Erny

Yes, RR, you do. Not that expensive either. Mine comes in a cellophane bag that of the stuff that fills 2 x small 'Macconna' coffee jars to packed & over-flowing .... $8. There are some that are 'branded' and I believe they are the more expensive.

Oh - and meant to add ............... at all the "butt" comments. Funny. Poor Mandela. The butt of everyone's jokes (). No ........... really, he knows you care deeply, from the bottom of your ...............

I haven't taken him. The 'blisters' and lumps that were under the blisters, have all but disappeared. I spoke via email with his naturopath (and gifted her with the photo's too .... she was quite amused ). She thought from the first photo that the blisters near his butt hole was from him scraping his butt and causing abrasion. I know that others have suggested this too, but I still don't think that's the case. But hey .... I confess to being wrong now and again . She's taken into account the boil type lumps that are coming up and going down between his toes - she's away at the moment, but when she gets back she wants to run a "heavy metal" test on him, just in case. The new lump that I found between two of his other toes has also receded - in fact I'm surprised at how much. It was quite bulbous when I saw it this morning. I bathed it in a bowl of Calendula tea and whilst there is still some redness it has gone down so much I'm wondering if I really saw what I saw. So ......................... I dunno . Gotta say though, that between the hair analysis treatment (ie Barry Templeton) and the Naturopath (Jacqueline), Mandela's coat is looking really healthy, shiney and rich and sleek to the touch, and he seems to be holding weight a bit better even if he's not completely reliable in his eating patterns. *Touch Wood*.

Calendula Tea. It has natural anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities. I avoid shampoos wherever possible.

Thanks Sway ..... I'm still erring on the side of "hive". If you look closely (harder to see via the photo) you'll notice a purply coloured raised area which surrounds the blister. You'll see this on the second photo as well, the one where the blisters appear to have broken. I've noticed this morning that he has another bump (also pinky/purpley in colour) in between another of his toes. The 'newness' of this one shows up where the other one is receding and healing. They are almost like boils to look at, although not quite as 'angry'/darik (IMO based on my experience of boils). I'm about to go bath that in a Calendula Tea that I've brewed and will go have another squizzy at his bottom to see how that fairs this morning. I'm sure hes getting sick of me inspecting all his crevices. I know I am .

Ouch!! The things they'll do for us. Gotta luv a dog .

Actually, I did try to get a shot that was as close to the same angle as the first one, but the flash bounced off. You couldn't recognise the skin in that area for the glare. It kind of looked like the sun shone from his . I am beginning to wonder now as to whether what I am seeing/have seen (around his toes and also the lumps at his anus) whether they are actually hives ..... hives that have come up and then erupted. If you've read of Mandela's problematic health issues, you'd know of these. I'm not completely certain. In body he is looking quite good now, but he still throws a hive here and a hive there. Don't know. But thanks guys for the on my photography skills . Doubt that I'll be likely to make a living from it though. For that matter, doubt that I'd want to .

I think the blisters are changing (going down). Hard to tell due to different lighting now that daylight has passed. Tomorrow will reveal more clearly. Sorry, there's a bit more 'detail' in this picture . It's not easy to hold a dog still and his tail up when he desperately would rather be running around the house playing with 'flea' (favourite soft toy), and also trying to aim without bumping the camera lense into the 'nether nethers' of this region.

Agree with this too. Although many of our free roaming dogs lived to a ripe old age - these were the ones who developed 'road sense'. But the traffic on the roads was far less then, and dogs had a chance.

I would try Calendula Tea Wash. Test a smaller section first. Or Colloidal Silver ("Suttons"). IME, the Calendula Tea, so long as it is something in itself that your dog is not allergic too, has more astounding good results in a shorter period of time, but I have found Colloidal Silver sometimes assists, but needs more frequent application and isn't as successful.

Giraffez .... we all live and learn

No - I am certain I would have noticed him dragging his bottom anywhere. Of course, I'm not with him 100% of the time, but most time I am. It doesn't look abraded, to me. I dabbed some Colloidal Silver on it (he seemed to enjoy that ...... I imagine it would have at least been soothing. Latex gloves . I spoke to a breeder/friend of mine and her first question to me was "are the blisters orange?" . I said yes, they seemed to be more orange than red. She told me that one of her dogs had an orangey looking blister and it was some kind of cancer !!! I know she didn't say it with intent to concern me - she doesn't really know what it might be and that's the only thing that comes close to what she has experienced with one of her own. So yes, I'm worried even more now (but not blaming her - I know where she was coming from.) <sigh> ..... oh well, if I didn't worry, I'd get fat. And Clyde - I think I should patent the photo with "scratch and sniff" written on it. . Wonder how well it would sell? Hhhhhmmm .... we'd need to bottle your dog's farts for the 'scent' factor.

