Erny

Thank you Miss Danni. I also notice that I've not had a response to my emails (to ANKC and also to Dogs Victoria) asking for confirmation of the conversation content between Hugh Gent and the GSDCA.

In health? Ok .... going to look for it now.

No! Stop! You have pushed my paranoia button !!!! I was about to step out to get some (just found a local stockist). Good question. Their website says "Premium" ........... and it is Aussie made, which I like. And from what I can see, there's a store no more than 5 minutes from me which stocks it. Hey - hi jack away. Good questions and I (and others) get to learn from it .

Couldn't find Sagitarrian in the Member List. Tried some spelling variations, but obviously not the right one. Good suggestion regards sending me samples to try out. Off to find Aussie Manufacturer contacts . PS ... Mandela quite enjoys seafood. It's been really difficult for me to tell what does what with his stomach though. I remember way back at the beginning of his digestive woes that I had him on Eagle Pack and switched over to the Eagle Pack Duck and then the Eagle Pack Fish one. He would do well on each for a while after I'd changed, but then would go off (both in terms of not wanting to eat it and bad stools). I do feed him sardines from time to time but because it isn't a real frequently regular occurrence, I haven't noticed anything that would correlate to fish upsetting his system. I do tend to find that he is a pretty good judge of what is right or wrong for him. It is a fine line between avoiding teaching him to be a fussy eater and trusting his instincts, but for the most part I trust it has been the latter.

Bless you all. Thanks . Would I be right in thinking that the "Canidae All Life Stages" dry food be the best to offer to a dog who is also fed cooked chicken (because that's the ONLY meat he'll eat - won't touch beef, lamb etc and won't eat anything raw)? (ie so as the protein element isn't ridiculous). Having come as far as we have I am now trying to adjust his diet to something better than it has been. I've kept him going (reasonably well, even if I do say so myself) on his cooked chicken even if I have had to syringe vitamin supplements down his throat for a good amount of time. This is the part that I think will now adjust his stools to something healthier. And if that happens, it can only mean that I'm doing the right or better thing by his gut. And if that happens, maybe one day I can get him back to being able to cope with bones and other meats. But one thing at a time . BTW - for those who don't know and if this makes a difference to anyone's advice, Mandela is 2 years and 3 months old (Ridgeback).

Hi I'm hoping to save a whole packet of time and trudging through sites to find out the answer to my question, so I thought I'd pop in here first as someone might have this answer right there at their fingertips. I'm looking for a good quality dry food that does not contain wheat, corn or soy. Anyone know?

Mind you ..... my scepticism and distrust of the agendas of this organisation aside, on more than one level I think the seminar could be an interesting and worthwhile one to attend. I actually wish it were happening in Melbourne where I could go.

Aidan - I hope you're right with the positive assured attitude that seems to come from your post. Me? I think the opposite, I'm afraid. Why would RSPCA put on a seminar about this sort of thing if not to suggest some change is required? It is not as though "training your dog" is a new concept and it is not as though this is not already widely publicised and encouraged. I mean, no-one who owns or has owned a dog has ever (to my knowledge) said "train a dog? ..... ooooh - never heard of anything such as that. That can't be good for dogs, can it?" Yes. Cynicism. And coming from me of all people! . I will try to find out a bit more of what might be expected from the seminar but of course they'll want to retain an air of mystery for interest and attendance sake (fair enough) so not sure I'll be able to get clear answers to what I seek. My bet is that it is going to eventuate into controls of HOW we train our dogs. Just like the controls on WHAT we are allowed to train our dogs with (RSPCA's preferences) have already spread their relentless tentacles. And of course, take into account the item on their "priority wish list" was to have controls on dog training and trainers. This "seminar" I can't help thinking will just be the beginning. I do not trust the agenda's of executive people in the said organisation, nor the people who join with their ranks. I hope they can prove that my suspicions are wrong, although with history as it is (even right up to the current) they'll have their work cut out for them and it will take a while for them to do so and for me to ever trust in them again.

Yeah - In that I have the advantage of a fine coated dog. Easy to wet up the skin and doesn't take long to dry. Perhaps try to use a flannel saturated in it and plug away at soaking to the skin that way. Once well and truly soaked, a bit of a rub with a towel to take up the excess, but leave what you can on the skin to air dry. If you have the Calendula in your possession, you could try it now and see if this eases the itching immediately enough to not even need the antihistamine. This is how it worked for me. The antihistamines are still in the cupboard (purchased as a back-up plan) and I've not had to administer them to Mandela. Also, by trying one thing at a time you'll be knowing what thing worked. I know that when Mandela was at his worst all I wanted to do was give him all and anything, just to take the discomfort away.

Stay right where you are, Staranais. Don't come here. You'll only probably find that when you get here, we've all left for your place.

I am certainly in no position to stand on any Vet's toes when it comes to advice to someone else for someone else's dog. All I can say is that my boy (with his at least 500+ hives, conservatively speaking) had improved out of sight inside 24 hours after first application of the Calendula.

Yep.

