trinabean

I kinda like Cheezel. Only name I could think of that rhymed with Rhys was Cleese (maybe if you were a John Cleese/ Monty Python fan?) Other names that I can think of: Hugo Ollie Angus Cam (short for Camembert!) None of them rhyme with Rhys but as others have suggested, you could rename a young dog...

Judy my pup had a bit of a fascination for snails too. I removed countless snails from his mouth the in the first few months we had him. One thing we do to keep the snail numbers down is put on a 'happy hour' for them. We put down beer traps (just some beer in a shallow container/dish) at night and pick them up in the morning. Our dog is inside overnight so he can't access them. The snails (and some slugs) are attracted to the beer and end up falling in and drowning. They die happy, and there are a lot less of them for Bruno to munch on.

What a lovely smile Stan has. He looks like he's laughing. Gorgeous boy! I don't like my chances of getting Bruno to co-operate with dress-ups and tinsel....

Boxagirl, so sorry to hear that Bondi's results were so awful. Hugs to both of you...

I agree with Tiff-689. Just carry him in. And don't allow any dogs in the waiting area to 'meet' your unvaccinated pup either.

Thanks for the invitation Hortfurball. I sent you a PM reply a couple of days ago but thought I better reply in here too. I won't be able to come as my sister-in-law flies in that night, just for the weekend. I would have loved to have met some other DOLers. I've heard good things about 'Eat Greek' so I'm sure it will be a fun night.

If you only take 30 seconds to get one dog done you probably don't need to bother with a Dremel. Unless you want a filed off edge on the nails I guess? Due to my dogs' terror and fearful behaviour (yanking feet away etc) clipping took a lot longer than 30 seconds. I don't take long to Dremel, but I just do short sessions regularly.

I'm a new convert to the Dremel. Most of Bruno's nails stay worn down by exercise. A couple of nails on the front paws do get a bit longer though. He was a terrified sooky-lala with the clippers after I accidently cut a little too far up on a black nail once. He's not freaked by the Dremel though and I find it gives a nice finished edge to the nails. Much better for my floorboards too. Would I pay someone to do it? Well, he was pretty hard to safely clip and I did wonder if that's what it would come to. However a friend (and lots of DOLers) raved about using a Dremel so I thought it was worth a try. I was determined not to give up on doing his nails myself after all, he is only young. Very happy with the Dremel. :D

Thanks for your reply Rappie. I've just gotten back from the Vet hospital as Bruno had improved enough to come home. He has come home after having an injection of Vit B12 and with a weeks' worth of antibiotics too. When I spoke to the vet on the phone earlier today she commented that colitis was looking more and more likely. The vet who admitted Bruno yesterday said that if she suspects Colitis she prefers to treat for it (rather than biopsy first I guess?) and if the dog's condition improves it confirms the diagnosis. Elsewhere though I've been reading that a biopsy is the definite way to confirm a colitis diagnosis. She also said that any treatment for Colitis can't begin until the dog has finished growing as the medications can interfere with growth. This afternoon at the release appointment (with a different vet) we discussed things in more detail and another possibility came up as Bruno has been itchy lately too. He's started scratching his stomach/ chest in the last few weeks. So now I've come home with a diet sheet and instructions for a 6 week elimination diet trial. As Bruno is such a poor eater and a biscuit-hater I will need to source and prepare specific quantities of both a novel protein and a novel carbohydrate. Anyway, that's where things are at now...

So it looks like my 10 month old Boxer pup Bruno will be spending his 2nd night at the vet hospital. He had been refusing to eat and has been flat and lethargic. He has had diarrhoea, vomiting and an elevated temperature. He's been put on IV fluids and antibiotics and had barium and xrays to check for any obstuction. The good news is that there's no obstruction. The down side is that it's looking more and more likely to be Boxer Colitis (Histiocytic Ulcerative Colitis) given that he has a history of frequent diarrhoea plus other symptoms. My question is, does anyone have a dog that has Colitis? What are your experiences of the best diet/ treatment options? I realize there are different types and causes of Colitis and that there is no 'one size fits all' solution. Just looking for some ideas and things I can ask my vet about.

I think a Boxer would also suit your situation. In fact, your situation sounds like an ideal Boxer home/life. Most are very play oriented, though they do play a little too roughly for some other breeds. All of the Boxers I know are sort of boisterous, but well-meaning and not aggressive. Full of a joy of life. So I think a boxer would typically get along and play well with Willow. Your children are older than mine and that is ideal really due to the bouncy nature of Boxers. I wouldn't recommend a Boxer to a family with babies/ young toddlers. That said, I haven't had any issues with our dog and my 5 year old. They are always supervised together and my kids participate in basic training too which probably helps. Access to the inside of your house is also ideal as Boxers need respite from weather extremes. I find mine wants to lay low and sleep when it's hot, and we get some 40 degree days every summer here! And the short coat doesn't offer much warmth from winter weather. I love the fuss-free Boxer coat, checking for ticks etc is very easy too. Size of Boxers is about 28kg for bitches and about 30kg for dogs, I'll check the standard and edit if I'm incorrect though. You could always pop into the Boxer thread and ask some questions. There are some very experienced breeders and other Boxer owners who would be able to answer any questions you may have about the breed. Much more experienced than me too. Anyway, good luck in your decision-making and let us know what you end up deciding on. ;)

This sums up my dog's behaviour when left indoors. Perhaps I've just been lucky. I always walk my dog early in the morning and leave him with chew toys etc. too. A kong stuffed with a firmly wedged piece of chicken jerky and a little peanut butter keeps him occupied for a short while. My dog mostly sleeps while we are out though and saves his energy for when we get home.

