~Midniara~

Well, theres an idea. Only problem I have with that is that other people will get the nice suits before me!

Being on a budget I don't really give mine away. I just use them until they either no longer fit or they wear out. I just love dressing up for shows. Lately I've purchased some lovely suits from the UK on ebay but unfortunately more often than not they don't fit. I don't bother returning them because the expense in postage is just not worth it. I'm hoping they will fit me one day. I was thinking about posting a "SHOW SUITS WANTED" topic in the Offtopic Classified section and see what comes up. I've got to wait till I have a little extra money to be able to pay for them though. Whoever it was that inherited your old suits Susie are darned lucky. Cheerio Maria

Oh Rozzie, I'm sooo sorry you are loosing so many oldies at the moment. They are young and free again at rainbow bridge with all the other Rozzie heart stealers. Rest in peace little man Rozzie, my thoughts and prayers are with you at the moment Take care Maria

I am sooooo very sorry to hear of your loss Ish. I know how much you love all of your babies and how difficult a time you must be having. Run free Zac with Suzi and Saki and join Baily at the bridge where everything is beautiful and no sadness lives. My thoughts and prayers are with you darls. I just wished I lived soooo much closer so I could come over, help you out and give you a huuuuuuge cuddle. Maria

I always avoid this topic as whenever I come in here I end up crying. You did what you could for Annie and I am sure she knew that. You truly had her best intresests at heart and only wanted for her to have a fullfiilling life so please don't feel bad about your decision. She is patiently waiting for you at rainbow bridge with all the other furbabies who have passed on so she is not alone. RIP Annie Maria

Oh sweetie, I can't stop crying I am sooo sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing her story with us and the pics as well. You will obviously never replace her but I hope that one day you get another Minnie Foxie that will love you as much as she did. Maria

So sorry to hear about Zeuz, He was obviously a VERY lucky dog for owning you . Sounds like he was a cherished family member. Sweet dreams Zeuz Maria

Ditto I stayed away for exact same reason but thought that I should. I take the health of my dogs for granted but I am sure that one day I will be posting here soon . I feel for you and your family (I am still wiping the tears away). Time will heal the hurt but I am sure that you will never forget the contribution your loved family member made to you and your family . All the very best. Maria

;) What a great idea ;) . DUH something sooo simple. I think I'll be doing that too. Thanks for that :D. Cheers, Maria

Sorry to go off topic but I am extremely curious. I have a puppy that I bred myself that (now 8 mo) I've been putting on the table since young and he still rolls over when he sees the brush and refuses to let me brush him and still hates me touching his feet. Yet most of the others love it and one puts up with it. So please don't always judge the way the dogs behave as a reflection of how the owner is. What do you do as a groomer if you get a completely un cooperative dog who does not want to be groomed. For example the sit when you brush their bum or pull their legs away when clipping their nails or even worse have a go at you whenever you try and brush? Just curious what you do? Cheers Maria

Hi Greentea, I can't give my dogs Drontol either. They get the runs and vomit for a couple of days. Weird though I've never heard of a furbaby getting hyper. The poor little mite. Hope he's feeling better. Cheers Maria

Hello Greentea, I know of a trainer that does this who has a fantastic reputation but will not take any dogs under the age of 12 months. The reason being is that she beleives that this is an important time in a puppies life as far as expereinces and so not a good idea to change your puppies routine at such a young age. I suggest as others have that you or someone who you know (do you have a partner or a close friend or family member ??) take you furball to basic obedience training. These are usually only for 1 hour once per week and only requires 10 to 15 minutes a day of practice. ;) Puppies are a hand full at the start but if you set the ground rules early and not move the boundaries you have made a good start. As for grooming if you can afford to have him groomed professionally, why not Once you are feeling better you may be able to be taught and do it yourself. ;) All the very best. Cheers Maria PS. Yes I know those love me eyes can really be heartbreaking but you are not doing him any favours in caving in.

Hello Muttmate In my opinion giving your dog frozen chicken frames is OK. They especially love it on hot days. :D I have never had any problems. I read a thread on DOL a couple of months ago when there was a heat wave and most doggy people gave their dogs frozen bones and had no problems with this. Hope this info helps Maria :D

I give mine lamb shanks (or mutton shanks) once per week and they have pearly white teeth. ;) When I don't for a while because I get slack their teeth start to build up with muck.

