shyfig

Jed has had an itchy rash on his stomach and the Vet prescribed

Niralone. Does anyone know if this is the same as Cortisone? He started on it this morning and so far has had his 2 daily doses of 3 tabs (1000s) and is very, very subdued and has quite large pupils. Would appreciate any knowledge about this.

Thanks everyone for your replies and apologize for my absence in responding to comments. I spoke in great length to this gentleman last night and discovered also that he has clients in my town. They have vouched very well for him. I have him booked to come to my place next Monday and Tuesday so will let you know how it goes.

I'm wondering if anyone has heard of this guy at all http://www.goodwithdogs.com/page1.php

Yeah I know the chances of finding another "cruisy" BC are fairly negligent...we were so lucky with Jed.

"Cruisy" BCs can be a product of training. All of mine have been "cruisy" at home because that is what I expect. Moss is very low drive but Cole is high drive with a brilliant off switch. He is very laid back at home but I can put him into drive so easily when I want too.

ETA a good breeder can pick a laid back pup for you rather than a high drive pup.

This is how we ended up with a low drive BC....the breeder chose him. His mother is exactly the same! He has been this way since birth....not trained to be cruisy.

As the owner of two Vizslas and a German Shorthaired Pointer, I dispute the claim that the dogs don't bond as well to you. I call bullshit. :laugh: I've also had several different breeds over the years and none ever suffered from bonding issues because I had more than one dog.

However, if you want another cruisy dog like your current BC, you will be lucky to find a chilled out GSP. They are rarely anything but energetic. I have a cruisy Vizsla, but it's a rarity also. Not common.

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Thanks for your thoughts. Yeah I know the chances of finding another "cruisy" BC are fairly negligent...we were so lucky with Jed. Our dog before jed was a GSP who was given to us at 4yrs of age. She had trained with security dogs and was spot on with commands. She had also grown up with a GSD and two cats whom would all sleep together. She was ssooo cruisy it was unbelievable. We used to let the chooks out to pick around the yard..Angie (the GSP) used to plonk her tennis ball in the midst of them waiting for some chook to play with her. Then when a random peck on the ball was given she'd get so excited. When she realized the particular chook wasn't going to play...she'd pick the ball up and follow her an d try again

Oh gosh ...some really important reality checks from these posts. Thanks everyone...

Hi everyone,

Well Jed will be two years old in April so I am now trying to weigh up the pros and cons of acquiring another BC or possibly a German Shorthaired Pointer. Jed has grown into a wonderful dog and will be two in April. He has no drive, (one reason he was picked for our particular family situation), herds cuddles :laugh: loves his walks but can cope if he misses them. He is crate trained, an indoor dog and just so smart (as BC's are). His only downfall still is aggressive behaviour towards our cats.

I would love a companion/playmate for him but have been told that when you have two or more dogs they will seek each others company therefore will not bond, or be such a close companion with the human family. Does anyone else have any ideas about this notion? Also, with two dogs...would they by nature automatically gang up (as a pack) on the cats?

Spirit's sores are related to the heat. She's gradually building ammunity with each hot season we get. I was pretty impressed with the eczema cream, because it immediately stopped her from continually licking & chewing the spots. It took 3 months of daily application to the sores & red spots, but it did the trick where nothing else had. I was stunned to see fur on her chest for the first time ever when it appeared !!! She's got a few red spots this season, but I'm dealing with them straight away so she doesn't start to chew on them & make them bleed. The cream is also excellent at quickly healing any cuts humans get as well. I work with sharp knives. I wasn't paying proper attention & I accidently sliced my little finger almost to the bone. Stemmed the bleeding, applied the cream & bandaged. Within 12 hours, there was only a little nick & I could work without any covering. One of my Sheps copped a decent "serving" from my old girl on her ear. I washed the wound in salty water & applied the cream. After 3 days, I washed the area, as it was all crusty, to view the damage & decide what to do next. I was stunned to see it was completely healed, with not even a tooth scrape as a scar, like you'd normally get. A friend recently said she was also using the cream for mozzie bites & it was fantastic. I've recommended it to teens to quickly heal those face break outs they get, so they don't pick at the sore or get scarring. And the list goes on & on ....

Wow! I'm definately going to get some

A friend of mine just alerted me to this thread & asked me to post based on my experience. It may be a skin irritation/eczema. My dog's legs, paws & tummy looked like this .....

A friend put me onto 'Nana's Farm Beauty Products'. I got their "Doggy Eczema Cream" & now my dog looks like this ....

Thanks for the info and photos. It sounds like you had a good outcome. Was your dog continually licking beforehand and after the treatment did he start licking anymore?

Thanks everyone for advice and photos. The area on Jeds leg is very smooth...not rough, scaly or oozing anything. But it may well be on the way to that state. I will let everyone know the vets verdict and share on here as others may benefit also.

Sounds very much like a Lick Granuloma which required medication from the Vet as they become infected from the continual application of Saliva from licking the area.

best to have a Vet check it out as these can become very nasty and apread easily from the transference of the bacteria from one place to another with the dog constantly licking.

That's what my Link led to...info on Lick Granuloma. I agree with you and think this sounds like the problem. Will definately have the vet look at it this week. He's too precious not to

I think I have found some info:

My link

This link should work...if not Wikipedia (or google) Lick granuloma

Have you been to the vet to rule out an allergy/skin problem?

