fido666

Can I ask if he has any other symptoms such as Diarrheoa or vomitting bile on a regular basis? I ask because Duncan hardlly ate until he was 2, it was only fairly recently after an endoscopy we finally discovered he has Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Now his diet is sorted out (would you believe he is intolerant of chicken of all things) he has a fantastic appetite, so much so I'm now worried he's getting fat. I know how worrying this can be, I just couldn't work out why he wouldn't eat but would you if it made you ill? I know you've had you Mal checked out but Duncan had heaps of vet visits that never turned up anything either. I have fingers crossed you get this sorted out soon. Regards, Corine Edited for spelling.

My Duncan broke his leg at 5mths old off the end of a flexilead, I will never use one again on a puppy. The break and subsequent restriction from the bandage/splint caused a growth defect which needed surgery to correct it but it will never be 100%. He will also be prone to early onset of arthritis. I was just socialising him in the local park, not hard walking him. Over exercising my breed Collies can cause them to go down in their pasterns so I wouldn't really walk them before 9 months of age. I do feel it is also important to socialise them, you can do this without over stessing their joints though. Cheers, Corine

Don't know quite how you catch a sample off a boy, especially if he's a leg lifter. With the girls I just run after them with a sterile bowl and do a quick "catcher's mitt" dash underneath as they go to squat. I had an older bitch on Cortisone some years ago and was advised at the time it can cause muscle wastage if used long term. Cheers, Corine

He He Kel, it's either smiling or "Aww Mum, stop sqyeezing so hard" . She sure looks happy though . Cheers, Corine

Hi Steve, I have responded to your alert mail :rolleyes: . I attended the last Melb workshop with my sooky boy who wanted to sit in my lap all day , it was great. Anyone know if Scope is still around on DOL, she owes me a blank camcorder tape . Cheers, Corine

Now to me that's just plain excessive and bordering on cruelty, maybe we need anti-doping rules in obediance too! I have a dog who has a plate and 6 pins holding his Tibia together, I wouldn't dream of doing agility with him. Cheers, Corine

Well this might be considered "old school" but when I was training for the sit stay I would never stare at my dog, just look directly ahead just over the level of the head as if staring into the horizon. A direct stare is a challenge to a dog, some dogs will react badly to it. As for the reason for the dog dropping in the sit stay this could also be due to physical causes, perhaps the dog is injured in some way and it hurts to sit up for too long? I have seen people take their desire to succeed in the trial ring to excessive lengths and the dogs just shut down, to me if the dogs aren't enjoying it then it's not a fun activity for me either so why force the issue? I agree behaviour problems need to be addressed, I just don't class lack of drive as a behaviour issue. Regards, Corine

Thanks for the suggestion Ben, I wonder how well it would work with my Collies? Cheers, Corine

Here's a few pics, the one with blue vet wrap on his leg was taken just after he broke his leg (see how little he was!). The one with the pink bandage was taken the night we brought him home from the ortho surgery (he's doped up on Morphine so looks a bit gross). The last is in the treadmill tank, basically a giant walk in tank with a treadmill in the bottom. They bolt the front up when the dog is in and then fill the water up, very disconcerting for the dog the first few times as it comes up from underneath. Duncan not only taught himself that if he pulled up all 4 paws he didn't have to work, he used to use the rail at the front to rest his paws on and then just "work" the back legsl what a lazy bugger he was . Cheers, Corine

Your dogs will regain muscle tone once they can weight bear and exercise a little too. My Duncan had his leg bandaged for 4 weeks when he originally broke it and then for 10 days after the ortho surgery to correct the resulting growth defect. Imagine what was left of his leg after all that immobilisation . I had a helping hand to recovery in the form of the Underwater Treadmill tank at Dogs In Motion, what a godsend that was. I'm told Duncan is only the 2nd dog the physio has ever seen go in the tank who taught himself how to float, the other being a Golden Retriever (who you would think would like water). I'll see if I can find a photo to post on the thread, be back shortly! BTW, my surgeon said no swimming for the first 6 weeks as it's too much strain on the leg, the treadmill was oK as it was low impact. Cheers, Corine

Thanks guys Cheers, Corine

Hi all, Check out the Photos forum, I've posted some pics of Duncan helping Mel to celebrate her 1st Birthday today :p . Cheers, Corine

RIP Sox, run free from pain forever now :p Regards, Corine

Hi ya Kel , That fabulous news about Chloe, isn't it great to get the all clear at last :D . Cheers, Corine

I have Nova 5 Star straight in the 6" length, they are fantastic. I thought I was mad paying $80 for a pair of scissors but I love them, so light and well balanced. Regards, Coirine

Hi Meggsie, I'm sorry this happened to your dog but you are the only other person I know of that has had this happen so at last I know I was not alone. Angus wasn't on any meds before the illness, he was his happy idiot self as always. It was just so sudden and unexplained. To be told he was coming home from the Vet's one day and then deathly ill the next was such a shock. The worst part was cradling my deathly ill boy in my arms as we rushed him from the specialist back to the vet, little did I know it was to be his last car trip. Angus was hand reared from birth, he was the only survivor from a litter of 4 so very special to me. Sorry to hijack Lillypilly's thread and I hope her boy is soon on the road to recovery . Regards, Corine

