Jed

NalaCleo, I am so sad for you and your girl. I understand how terrible this must be. Shall keep my fingers crossed. I'm sorry, I don't have any personal experience with cardiomyopathy - thank God - after about 35 years of owning and loving boxers, I've never had one with it.

The nutritionists tell us frozen veges are probably better for us than raw. I don't altogether believe them, but frozen is probably ok. I do use fresh, because I have a good fruit shop with lots of specials - and they also get fruit. I have been known to chuck in some frozen, nothing seemed to go wrong. Mine wont eat the veges separately - l'il devils - so I mix the veges (after they have been through the processor) etc in with the mince, and they are good with that. Gee, your mum is good to give you a processor. A friend had a garage sale, and there was a great looking but older processor for $20 - one of those ones which looked as if it was made out of metal (probably was) and could chew up fence posts with impunity- but I didn't know anyone who needed one.

I've never seen a BARF patty. I usually use bone in chicken mince - sometimes I use beef mince - and I process veges/fruit or whatever nightly, mix it together, and feed it. Because I have a few dogs, it's easier to do it nightly. Sometimes, if I'm on a roll, I process enough veges for a couple of nights. Kaffy, don't stress about it. I often think it was easier before we got all scientific with BARF and various opinions. We just fed the dogs meat and stuff, and they did alright!! If you feed just meat, the calcium/phospherous ratio is incorrect - so you add things to balance that, and to supply extra vitamins, which is where the fruit/veges etc. come in. As long as the dog gets some variety, he will be fine. I have 2 friends with the same breed, who show and breed. One measures everything exactly, and the dogs have additional trace elements, minerals etc. They look fantastic. Another friend chucks in a handful of this and a handful of that, a few sad things from the fridge, the leftover potato salad, a few jatz crackers if they are past their use by date (not every day, but sometimes), a tin of tuna, a few eggs, and they have milk and cereal on Sunday nights. They look fantastic too!! Breeder A will tell you the dogs MUST have Vit C - breeder B says no : Breeder C says yoghurt is necessary, Breeder D says "never". So, do it as well as you can - but don't worry about it!! :nahnah:

Go and have a look at the BARF website. I'm too lazy, but I think it is about 20% veges/fruit. Don't stress about it - the idea is that the dog gets variety and a balanced diet, so if you feed a bit too much or too little, it's not the end of the world - it will all even out over a few meals. If the 3 meals per day are basically BARF - maybe make the main one the one with the extras, and the other 2 just meat. I give a diet sheet to my puppy buyers - one meal is milk/eggs/cereal - another is dry food (which I put in because it is easy for people who work, or who want to go out during the day, the pup can be left with the dry food), with the main meal barf. With my own dogs, if they are getting fed twice a day, they have meat only for 1 meal, and BARF for the main (night) meal, because there is NO way I am processing veges in the morning before work. Never had a bad effect on any of them. I don't stress about it, I just chuck in what looks right, and it usually is!!

Congratulations!! Here's a picture of The Best Cocker Spaniel In The World - known here as TBCSITW -he congratulates you too!! May you have years of happiness and pleasure with your cocker.

Oogh ah. What a big fat fibber!! Had a drip in for sure. Parvo? Tummy bug? Why can't these cretins in pet shops tell the truth? Spose they make less sales that way. Probably - shouldn't have tear stains at that age, and the bloodstained eyes are a problem. You could spend zillions on this dog, after you purchased it - in vet's fees. And - anyone who wasn't upfront with me about a dog I was buying would be shafted very fast. Have you gone off a cocker?

