sandgrubber

fat contains more than twice as much enerty as protein, kg to kg compared, and if you take account of water content, fatty tissue may have well over triple the joules of muscle meat. The fat content of meats fed as dogfood is hugely variable. If your skinny one tolerates fat -- some do not -- and they may not because their digestive systems can't handle it so don't push it (the buzz word being pancreatitis) go for something with a lot of visible fat. Some chook products are very fatty, others lean. Ditto lamb and brisket. If your dog doesn't tolerate fat, then you generally have to work on getting him to eat more protein or carbs. But skinny isn't bad. If your dog runs lean, it may be best to accept it.

Dogs aren't big on masticating (sorry, chewing) their food and 'chunky' is what their gut expects. 'Crunchy' PB is, from a dog's perspective, very smooth, and if they do smooth ok they should be able to do crunchy.

I don't know about titre tests, but in my books Andrew Buchanan at Mill Pt Vet Ctr ranks very high. He's had lots of experience. He opted against scaling up and becoming a large practice. His 'bedside manner' is great. It's clear he loves animals. He is very helpful to rescue organisations. If you're trying to avoid unnecessary vaccinations, I'd recommend Claire Middle (I think I have that right). She used to be at May St. in E. Freo, but I think is now in South Lake. I have a couple of clients whose dogs have bad reactions to the distemper vaccination, and she's great about providing the parvo only vaccination for them.

Yep, this is quite similar to the "nobbly" side of the brush I suggested. Loosens the hair, picks up any dust/dirt on the skin and brings it to the surface so it can then be brushed away. Not so much in favour of the strippers/knives/tools etc that actually cut the hair because they tend to remove the waterproofing properties from the coat. My wife is a bit hesitant about the price because we have been told other brushes would work but they haven't. She is actually a tad allergic to dog hair but has been having special drops which are helping to make her quite good but it would be nice to just be able to cut down on there hair. She said she wanted to try one but I can't see that happening. I got a very similar one for five bucks from Gone Bazaar. Then they went on sale and I bought half a dozen for $1 ea. They work great and the dogs line up to get brushed. They also withstand puppy chewing very well if you accidentally leave them sitting on the arm of the sofa

Interesting question. I don't know the answer. But if your water is flouridated, supplements are probably not of value. Flouride is poisonous at high doses, but I would expect it's value in protecting enamel is the same in all mammals, so trace quantities should help teeth.

The makers of Eagle Pack sell a brand called Prism in Asia. I'd also be interested to know if anyone else has used Prism, and to hear what they think of it. I've been buying it from a guy who is trying to set up a distributorship in Perth. My dogs seem to do well on the adult and maintanence stuff and the puppy food has worked well for litters of newly weaned. More expensive than Bonnie and Supercoat, but a lot cheaper than the super premiums. If anyone is interested in trying the stuff, the bloke's first lot will hit its best before date in April and he's discounting prices deeply so that he can order fresh stock. He sells at the Sunday Markets in Canning Vale, or will deliver orders > $100. He also gets cat food. I'm afraid I'm treading a fine line between pointing out a bargain and doing product advertisement so won't give phone numbers etc. If anyone wants further information, please PM me and give me your email address to make it easy for me to reply.

Remember this thread? I was talking with the poster. Elsa went back to the vets two days later and the Xray didn't show the hook. She has been fine. Her owners didn't much enjoy checking her poohs . .. .especially as they seemed to have missed the hook.