Rinse over the coat. Allow it to dry on the coat (ie don't rinse off). I think this is worth trying first as IME if it is going to work to ease the itch and redness you should see signs of improvement generally in 24 - 48 hours. Not a long time to wait to see if it is the right management treatment to use, before you go to using chemicals of any kind. BTW - Calendula can be taken orally - it has good qualities. I purchase mine from my local Health Food Store. A 50g packet will set you back about $8.20. Although the price varies depending on the brand (and, I find, the prettiness of the packaging). ETA: When my boy has been really bad (skin wise) I tackled the first application (after I did a 'spot' application to make sure it wouldn't worsen the condition) by running some warm to hot water in the bath tub. About 3 inches deep. I put a fistful (scientific measurement ) of the calendula in the toe of a cut down stocking and tied it off. I left this floating/soaking in the hot bathwater. When the bath water had cooled to tepid (if the weather is warm/hot, cool is ok) and then put my dog in the bath tub. I used the stocking with the soaked calendula as a sponge (of sorts) to soak his coat and skin all over. The water in the tub had of course been infused and was the brewed calendula tea. A towel dry off and one clean, fresh smelling and far less itchy and more comfortable dog, in my case.

Remember that one of the things on the RSPCA priority wish list was that it wants to have control over dog training and dog trainers. I can't remember if that was the Australian RSPCA wish list or the Victorian one. Point being, it was there.

Probably because of a complete lack of faith and trust in the RSPCA (Executive Decision level), I have had an "oh oh" moment when I received this :

I intended to follow the "2 puppy vaccine" protocol with my boy when I got him. First vaccination was by the breeder. Second was when he was about 13 weeks old. I 'spoke' (by email) with Dr Jean Dodds (USA) who you would know as being pretty big in the campaign to over-vaccination awareness and she advised me that because my boy had his second shot earlier than 14 weeks of age, I should go ahead with the 3rd puppy vaccine. As things turned out, he developed health issues so I decided vaccinating again was not going to be the best thing for him, so his 3rd puppy vaccination was missed. One year further down the track had me getting him titre tested. Results came in as positive so at least I knew then that sero-conversion had occurred and this was enough to give me peace of mind.

Oooh - never thought of that, GT. I googled and there's one just near where I go when I need to visit my chiro. Must remember that, and stock up for doggy . Cheers Erny

...

That's a good tip, thanks Wotan. As is this. Buy Australian (when you can) . It takes me an age and a half walking the supermarket isles these days. Not because I have a lot to buy, but because trying to sift through the shelves upon shelves of imported goods to find the Aussie equivalent is a bit like finding a needle in the hay stack. I want to return to shopping at 'normal' shops, such as grocery store, butcher, etc. Trouble with that (I find) are the hours they keep - I have been failing to manage to get there before normal trade closing hours. Means I need to organise myself better :D.

Well, I can give no guarantees but I can tell you that I am happy with the 'stance' I took when faced with a dog covered in several hundred itchy hives (amongst other issues) and vets who wanted to go the antibiotic/cortisone route. Rightly or wrongly - it was my 'punt' ..., I adopted the natural route and wanted to see what I could manage whilst I continued to work on what the cause of my dog's skin issues were. WP, you've probably heard me sprouting the wonders of Calendula Tea baths/washes and how they kept the itchy skin (and potential secondary skin infections) at bay. I won't say anything to jinx myself (ie my dog) but I can't help but think I've made headway (with A LOT of ups and downs along the way and potentially still in front of us) but I have managed to stay well clear of cortisone and antibiotics with my admittedly only semi-educated approach. So, with all of that being said and knowing that I'm not advising you (as I can't), I'd try the Calendula Tea. This might at least buy you some extra time to see if you can work out the REASON for the skin issue and be able to deal with that without turning to steroids. Oh ..... and I don't trust the thyroid testing our Aussie labs do. IMO they aren't thorough enough and rely on the thyroid tissue being destroyed by 70%. Which means that a negative result doesn't necessarily mean that thyroid is not an issue - just means that it hasn't gone on long enough for it to show up in our thyroid results.

Ahhhh .... what the heck. Enjoy your meal of Salmon "from poisoned waters" - just have a glass of detox as a chaser ;).

Oh dear . I guess I'm lucky in that I can't and therefore don't eat seafood of any description, so I don't have to worry about things like this - except for my dog and the only seafood I've given him are sardines and on one occasion, mackerals. But if the concerns were something you weren't previously aware of and only became so as a result of this thread, then I guess that's a good thing. Although I do think sometimes that ignorance is bliss .

Exactly right! Relax, sardines and mackerel are ok. Thank you. Relax everyone. It is me that got this a bit mixed up - No, I haven't heard a recent 'thing'. Just mixed "salmon" with "sardines". Cool. Cheers. Sorry that I caused a worry .

I've forgotten - what oceans should we avoid for the sardines and other seafood we feed our dogs? I went to purchase some the other day. I tried to buy Australian but couldn't find any. Options were Canadian, Poland and Thailand. I didn't get any at all.

RIP Hugo . And to the OP and the OP's family, my condolences for your loss. So unexpected and a sad tragedy.