Poodle wrangler

Maybe consider anti-inflammatories and/or painkillers from the vet? All medications have potential side-effects. I would rather take the small risk it than see my dog in pain. I wouldn't be deterred by some of the horror stories you hear about anti-inflammatories. They're used a LOT and side effects uncommon. Always give with food. Cold weather + arthritis= pain .

I really dislike handling fresh meat, too. I use disposable gloves and use left-over ice cream containers to defrost/store meat. I like brisket bones and chicken carcasses- I just put the gloves on and throw them outside for dogs to eat. Containers go straight into the garbage afterwards. Suggest you change over diet over a week or so (gradually less meat, more dry) b4 she arrives to minimise doggy tummy upsets.

Vet is best as they can prescribe antibiotics to clear up any problems quickly. You don't want to pour anything into the ear if the eardrum is ruptured, either :p

My dog chewed clean thru a lead while tied up next to me at a coffee shop ... :nahnah: Lupine brand leads and collars are guaranteed even if chewed- you send it back and pay only postage- unfortunately was using a different lead that day and not paying enough attention. http://lupinepet.com/ Places like vetnpet direct sell them http://vetnpetdirect.com/product.php?produ...e=&zoneid=2 The Lupine stuff washes very well and last well- my dog wear their collars in salt water and only show signs of rust after 2 years old.

If she is not too skinny (i.e. you can see more than the last 2 ribs) don't worry about it. Take what's not eaten away and give it back next meal time. VAst majority of "fussy" eaters are made that way by us, their owners :nahnah:

Cut food intake by half. You cannot starve a fat dog :nahnah:. The extra weight does more damage to his body than cutting back food. I did this when my 7kg dog put on some extra weight. I felt mean at the time, but he soon had much more energy and looked so much healthier. Also increase walks, but go slow if the dog is very overweight and/or has arthritis already. Canned food has a lot of extra calories from the sugar added to make it palatable.

Just remember for crate training, you need a crate that can "grow" with your puppy. I had one with a divider so you could make it smaller or split in 2. Other advice I got was to put a large box in the crate when pup is still little. If crate is too big, pup will just wee in the opposite end, defeating the whole crate-training process.

I'd cut her food intake by 1/4 and see how you go. You're already exercising her. If she's a little overweight now, then it's best to help her lose it asap. You should be able to feel the ribs easily with the FLAT part of your hand. If you have to poke around with fingers to find ribs, then your dog's too fat- is no good for joints or overall health.

JMHO, but I find I don't need the slower speed on poodle feet and poodle feet are shaved very, very short- between all the pads and "toes" as well.

No medications are 100% guaranteed safe, just as no surgery can be guaranteed to be successful . Anti-inflammatory medications CAN have some nasty side effects (e.g. bleeding from a stomach ulcer), but can also provide excellent pain relief. Remember when Vioxx (a human anti-inflammatory) was taken off the market? I know people who said they'd rather risk dropping dead prematurely because they got such good pain relief . Talk over the medications with your vet. I truly think it's cruel to withold pain relief from animals suffering pain. Many dogs are quite stoic, so their pain is quite severe by the time they limp. Keeping your dog lean involves no drugs and is one of the best things for joints.

Go the bones .

I got one from nicestmann77 on DOL. Was some time ago and don't know if he still sells them. Try a PM?

Is he treated for fleas? You could try excluding flea allergy by treating him for this. If the soil is sandy under the house, fleas would like to breed there. see: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=92212

I's consider getting him Xrayed (yes, needs to be under anaesthetic) and desexed at the same time. IMO the risk of 2 anaesthetics is greater than any possible health effects of desexing at 6 months (I'm not a vet, though). Have you spoken with his breeder? Sought advice from them?

Illnesses like heart failure change over time, so your vet SHOULD be doing regular check-ups before dispensing more meds. Always compare prices online. Vet meds seem so expensive because we forget that human meds are discounted (sometimes by 10s-100s of dollars) on the PBS. I'm talking about the discounts we all get, not just those with pension cards etc.

