Divine Angel

I am very sorry to hear that, Rozzie. Sending more angels your way, be on the lookout for a new doggie angel on its way to you! With love, Renee & Jasmine PS I LOVE that piccie of the bridge, Ripley

LOL I never thought of it like that before!

When told that Jasmine eats a BARF diet, the vet gave me a lecture about how nutritionally sound tinned food was these days, Pal being the best. He said that it contained all the nutrients like phospherus etc that a growing puppy needs. Both Jas and I are happy with her diet (although the eating fur thing needs adjustment!). She is currently 16 weeks old and weighs in at 16.4 kgs. The vet said her weight was fine although could use an extra kilo. What are others' thoughts on this?

*lighbulb goes off* Ohhhhhh, you mean clippers, not nail clippers!! *goes off to make more coffee to wake up*

I buy the roo meat that you get from the supermarket. It's mixed with beef (I think) so it can be introduced to dogs who don't like full roo meat. I have had one problem with it though. A few years ago I bought it and found a bit of metal in it that looked like a bullet. I washed it and sent it back to the company, who analysed it and sent me back a voucher and a letter of apology. I check the meat thoroughly now, of course. But if this is the option you are going to take, just be aware. With Jasmine, I don't feed it to her all the time, just when I'm running low on chicken necks etc.

Yep, seems pretty comprehensive to me. Now if only I could recognise all those plants...

Can you please clarify which are plants? Some of never heard of, and in some cases (like Eggplant) do you mean the actual eggplant or the plant that it grows on? Thanks for that list.

I never knew that!! Maybe there should be a permanent thread on what is toxic to dogs. Everyone knows (or should know by now) that chocolate and onions are toxic but there must be people out there who, like me, didn;t know about grapes!!

Well, Patchie. I now face my second Christmas without you. You know what? The pain lessens; I never thought it would. I was watching a rerun of Family Ties, where Nick has to put his doggie to sleep. It brought back so many memories of you (not that I need reminding). I was crying, but the ache in my heart wasn't there anymore. I still miss you every single day, but the heartache is gone. I know you've been whispering in Jasmine's ear- she's been doing some of your old tricks that you KNOW you shouldn't have been doing. I can't believe its been over a year, it seems so recent, still. Even now the tears are being shed for you. You are very special to me, and you always will be. Jasmine isn't a replacement- she's an addition. God bless you Baby Pog. You're safe with the angels now. Take care of Chiyo for me, will you? Much love and big cuddles for the both of you.

Sending more angels to you, Rozzie. A big kiss and hugz.

MASSAGE! Massage the scar (it will hurt a bit though). This breaks up the long fibres. Twist, turn and rub the scar. Takes about a week to notice a difference if you do it every day.

Hmmm gosh. Hard one. I think we've established that there's two reasons for the barking: 1) boredom and 2) attention seeking. Where do we go from there? I have to say that none of my dogs have ever barked for the fun of it, only when something is happening around them that they want to make me aware of. I don't want to come across as some sort of expert in this field!! All I know is what I've learned from Dr Harry, other people and my own intuition. I tend to think that a spray of water in the face may be seen as more of a game than a "no" command, unless your dog doesn't like water. That could be why some people mix lemon into it. Ask your vet- they may have some ideas that we've forgotten to mention.

Sending angels with be with you and your family. You're all in my prayers.

Is he bored? Try some games and toys. A kong is good. Alternatively, I think puppy has you trained, not the other way round! He barks, gets your attention, he gets what he wants. I have a 12 week old puppy (Maremma sheepdog) who barks when she is playing and a) the toy gets stuck under or between something (she thinks barking will make it come out!) or b) when we're playing with her and ignoring her. I don't want her barking, so I say her name roughly, she gets the message. Best wishes on the barking! If its gets too bad, you might want to seek professional help (for the dog, not you) from Bark Busters et al.

UPDATE: Yesterday I washed Jamine's head. She instinctively put her head up as I poured water on her head (not too much water though). None got in her eyes or her ears. I washed her head using Excelpet Conditioning Shampoo and also cleaned the inside of her floppy ears (but too far down). She was happy, she was clean, no dramas

What makes you think Jasmine sits still that long in the bath???

I am so sorry to hear about Merlin. My bunny died only a few months ago. She was a perfect little greyish-white dwarf lop. Her name was Chiyo, after the main character in Memoirs of a Geisha. May Merlin play happily with Chiyo and all the other bunnies in Heaven. They can eat as much dried fruit as they like!!

Jasmine the Maremma had a bath today because she was FILTHY!!! However, I have often been told not to wet the dog's head because they may get water in their ears, shampoo in their eyes etc etc. Jasmine is now snowy white but with a brown head!! How can I clean her head??

That's the brand I bought for Jasmine. She's not too sure about it yet...

Lots of people here give their dogs yogurt for calcium and to give their dogs healthy bacteria. What kind of yogurt do you give your dogs? And what brand?

I have noticed almost the same thing with my puppy. She's got Frontline on but is still scratching and I couldn't figure out why. There were no sign of fleas and there's nothing that she eats that she could be allergic to. Then the answer dawned on me. She likes hiding under bushes and trees etc. When we humans are gardening, we often get twigs etc sticking into your skin, and the same thing was happening to Jasmine. Its not a true allergy to the plants, just that something has pushed against her skin and made it a bit sore and itchy for a couple of days.

Gee my pup must think I'm boring then... she only gets bits of schmackos!

That was beautiful, Foxy. Don't be sad, Abby is still around you in spirit. remember all the fun times you had together.

My puppy is 10 weeks old. She gets mostly raw food, but kibble as well because my dad works for Friskies and got 20kgs for free. Gotta use it up! Other than that, she also gets raw mince (roo mince), frozen mixed vegies (on hot days I leave them frozen), chicken wings or necks, beef offcuts from the supermarket and egg twice a week. I think the bones give her all the calcium she needs but I do like the yogurt idea.

Oh Rozzie! I truly know your pain. I am sending 444 angels to be at your side, to heal you and comfort you at this saddest of sad times. That is a beautiful poem, you found it by no coincidence. With much love and hugz for you and your family, though none can ever replace your two girls who have passed, Renee