blacklabrador

Great to hear that it's not ED. Awesome news!

What a happy way to go, chewing a pigs ear. So sorry for your loss though.

As far as I know the only general limitations given to pups are not to lead walk them. Most breeders would get upset if a large breed dog was allowed to repeatedly jump off something onto hard ground as well (this wouldn't happen in the wild because the terrain is varied). So pups are allowed free running..just like in the wild. Lead walking is not a natural exercise state for a dog.

Kids grow comparitively slowly and are pretty uncoordinated and hopeless while they are doing their initial growing. Pups are on their feet in a couple of weeks while kids take many many months. There are joint problems that kids can develop from growing at rapid rates.

Why would you do that? You're an experienced breeder yourself. Why don't you call your vet when you think your dog is unwell? I call my breeder first as they know the dogs, know the lines, know the full history and I can say " have you ever had xyz ? " It's amazing the insight they can give you into one of their own. Unless it's an emergency, it's always breeder first for me, then the vet. "has your dog ever had stinky farts?"

Why would you do that? You're an experienced breeder yourself. Why don't you call your vet when you think your dog is unwell?

Good news. Fingers crossed that whatever it is turns out to be temporary and treatable and not ED!

Yep - and as I've stated, if you can be sure of her support then that is excellent in this case. Unfortunately it's advice that's given far too often as the solution that will take care of everything.

When I wash my labs and they dry they have a lot of dead hair on the surface of their coat. I suspect what has happened is that they've managed to bath the dog but not brush it after it was dried. They could have charged a reduced rate for not getting the whole job done but then that doesn't acknowledge the time that they spent TRYING to get the job done because of the dog's behaviour. They probably wasted more time than they would have if he'd stood still.

What if the breeder has no experience with ED? Giving that advice is not always going to end happily for puppy owners as some breeders are just not happy to hear about genetic problems in the pups they've produced. I think we've seen evidence of that on here on several occassions. I certainly do think that the breeder needs to be notified but if the dog has a joint problem then a specialist vet who needs to be called. Perhaps the breeder can suggest one but otherwise I'm not sure what else they can do. I can guarantee that his breeder will want to know about any supposed reaction to vaccine, what the pup was vaccinated with and what the vet thinks is wrong with this pup before the owner goes rushing off and doing anything else. So yes - notify the breeder but that doesn't really tell the owner what to do next does it? The breeder will point them in the right direction An assumption that is constantly made on this forum when no other advice is given besides "ring the breeder". Not all breeders will point people in the right direction. I've seen people spend weeks waiting for phone calls or emails to be returned because the breeder doesn't want to know about genetic problems. Other times people get the whole song and dance of "bring the pup back and I'll give you another pup from the next litter" when the owner is already very attached to the pup they have. Not saying it's the case here but I think it's very presumptive to think the breeder will take care of everything when you've seen repeatedly that it doesn't always happen. If you personally know this breeder and can guarantee their support then that's great but it's advice that's given on this forum as the big cure-all every time there is a problem and it sometimes leaves newbie dog owners in a bad place.

Some labs have a lot more fringey hair that others. I have a bitch who gets long bits underneath, out the back of her legs and in between her toes. My boy lab has has never grown these bits but she does.

What if the breeder has no experience with ED? Giving that advice is not always going to end happily for puppy owners as some breeders are just not happy to hear about genetic problems in the pups they've produced. I think we've seen evidence of that on here on several occassions. I certainly do think that the breeder needs to be notified but if the dog has a joint problem then a specialist vet who needs to be called. Perhaps the breeder can suggest one but otherwise I'm not sure what else they can do. I can guarantee that his breeder will want to know about any supposed reaction to vaccine, what the pup was vaccinated with and what the vet thinks is wrong with this pup before the owner goes rushing off and doing anything else. So yes - notify the breeder but that doesn't really tell the owner what to do next does it?

What if the breeder has no experience with ED? Giving that advice is not always going to end happily for puppy owners as some breeders are just not happy to hear about genetic problems in the pups they've produced. I think we've seen evidence of that on here on several occassions. I certainly do think that the breeder needs to be notified but if the dog has a joint problem then a specialist vet who needs to be called. Perhaps the breeder can suggest one but otherwise I'm not sure what else they can do. The breeder gave a guarantee for genetic issues like this. she was so sure it wouldn't happen. am going to call her now. That's great - let us know how you go.