I had a dog with what the vet thought was Pancreatitis, he spent a week on a drip then crashed badley. I had to take hime to an emergency clinic for overnight obs and then specialist consult the following day. The specialist told me Pancreatitis is very difficult to diagnose but he wasn't seeing a "textbook case" from the results, etc my normal vet sent him. He advised exploratory surgery so back I went with my deathly ill dog to my normal vet as the specialist was not a surgeon (I could not believe this at the time). He went straight into surgery which disclosed it was not Pancreatitis at all but a ruptured Gall Bladder. Unfotunately the damage was too great and he was given his wings. My little home bred baby was only 4yo . I'm not saying this to alarm you but if it happened to my dog it could happen to others. Angus was perflectly well one day and deathly ill the next, the only sign of illness was vomitting overnight. we have no idea what caused this but the vet believes it was a blocked bile duct. I don't know if earlier intervention via surgery would have helped but my boy spent a week in pain for nothing it seems . Sorry to vent, it still hurts me today. Lillypilly, I hope your dog makes a full recovery, am sending prayers his way. Regards, Corine Edited for spelling.

If you contact Eagle Pack they will give you samples to try. They recently gave me heaps of samples of the Holistic Duck & Oatmeal, as well as the Holistic Anchovies, Salmon & Sardines to try with my IBD afflicted boy. So far we have only tried the Duck & Oatmeal but he's fine with it. Previously I was feeding him Hills Z/D Ultra which is only available from vets, he was fine with it but I like to vary his protein sources every now and then. They also supplied some Chicken & Rice but as Duncan is Chicken intolerant I will try that with my girl instead. Regards, Corine

Hi Rexy, Sorry for your loss, he must have been special. I lost my dear old Pip (Budgie I had from a baby) just after New Year, he was in excess of 10 yo when he passed away. RIP Rainbow Boy, play chasey with Pip and all the other feathered friends who have gone before you . Regards, Corine

My 11 mth old barks to demand attention and she is LOUD, she will not shut up even if put outside, she just barks louder . I've tried ignoring her but nothing works, if she doesn't get her dinner, walk, pat, whatever she goes to town. She even goes bonkers when you wipe the kitchen benches or open a cupboard, I'm not convinced it's a noise thing either. We put her the other side of the baby gate when preparing meals just to get some peace and quiet. I know about using time outs, ignoring her, etc but it just doesn't register . I'm almost at my wit's end, it must drive my neighbours (whose house joins on to ours but with a 3 brick thick wall between us) quite batty. They have never complained but they must hear her when she is outside. I have to admit the rolled up newspaper tapped on her rump (never her nose) does seem to work but am I being naughty using this? Cheers, Corine Edited for spelling.

Hi, I've seen Julie and Andrew in action with River and Gus at the K9Force workshop held down in Vic recently. They were inspirational to watch and I can assure you that you will get something out of it if you attend . I wish it were closer to me, just so I could see them work again. Cheers, Corine

RIP Barkly, no more pain now ;) I lost a 4yo to a ruptured Gall Bladder, I didn't get to say goodbye either as he had gone in for exploratory surgery. The vet rang me from the surgery to say the damage was too great and nothing could be done. Much as I wanted to see him I knew he would not be awake or know I was there so I chose to let him slip away under the anasthetic. I know your pain Boxagirl, my heart still aches for Angus too. Regards, Corine

Hi there Piegirl, My Collie boy Duncan (the dog in my avatar) was diagnosed with IBD a while ago after an endoscopy performed under anasthetic by a specialist. We've been having ongoing problems with him for most of his 2 years, it's been impossible to keep weight on him. Every time he got the runs he was put on the classic "bland diet" of boiled skinless chicken and rice. Rice is added as a binding agent I believe. Since the diagnosis we have worked out that every time we give him chicken it sets him off again, obviously it is this protein source he's intolerant to. Without realising it we were making his condition worse not better . We have since had him on a beef and veg diet with rice or pasta, he also has a little kibble added to this. Initially we gave him Hills z/d Ultra as his kibble source, interestingly it contains chicken but the proteins are hydrolised which neutralises the nasties. More recently, the nice folks at Eagle Pack gave me some samples of their Holistic Select range to try, the "Duck and Oatmeal" as well as the "Anchovy, Sardine & Salmon Meal w/Oatmeal" formulas. We've had no reaction to the duck & oatmeal one, stools are firm and healthy and he's continuing to gain condition on his new diet. They recommended the fish one as the most hypo allergenic but as there are 3 novel proteins in that one we decided the duck based one was safer. Hope you work out what's going on with your Pei, I'm so relieved now we know what's wrong with our boy. He's tiny for his age, not getting to retain the nutrients from his food can't have helped. Regards, Corine

Hi GL, Chris took very good care of my boy and went to a lot of trouble to explain the problem he had and the treatment. He even advised me on after care and recommended an excallant canine physio for his rehab. I haven't used CHarles but have met him at a local pet expo, my boy's Physio was there with him also, she does work for them both. Cheers, Corine

Who are you going to GoldieLover? Just curious if it's Chris Preston or Charles Kuntz (sp?)????? Duncan is fine for anyone else who is interested, if you saw him running around on my planter boxes you would think he was a cat . They are big sandstone boxes with wide capping stones but it's still hilarious Cheers, Corine