DogPaddle

So sorry mouse, we are all here for you.

Poisonning dogs is really low, this is some cowardly, messed up, little sh**. Our one neighbour is a phsyco who beats his wife and shouts threats at anyone in the neighbourhood who irritates him - to date he as told my brother to watch his back and threatened to kill my dogs. We have reported him to the police more than once but beyond that we keep a baseball bat handy and I watch the dogs the entire time they are in the yard and check it regularly - I have more than once found foodlike garbage in the yard and disposed of it before the dogs go out. I wouldn't put it past this guy to poison the dogs - he has some real anger and inadequecy issues. I was talking to a freind about this and he suggested poison-proofing. You can teach your dog to take food only from you (and sometimes from you, their special dish and maybe one other person) - this is tricky if you have others care for you dog when you go on vacation or if your dog should ever become a lost/found dog. In your situation GetLiz I would look into both options.

If you are concerned with doing things "just so" and being extra careful and precise you should maybe get Volhard's Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog. It has sound vetrinary input. It also refers to a "benchmark blood test, which includes a complete blood count CBC and chemistry screen . . ." The purpose of which is to determine dogs health at outset of diet change and to compare with future tests to ensure you are improving the dogs health. In the Volhard diet their is no tripe or really strange ingredients, most can be purchased at the grocery store including the meats, you may need to go to a butcher for a few things or a health store for some things but its not to bad. As for things with strong odours its not to bad but some things that may be a problem for the very sensitive are: Blackstrap Molasses Cod-liver Oil Apple Cider Vinegar Even these wouldn't be so bad if you prepared the food while he was not home and then portioned it and kept it in tupperware in the fridge until you feed it.

As you are not ruling out smaller dogs now - I vote for Border Terrier or Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Maybe you could go to some dog shows or events in these areas and see different breeds on your shortlist and/or talk to some breeders or better yet adoption groups?

Glad it worked, I only found out about the oil after I had to hack a huge chunk of fur out Kavik's lovely tail.

The following article was composed from posts written by Ellen Morris. To remove sap, tar, paint, chewing gum or other sticky things from your dog's coat, there is nothing that beats salad oil! Using a a small dish or a cotton ball, thoroughly soak the area with the oil. Work the oil into the sticky or hard place with your fingers. Blot off the excess oil with a paper towel, and wash the area with dog shampoo. Repeat this procedure if there is anything left in the fur. Don't let your dog walk around the house until you shampoo the area, otherwise you will be cleaning up oily smears and foot prints from everywhere you don't want them. Peanut butter can work just as well as salad oil (but don't use those low fat versions!). You should never try cleaning your dog's fur with acetone, paint remover or paint thinner. It is highly toxic and can do permanent liver or kidney damage. Salad oil and peanut butter works very effectively and if (or should I say when) our adorable Labradors lick the area, they will be ingesting something that is good for them, instead of being toxic. from [url]http://www.geocities.com/labsr4ulist/pawgum.htm[/url]

Wellness puppy kibble is a unique pyramidal shaped kibble that is supposed to help clean teeth but who knows. It is around 1cmX1cm at the base of the pyramid. If you are worried about the puppy scarfing it whole, sometimes but not always putting a tennis sized ball in the bowl with the food will slow down the scarfing enough for the puppy to consider chewing. Good luck.

We use a regular soft human toothbrush and a PB flavoured doggy toothbrush. The dogs like the toothepaste but are not so fond of the actually brushing, when we are done, I apply a little more toothepaste deep in the bristles and let them chew it out - appeases them and provides extra cleaning! I try to do it once a week but Zaphod has deep pits on his rear teeth and they are starting to look like we need to do it more often. I also give the boys dental kongs and flossing ropes and bones and other toys with teeth cleaning in mind. I may still have to look into dental cleaning for Zaphod at some point - those rear teeth :roll:

Incorporating new animals into the pack is challanging and it sounds like Chaos is either worried or just seeking to get the rules set early on, be persistant and I'm sure it will calm down soon. How are things going besides this?

Peng1zrule - I also thought about a Standerd Poodle but I thought its excercise requirements and energy level might be to high. Otherwise they too would be an excellent choice as well. Guest, along with Italian Greyhounds, Whippets might also be good and are slightly larger but both breeds again require more excercise, I have been tempted by Whippets and IGs myself, I have a BC who would love tearing about with them but they are a little fragile, especially the IG.

Darn that was me and now I can't edit it to include: Rescued Greyhounds - former racers - are usually between 2-4 years old and make excellent pets, they truly love and appreciate their retirement and you would be saving one from a more sinister "retirement."

I'm sorry if you've already mentioned this but is Lucky fixed?

Yay, hope it works.