Put the collar and lead away for a while. I presume you do have a flat collar? Arm yourself with a few treats. Pick an area with a wall - ie, semi enclosed - down the hallway inside the house, or outside with the house wall against your left side. Use an area where there are NO distractions. No other dog, no helpful relation giving you advice, no cats, no chooks. Call the pup - make a fuss of him. Then begin to walk - hopefully, with the pup on your left side with the wall or hallway on his left side so he is between you and and wall. Slap your leg, use a happy upbeat voice - "c;mon Fred (or whatever his name is), c'mon", keep slapping your leg. If he is normal, he will run along beside you make a big fuss as you walk "good boy, good boy, c'mon, gooood doggie, c'mon walkies" Only walk the length of the hall or wall. No matter whether he did it well or not. At the end, give him a treat, and tell him good dog. Just do it a few times at once. Don't look for any good obedience stuff - just be happy if he is going in the right direction at about the right speed most of the time. Try to do this several times a day, just for a couple of minutes. If he goes the other way, don't chastise him, simply turn on your heel and walk off in another direction. He will soon follow. It is really important to make this exercise fun - keep praising him. What you want is for the dog to run along beside your left leg. Once he does that reasonably reliably, move away from the wall or hall, and do it in a larger area - not for too long, and don't expect too much. When he is doing it quite well, put the collar on him. Do the same thing with the collar on. Do it a few times, over a couple of days, Then put the lead on - don't pull the lead. Use exactly the same words/treats you have been using. He will run along beside you with the lead on. He's lead trained now. Now, you can begin refiing him - so he walks beside you. The reason this works because it is a dog's nature to (a) run with his master (you will have seen him following you around) and (b) to resist any pull on his neck - because it means "danger" Once he understands you want him to run with you - and you are happy with him, it is easy to get him used to the collar. If you put the lead on him, and he runs backwards, don't pull back - drop the lead, and use the commands you used to get him to walk with you off lead. Pick up the lead when he is walking with you.

When pups are small, they are able to digest cow's milk, which contains lactose, because they have "lactase" which enables them to digest it. If they grow to adulthood without having any more milk, there is a good chance they will not be able to digest it, as they do not manufacture lactase. If you keep feeding milk, they are always able to digest it. I feel ALL my puppies cows' milk, and I sometimes feed my adult dogs cows' milk. I ALWAYS feed pregnant bitches and lactating bitches cows milk. Contains calcium, and is very good for them + they are happy to drink it, pre-whelping and post whelping, when they may not be willing to eat "solid" food. The extensive diet chart which goes home with one of my pups contains a recommendation to feed the pup cows milk - nearly all owners do, without problems. I was feeding dogs cows milk before "puppy milk" was invented - and I still do. It is a very rare dog which is milk intolerant, and if a dog is, you know straight away. If your pup likes milk, keep feeding him on it, don't worry about buying puppy milk, with is more expensive, and is no better IMHO. There is no reason not to. I think it is worth keeping them on cows milk - there is usually a time when it comes in handy - if the dog is recovering from an illness, or is in poor condition, it is an excellent "building" food, and you can add things to it to bulk it up (ie, cooked rolled oats, eggs etc) to put condition on. And, it is a food by itself. There are thousands of breeders out there feeding cows milk in a regular basis, without any problems. If you keep feeding him milk, he will always be able to digest it.

Advance is good, imho - and Innova, excellent. I found Science Diet tended to give mine the green runs and Euk is ok, but I think Innova is better. Royal Canin, Nutrience, Nutro of the ones I have used are also ok. If you are only feeding dry, use a premium brand. However, Cavs do tend to get bored with dry food.

Hi, thegownchick, so sorry to hear about Moses. Budgies are simply delightful, and it is never easy to lose any pet via an accident. The one thing which works for everyone is Tincture of Time - different times for different people Having Josh will help too. Everyone who has lost a loved pet understands how you feel ... and that is just about everyone here. Hope the training with Josh goes well. I find that cutting the flight feathers on a wing helps - so they can't fly away. I know there are various opinions on this, but the feathers grow back, and until Josh is tame, he can't fly around and hurt himself. If you really don't want to cut his wing, or don't know how, do this without cutting the feathers, but it will probably take longer, and do it somewhere he can't hurt himself if he flies off. Stand behind him - so his back is facing you. Put your finger against his breast, and gently push back - so he has to step up onto your finger - when he is on your finger, before he flies away, put your other finger (other hand) against his breast, push back again, and he will step up again. Do this a few times, so he is stepping up onto your finger - 10 - 12 times. Until he is a bit tired. Once he is happy to sit on your finger, face him, and repeat the exercise. You will find, after a couple of days, he will step onto your finger wherever he is, and from there, be happy to sit on your shoulder. My apologies if you are already doing this!! If you haven't been doing it, you will find that it takes a bit of practice to get your fingers into the right rhythm to keep him stepping up. Works every time - they get tame in no time. A purple budgie sounds devine. How about a photo of Josh?

