even though I don't like choke chains I would use one as a backup for the prong....saves buying a connector and the dog is safe if the prong does come undone. edited to change the word collar to chain.

If you give us an idea in which state you live we can probably put you onto a supplier who makes up a BARF mix.

I wouldn't use Canola oil I much prefer Sunflower oil. Do you give your dogs fish oil capsules or vit E capsules?

When you say H worm do you mean Heartworm or Hydatid Tapworm?

That's a classic example of someone who needs to learn about training. He abuses his dog by hitting it when he hasn't taught it manners.....some people are complete idiots :D What he's doing is teaching the dog that its owner can't be trusted to take food from his hand without getting hit...that poor dog. I say 'gentle' and if my dog tries to snatch I say ttssss and turn my back on her. Then we try again. She knows if she snatches there will be no treat.

I like brisket bones the best too. I think chuck bones are ok to be given occasionally but certainly not frequently.

My butcher uses the spine of the animal for chuck bones,not just the bones from the neck. I don't use them anymore because big dogs can chew pieces off and they're very hard bones. I'm using lamb flap bones now and they're good because they are softer and more easily digested..plus they do the job of keeping the teeth clean.

cavNrott - Spelling has never came easy to me. oakway-I followed my vets advice. Let her have her first season then have her spayed no sooner than 2 months after her first season. Pixie was booked in to be spayed in August. This happened and she's been spayed a couple of weeks earlier, albeit a more expensive "spaying" than planned. I still have no reason to question the advice I was given. As Miranda said - I was just unlucky to experience this as it is more associated with older bitches. Nah! it wasn't about your spelling MM. I posted the correct spelling because someone asked what it was and I thought better the correct spelling for a Google. You were unlucky with your dog. I had the same problem with a GSD. She had one season and shortly after she developed an open pyometra. This was some 20+ years ago and the vet gave me the same advice as your vet did....so did the breeder.

For anyone who wants to google it's PYOMETRA (no n)

So sorry Dru.

I think that's a very unfair way to treat a puppy. One of the most important things we owe our dogs is to treat them fairly. I hope there will be no complaints about the dog when this child gets her face bitten. That advice from the owner (breeder) would be close to the most stupid and dangerous advice I've ever heard. I'm trying to figure out who owns the pup. The child or the owner(breeder)

Oh how very sad for your son. R.I.P. Emmy ;)

Aha! Gotcha now. Thanks

I do the same as you with the only difference being I add Flaxseed oil (from the refrigerated section) rather than Cod Liver oil. I also add in Cranberry tablets for my girls.

Could you please explain what you mean. I bolded the part I don't understand. I was told by the orthosurgeon who operated on my Rottweiler to give Glucosamine and Chondroitin daily. We were using Cosequin at the time. We did discuss human products at the time and he said there was no point in giving Glucosamine without Chondroitin. He also said a product that included MSM as well was preferred. I now use Joint Guard because it has all 3 ingredients and is formulated for dogs. I follow the prescribed dose for her weight. We did do a course of Cartrophen injections but we saw no benefit at all. We did another course 6 months later and had no visible benefit. Some dogs seem to benefit but unfortunately for us, my girl doesn't.

I vote for Joint Guard. Dogs are better with Glucosamine Hydrochloride rather than Glucosamine Sulphate because the hcl is more bioavailable to dogs. It has a different molecular structure.

TB Atlas won't be able to have his nails cut right back, only back to where the quick starts. Otherwise he wil have bleeders that are damn hard to stop. A vet nurse cut the nail right back on my friends dog and she ended up by having to take the dog back that night to have it cauterised because it kept bleeding.

I agree...definitely xray.

Do you know if the ligaments are actually partially torn or are they strained. This will make a difference in what choices you have. For the time being, strict crate rest with only on lead outside toilet breaks. Can you tell us more about it...since you say elbows then you're talking about front legs, right? Give us more info and see if we can suggest a few things. I've had my dog with ligament problems but they were knees, so hind legs. I've also had elbow problems BUT they were cause by a muscle in the shoulder going into spasm and the silly vet got it wrong.

Glucosamine Sulphate maybe a better product for humans but Glucosamine hydrocholoride is more bioavailable for dogs due to the different molecular structure. I switched from Gluc. Sulph to Joint Guard because of the Glucosamine hydrochoride.

I have my 2 large breed dogs on Scheussler Tissue Salts, Magnesium Phosphate. It's a muscle relaxant. It's made a big difference to the dogs. The Myotherapist suggested this product when one of my dogs was getting muscle spasm in the shoulder. She rarely gets muscle spasm now but will do if I run her too hard. It used to be a daily problem. I take these tablets myself too because I was getting night time leg cramps and the Mag. Phos. seems to have fixed that too.

I'm a bit confused You are referring to 'Kibble' as though it is a brand of food. Kibble is a generic term which refers to all brands of dry dog food. Maybe the Greyhounds were fed a very poor quality dry food which had very little in the way of quality ingredients and was high in grain/fillers with little nutritional content. Not all brands of dry dog foods (kibble) are equal. As Stormie said, Eagle Pack and a couple of other quality bands have a guaranteed analysis and therefore can't be lumped in with a cheaper, poor quality dry food that contains mostly filler grains.

Are you referring to Joint Guard or Shark Cartilage? I have Joint Guard here and there's nothing on the label stating it's not suitable for puppies.

A very small percentage of dogs can't tolerate Rimadyl but most are ok with it. Every dog I've ever had has been fine with Rimadyl. It's an excellent pain reliever and anti inflammatory. It should always be given with food. Any dog who does have a reaction to the drug will have symptoms fairly quickly and if so the best thing to do is phone a vet for advice on what action you should take. I have my vet do a basic blood test on my dogs anyway as a benchmark for the future and if the dog has no liver/kidney problems then they are probably ok with Rimadyl.