Erny

Not really... The Whelping Supplies cost includes postage.... The K9 Magic one doesn't. It would cost $15.40 from K9 Magic for a large one once you add postage, so not that different. I just did a practice run on the K9 Magic site. Purchasing 3 x large antlers (@$7 ea) = $21.00. Plus postage & packing $8.40. Comes to a total of $29.40. If I purchase 3 x large antlers from Whelping Supplies it would cost me $54.00. If the sizes aren't quite the same, even if I purchased 3 of the next size down it would cost me $48.00. So I guess where you win through K9 Magic is when you purchase more than just one antler as you're not being charged the postage on each one. Not that it's a competition, but for people such as Ianeka who have multiple dogs, or for those who might like to purchase a few at a time for convenience sake, it would work out better.

Only because it is the "Masters" awards, in case you didn't realise? The other category nominations don't have to be MDBA members. :D

I have a feeling I fasted him on that blood test. But as his thyroid levels are about due for re-checking, I'll make a point this time of fasting him for the 12 hours and see whether the fat in his blood is still apparent. The Z/D is working for him in so much that his poop has been a lot better. He does poop frequently though - but I'm happy that it is not the slops that he gave out for the preceding 7 or 8 months. His butt doesn't seem to annoy him half as much either, and the really really bad rotten gut smell farts don't occur any more (he used to let these go at least half a dozen to a dozen times a day). He's let a few go in the past few weeks, but they have only been here and there and the smell is not as bad. They coincided with a slight softening of the stool and the appearance of mucous in the stool, but that seems to have cleared up. So by comparison to the immediate past, yes .... I am reasonably pleased with where we are at.

This site was recommended to me too ..... somewhat cheaper ? K9 Magic

I have no experience with Dementia or the diets and drugs available to assist it, so I'm afraid the only advice I can offer is to be guided by a Vet who is experienced in it. If it were me, I guess I'd like to explore a diet only adjustment to see how that would go. But if the dementia is further on and/or if the behaviour is too problematic then the diet may not be efficient enough or sufficiently effective. I don't what the side effects of the drugs are, so I think that needs to be explored with the help of your Vet as well. I just don't know enough about it for me to be of any help to you Westiemum, but I do hope you find your way with some good expert guidance .

I think I meant the special Hills Science diet. I just recall a Vet doing a lecture and saying that they were working on a new diet or a diet had just become available and that it was about oxygenating the blood. This was years ago and it was fairly early days. So I am supposing that this Hills Diet might have been the one she was referring to. The Vet was Dr Meredith McDonald of Thompson Road Small Animal Clinic 940 Thompson Road, Cranbourne, Victoria.

The 'gamey' smell of Deer is too much for me. I'm not much of a meat eater at the best of times. Thanks TerraNik. Got any names of suppliers you could share with me?

Do you mean the sanding band? I use the one that came with my Dremmel. Have only used about 3 over the years. My current boy is 2.5 yo now and I am still using the new one I put on when he was younger. If you go to the Dober Dawn Dremel link it gives you the description of the sanding band.

Ok - I get it. Thanks. I think it was reported that the "Velvet" has some really good medicinal/nutritional qualities. Still interested in them though, but would like to be able to establish whether there is any contraindication for dogs who have dietary sensitivies and whether they do assist at all with teeth cleaning. Will have to keep lurking and asking :D. ETA: Deer faces are beautiful, aren't they? Very much like cows.

Thanks Nek. Do you know of known issues with feeding antlers? (ie causing dietary; intestinal issues) ETA: 'other' forum bloke who spoke about them said the antlers were "humanely removed" by using local anaesthetic. That would indicate to me the presence of nerve endings which would indicate the presence of something alive or fresh, wouldn't it?