I have a 13 yr old dog in kennels. He and his 12 yr old companion (both huskies) been with me in the kennel for a year now . . . the owners visit regularly but their present circumstances don't permit them to have dogs at home. Over the last month or so, the old guy has gotten extremely fussy about eating, and seems to be starving himself to death. Normally he gets, and loves, chicken carcass and a good quality biscuit, with other raw meats thrown in for variety. Now he refuses almost everything except cooked human-grade meat. His owner sometimes brings restaurant scraps for him, and he gobbles these down. I sometimes get carcasses with the breast on, and have been saving chicken breast for him, but I can't afford to buy prime cuts and cook them for him. He's gone thin as a rail and lacks energy. Normally he loves having other dogs around . . . he still seems to like it, but the young ones knock him over. I've tried the obvious foods . .. . various bland cans, rice, yoghurt, soaked biscuits, paloney rolls of various flavours . . . sometimes he'll eat fish flavoured cat food but mostly he refuses everything. He has quirky taste . . . his owners say he loves oranges and grapes and he'll still munch a little fruit. Does anyone have suggestions of other things that might go down? Note: The preferred vet has been on vacation . . . back at the end of the month. I'm setting up a meeting with the owners and the vet to discuss options, including the green needle. They are against major veterinary procedures, given the dog's age; I am comfortable supporting them in this position, but if there's a way to get a bit more pep into the old guy, I'd be pleased to delay his end.

According to my vet, a Labbie that is desexed before 1 year may end out a bit lankier (more bone elongation) than one who is desexed later. Not a health problem. If you don't want to breed from him . . . and he's not on main register and a pup that the breeder thinks is of breeding quality . . . I'd recommend eventually getting him "done". In my experience in boarding kennels, desexed males are the most happy-go-lucky of all the sex categories and far easier to manage than sexed males (who are at the mercy of all sorts of urges that they rarely if ever get to fulfill).

It depends on where you are and what sort of vet care you're after. I use Applecross -- there are a few good vets t here and they do a good job supervising trainees -- for reproductive questions and X-rays, Vets2U Mobile Vets (Karon Eastley - works out of South Lake) for routine questions -- and I often send people to Andrew Buchannan in South Perth if they want good 'bedside manner' and a good generalist vet.

I wouldn't be surprised if you said you had Nala vaccinated and now she was coughing. . . . getting KC from the vaccine seems to happen fairly often. I don't know if another dog can get it without the vaccinated dog getting it, but it doesn't sound impossible. I wish pet owners were better organised. If a drug company put out a human vaccine that often gave kids mumps/measles/chicken pox . . . or whatever . . . they'd be sued up the yin yang and the product would be withdrawn for further testing. Why do we put up with such incompotent manufacture of meds?

NOte that the risk declines steeply . . . days one and two are much more of a hazard than three and four . . . five is lighter still. If you've survived a few days . . . it's not that long. Also, if you can tire him with mental activities . . . eg, a few training sessions a day teaching non-strenuous things (find hidden objects, scent detection, shake) may tire him as much as a 20 km run.

I had a very sad pup a few months back. Very severe OCD seems to have come from nowhere and HD seemed to be on the way. On veterinary advice she was pts at around six months. Her great grandmother, who seemed quite fond of the pup, took on a severe front right limp while the pup was in decline. I put the old girl through quite a bit of therapy with absolutely no effect. After the pup was pts her limp has gone away. I know dogs can "adopt" limps to get attention . . . but is it possible that the old girl was limping out of some sort of sympathy.

Maggots are gross, but I think they're harmless. Some of the other things associated with rotting meat could make a dog sick. I have Labbies with iron stomachs and buried bones (or rabbit carcasses and road kill dragged in from the bush) don't seem to do any harm .. . but a sensitive dog might get sick. My vet says pups below four months don't cope with Salmonella.

I think the danger of cancer depends in part on where it is. If it could be over an organ or mammary gland, or it is apparently attached, I would go to a vet in a hurry. If it's free floating between skin and muscle and away from organs, I'd be less worried, but if you have a good vet, I'd still be inclined to do a check. If the dog is old and not in great condition, I would be less inclined to go to the vet . . . if it is cancer, I wouldn't put an older older dog through chemo or surgery.