It will probably close. Check with your vet before mating her, when you have the health tests done, prior to breeding.

Masador Unfortunately the breeder has gone awol and is not able to be contacted which I find strange after her assurances to both the vet and I that she was horrified by our loss and that a full refund of the purchase price would be forthcoming. I am trying to give her the benefit of the doubt but it is not looking good.

Sarah Stafford chose you, Warley, to help her on her journey. You heard her calling you, and answered. She has left you something in return in thanks for what you have given her.

Morgan Australian. I believe only about 55% of vets are members. Pax, I always understood that vac. a preg bitch with live vaccine could lead to death of the pups, and in fact, I had one vac about 15 years ago, and all the pups did die. Is there a specific time to vaccinate? toohey - kennel cough is rarely fatal, and dogs which are out and about a bit do develop immunity anyhow, and it seems that the protocol recommended does work. I haven't vac. my dogs after 1 year for years. Had a titre test done on a 2 year old, and the anti bodies were through the roof, so didn't bother.

Dr. Jean Dodd from America, is the world expert on vaccinations. Below is her recommendations for vaccination protocol. This protocol was adopted by the AVA a few years ago. NEW!!! VACCINATION PROTOCOL by Dr. Jean Dodd I would like to make you aware that all 27 veterinary schools in North America are in the process of changing their protocols for vaccinating dogs and cats. Some of this information will present an ethical & economic challenge to Vets, and there will be skeptics. Some organizations have come up with a political compromise suggesting vaccinations every 3 years to appease those who fear loss of income vs. those concerned about potential side effects. Politics, traditions, or the doctors economic well-being should not be a factor in a medical decision. NEW PRINCIPLES OF IMMUNOLOGY Dogs and cats immune systems mature fully at 6 months. If a modified live virus vaccine is given after 6 months of age, it produces immunity, which is good for the life of the pet (I.e.: canine distemper, parvo,feline distemper). If another MLV vaccine is given a year later, the antibodies from the first vaccine neutralize the antigens of the second vaccine and there is little or no effect. The titer is not "boosted" nor are more memory cells induced. Not only are annual boosters for parvo and distemper unnecessary, they subject the pet to potential risks of allergic reactions and immune-mediated haemolytic anemia. There is no scientific documentation to back up label claims for annual administration of MLV vaccines. Puppies receive antibodies through their mothers milk. This natural protection can last 8 - 14 weeks. Puppies & kittens should NOT be vaccinated at LESS than 8 weeks. Maternal immunity will neutralize the vaccine and little protection (0-38%) will be produced. Vaccination at 6 weeks will, however, DELAY the timing of the first highly effective vaccine. Vaccinations given 2 weeks apart SUPPRESS rather than stimulate the immune system. A series of vaccinations is given starting at 8 weeks and given 3-4 weeks apart up to 16 weeks of age. Another vaccination given sometime after 6 months of age (usually at l year 4 MO) will provide LIFETIME IMMUNITY.