I enquired about Deer Antler on another forum, but the responses have been slow in coming. Don't wish to go OT too far, but would like to enquire here if the OP doesn't mind? My query was whether a Deer Antler was anything like a RMB. I understood that the antler is made up primarily of closely compacted hair. The reason I ask is because my boy doesn't tolerate raw meat either and of course that includes bones. At 2.5 years old his teeth are skanky and I'd like for him to have something that he would enjoy gnawing on, even if it were to help his teeth just that little bit. So can anyone tell me about them? They are supposed to have some good health qualities (so I've heard) about them as well.

I remember being informed about diet potentially providing some beneficial results in cases of dementia. It relates to the diet increasing oxygen in the blood stream or some such.

There have been quite a number of threads and information regarding Dremels and their use. If you use the DOL search engine for "Dremel" it will bring up about three pages of different links to threads which have discussed them. Happy reading :D. In summary though - yes, many people find that Dremelling their dog's nails is kinder and more successful than clipping, which by its mere pressure can be uncomfortable > painful for dogs. Here's a link on Dremelling (how to do it/tips) that is helpful : Dober Dawn and Dremel You do need to take care dremeling : Not for too long on each nail at a time as the nail will heat up and become painful. Watch for where the quick is. Keep long hair (your dog's AND yours) out of the way so it doesn't get caught up in the machine. There's more, but I think you'll read many of them in the link. I have the genuine Dremel. It is not cordless and from what I can gather these are quieter than the cordless. However many people have the cordless and do not find it to be a problem. Some have gone for cheaper models/brands - I can't answer for those as I've not used them to be able to compare them with what I have. I will say that my Dremel has been in use on one dog at a time over a period of about 5 years.

Thanks for that link Staranais. I had a read through of it before I had to leave to do a consult yesterday. I found it a bit difficult to understand all of it and will need to re-read it through once or even twice more, I think. I'm a bit confused right now and I'm also feeling a bit of a nuicance to my Vet (although that has never stopped me before, but I don't think they end up liking me much for it ). My current Vet, when I got off the phone from him yesterday (before your link to Hyperlipidemia) said that because the TLI test showed within the normal range, we basically can't do much else other than to do an endoscopy and biopsy. I think he feels this is more invasive than it needs to be at this point. So, when we moved onto the subject of Mandela's diet (he's been on Hills Science prescription Z/D for 6 weeks now) he said to start re-introducing him to his normal food, bit by bit and slowly and of course one food type at a time, and see how things go. I guess I'm a bit worried about doing that now due to being aware of fat content and so far the pointers (even though they are vague) seem to be about keeping to a low fat diet. I hate annoying our Vets and sometimes I do doubt myself in so much as wondering if I am overly obsessed with trying to find the actual cause for Mandela's woes rather than just accepting that he is that "type of dog" and running with it. :D . Hi Sas - he sure does (keep me on my toes)!! Lol. I don't know about the fat relativity to diet. I wouldn't have thought so as when he did have chicken, I got the skinless and in the latter months I also cooked it. But honestly, I'm only guessing. Also I think I fasted Mandela before the thyroid blood test - but I'm trying to rattle my brain on that one because I can't confidently recall. I'm pretty sure I asked Jean Dodds if it was necessary to do so and I thought she said no. But I just can't remember what I did or even whether Mandela ate his breakfast even if I did offer it to him. I need to back-track my diary to see if I wrote anything that would give me a clue. I'll be getting more bloods drawn to send to Jean Dodds again very soon, to check the thyroid again. We adjusted thyroid medication levels the last time and had to reduce them. So he's due for another check around now. Perhaps it is just a matter of concentrating on that and when we have got the levels to settle, giving everything some time. It was interesting to read that there is a connection between Hyperlipidemia and Thyroid (I think that's what I read).

No. I have a plant growing as well. You use the inside gel of the leaf for the wound. I think it must be something in the outer leaf that could be a problem but was told the gel is safe. Depends on where the wound is. If it is in a lickable spot, it can be a problem. I have also been cautious about it attracting flies and whether the wound could be in a spot that would have dirt stick in it. So it depends on where the wound is, the dog's environment, the season. It is good stuff but I find it a bit messy. I prefer to use AMH for internal use but will use it for external if it is the best for the job.