What about bones like brisket? I had some food that gave my larger dog looser stools and upping the raw stuff (some pet mince, some bones, some brisket) helped until I got thru the bag. He wasn't otherwise unwell, or had a recent course of antibiotics though. Best wishes for your wei.

My bigger dog went thru this phase as a pup- he'd leave his dry food, but guzzle all the raw stuff. I wasn't up for a fussy eater, so just gave it back to him until it was eaten. Dry food is still food of last resort. I wouldn't worry unless your dog was underweight. If he's leaving it, he really might not be hungry. Why not switch to a cheaper dry if he's getting plenty of nutritious raw stuff? CAnned food is sometimes more appealing because it's moist and often has extra sugar added to make it attractive to eat. I have a problem with cheap dry food making the bigger dog's stools horribly loose/huge (yuck!).

It doesn't make sense to me that dogs cannot digest a mix of dry and raw foods :D. Reminds me of those human diets where you're not supposed to eat protein and carbohydrates at the same meal- Problem is most whole foods contain both protein and carbs, anyway . Sure, if you do better doing that, go ahead, but I'm not sold on the idea. I normally feed the dogs twice a day sometimes feed both raw and dry at the same meal. More often they get one or the other, though. Is more for convenience than anything. Agree with others- be careful feeding just raw mince or just meat- not at all balanced.

Having seen how some elderly people live when doing Meals on Wheels (as a student) many years ago, I can tell you the condition some humans are left in isn't much better than the poodle . Some houses reeked of urine and the conditions were filthy (this was a relatively well-off area, too.) I think some people can no longer cope, but don't want to move :D. Doing Meals on Wheels more recently, there was one man who refuse to move to more suitable housing despite being effectively imprisoned by the stairs out of his apartment. Neighbours shopped for him, but nothing could be done as he refused help, refused to see a DR although he seemed unwell and asked to be left alone.

I'm not a groomer, but have heard lots of stories from both sides: clients and groomers. Good advice is to get a recommendation from someone with the same breed. A photo of how you'd like your dog to look also saves a lot of miscommunication . What you want isn't always possible depending on coat type and how well it's cared for (or not).

Good groomers down my way have no shortage of clients. I'd be telling the twits to go elsewhere. From a business perspective, they're already bad-mouthing your business so you will lose nothing. DIY clipping my own dogs has made me appreciate what hard work grooming is. Truly, people have no idea. Friends of ours have a labXpoodle, are quite well-off and clearly think $75 for full grooming (bath, clip, dry, ears, nails) of their 15-20kg dog is a bit expensive :rolleyes:. They're just ignorant of what's involved and didn't realise this would be an ongoing expense (don't you love those DD breeders ). I pay much more for a hair cut and colour. I don't have "fancy" hair!, my nails aren't done and I don't bite and misbehave .

Training's a great way to make pup tired without overexercising. Just the basics like "sit", "drop" etc. for only 5 minutes at a time (pups have short attention spans). You'll find a bit of conflicting advice. Overexercising tends to be more of a problem in larger breeds because they are more prone to problems like hip dysplasia (has both an inherited and environmental component). What does you breeder say?

I tried Great Barko. IS very cheap- about $30 for an 18kg bag, I think. So, you won't lose anything by trying it out. I'm sure a rescue would be happy to take it if it doesn't agree with your dog(s). Would say it was better for my larger dog (25kg standard poodle) than Supercoat, but poos not as firm as when raw foods also added or if just on Purina One dry food. Both dogs quite liked it, but weren't crazy about it. Fine by me as I'd rather keep them lean, anyway. I didn't like the smell of it much (personal thing). Wasn't a bad food but is "semidry"-9more like GoodO's (if anyone remembers them?). Pack I bought had lots of "dust" in the bottom, but this might have been a storage issue??

How old is she? I'd ask the vet about it next time she's there or take her in if she's still a pup (usually easiest to get rid of these things when they're littlies). Otherwise, I'd leave it be but make sure that extra nail is not too long (would hurt?).

Thanks everyone for your help . Just washed Charlie (standard poodle) after the beach today. Would love to have had a dryer. I'll post a photo later of his Rasta-poodle look from airdrying in the sun . Lucky it's a warm day.