Because I owned, showed and bred dogs prior to commercial food, the dogs always ate meat etc. - basically a raw diet - before BARF was even heard of. Everyone fed a raw diet. When the great new improvements to dog feeding - dry food and cans - came in (about 30 years ago) - I gave them a go, but the dogs didn't do as well on them, they cost heaps more, and getting rid of the cans was always a problem. Also, I am very sussy about pelleted foods. Having bred and shown horses I know they never achieve the same finish when fed pre-packed pre-mixed diets, or pellets, so it makes sense that dog food would be the same. More for the convenience of the owner (and the profit of the pet food manufacturers) than the good of the dog. So, the dogs are still eating the same old, same old raw stuff, and continue to do well on it. I do keep a quality dry food, although not always the same one, but they only get it if I am home very late, or extremely tired. They like the change, although I suspect there is enough variety in their regular diet to keep them happy. It's certainly a lot easier to pour some dry food into the bowls, but after a few days, they all jack up!! I must confess to having a little giggle when someone new to raw food stresses about quantities, and sees it all as a fairly difficult exercise. I just make sure mine have lots of variety, meat, chicken, fruit, vegs, oil, supplements, fish, offal, ACV, whatever takes my fancy, so I know their diet is complete - and of course, bones. After Dr. Billinghurst's books were published, I did adjust the diets slightly. If I hear or read about something I think would be beneficial, I do some research, and may add that to the diets too. Despite having fed the same things for 40 odd years, I like to learn, and to use the information to improve things for the dogs. Mine also have sad looking things from the fridge; veges, custard, cheese, left overs; stale biscuits, stale bread etc - not a huge amount, just the leftovers, which makes a bit of a change, and is better than throwing it out!! I do feed cows milk, and sometimes (cooked) rolled oats with it, which I find excellent for expectant mummies, or those with babies, or for someone who needs to put on a little condition. Never had a problem with milk - either for home bred, or dogs I've bought.

So sorry to hear that bad news Masador. :D It's a rotten thing to happen, but sometimes, nothing you do makes a difference. Pleased the breeder is helpful, good on them.

It may or may not be hereditary. Might just be bad luck. I would be speaking to the breeder about it, because they do need to know. Not everything which happens is hereditary --- sometimes it just has to go in the "s##t happens" basket. I had 1 pup with a shrivelled liver - he lived to 15 weeks, happy as could be, and passed in his sleep. The vet diagnosed him at 6 weeks, although he was not sick. Trusting the diagnosis, I did not sell him. It was definitely not hereditary, but if I had not expected it to happen, and sold him, someone may well have thought it was hereditary. I guess you are trying to find out what it is, and perhaps why?

If it's full of blood, it is one of those doohickeys --- have had a few, and if you do manage to break them, they are full of dark thick blood. But, if it was my dog, I'd get it removed, and I'd maybe want a new switched on vet too!!

Is Hoss Gloss the correct ph for dogs? I like Fidos for general baths.

Sorry, Pixel, my brain left the building this afternoon, and I cannot think what they are called - but they are black lumps, like your photo, difficult to remove or break, and they are filled with blood. They DO have a name, and they are not a problem. That is what it looks like - however, I would still go to the vet. Make sure he aspirates it. Incidentally, ticks have legs, and if you suspect a tick, get a magnifying glass and check it out for legs!! Unlikely, but not impossible. Unfortunately, a lot of lumps look and feel like other varieties of lump - some are just harmless things dogs get, and some are horrible nasties. Often the vet can't tell the difference either, so it's worth checking out. There are lumps which are easy to identify as x or y - but that one is a bit of a poser.

Ticks have legs. If it has been on the dog for a month, I don't think it is a tick. If it was on my dog, I would go directly to the vet, and get it checked out. It may be one of those funny blood filled black things they get sometimes, but anything that looks like that, and grows at such a rate, is IMHO worth a vet visit.

