Jed

Sounds like mites to me - there are very few other things which would be as described in a baby puppy. And what Crisovar says makes sense - mite powder!! Wipe out the white deposit, and see if it comes back. If the ears were cleaned out, there might not be any mites to be seen at that time. If he belonged to me, I'd clean his ears, and treat for mites, and see what happens in a fortnight.

It is possible to buy bovine colostrum, and I believe it is very good for immune system problems. Having said that, my dog which was not improving with ivermectin was changed to cydectin and recovered --- and it was looking like pts. However, at about the same time, she was fed raw meat and no dry food.

I have boxers and cavaliers - the boxers need supervision when they are young around the cavaliers - so easy for them to run into a little dog and break it's leg.....or it's neck. Once they are aware they don't play rough with cavaliers, or run over them, we have free interaction....but never with cav. pups. The boxers have only the best intentions .... but..... On lead, and supervised for you boy and the big ones - one at a time - should be fine

Hi Charles - apparently there is no treatment for whatever this murmur is. It is quite noisy. I breed cavs and boxers, and this little bloke was in the pet shop - he had failed his vet check because of the murmur, and was looking for somewhere to stay for 4 weeks till his next one. I love cockers, and I hadn't had one for a few years, so I put my hand up ---- and you know the rest!! The breeder would have taken him back, but once the pet shop said he could have a home which wouldn't sue if anything happened to him, he was mine. So, he is having a good life until whatever happens. :D Thanks for that offer, so kind, and I know, appreciated by all.

Hi, Charles, and welcome to the forum. Hope you enjoy. I am sure we shall all benefit from your input and expertise. Jigsaw, I have a 9 year old cocker spaniel with a double murmur - ie, on both sides. I have no idea what it is - vet had a "good guess" when he was a puppy, but I've forgotten, and he's never had an ECG or a scan. I "think" the vet at the time said it was not one which could be repaired .... it's nine years ago, after all, I've forgotten!! He lives a "normal" life, runs around, swims etc - but I do control his weight. Good luck. :D

Too easy -- don't let the dog lick your face. No licking allowed here. I'm not worried about their diet, I worry about the other things they do with their tongues!!

I wont use it. Had a major recall some years ago, and made the news by poisoning a few dogs. Re the "old days" and scraps. We had dogs pre canned food. I think ours ate pretty well - offcuts from the butcher which were real meat - before they started making it into mince, eggs, milk, bones, and table scraps which would have been meat and veges, sometimes fish, a bit of pudding - there was so much variety it must have been balanced!!

My vet told me 3 days. However, I had a cav which was very sick from a tick which must have been picked up the previous night - so she had it for a maximum of 15 hours.

http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=143982

Hi, Aimee, I think it will fill in. But I wouldn't expect it to by 8 weeks. I breed cavs, and a lot of mine have a little pink on their noses when they leave home, but they all end up with black noses. After 12 - 14 weeks, you can begin to worry. I don't think feeding kelp etc. will work. the nose will colour before the kept has time to work, I think.

The pup has just undergone a lot of stress. He has left his family and the only home he has ever known, and gone to live with you. No matter how good you are, he is still stressed. Simply because of the circumstances. All pups are stressed when they go to their new homes. There are just too many changes, as well as the grief for their littermates and mother. The best thing to do is to continue on with the diet the breeder fed him. You may not agree with it, but by changing his diet, you are introducing another stress to an already stressed pup. Some 8 week old pups would happily eat anything and everything, same, different, it would make no difference. Some have "more tender insides" and have problems with too many changes. Remember, you are dealing with a very immature digestive system, which has only been coping with solid food for a few weeks. Wait for at least 2 weeks - my recommendation would be to wait a month, and then introduce ONE new diet component at a time, over 3 - 4 days. Once that is accepted without problems, and there is no refusal, or diarrohea, or spitting up, introduce another one, and so on. This avoids diarrohea and the problems which arise from it. Changing from chicken to beef mince is a huge change, ditto the better quality dog food. Eating chicken mimce, rice and coles puppy food wont hurt him for a few weeks!! When I raise my pups, they have chicken, beef, veges, eggs, a little offal, fish, milk - the whole range, but lots of breeders have a formula which works for them, and in this case, you are better to stick to what he is used to, or you will have problems. You haven't done anything wrong, just too soon. PS - don't forget to worm him every 2 weeks, and if the diarrohea hasn't gone in a few days, or if he seems a bit dull off to the vet. Puppies dehydrate very quickly. Hope the breeder was worming him regularly?