Try calling Kingsway -- I think they have a place in Northbridge (I use their Canning Vale office). They supply meat to restaurants. Also trade as Wing Hong. I used to be able to get a 10 kg box of marrow bones from them for $10. I'm sure they've jacked up the price . . . but I'd expect it's still below $2/kg. Being wholesalers, they like to sell bigger lots. They also sell chicken frames. Also try phoning A&D Pet Food Connection. I used to get huge sheep/lamb necks from them for less thatn $1 ea . . . and their roo tail prices aren't bad 9250 1030.

I've been told that swimming is much better than walking for building up muscle tone on a dog with joint problems (as it is for humans). Is there any way you could organise an occasional swim, eg is there a hydrotherapy center near you?

Geez! Mine all love kitty crunchers . . . and roo pooh and other bush treats. What are the symptoms?

Some people call anything that makes a dog cough KC . . . others are much more specific. We've had a very mild KC through here . . . most dogs just hack a bit for a week or so . . . though I notice my neighbor's Rotties have been coughing for a few weeks. Maybe some dogs are more succeptable. It's all complicated by the fact that serious KC is usually a bacterial infection on top of the virus . . . and both components are variable. . . and there's no reason they shouldn't combine with an allergy . . . Anyway. Not surprising that vets find it confusing.

One vote for oil. I'd worry, in buying water-packed, that the good fish oil components may have gotten pushed out in processing. I would guess Omega 3's survive better in oil.

Don't expect an easy diagnosis and patience may be required. I've been there, with results ranging from: problem went away, at 1 year scored 0:1 hips 0:1 elbows . . . to at five and a half months was limping badly and getting worse and my more practical vet could feel calcification of elbow joints and she was having trouble with even short walks. I had her pts in conjunction with a research project that promised to give full radiographic diagnosis. The reading was extreme multi joint OCD. Poor little girl. I hate having to pts, but in this case it was the right thing. I took my old girl to the most recommended local vet chiropracter and got little improvement after four weeks of daily message and three different sets of meds. Took her off all treatments. Six weeks later, she's walking much better. Sometimes you try everything . . . nothing seems to help . . . and either they get better or they don't.

Normal in my rather small book is an annoying cough, bringing up white stuff, with some chest rattle, lasting for two weeks or more. Enough that dog owners are worried and will take their dogs to the vet even if you tell them the vet has already been through the kennel and told you that there isn't much you can do . . . aside from giving them Vibravet to avoid secondary bacterial infections. Enough that you wouldn't want to send pups to their new homes.

The dreaded KC has been visiting the boarding kennel and also got a litter of puppies as they were just getting old enough to be rehomed. I was all prepared for the nasty deep hacking, coughing up spittle and the odd biscuit, etc. But much to my relief, this one is turning out to be a real fizzle. The pups are mostly better after a week . . . one still coughing a few times a day but its a shallow cough. The kennel dogs have such mild cases that sometimes their owners don't notice the cough when they pick them up / visit. None of my adult dogs have been affected . . . ok the get C5, but often that doesn't help. I've heard from many sources that KC is everywhere in Perth this year . . . have others been getting such a mild strain?

Hello sandgrubber, not sure where you are in Perth but we have been taking our Newf puppy to Rivergum in Willeton for issues with her hind legs caused by a spinal lesion. I would highly recommend them, however as they are specialista you would need a referral. Thanks for the recommendation. She took the pup to Applecross and was told it didn't look serious (growing pains), but he as grown too rapidly -- put him on adult dog food and feed him less. If still limping in a month or two . . . back for Xrays. Sounds reasonable to me. Applecross is very good at taking Xrays, and gives them to you . . . so if that step gets taken she should be in a good position to go on to a specialist if appropriate.

A Labbie pup I sold (now 5 1/2 months old) is limping -- one hind leg. He stands and walks funny, with hocks in a bit, toes out. He is somewhat overweight, and grew very rapidly. No obvious genetic explanation. There are some dodgy elbows on his dam's side but hip scores are excellent for two to three generations . . . the worst score being a grandsire with a 5:4. I'd like to set the puppy buyer on the right track toward getting a good diagnosis of what is going on. Can anyone suggest a vet who is good at working such things out?