Love it! Thanks for posting that Ruthless. Brought a smile to my morning. :D

Oh no! I do hope your foster pup is OK. Am crossing everything that it's not parvo.

What a gorgeous boy. He has got amazing eyes. They look like they are amber in colour. I'll bet he already knows that when he and Bruno get into mischief, all he has to do is get you to look into his eyes....

better them knowing what they want over getting a dog that they wont groom and who ends up matted and horrible. I hate grooming and brushing and this is a deal breaker for me, i dont want a dog that has a long coat as i am not huge into brushing. +1 I agree with both Teebs and Aussielover that it's better that people are realistic about how much grooming they are prepared to do. An active family with 3 kids will likely find it easier to incorporate exercise than grooming into their dogs day. I'd rather walk/ train my dog than spend heaps of time grooming it. I picked a breed accordingly. Yes, he sheds a little, but I have to vacuum my house frequently anyway because I have messy kids. Dog hair is least of my complaints! For the family the OP is speaking of though it sounds like allergies are a concern so their needs are more specific regarding coat type. They may have to compromise and be prepared to get a dog whose coat does require more grooming.

Thanks for posting. It's a long way for me but I will let friends know who live in the northern suburbs.

Lilmisssascha83 it's hard to know exactly what happened and I can understand you being upset by the incident. Without seeing what happened we can only guess at what was at play. My feelings are that a number of things could have occurred. Your dog may well have gone over out of curiosity and with no ill-intent. The little dog and it's owner may have misinterpreted or over-reacted to your dog due to a previous bad experience? I agree that the small dog's barking and it's owner's reaction probably didn't help resolve the situation calmly. It's good that you're working on your recall (I'm working on my dog's too BTW) but I would avoid letting her approach unknown dogs. Especially small ones that react like squeeky toys. ;) My experience so far with my medium-sized breed pup (boxer) is that he seems to attract undue attention from small badly behaved dogs. I always walk him on-lead and am trying to teach him to ignore other dogs and pay attention to me. We can pass other dogs without a problem for the most part, especially if they show no interest in us. He used to play-bow everything in sight, including playground equipment! All too frequently though, we cross paths with small yapping/growling/lunging dogs. It really irks me as this sort of behaviour would not be tolerated if a dog of my dogs size carried on like that! Agree 100% with Nekhbet. BC Crazy, I have a personal theory that may tie in with what you've said and the OP's interaction with the Poodle/Maltese. Just thinking out loud here but I often wonder if some breeds find it harder to 'read' each other? I do wonder as a boxer owner if his relatively expressionless face and upright posture is read by other dogs as potentially aggressive? Incidentally, he has never acted aggressively, even when nipped hard on the face by my in-laws mini poodle. He was play- bowing and doing helicopter tail wags at the time.

As fresh as possible I think I was told to put the sample in the fridge until I could get it to the vets. From memory I collected (or scraped up really!) a sample from my pup at night for a vet appointment in the morning. And that was fine. It showed the vet the protozoa that confirmed coccidiosis in our case.

Funny you should say that. Our parents started off with Boxers in 1970. Then we got our first Bulldog in 1981 and have always had Bulldogs since. One day it will happen....You will own a Bulldog. Shall show my OH your prediction, though I don't think he'd be hard to convince. ;) I suppose the breeds are distantly related, I've read that a British Bulldog was used in the early stages of creating the modern day boxer? Anyway, your dog is a stunning boy. I look forward to many more photos of him.

Kirty, good luck at the vets. If you can, take a stool sample with you. It may help the vet work out what is going on. My pup was diagnosed with coccidiosis at 9 weeks and the symptoms sound similar. Although there are all sorts of reasons for diahorrea.

He is gorgeous. I should not have come looking in here. Officially I'm in love with boxers.....but British Bulldogs are very, very appealing. Maybe one day....

Known as "pus willy" in our house!

Oh, I thought from the details under your username that you were currently in Qld. I was wrong! Go with Pixie Meg's advice re. searching for a good breeder interstate. Being in W.A I do understand what it's like to potentially have less breeders to choose from than in more densely-populated states.

Chat to a few breeders and you soon get a glimpse of the real costs (financial and otherwise) of breeding. I regularly talk to my dog's breeder and recently learnt of the huge vet bills she faced after his litter was born. The bitch had problems during whelping, haemhoraged (sp?) afterwards and needed a blood transfusion. She was subsequently speyed, earlier than planned. One of the pups was deaf and a suitable home was not found, so the breeder has kept him. Another pup was returned to the breeder as the family who took her decided a puppy was too much hard work. So now she has 3 dogs that can't be shown (both those pups were limited register) and can't be a part of her breeding program. Between the emergency vet costs, normal litter costs (microchipping, feeding, vaccinations, worming etc) and lifelong care costs for the desexed bitch and returned/ retained pups that litter cost her a lot more than what the other pups were sold for. Lucky she loves the breed. ;) edited to add: AlanMatic, as for how to choose an ethical breeder from interstate, do you need to look interstate? I guess the big plus about looking closer to home is that you can visit the breeder. You can see their dogs first hand, and the conditions they are kept in. It wouldn't hurt to go to some dog shows and see some dogs and chat to some breeders too. I imagine there are quite a few ethical, registered breeders of Labs in Qld.