blacklabrador

Yep absolutely. Heart failure can cause a cough. There are lots of reasons a dog might have a cough. But 2 - 3 times per month? The dog probably had a bit of grass stuck in it's throat!! Kendall just get your Mum to check with the vet that he hasn't prescribed the antibiotics for some other reason.

Yep. It depletes the body of potassium. Humans usually take a slow release potassium tablet if they are on lasix.

Sometimes if the bladder fills very quickly the normal stretching sensations that send the full bladder message don't happen. She might have just had pain rather than the "need to wee" feeling. Her bladder was probably filling as quickly as she was emptying it. In an adult this drug can cause the kidneys to filter off more than a litre over a half hour period. Thats a rate of 33ml per minute. You can imagine how that might upset the balance of the "storage and release" system of the bladder. A dane could be compared to an adult in this circumstance. Lasix doesn't cause incontinence. It just created a set of extreme circumstances which probably confused the dog.

It sounds as though the vet is overtreating. Prescribing antibiotics and codeine for a dog that coughed twice three weeks ago?? Anyone who has had a dog with KC will tell you how loud and frequent and unmistakable the coughing is.

I don't know what your dog's condition is but she must be retaining a lot of fluid. Frusemide (lasix) is a diuretic. My guess is that it caused such a great shift of fluid from her body that her bladder was absolutely full and she was losing control. Once she loses the initial fluid it will probably settle down. If she requires a maintenance dose of Frusemide make sure you give it to her in the morning. That will ensure that she does most of her extra weeing during the day. Lots of older people are on frusemide for heart failure - most of them take it in the morning, otherwise they are awake all night peeing.

With an 8 week old pup I set my alarm for half way through the night. I toilet them just before I go to bed and then get them up after four hours. Your pup will be very excited to see you in the middle of the night - make sure you keep it strictly business. No playing. Take her out and tell her whatever word you are using. Praise her and then put her back to bed. It may start a few hours of howling but you really have to do it. Pups can't hold on all night at this age. She should be pretty right to go the night by the time she is 12 weeks old.

I don't think a puppy would associate a surprise squirt to the face with a water gun with a pool or the ocean. Are you at obedience training? If not you should be. It's a good way of establishing leadership and having him follow commands. They will teach you a lot of the basic stuff you need to know. RE the biting. Have you tried just telling him "No" in a firm voice?

Hey Mrs Hardtoplease... :D Grab some popcorn and a drink. Add your 2c worth - this isn't just a spectator sport.

Thanks Faolmor. I can see the difference between the two. I guess for my dogs they become the same command - the same principle. I would certainly treat a dog that had established food aggression issues very differently, but for a young pup who is pushing the boundary for the first time I would do again what I did. To add food after a dog growled wouldn't be the right thing and I think it's important for the disapproval to be displayed immediately.

Having a nice stubby of Stones Alcoholic Ginger Beer actually. I don't have to get angry to tell you that you're out of line.

Puppy just walked into the room with a box of matches in his mouth. I called him over and said "give" and praised him when he released them. He was happy enough to come over even though he probably knew I'd take it from him, but he loves the praise. Just an example of a situation when an item needs to be removed from a dogs mouth. It's not just about food. (yes yes I know I'm neglectful for having matches where he could reach them )

I'm never offended by debating, only the comments of people when they are derogatory towards me, sweetie. Disagree with my opinions all you like. I don't tolerate rubbish from tiny pups who are trying exert authority over me. I don't think anybody should allow a puppy to gain a false sense of leadership, even for a minute. You assumed that I was a bully because of a single statement that I made.. and then you told me that I need to learn not to be a bully. I need to learn not to be something that you've assumed that I am? What's that statement about assuming making an ass out of... oh shit I can't remember.

I am not a bully at all. I have no need to "bully" because my status in the pack is clear. My dogs get away with far too much but they ultimately know when business is serious. There is no mistaking who is the boss around here. Who said anything about anger? To use the word "power trip" and to suggest that I don't leave my dogs to eat in peace but "drag" their food away is offensive and condescending to me. It is also offensive to suggest that I am a bully to my dogs because I don't feel intimidated taking food from them if the situation requires it. So yeah, get a grip. Edited to add: my dogs obey the "give" command. They are retrievers and trained to give up whatever they have in their mouths. Is it considered bullying in the field? A retreived pigeon is potentially food isn't it?