Are you feeding her a grain based food? (ie any dry dog food). The grain makes yeast overgrow in their bowel (just like making beer!) and they end up with systemic yeast problems. Dogs on raw diets rarely have these problems. Probiotics would help as well. It obviously needs to be treated locally at the moment but it's very common for dogs to have recurrent yeast infections unless they are treated from the inside out by having a change in diet.

I haven only experienced one dog with ED who had effusions on both elbows and they weren't painful to touch - well he didn't react when they were palpated. The effusion is a pocket of fluid that forms to try to stabilise the unstable joint.

What if the breeder has no experience with ED? Giving that advice is not always going to end happily for puppy owners as some breeders are just not happy to hear about genetic problems in the pups they've produced. I think we've seen evidence of that on here on several occassions. I certainly do think that the breeder needs to be notified but if the dog has a joint problem then a specialist vet who needs to be called. Perhaps the breeder can suggest one but otherwise I'm not sure what else they can do.

thank you. I must admit when I read your other post it was the first thing that came to my mind - an effusion caused by ED. Is ED very rare in Borzoi pups? They are certainly tall enough to fit into the category of dogs that could develop it as they grow. The symptoms are the same in all breeds though so I wouldn't put too much faith in the fact that he might not know the breed well. If it is ED it's good that it's been caught early. I sympathise as I've been through it with a pup that I bred. I was just devastated the day that I found out.

My female lab will push her head against a brush if I hold it out for her. In fact, when I lived at my last house and the dogs were allowed in the bathroom, part of our morning routine when I was getting ready for work was that the two labs would put their front paws on the bathroom vanity to have the hair on their head brushed (yes I'm an idiot ) Start by patting her but don't show her the brush. Once she is relaxed and enjoying the scratch then introduce the brush on her back where she can't see it. Gradually work up the amount of time you spend doing this and make it pleasurable for her (don't use a slicker as they can scratch the skin). In my experience the best brush to strip dead hair out is the one that looks like a fish scaler (its called a shedding blade) I wouldn't start with that brush but introduce it once she is happy being brushed. If you do a google image search on shedding blade you will see what I mean.

It's your concern about his hunger that is causing the problem. It's fine for a dog to go a day or two without eating. You'll find his eating habits change quickly once your behaviour around food changes and his access to food diminishes.

Put into his bowl the food that he should be eating. Put the food down and walk away. Return in five minutes and remove the bowl regardless of what is or isn't left. Don't hover or watch him. Dogs do not pick and choose their food in the wild - they have to eat what they can get and this is what dogs are essentially programmed for. Fussy dogs are created by humans. Once he learns that the food goes if he doesn't eat it his behaviour will change. Don't feed him between meals and don't leave food out.

What a gorgeous little face! So glad she got to choose her own time.. sounds as though she was determined to. RIP Patch.

Gees Rappie you guys need to buy yourselves a few sets. You know you can get disposible ones don´t you? These days they discharge people from hospital with their own staple remover so they can take it to the GP surgery to have them removed (even though most GP surgeries have several of them!)

Ummm you're being very broad, not all hot dog products are like that, as we have to research anything that is fed to our allergic dog. Maybe some research is in order rather than just parroting an article you read somewhere I've done plenty of research Sas - and you will notice that I posted what I knew about them first before I went searching for some information to back up my opinion. If you have found hotdog sausages that contain a real amount of meat and no preservatives then I'd love to hear about the brand. You can feed your dog whatever you like - that's your business. I am responding to somebody who asked a question.

Loving some of the photos on here! I took a photo of a portrait yesterday does that count? It's the most famous portrait in the whole world. I swung by the Louvre yesterday and got this. Shame you can't get closer though and the glass in front of it creates a terrible reflection.

Love this photo! After many years of trying to capture the beautiful face of a black dog (mostly with a point and shoot) I would have to say that overcast days are your friend and harsh lighting/sunny days your enemy.