..... Maybe the photo triggered a reflex reaction from your dog . Mandela can't quite reach that spot to lick (not without a good deal of effort) and as he's around me for the most part and I haven't seen him licking it (apart from the attempt he made in the car, but couldn't get any closer than licking the base of his tail, a bit further down from his anus) so I don't think the blisters are from the act of licking. There's been a couple of boil looking lumps that have come up on/near his toes (one on the front foot, one on the back foot). I had the front one checked by the Vet and that one's gone down. The Vet thought he probably knocked/scraped it. There was a little hole/wound that I saw and I initially went to the Vet thinking a foreign body. I haven't been back for the one on the back foot - just treated that the same as I did the front and am monitoring that. I won't say I haven't been concerned about them, but I forced myself to not panic about it, just to keep an eye on it and it did seem to be improving, although it is still there. I noticed on that one there were 3 little red pin-dots and I thought perhaps it was a bit of some sort. But now with these blisters I am beginning to worry about what's going on. If they'd all come up together, I'd be thinking he'd sat on an ants nest or something. But each one of these 'lump' things have come up at least a week or so apart from each other. So I don't know. Anyway - I'm just chatting. Obviously the solution (hopefully) will be to let the Vet see them (including again the lump on his foot) and hopefully I can get an appointment for late tomorrow, after I've finished my consults/lessons.

I'm somewhat grossed out about this. I noticed Mandela licking towards the base of his tail on the way home from training today. When I got home, I checked the area and noticed these 'blister type' bumps on the skin part but below his anus. I am planning on having them seen by a professional tomorrow, assuming I can get an appointment, but in the meantime thought I'd share with you a picture so any of you might pass an opinion, if you're familiar with what they might be?

What era was this, Diva? The era I speak of would have been in and through the 1960's.

Gosh .... "Spotty" is certainly very attractive.

I think I have to get one for Mandela. He was very interested in it (mainly the noise) when he was helping me watch the video clip. Lots of curious head tilts going on. I love those.

Agree. Nature hates a vacuum, it is usually not legal to remove possums from an area without a licence (relocated possums often die due to their territorial natures) but even if you do, another will move straight in. ..... can I just be clear (because it is my post that seems to have sparked people talking about not removing possums) that I was only talking about getting it out of the ceiling/walls of the home. Not moving it to another area. I thought I was relatively clear, but perhaps not?

Playing. I thought Henry coped with and handled Marcus's constant attentions really well and with a good deal of tolerance. I thought Henry was beginning to get a bit tired of it, towards the end. Just subtly and not quite. What happened after the footage? Did Henry quit playing, or did Marcus (the little energy ball) clunk out?

Not answering your question, but if your dog's teeth/gums need some help, brushing regularly (using the rubber finger brushes made for the purpose) with Colloidal Silver really helps the health of the mouth.

That's what I just said ??? If the dog is barking at the noises of the possum/s in the roof and walls, then the possums need moving from the inner roof/walls and the roof needs to be possum proofed (ie gaps stopped up). The dog is already inside - crating isn't by itself likely to stop the barking/worrying at the sounds, do you think? Perhaps it would help to stop the pacing which in turn might help the dog to settle, or it could work the opposite and the confinement might have the dog more frustrated.

Sounds to me that you might need to get someone out who will be able to rid the possums from your roof and close up gaps from where they are getting in.

Agree with Crisover. And to add ... Our dogs were a part of our family - loved very much, and we cried when they 'left us'. But they were dogs. I think we respected dogs more back then, for exactly what they are ...... dogs. Our mates, companions, shoulder to cry on when Mum or Dad needed to scold us, listener to our sadness, sharers in our joys. But they were ....... dogs. We didn't dolt over them like we do now. We didn't have to teach them independence - that just 'came' because of lifestyles, beliefs, values. We weren't rough with them and we did care (blankets for the winter time to keep them warm etc.) but they were ............. dogs. When they were ill, they went to the Vet. Mind you, that didn't happen as much as frequently as it does now. Dog got into a scrap with another, out came the Dettol. That'll fix it. And somehow, it usually did. The dogs were last in the ladder/pecking order. Nothing any of us needed to think about. That's just how it was. They wandered and therefore self-socialised - to people; other dogs; noises; etc. If our dog followed us down the street, but we didn't want him with us, we just told him firmly "go home Prince" and pointed. And he would go home. Didn't teach him that. Most dogs in the neighbourhood would respond the same. I think we carried our assertiveness more naturally, back then, and I think that's because of our natural attitude of dogs. And that we knew, even without consciously thinking about it, that they were .................... dogs.

Oh - and if the groomer is spraying your dog to smell nice to your nose, might pay to knock that off too. Get back to some natural basics and groom with a brush/comb daily to help keep the coat clean and unmatted (special attention to under arm pits, belly and legs). Groomer could still trim for you, but might have a better chance of doing so without the frequent bathing if the coat is kept brushed out in between times.

If her step dad is uncomfortable/concerned about it, then crate train. Won't hurt the Chi to learn independent sleeping habits and the step dad will be able to sleep soundly without feeling he needs to be sub-consciously aware of the dog being there.