It would be helpful if you could ask, and find out which Vet. I'd like to speak with them to find out more information. Would you be able and would you mind?

Yes - I expect in either case the dog at the time of "attack" would not be focusing on the body part being its body part as much as it would be conscious of feeling an uncontrollable urge to express food guarding behaviour. That's just my thoughts and feeling on it though. I hate that video footage. Not for what the dog's doing because it is an interesting and telling incident that we can learn from. I abhor the behaviour of the humans in the background though, who are killing themselves laughing. I am actually quite sad for the dog experiencing the emotion that would have to be behind that behaviour.

Oh dear, Crispy. I am so sorry for your very unexpected loss. Do not think for an instance that you contributed to Smudge's passing. Even if it was vaccination related, YOU FOLLOWED YOUR VET'S ADVICE AND RECOMMENDATION and it is the "Vets -vs- the bureaucracy of the manufacturers issue" who would be those who are at fault. Thank you for telling your tale though - I think it is worth the telling for someone else to read and think about. But in the meantime be kind to yourself. :D You love Smudge and Smudge knew that. RIP Smudge .

Update : The TLI test has come in and it shows normal pancreas function. That is now the second time I've had this tested, the first being about a year ago with the same answer. I spoke with our Vet and he's suggested that we give the thyroid medication a bit more time (we're still in the midst of adjusting and re-testing to stabilise to the correct dosage) before we go to the more invasive step of GA, endoscope and biopsy. I would love this whole thing to be thyroid related and for things to come good without further issue . In the meantime, this is something I forgot to mention/ask/discuss with the Vet. About 6 months ago when I had Mandela's bloods taken to double check thyroid, they were spun down to serum so that I could ship it to the USA for testing and analysis. The Vet made a comment at the time about how much fat Mandela had in the blood. Is there a possibility that this phenomenon could be linked with the phenomenon of him having a concerning amount of undigested fat showing in his stools?

Although I don't profess to know what this dog is thinking at the time, but I wonder that it is not a confliction response. Along the lines of : the dog's anxiety-loaded state + the dog's urge to food guard + no outlet to express those things to so turns on its tail.

Thanks Staranais and sorry - I didn't mean to sound as though I was questioning you per se. More that I thought there might have been a medical reason why not to douse with something like Betadine. I know what you mean about good immune systems though. Back when I was a kid dogs would have a scuffle/fight every now and again. We'd have a squiz and at most usually rinse it with salt water, if that. Very rarely did it turn to infection IME.

Oh my gosh!! I forgot I was the Queen of "Active Manuka Honey" !!! I think I've become so obsessed with Calendula Tea that I forgot about AMH!! I agree .... a tub of AMH in the pantry/first aid box is a definite handy. I confess that I do, even if it is the Calendula. Am I doing the wrong thing by doing this, Staranias? I figure that with a fresh wound inflammation and infection may not be apparent but it might be on its way and always thought a flush out with something such as Calendula or Betadine would help to thwart that.

Saline is salt and water. However I only use the purchased (sterilised) stuff from the chemist if it is to flush out anything around the eyes (or for that matter other sensitive areas) after reading here about salt and water eye washes sometimes being too strong and causing damage to the cornea. The thing is, Giraffez ... if you have the stuff that is in the vials you can take them with you in your first aid kit if you go away and it is there ready for you to use if you need it. Handy if it's something you need fairly quickly and don't really want to wait for the kettle to boil and then for the mixture to cool down.

That could be toxic? Perhaps a food colour dye .... not sure which ones are dark colours though. ETA: Oh.. just seen that the white tip of your dog's tail is no longer there :D. Sorry.

That's a thought worth exploring and experimenting with.