I don't go on "power trips" with my dogs and take food from them unecessarily. Get a grip. Sometimes I need to remove a bone from my dog because I need to have them inside (for some unexpected reason) and they aren't allowed to chew bones on the carpet. Is that an acceptable example for you? The puppy I have now growled at me once and I solved the problem immediately. I have had no further issues since that day. One day soon he will be a big stud dog. I have no intention of having power struggles with him then. I am the boss from day one. I don't use confiscating food as a way of feeling powerful or even of reminding my dogs that I am their boss. I agree, there are other ways of doing that. The point I am making is that I feel safe to do it if I have to. Nobody should ever feel intimidated by their dog.

I don't think it requires continual confiscation of food. I don't take food off my dogs as a rule, but I know I can if I need to. I know I can totally trust them and that's how it needs to be.

I think the popular recommendations are for marrow bones once a week. I am not sure of the problems that they can cause if given too often. I only know that my house gets filled up with toxic gas if they have one two days in a row I usually get the butcher to cut a big one into four pieces for me (lengthwise and across) and they each get a piece. I do that every fortnight or so. I always do it on a day that I am home so I can supervise them. I also love sitting around with them while they are so happy and content.

I won't tolerate that rubbish from a puppy. Food is power in the dog world. If you allow that kind of behaviour to continue you will have a huge problem on your hands once your dog gets big. My current pup was about the same age when he growled at me because I walked too close to him when he was eating a bone. He only did it once and I haven't had a problem with him since. A few extremely stern words and a smack on the nose before I walked off with his bone. I gave it back a few minutes later. None of this "adding food" bullshit. He's a pup and there's no question about who is boss. I refuse to be intimidated by a puppy. Solve the problems the first time they happen. Please don't think you won't have problems because you have a goldie. Like labs, they are dogs too. They are capable of biting and some have aggression issues. You have to establish yourself as a leader worthy of respect.

Chloe's dad - glucosamine is about cartilage growth rather than bone growth. It has to do with the joints.

I'd like to know more about this too. I've been feeding my pup Advance Large Breed Puppy and have just seen a very rapid stage of growth in him. I specifically put him on this food to get him through this difficult stage of growth but I am not happy with the results. I know it may have been the same regardless of what I fed him but he is quite a bit taller than his litter mates now. His movement is dreadful and it's difficult to tell if this is just because of the stage of growth he is at or whether there is something more sinister underlying. He's been reviewed by a chiro who can't find anything wrong. I am putting him back onto part kibble, part bones and veges to try to slow the rate of growth a bit. He will also be on a glucosamine supplement.

Yeah I reckon a ramp is a good idea. Large flat piece of wood that is a long and as wide as the stairs and superglue some black rubber matting to it. That was you'll all be able to use it.

36 inch is perfect Labrador size but I wouldn't put a bigger dog in there. Make sure you shop around for a crate before you buy as the prices seem to vary greatly without good cause. I've seen 36 inch crates for $250 that seem no different to the ones that I buy for $120. Mine survive in the back of the car with two dogs leaning against the sides (when we go around corners :rolleyes:) so they are quite sturdy.

Ahh yes Poppy was a knicker nicker when she was a pup. She'd grab them and hand them over the baby gate to T-bone who would take them right down the back yard. Couldn't work out why my collection of purple lurex G-Bangers was diminishing :rolleyes:

Best time of day? I dunno - I just used to do it when I remembered! Obviously not first thing in the morning or first thing after a sleep. Let him play for a bit and get the "idiot" out of his system first. Then clip on the lead and do it for 20 seconds then take it off again and play with him for a few more minutes. Don't let "lead time" signify the end of play time. These are just my opinions and thoughts. I'm not a particularly experienced dog person but I have successfully lead trained a few pups. Remember there is no hurry! Baby steps.

Don't struggle with him! Use a bit of food and make it happy. When he grabs the lead tell him "no" or "leave" as you would for anything else. Take it out of his mouth and then use a happy voice to encourage him along.

third time?