[quote]So, since the x-rays looked fine for the hips, are we in the clear for dysplasia? Or could he still have that with an additional knee problem? [/quote] If the xrays have been done and the didn't find HD he hasn't got it. In HD the hip socket is not formed correctly, does not cup the hips ball correctly and is apparent in xrays. HD btw is a managable ailment as is arthritis etc. Best of luck with your pup, let us know how it turns out.

Hey that AKC idea is a good idea or maybe even see if there are any AKC sponsered events/shows/trails etc in your area. Get to know the people and their dogs and go from there - would take longer but probably have excellent results.

I'm sorry I appear to have been spelling it Monty not Montie, I hope he will forgive me. [size=2]Montie sounds so dignified I wouldn't want to offend.[/size]

Well perhaps Kavik will be ok, he does have on dart he already totes around the house occaisionally, he takes it upstairs at night sometimes but doesn't chew on it - good thing too or it would break and I'd have to take it away, I will watch none the less and see, so far he shows no aggression issues with it.

[quote]it said about the amount of people being advised to leave was as if we wanted everyone here in NL to go to Belgium[/quote] I always found that strange about European countries - I travel 700km nearly straight north to go to my favourite canoe park and it is still only a small way acrossed my province and you guys can travel through some countries in that distance. :o I wonder how that sort of thing causes different national behaviours between us? Anyway from what I've heard its all very orderly and there are plenty of planned shelters and many areas have only suggested evacs not mandatory evacs. Many people treat it like Midori's neighbours. My second Aunt twice removed (or something like that) has a vacation home near the coast somewhere in the region and they are/were on vacation there, they packed up the kids and had an [b]adventure[/b] of traveling to places further inland that they don't normally see on vacation. Its easier for people with resources and vehicles though, I worry about the elderly and those who have limited recourse.

Aren't the pits over say 80lbs gaurenteed to be crosses not full APBTs? Oh well, not important just curious.

I fully agree with the above and would just like to stress. If you are going to purse training your dog to be a gaurd dog, do it right. See a reputable trainer who cares about the dogs welfare first and results second. Some dogs just don't have the temperment for it so may be unsuited but just as much if not more is required from their handlers/owners. Schutzhund training is more work for you than for your dog and doing it poorly is risky for you and your dog.

[quote]The birds included a macaw, Amazonian parrot and an African Grey. [/quote] (Perhaps even more than dogs) parrots are bright and require lots of interaction to not suffer mental disorders but African Greys most of all. They are highly sensitive birds capable of actually understanding speach - not just [i]parroting[/i]. The can develop the mental, emotional and speech capabilities of a 26 to 36 month old child. Can you imagine what living like that would do to a toddler . . . :cry:

Oooh, what an interesting challenge, I'll get back to you in a bit.

Please note the igloo dog houses provide no cold insulation by themselves and some prelim investig find that they may trap the cold - there was a rash of dogs who died in them during the really cold weather last year. If your dog must remain chained you may want to consider: Bring dog inside whenever possible - yay for sneaking dog in to curl up with you while dad is out :kciuki: Take the dog for a walk everyday - socialization. Play everyday - excercise and fun. Train everyday - most dogs need a job for their mental welfare and tricks and obedience can help. Keep area clean, provide sun and cold shelter - very important, secure water source - regularly checked, replentished and cleaned, ensure their are no tangle or choke hazards - an overhead tether is good for this, at the very least make sure there is nothing dog could jump over or fall of while chained that will hang him. Always leave a variety of safe toys, more than one is important because at least one will get kicked or tossed out of reach, check back often. Change something in the dogs environment at least weekly, try for interactive things - new toys, a tug attched to something, something to climb up on, find a strange (and safe) scent - natural scents are best eg. pb and scent a few things even walls, if there is loose dirt and it won't get the dog in trouble - bury something for the dog to find - should have a scent and possibly be edible - watch that area is not contaminated by motor oil or antifreeze or other pollutants. Maybe add a kiddie pool in warmer weather. Brush and groom weekly or more often. Bathe once every 6 weeks or more often. (BTW if you offer to vacume 2x a week and bath the dog weekly and brush 2-3x a week maybe you'd have better luck bringing the dog inside :question: ) Keep vet care up - vet care for outside dogs is extra crucial and sometimes extra expensive. Subtly leave pamphlets on the problems with chaining dogs and the nature of dogs as pack animals around the house :wink:

I have also heard you can leave bait attatched by thread to a tin can with something loud in it so when the steal it it makes noise. I have been told you can put very spicey people food out as bait - you should test first to make sure it is not to exteme, again you should be home for this and have bread and water ready just in case you misinterperet the spiceness of the food. Apparently this is best done over time so the dog thinks - everything on the counter burns my mouth!

My friend had a kid who would puke on an empty stomache - hypoglycemic, fixed with smaller more frequent meals or snacks. As for the fasting, RAW/BARF diets have fasts built into them and in the wild a 24 hour period without food is not so uncommon, it may not be fun but it should be ok.