Hi again pewithers, It seems that there is a lot of conflicting opinions out there after looking at the link that Toohey provided. I still stand by my original opinion. It has been through personal expereince that I have found early socialization beneficial. Once I listened to a person who "had experience" who storngly advised that I keep my puppy at home till 16 weeks. Needles to say this puppy became a complete and utter social reject. I tried EVERYTHING to help her and spent hundreds of dollars in training to help her but to no avail. Now I admit that she was probably pre-disposed to being a bit on the unsettled side but had I taken her out from day 1, I may still have her today. I won't go into details nor do I really want to just to say that for me I'd rather take the risk and have a well socialized well balanced puppy and take the very small risk of my puppy contracting something than to pay the price later on. Good luck in whatever you do.

Hi Pewithers, It is my opinion that socializaiton is VERY important between 8 to 12 weeks of age so long as you are not placing your puppy in direct danger. It is my understanding that Veterinary Practices who hold such classess are very fastidious about steralising the area where puppies will be socialised. The risks if any to your pup will be very minimal and any benifit to your puppy in my opinion would be far greater.

Bommy, I found the post from LEENIE and have copied it. Here is what LEENI posted about avocado: Regarding the avocado issue - I know of someone that gave her bird (think it was a cockatiel) avocado and it died a few hours later of toxicity poisoning. The vet said it was the avocado. So there must be some truth in the theory that it isn't good for dogs and cats either - though I imagine being a bird it just hit him a lot faster. Will be an interesting issue to research further - I'll let you know what I find. Thanks again to everyone that has helped me with this BARF project. Later - yep they are toxic to doggies and other animals: http://kgkat.tripod.com/avocado.html http://petplace.netscape.com/Articles/artShow.asp?artID=4773 Department of Clinical Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya. Two dogs were seen at the University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya, both having histories of dyspnoea, progressively enlarging abdomens, anasarca, ascites, pleural and pericardial effusion, and pulmonary oedema. One of the dogs had a mild neutrophilic leucocytosis, elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase and proteinuria. Histopathological examination of the myocardium revealed some damage to myocytes and a mononuclear cellular infiltration involving the myocardium, liver and kidneys. The two dogs had a fondness for avocado fruits and, as the presenting syndrome is identical to that seen in goats, sheep and horses poisoned by avocados, a comparison is made and the probable manifestation of this poisoning presented. This post has been edited by Leenie on 17th Nov 2004 - 01:21 PM

Bommy, In a previous BARF post (sorry don't have time to find it) we were advised that Avocado was toxic to dogs and were given a very good link explaining why . If you get a second, try and find and read. I have now stopped giving my guys avocado.

OH, I also forgot to add that I give them yoghurt, sardines, tuna and an egg once per week (crushed with the shell included).

I have NO IDEA what your vet was talking about. That diet sound FINE to me. I would also add some veggies to it and then your pup will have a complete diet. My dogs have always eaten similar from 8 weeks and NEVER had any problems. I worry about what some vets say.

I use Jalna, theres lots of flavours and it's full of good stuff.

Hello spunky, I feed my guys 2 cups of kibble (either Working Dog Supercoat or Bonnie Working Dog) or a chicken carcas, chicken wings, chicken necks, lamb or beef off cuts (with fat taken out) and veggies or leftovers. My guys are very happy, active and healthy. I would suggest that you add some bones to your dogs diet as they need this to keep their gums and teeth clean and healthy not to mention the nutritional value.

Isn't offul (spelling?) bad for dogs. I read somewhere not to give them offul unless it was so overcoocked that it was definitely dead?? STAFFYLUV: On the yoghurt question, I use Jalna. It comes in a few flavours its nice and creamy and the dogs really love it. It's available in most supermarkets. I get mine at Whoolworths or Coles. It's a bit pricey but it comes in tubs and you don't need to use too much.

Hi Kateshep, The best form of excercise I've found is swimming. It's gentle for an older dog too (if it likes water!) If your four legged baby likes to play ball just go to the beach, lake, dam or wherever there is water! Throw the ball in and make Kelpie do the rest. My Belgian Shepherd wasn't keen on water so I'd throw the ball in close enough so that he cold get it without going right in. I threw it a little further each time until he just started to to in! Give this a go As far as diet I would try one of the Light Variety dry foods such as Bonnie Light or Supercoat lite. Steer right away of large quantities of canned food. You never know whats in them My guys have NEVER had canned food. Midniara PS. I hope you don't loose too many balls in the water See if you can get a hold of a ball attached to a rope ;)