I worm the bitch the day after birth, as roundworms are transferred through the milk to the pups - and probably because they are in close proximity to the bitch while nursing. The pups are wormed every 2 weeks with Drontal puppy syrup. At 8 - 10 weeks, depending on their size, and the liklihood of them choking, they are wormed with Drontal tablets. When they are sold, I tell the buyers to worm them every 2 weeks till 12 weeks, every 4 weeks until 6 months, and then every 3 months for life. Although pups are wormed regularly it is very likely that some worms or eggs will remain, so the worming needs to be continuous. How many worms are killed with each treatment depends on the cycle of the worm in the pup, and no one has any way of knowing that. Sometimes I worm them at 2 weeks - no worms. I do them at 4 weeks - worms. Sometimes the times when they have worms are reversed, worms at 2 weeks, none at 4 weeks. I have a float test done by the vet when they are vaccinated. Some pups will be clear, some will have a couple of eggs. The worms life cycle is continuous, so the worming needs to be continuous as well. Pups/dogs also pick up worm eggs from the environment - unless they are continuallyrun on concrete which is disenfected for worms and eggs daily. So, no matter how rigourous the breeder was, or how careful you are, there is every possiblity the pup will have worms. Otherwise, we wouldn't need to worm them regularly.

The noses can still darken up till about 12 - 14 weeks. I have a show pup here of 13 weeks, who still has pink on the nose, I am not worried, every week there is a little more black. I know this is standard with this breed. What colour is the muzzle and cheeks? And what breed? And have you discussed this with the breeder?

WA did not require pet pups to be registered. As far as I understand, the CAWA has now changed this regulation, and the pups must all be registered. Probably worth checking with the registering body in whichever state the pup is. Are you likely to have your deposit refunded if you reneg on the first pup? Are the parents tested - ie, hearts and patellas? Is there any SM in the lines? Will the breeder guarantee the health of the pup? Benefits of buying locally is that you can see the kennels and the parents and pups. Downside is no registration. I think breeders should issue registration papers. What reason is the breeder giving for not issuing registration papers for the pup?

I would let her sleep in her own bed in the bedroom - where she can see you. Take a fluffy toy or a blanket with you when you collect her, and rub it on the other pups and mum, so it has familiar homey smells on it. Let her take that to bed with her. The familiar smells will give her comfort and a sense of her littermates and mother, so she will not feel so strange. I am not a big fan of crate training. Used properly, they are good, but there seems to be a tendency to shut the pup in the crate when it should be out with the family, learning how to behave from a young age. However, a large crate in the bedroom for sleeping can help with toilet training, as the pup cannot have accidents in the bedroom. Cavaliers are gentle little dogs, and deveted to their family, and they like to be with you. I have an 11 week pup, who slept in the bedroom from the night she arived. The first week, she slept in her crate, but was clean, so was promoted to her own basket. She is now clean at night, and sleeps in her own basket - she hangs on overnight, after one last walk outside just prior to going to bed, and goes outside at about 7am. Not all pups are this good!! :p In the beginning, a soft bristle brush is all she will need, but when she gets her junior coat, a slicker, or a pin bristle brush will be helpful for the longer coat. You also need nail clippers, and wormers (see the vet about the wormers). the pup should be wormed every 2 weeks. Begin heartworm meds at 12 weeks, talk to the vet about that. Hopefully your breeder will give you a diet sheet, and general instructions which will help. If you mean to keep your puppy well groomed, you should get a snood and put it on her when she eats. It will save her ears. A snood is a little open ended cap which fits over the head and keeps the ears out of the food - if you decide when she is 6 - 8 months, she wont like the snood, but if you begin now, it will seem normal to her. You can buy them, about $5 each, or make your own. too easy

Sometimes little dogs do this on walks because they are tired - it seems to rest a leg for a minute. If he is also walking slowly behind you, and he never skips at home, consider that you may be walking him too far, and he is tired. I don't know, but I would consider this as a possible cause of the skipping.

Add veges 1 - 2 sardines and oil every second night sunflower oil a spoonful of Pal or 1/2 one of those small tins (Dine? My Dog?)