No I haven't yet...but I can't see how it would be an allergic symptom surfacing in only one area? As well nothing has changed in his diet/shampoo etc. He has been "handwashing for nearly as long as we have had him (17 mths) but it is obviously getting worse. Will be trying to get an appt at the vet this week...just searching for ideas now to tie me over.

Hi everyone,

Wondering if anyone might be able to help me please. Jed (BC now 21mths) is prone to excessive licking of his front paws and legs. He has over the last day or two developed an area of about 2.5cm long x 1.5cm high red raw on the upper inside of front leg. The licking of his paws and legs is quite constant but the rawness has emerged only in the last few days. I have heard of "handwashing" in dogs in OCD's (and am very familiar with this in human terms as I have two boys with OCD...primarily excessive hand washing).

So my questions are:

1. Could it be part of doggy Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?

2. What can I use on it to soothe it...treat it...that won't be dangerous for Jed?

One of my rescues was escaping out of an extremely secure yard...

They bought a hidden fence and installed it / did the training and she so far has not escaped!

http://www.hiddenfence.com.au/

They rely on the dog wearing a collar, and a collar on this particular dog frightens me more than him escaping. He's not digging, we know that for sure. He's also not jumping, but he is possibly climbing. And a climbing dog wearing a collar is a recipe for disaster. However, I wouldn;t mind at least trying one, but I don't think they offer a try before you buy option.

We have looked at a ping string for the top of the fence we think he's probably climbing (only due to the fact that he's twice been found next door and it's unlikely he'd end up there unless he went over the fence) but the bloke at the stock and feed store didn't think it would work because it relies on part of the body touching the earth. If he's climbing that fence, there's no way he can go over the fence and have a foot on the ground.

I have a hidden fence and have had both a german short haired pointer and now a Border Collie. When installed proffessionally (which I had done) the dog cannot jump over, dig under or get within the length of it's body near the fence which prevents them from even getting a chance at climbing as they can't touch the boundary fence. My Border Collie only escaped once straight out the front gate when I left it open for a moment, and that happened becuase I failed to adjust the level as he grew. That was quickly fixed...I have had him for 15 mths (he is 20 mths old) and no escapes or attempted escapes. I am able to open the front gate and drive my car in without fear of him darting out. I also bought an indoor wireless version to section him off from the kitchen and my bedroom as that now is the cats area. They are worth every $ that's spent and I feel very reassured that my boy is safe. I recommend that you contact www.hiddenfence.com.au ... they are wonderful people and I believe have the best product in terms of hidden fences. They will come and look at your yard/property, meet your dog/dogs and discuss all details. The dog learns the boundaries very quickly when instructed and it doesn't inhibit their ability to be active in the yard (i.e.) chase a ball. My boy is not at all frightened of it and has never been accidentally zapped whilst playing (as he now instinctively knows the boundaries). At night the collar comes off and he sleeps in his crate. When he goes outside (even for a quick wee at night) the collar goes on also becuase the cats learnt quickly that they have a 1.5 mtr (approx) safe zone around the perimeter of the yard that my boy can't enter. My children have held the collar and walked through the boundaries and been zapped as they wanted to know what it would feel like for Jed...they described as a static shock (something like when you touch your car handle)and were happy to play around with it and this reassured them immensely that Jed would not be physically hurt, just perhaps his pride.

By the way my front fence is about 1.5 mtrs high and my 3 side fences are all 4ft paling fences. You can imagine a Pointer soaring these fences effortlessly and a border not too far behind with escape techniques. So it's definately the Hidden Fence that have kept my doggies in.

There is definitely help out there for people who have lost pets - here is one:

http://www.grief.org.au/grief_and_bereavement_support/bereavement_support_groups/for_pet_loss

Thanks Dogmad...unfortunately I am needing a phone counselling service for the person concerned

Does anyone know of any grief counsellors available over the phone for pet owners who have lost a loved pet?

So very, very sorry for your loss. The shock and grief can be unbearable. I hope you accept help from any nearby dolers just to help you through this time...perhaps do a property check for you....and to just have someone with you.

Happy to wait also

ty for replies, think I will off to bed while they are alseep , incase i need to get them to a vet in the night , hopefully tats not needed , chopper has had KC before, it is gizzi i worry about .

How do they have kennel cough? Do vaccinations not work properly?

Hello.....is anybody out there??

our farm cat crunches the smaller ones he catches (except for the large intestines), the larger ones (adult sized), he normally eats the head, and leaves the bottom part of the bodies

My town cat eats whole ones...just leaves the brains and ears...normally on the doorstep

When are they due to be posted? Can't wait 'til I get mine!

Get a people mover

I suggested to a friend who had the same issue to make people along the fence something positive, not negative. So we got the help of friends for a week to randomly walk past the fence and throw a treat over the fence. No interaction, just the treat. Fixed her 2 border collie x's, they would see people and wait for a treat, instead of trying to chase them away with barking.

Apart from doing aversives, that's the only way I can think of proofing the behaviour in a positive way that doesn't require you there all day to reward.

I personally would not encourage anyone to throw treats over the fence. It could leave your dog wide open to accepting a bait that may be thrown to her or that she may find.

Past dogs of mine and my present boy are trained not to eat food from the ground...only from their bowls...for the simple reason it will help in reducing the possibility of them accepting a bait.

Best of luck solving the problem