cowanbree

I trim Cowan's, just pinch them into a crest and cut them. Then I use the dremel to smooth it off. It is dead skin anyhow and keeps them manageable. I think corns form when a dog isn't walking properly. Cowan has had 1 toe removed and puts pressure where pressure is not meant to be.

I am out of the house from 7.30am until at least 6pm most days so when I have puppies I have a friend who visits a couple of times a day to feed and play with them. I wouldn't have a puppy if I wasn't able to provide that break during the day, feel guilty enough with the adults but they have spacious runs with plenty of room to play and each others company. I personally wouldn't have an only dog working full time, it would be a long lonely day for them by themselves

Good to hear positive results. I will keep it in mind for next time

How is the corn treatment going? Are the pads working?

Unfortunately my household has a case of walking dandruff, verified by the vet under the microscope. Everyone has been dosed with Advocate, all kennels and bedding cleaned and the house vacuumed thoroughly. The itching has improved by about 70% but they are still itching. Has anyone else had this? Does it take time, repeat treatments of advocate or other treatment to resolve? I am pondering how I got it and wonder if the fact that my neighbourhood is overrun with wild rabbits could have anything to do with it? I often see them in my front yard

Hmm, I am feeling my dogs may be a bit hard done by. The only thing I have purchased for them recently is flea treatment and of course the on-going vet visits, neither of which I can assure you they enjoyed

I wouldn't use a scat mat in your position. It gives them an electric shock and given her age I don't know that I would be risking that. What about putting the pen around the lounge suite?

I have tried them but couldn't keep them on. I keep a very close eye on Cowans feet and have found prevention is the easiest thing. I dremel his pads and put feet softening lotion on it. Corns are very painful otherwise

My aussie Nova collects all the dogs plates after dinner and brings them to me one by one. Each plate is accompanied by a lot of grinning and her entire body wags. Of course each plate earns her a pat. There was a bit of an issue as she was collecting them before the dogs were finished eating, something not well received by the food loving shelties. Very cute, we had to do a bit of retraining because she decided to start getting them off the bench again after she had collected them all

Ditto although Steele more than a little pot belly. He is very fat and I never have fat dogs but then his I am going to die diet hasn't helped. The pred never shrunk any tumours in my case, they just slowed their growth and made him feel better. I did however catch is very early, he only had a slight cough and to my knowledge he doesn't have liver cancer. Once we saw the inoperable tumours in his lungs we didn't look any further for the primary tumours. Sorry to hear things aren't going well

My 5yr old sheltie was diagnosed with this in November. I was advised that chemo wasn't an option for him and that he didn't have long. He is still with me today, breathing is a bit noisy when he runs but he is otherwise quite happy. He takes pred, Duirn and an antibiotic twice daily and it has certainly stopped all coughing. I had him re-xrayed 2mths ago and they were grim but I am just enjoying every extra day I have with him. Hopefully your parents will be as fortunate.

Cowan was never overly food orientated either. He was nil by mouth totally for 2-3 mths and then worked back up to eating on his own. It took nearly 6mths and the use of some appetite stimulants along the way but it was a blessing as he was able to ehal. No dog is going to want to eat it if constantly makes him sick. I only wish I had done the feeding tube earlier

Have you had her throat checked? Had something similar and he had a burnt throat from the reflux etc. We ended up putting a feeding tube in and he was fed directly via that for a number of months. He was on a host of meds but the most important was the Carafate mixed to a slurry which protected everything from getting further burnt. Wish I had done the feeding tube long before I did. It allowed him to more or less live a normal life and gave everything an opportunity to heal

I have a dog that hasn't been able to eat solid food due to scaring on the throat for 5yrs. Once you get into a routine it is manageable. When it all first started he was heavily medicated, carafate slurry to reduce inflammation and protect the throat, something to reduce the acid in his stomach and something to stop the vomiting. Now days he is more or less medication free and I just blend his meals. Everything blends with enough water. I soak his dry, add water and blend, he drinks it. I blend beef mince and water, works fine. He loves the smooth yogurt which has been a really blessing. I am not sure if this is your lads issue but if it is feel free to PM me. Was a real journey with some serious lows but we have made it work in a busy house with multiple other dogs and I believe he accepts and enjoys his current life.

I have had 3 aussies now with a variety of temperaments but the one thing I would have to stress to anyone looking at an aussie is how much they love their people. I am a sheltie breeder and used to having a tribe of dogs follow me everywhere but all of my aussies have taken it a step further and want to be touching me. As I type this my current aussie Nova is wedged under the computer desk with her head on my foot. I would prefer a little more distance to be honest. Otherwise it really is more about the individual dogs. My 3 aussies were all so different. Quest was a cruisy girl energy wise, great to live with but quite nervous. Reeve was just an absolute honey everywhere. Both of these dogs would take as little or much exercise as you offered and were happy to just be with you. My current girl Nova is a different story, very busy girl that needs her exercise or we all suffer for it. She has appointed herself jobs to do around the house. After the dogs have been fed she collects all the bowls for instance, she is also sheltie supervisor and breaks up any grumping. An absolute character but very full on

I know westiemum but the truth is if I knew it would work and last the distance I would buy it as I am constantly replacing flaps and now the entire door of the cheaper ones. Would probably work out cheaper in the long run.

Thanks, will wait to hear. Really want to get the right one and this could be a good half way between the dogmate one and the really expensive one. Actually just read the reviews and they say it doesn't cope with windy conditions and the magnet is constantly blown open. Will be interested to hear how you like it

This one comes very highly recommended but the cost is making my eyes water a bit http://www.jjgroup.com.au/products/pet-doors-dog-doors-cat-doors-australia/large/

I have tried something similar but it didn't last sadly.

Have you actually seen one in the flesh? The flap looks almost material like? The security barrier for lock it, does it just click into place? That is what the Dogmate one is like and Nova pulls it off and opens the door

Another dog door has met a sad end here so I would appreciate a recommendation for one that is a bit sturdier and able to meet the needs of my busy household It is for a wooden door and has to be big enough and sturdy enough to cope with very rough Australian Shepherd but also lightweight enough for my shelties and a 3kg cat to use. The current Dogmate one has a plastic see through flap which is great but it does not hold up very well and is constantly being broken or flipped out of the bracket by dogs racing through it at high speeds. It also doesn’t lock overly well and my aussie easily opens it. Any suggestions would be great especially if you know where I can buy them at a reasonable price.

I love my Pupkus, actually prefer it to my other two dryers which are a much more expensive brand

Just reread the original post, to Aust is a lot cheaper. You really should be able to do it for less than that although WA adds to the expense. I would have said around $1,500.

It cost me $2,200 from Sydney to Christchurch 18mths ago and I did shop round. You also have to allow for GST, it is not cheap anymore

As a breeder I have more than my share of those enquiries and although I seldom get an answer I always send them a brief reply. Recently I was looking for a new kitten to join my family and I must say it was interesting being on the other side of the computer. I didn't really want to tell complete strangers my entire life story so my initial enquiry wasn't that long. I just said that I was looking for a kitten, wondered if they had any currently or were expecting any and what colours? I did also add that I was a long term Persian owner who had just lost her two elderly cats, looking for a pet only. More often than not I didn't get a response even from breeders advertising kittens. Their loss, Indi is settling in well