I often think how difficult it must be for a new dog owner to cope with the amazing amount of information around on feeding dogs. And the amazing amount of conflicting information!! Over the years, via reading, trial and error, talking to friends, having problems, seeing dogs live from birth to old age and death, I have evolved what seems to me to be a good diet for all my dogs, in terms of their well being, cost, and ease of preparation. It's taken a long time, and a lot of different feeding regimes though. I've probably used just about every method of feeding - when the very first dry dog food was available, like everyone else, I embraced this wonderful new way of feeding (there was only one brand, and it was pretty ordinary - added to which, the dogs didn't like it much!). Cans too, were a wonderful invention and the dogs just loooved them. They cost a lot, and getting rid of the empties was a problem. Then I embraced the dog stew - a few breeders used to take turns to visit the abbatoirs to collect the "offcuts" - and very nice meat it was too. From this, I cooked up a yummy stew, veges, all sorts of things. That was pretty popular, and they did well on it. No bones though, as they fought over them, and I couldn't be bothered. At the time, whatever I used was the you beaut new never fail dog diet!! Absolutely the cutting edge!! And the supplements - this for that, and something else for whatever, oh wow!! Even now, I pick up ideas which I use - some work, some don't. Mind you, I have a few dogs to experiment with, and I've had quite a lot over the years. Some of the rescues have problems too - very thin, or bald from skin problems, so they get experimented on too. It's easy to sit here and say "oh, but this is the best" - but how does a novice owner know? Everyone has different advice, which works for them. My daughter, who works long and irregular hours, feeds her 2 dogs premium dry food. When she is very busy, she simply puts a lot out, and they help themselves. I find this a bit appalling, but the dogs look great - so who is right?? Ahaze, you just have to listen, learn, research and do a bit of trial and error. However, if your pups are always hungry, they are not getting enough to eat - so maybe you need to up their protein level or the quantity a bit. You'll work it out in the end. If you cared enough to come on here and ask, you will succeed. If you look and listen, and have empathy with your dog, he will tell you. Recently, someone gave me a bitch. A nice little bitch, about 12 months old, but very skinny and hyperactive. For the first month, I fed her separately, morning and evening, as much as she could eat. Which was about twice what I would consider normal. After 3 weeks, she was struggling to finish, so I cut the food down a bit. She put on quite a lot of weight, and looked pretty good. Then she began refusing her breakfast, so I cut it out. Now she eats "regular" meals, looks great, and is no longer hyperactive ... she had always been hyperactive. So, the diet regime was right for her. You will find what suits your dogs, but if they act hungry, they probably are!

Hi, Ahaze. Welcome to the forum. I have read Pat Coleby's books - dog and horse (coz I bred horses for about 100 years too), and there is a lot of good in them. I feed my dogs a "natural" diet, and will try to fix things by natural means if possible. I have fed quite a few different things over the years, including Farrells. It is also beloved by numerous greyhound owners. However, it is largely cereal - and whilst I think it is ok as an adjunct to other foods, I don't think it has the necessary nutrients, or is high enough in protein to make up the greater proportion of the dogs diet. The dog is a straight out carnivore, which means that he was designed to live on meat - certainly other things as well - but he is a carnivore. There are hundreds of thousands of dogs out there eating, and enjoying cans of Pal, as a staple diet. Without appearing to be suffering in any way. The people who are feeding those dogs do believe they are doing the right thing by their dog, and would not accept any arguments to the contrary. Yet people who have studied nutrition in dogs faint dead away on hearing about dogs living on Pal (me too!!) You seem interested in giving your dogs the best start possible. May I suggest you do some research on other feeding methods - there is plenty of information out there. Don't just accept one point of view. If you do research, be aware that on websites, it is possible for anyone to put anything, so ensure that the information is sourced, not someone's opinion. Books are probably better, because one would hope they are checked for veracity prior to publication. Pat Coleby is not big into dogs, and as far as I know, not a breeder. I personally feel that her books on horses are better, and indeed some of the things she suggests are in fact, tried and true remedies which have been used for over 100 years. However, some of the advice she gives - particularly on snakebite - worries me a bit -- the dogs who survived snake bite without vet assistance may have received a dry bite, or a minimal dose of venom. Most dogs, without anti venene, will die. The other prolematic thing in her writings concerns Vit C. She fails to mention that it is possible to overdose dogs on Vit C, and poison them. Certainly, it would need to be a big dose, or far too much over a period, but they cannot excrete all the excess. Also the advice re raw eggs .... that the whites were harmful is "old" advice, which has been superceded by further study. Unfortunately, the most research on dog nutrition has been done by dog food companies, who have a vested interest in selling their food!! So there is not much scientific evidence around, but there is some - from here and there.

arby True, but a lot of new posters haven't read anything previously, and if incorrect information is not corrected, they then they can are left with the wrong information. Eggs are a very good source of protein, recommended by animal nutritionists, and fed whole raw by many owners and breeders.