JRG

Had one - hopeless! Spent hours digging the hole only to find that the liquid did not drain away very well. I am on an acreage so it was not a huge problem but it would be horrendous if you had close neighbours!

I use hay bales all the time in the winter as it is very cold round here. stack them in a hollow square or other arrangement to suit the shed. Great insulation. Straw or hay + an oil filled heater + old horse blanket over the top = very cosy!

I make a haybale "L" or "T" shape two bales high so that no matter which way the wind is blowing they can all get out of the draft. Got the idea from my Yorkshire farming roots where we used to make X shaped "hides" for the ewes with their young lambs - they were cosy even in the snow.

Jo. . . . In the Regulatory Impact Statement there are references (footnotes) at the end of each section. The one I read is at the end of section 3 Identification of Viable Options - Kustritz,M.V.R. 2012 recommendations for management of breed dogs: a review [i]Clinical Theriogenoogy, 4;25:37.[/i][/i] Kustritz in turn cites 127 references going back to 1948 PM me if you want more info.

I have read the reference they cite and it is a review of literature not hard "evidence" backed up by good research

I had a young spaniel survive this in the mid 1990's. At the time he was one of the top Field Trial performers and very fit - which probably stood him in good stead as we realised immediately that he was not well and got good diagnosis and treatment early. I seem to remember that he was on cortisone for quite some time but he went on to win more Field Trials later in his life and died of a stroke aged 13/14.

".....The one reasonably good thing I can see out of this new proposed code is the clear differentiation it makes between Large Business and Small Breeding Businesses where for housing dogs in Small Business you are allowed to have your dogs indoors, which must be a relief to most small scale breeders knowing they won't have to build pens....." Then have your carpet shampooed every six months!!!!!

As a breeder of working gundogs, I would point out that not all of us chase titles for our dogs and some of us actually go to great lengths to seek out stud dogs from among the non titled population because such dogs can and do work hard and long for their living and can also improve the range and breadth of the gene pool. When selecting a stud or bitch, titles are "extras" as far as I am concerned and often not desireable extras.

Try a bit of plain yoghurt on the end of your finger(about as much as would cover a five cent piece)or a few drops of Yokult. Puppies get the runs for a number of reasons so you are right to take them to your vet.

I am sorry to read about your girl. It is not good to alter the dosage of cortisone really quickly - so you could try cutting it down very slowly. ie cut the tablets in quarters (yes I know it is a pain as they are so small) and give her one & three quarters, then drop that to one and a half and so on until you find the minimum dose that will control her condition. I have done this with a young boy with auto-immune gastric problems and eventually got him down to a quarter every third day - it took ages (about three months) but it was worth the effort.

There is a herb called Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) It is an annual and quite difficult to grow.

I agree with Piper - don't let her go over I have had singleton pups a few times over the years with mixed results. If you can get your girl to settle and not lick the baby all the time she should be OK but I had one bitch that stressed the baby to such an extent that it died. Interestingly, she did go on to have some big litters and did have another singleton later in her life that survived. When your pup arrives pm me and I will help you as best I can

That's right. The dogs run in pairs. The "draw" for brace mates and position on the card ie order of running, takes place before the trial begins and (sometimes) at the beginning of each subsequent round - rather depends on the Judge and what/who he wants to see again after the first round is completed.

Briefly for Utility Field Trials, she has to be able to: Range and quarter the ground in front of you at a distance of up to about 100 meters and not get put off by her brace mate. Stop and hold point on locating game. Not to flush unless told to do so by you. Stop to flush. Stop to shot. Retrieve (to hand) when directed to do so by you. Not "crunch" the game Stop and honour her brace mate when he finds game and goes on point Perform a water retrieve (similar to a retrieving trial retrieve) That's about all I can remember and, since I do not have a Utility Gundog, I think that's not too bad! The Rules are on the ANKC web site

C Crates are good and strong. I have a number of crates of different makes and the C crates are by far the strongest.

I expect you all think this is a silly question, but why must a rescue dog sleep inside? If it has a warm kennel in a secure yard in a secure garden, what's the problem with it sleeping in that kennel?

I hope people take this really seriously. Don't just think about it DO SOMETHING. Sacrifice is NOT the name of the game. We have evacuated five times now and the plan runs like clockwork because it is done early and not in a rush at the last minute.

she is a working/field type spaniel, Becks

you can make one for yourself by getting a large collar and threading it through a sheepskin girth (used for a horse's saddle). Put round the dogs waist and attach a lead. For the head end you can use a harness and, if necessary, use sheepskin on that as well. I used this system for a bitch that was almost totally paralysed having tried an assortment of contraptions specially made for dogs that are handicapped. I found that I could control both her head and front legs with one lead and her back end with the other lead and, as she progressed, give her as little or as much help as she needed until she could manage on her own (should say she was 18 months old at the time and is now nearly 12 and is still unsteady on her feet, so I can say from experience that the system works!)

Start to teach them to lap rather than suck. You can use slightly thickened Puppy Milk (from the Supermarket) thickened with a tiny amount of baby cereal (to the thickness of cream). Just a small teaspoonful to start with and feed it SLOWLY from the spoon just a drop at a time. Don't pour it in or they will choke. Remember, the 'secret" is to get them to use their tongues differently to lap rather than suck. Try the action yourself and you will see the difference I am talking about.

Shade is better/more important than a water bath. Just make sure your dog has a shady place at all times of the day. No clam shells or any other excess water bowls here. As someone else said "water = snakes"

Certainly you should check for mastitis etc as the other have suggested, however I had a young bitch like this - she did not want the babies to "cramp her style" and she would sit out and just watch them for hours. She was confined in the same area as her whelping box and could come and go as she wished, and the pups showed no adverse effects from this treatment. She did sleep with them at night although I have no way of knowing if she spent all the night with them. Dr J.E. Mosier DVM in Pediatric Care (an article written for Uncle Bens Australia in 1982 - yes I know it is a long time ago!) talking about feeding orphan pups says " The number of feedings per day may vary from 3 to 12. . . . . The greater the number of feedings the greater the liklihood that the puppy can be maintained on comparable condition to a well fed nursing puppy" So he is saying that you can feed orphan pups as infrequently as every eight hours and I have certainly found this to be true although probably not desireable.

Have to agree with you 100% m-sass. As a breeder of working line dogs for 30+ years, I have always said that a good "pet" home is better than a bad "working" home every time. A good working bred dog is mostly about what you make of it. Given love and attention, it will usually be equally satisfied as a high drive performer or a lounge lizard - just don't try ignoring it!!

Another thing to note is that Champion titles go before the dog's name and awards go after the dog's name eg RTCh blank blank NFD = Retrieving Trial Champion Blank blank Novice Field Dog ie the dog has gained his Retrieving Trial title ie he has won at least two All Age Stakes and has also won Field Trials at the Novice level(and/or is no longer eligible to compete at that level) ... hope I got that right!!

John Lawton (03) 9743 3788 (Specialised Dog Accessories) has them. Makes them himself from the "real thing" Don't think they would be any good for tugging - more the real thing for practising retrieving with a soft mouth. Rabbit skin is very soft.