I reckon Louie's problems come under the "shit happens" category. The breeder could never have been expected to be aware that something like that would happen. If it was me,I'd go with "we'll see what we can work out with the next litter" - you have a statement there. I'd probably give you another pup. Probably an ugly one. LOL!! Years ago, I bought a beautiful dog from a top kennel. They were going to show her,but she wasn't thriving in the kennel, and they thought she might be happiere in the home environment I would provide. Turned out that she was gravely ill with someting so unusual the breeder could not have been expected to know about it, and in fact, we took her to upwards of 20 vets trying to find out what was wrong. We finally did find out. It was just a "shit happens" rare thing, and there was no cure. Luckily, by a good accident, she got over it - but she costs us many thousands in vets bills etc. I didn't really think the breeder was responsible, nor did she. I never asked for anything, and she never offered. However, over the years, good things came my way - services to dogs which didn't stand to the public, and at good rates, an offer of a good dog (free), endless help and assistance. Probably more than the dog cost in vets bills. With the right breeder, you will be ok about this. I wouldn't fret, she has said she will do something, and she will. Unfortunately, most breeders can't pull $$ or pups our of their back pocket, but I think she will see you right. Wait and see, and let us know. When the pup I bred died from an aortic aneurism, her vet told her it wasn't my fault, it wasn't hereditary, it was a fault he had been born with, and there was no way I could have foreseen it. I told her I would give her another pup, which I did, from a litter I bred to replace him. She waited patiently - if she had jumped up and down threatened to sue, or been a pain, there would have been no pup. Because she would have made me angry. I told her I would see her right from the next litter, and I did. She paid for the vaccination (at breeders rates) and I provided the pup and the registration. But then, she had to pay the vet's bill for the dog - which cetainly wasn't thousands. Have faith.

Pug Hugger She'd probably swear at me, Pug Hugger!! What's the problem with your pup, and what has the breeder offered? I think all breeders should be made to read "The Water Babies", and particularly about Mrs. Do-As-You-Would-Be-Done-By. I have very few problems with the pups I breed, but when there is a problem, I wonder "what would I want?" and go from there. And we registered breeders need to not only say we are better than puppy farmers, but to be better.

I don't think the ticks are a huge problem - they were probably so tiny when the dog left the breeder, they were just about invisible. I'd forgive the breeder that one. The coccidia wasn't a problem - and it is easily and cheaply fixed. And they did tell you when they found out. Hernia? Hmm, did you know when you purchased the dog? Cost about $20 - $30 extra to repair at desexing, but you should have been told. The HOD - sorry, I don't know much about this, but according to what settrlvr wrote, if the dog is a wei, you may have a problem. Also, if it can occur following vaccinations, it's not the breeder's problem. the kidney problem. Is it hereditary? Or doesn't anyone know? As far as the law goes, you are entitled to a new pup, or a refund, if the pup is "unsuitable for the purposes intended" or faulty. But, according to the law, you need to return the "good" (ie, pup) Check the website for the dept of fair trading in your state. If I owned the pup, I'd begin with the offer of another pup the breeder made, and I would try to work within that. Talk to her about keeping the pup you have. Is her life likely to be shortened? What will she do with the pup if you hand it back? Will she give you another pup if this pup lives only a short time? As a breeder, I would want full information, including vet reports, and I would want some input from my vet. If you lived close enough, I would want my vet to see the pup. I would have told you about the hernia when you bought the pup. If the HOD is likely to be ongoing, and expensive, and the kidney problem is hereditary - I would probably give you a refund. As a gesture of goodwill. You could then use the $$ to help with the vet bills, because I wouldn't want to take the pup back. Or you could have another pup. But I would want some dialogue with you. Unfortunately, pups are living things, and problems do occur, even though the breeder may have taken all precautions and care.

Hang in there, both of you.

Might be handy to know which breed? Or how heavy?

How long have you had the Lazors for, Ellz? Are you happy with them?

Quirkyhound No, it's not a joke. He is trying to start a fight. He does it in 90% of the threads he enters, and unfortunately, people respond because they don't want the contrary rubbish he peddles to be even considered as fact by people reading the forum. If we all ignored him, he might go to some forum in which he had more interst, and where he was better accepted. At least then he would not be turning serious discussions which might alter the course of a dog's life, into trash and mindless arguments where the thrust of the thread is lost.

Quirkyhound I haven't vaccinated my dogs beyond puppy shots for something like 10 years. When dogs are taken to the vet now for annual vaccinations, they usually listen to their hearts,check their mouths, eyes and ears, take their temp, and then vaccinate. Half them don't bother with most of this, they just vaccinate. I do take the dogs for check ups on a regular basis. I don't know that I would want blood tests etc. done, which are not done now, unless I thought there was a problem. When I take them for a check up, I sometimes get bashed about vaccinating. Prior to the MDBA hosting Jean Dodds in Brisbane, I phoned about 20 vets to find out if they were interested. The answer, in every case was a resounding NO. Some said that dogs should go to the vet annually for check ups, and if they weren't vaccinated, no one would come. Some didn't know anything about any protocols, and didn't want to know. Some were obviously only interested in the $$ which the vaccines brought in. The AVA, as far as I know, raised this matter for discussion some years ago, and I thought the protocol had been changed in Australia. Maybe not.