cavNrott

Doesn't the Joint guard have Glucosamine in it? Is there such a thing as too much Glucosamine? Yes, I have also heard very good reports about Ester - C. Yes Joint Guard does have Gluc. in it. I have large breed dogs so the extra Gluc. in the Fish Oil caps does no harm and hopefully some good. I also use Ester C.

I use Joint Guard. Also Fish Oil and Glucosamine is now combined in one capsule so they get one of those a day as well. I did try Sasha's Blend but had no success with it at all.

Wizard, I'm so very sorry to hear about your loss of Merlin. Sleep sweetly dear boy

That I don't breed dogs is exactly why I didn't give advice on breeding or caring for a litter. I leave the breeding of dogs up to people who know what they are doing. Those who are ethical and registered. I do know that pups need to be vaccinated by a vet and microchipped by a qualified chipper. I don't need to breed a litter to know that. Any dog owner worth their salt would know. How come you didn't know? It's pretty basic. The reason people replied as they did is because you asked various questions and they were all about how to cut corners and do things on the cheap. Ethical registered breeders know what to do and they do it right. They don't cut corners to save a dollar. We don't always need to see what's on the other side of the fence. If something smells really off then it means something is off.

Cavandra I didn't see Lillysmum personally insult you at all. As far as I can see she merely disagreed with you. I certainly saw you being extremely rude and bad mannered. She is as entitled to her opinion as you are entitled to yours. I do not vaccinate my dogs every year. They are vaccinated at 3+ year intervals which is against the advice of my vet so you are preaching to the converted with me. I therefore have no need to supply you with the scientific proof you are demanding in your reply to me.

My God, you are unbelievably rude :cool: If you don't want to waste your time then don't read the replies. Who do you think gives a rats what you are or are not interested in? Maybe you could waste some more time and learn some manners. This forum is a discussion forum for all members. We learn and share information with eachother. You surely don't think you're the first person to come on here and discuss vaccinations or that each and every one of us is hanging out only for your opinion?

Faith Rottweiler has the same problem with HD and arthritic shoulders. Bending down for her causes pain so I raised her food bowl, in fact both Rottweilers have raised bowls for their food. I just bought a couple of those little box step thingys from Safeway. They are 17cm high and it raises the bowl just high enough for Faith to eat in comfort. They drink from stainless steel buckets so I need to ensure I keep the water level high in the buckets so Faith can drink without having to bend down too far.

Bacchus, I'm so sorry about the loss of your boy. Run like the wind now beautiful boy, no more pain.

Is Vestibular Disease painful though. I thought it caused disorientation but was not particularly painful. Bacchus seems to be exhibiting a fair level of pain.

Erny, from my experience this condition is very painful for a dog and transporting them around just isn't possible without causing intense pain unless the dog can be transported on a stretcher so the dog is imobilised. I would suggest what I did with my dog and have an orthosurgeon come to the vet surgery and take xrays. Xray is definitely needed for diagnosis. It could be Wobblers, that happend to my son's 9yo Rottweiler. His problem (on xray) was in the neck and was extremely painful. The vet put him on strong pain relief and sedation as my son did elect to take him to a good vet chiropractor who did manage to slightly relieve the neck pain. It was diagnosed as Wobblers and surgery was discounted as it's extremely painful with a poor prognosis. However my son's dog was not paralysed. With the strong pain relief the dog was able to walk but fell over a lot with the typical Wobblers gait but he was basically an invalid. My son had another couple of months with his dog and then held him while he was put to sleep.

Bacchus I feel for you. This brings back so much sadness to me. Just over 6 years ago my beloved 13 1/2yo Rottweiler suffered a sudden paralysis of her spine. She could not move her back legs at all. I phoned the vet and managed to get her into the car by supporting her back end with a sling. The vet immediately gave her strong pain relief and heavily sedated her and she stayed in the hospital overnight. He booked an orthosurgeon to come to see her at 8am the next morning. The ortho xrayed her and phoned me to say there was severe degeneration of the spine and she would never walk again. I elected to have to put to sleep whilst she was still under the anaesthetic. I got there in 10 minutes to be with her as she left me. She was still on the xray table. That was the first time my dog had ever spent a night away from me and looking back I now know there were signs of this degeration, I just didn't recognise them for what they were. She was such a stoic dog who would hide her pain. I was devestated for a long time at the loss of my heart dog but I knew I could not put her through a painful surgery just to keep her alive just for my sake. She wouldn't be able to toilet without my assistance or walk. She was a dignified and noble girl and I could not take that away from her just because I didn't know how I could go on without her. I hope the prognosis is better for your dog and I'm feeling your pain and reliving mine too but I know I did what was best for my Sheba. I'm sending prayers and healing vibes to you and your dog. Please keep us informed.

You said the litter wasn't planned...and then you said you are breeding so other people can own a quality puppy and to better the breed The replies you received were in direct response to your questions about cutting costs to vaccinate and microchip your pups and not about how to raise a litter. There are many ethical, registered and very experienced breeders here who are more than qualified to give advice which they do freely and willingly to other registered breeders. As for looking in our own backyards. For me that's not necessary. My dogs all live inside the house so I have no need to sleep in a shed. I don't have any desire to breed dogs so I don't give advice on how to raise a litter. However, I do know the minimum requirement is to have a vet vaccinate and a vet or registered microchip person to chip the litter. You, evidently didn't even know that :p

Rather than it being 'a simple little question' it was a series of questions all about cutting costs, or corners if you like, in having your litter of puppies vaccinated and microchipped. You were given a few tips to save some money but it seems you object to people suggesting that everything should be done properly and ethically by a qualified vet.

Val, I'm so sorry for your loss. Rest In Peace little poodle girl.

Rest in Peace lovely boy.

A needle aspirate would be the first step. No reason to put the dog through a biopsy unless the aspirate result indicates a biopsy or removal of the lump needs doing.

If she hates the check chain why not use a Martingale or a flat collar on the pup? I'm not a fan of check chains.

If the vet said nothing then why not ask for his opinion and if he thinks any treatment is warranted.

What does the vet say about the loss of fur?

I also feed Eagle Pack for their breakfast and they get BARF at night.

How did you convince the seller to send them on to you? Though I probably won't try again because the ones I can get at a very reasonable price from Qld. are pretty good.

I think you might have been a bit lucky Sway. It might have fallen through the cracks at customs. I tried to import one before I got one in Qld. They said they weren't able to send it to Australia.

Quite true Poodle wrangler. Only a vet is qualified to vaccinate and sign the vacc certificate so a vacc given by a Vet nurse isn't legal. My son is a registered nurse and has been for more years than he cares to remember. He gives injections and positions canulas into humans but isn't qualified to vaccinate or chip a dog. When he adopted a dog from a shelter we found the dog hadn't been microchipped (there had been a stuff up with paperwork). It was a Sunday afternoon and no one at the shelter was an accredited microchipper. We had to chase around all over the Eastern suburbs with the dog looking for a vet who was open to chip her and fax the papers through to the shelter.

Phuds? What are Phuds I really do want to know . Actually a BARF diet requires that the vegies are either put through a juicer or into a blender and pulped. The digestive system of a dog can't break down the cellulose unless the vegies are liquified or pulped. Corn will go straight through the dog without being digested so it's not of much value.

That's my question too. Why are you breeding dogs if you're not prepared to pay for a qualified vet to vaccinate and chip? You mentioned that these pups have been vet checked. Was the check done by the vet nurse or has a qualified a veterinarian health checked the puppies?.