imported_Cassie

Bones & Bone meal...I perfer to feed raw meaty bones such as knuckle bones, femur bones, raw poultry bones...(for a small dog like yours raw chicken necks would be good to start with)bones keep my dogs busy...and raw bones offer wonderful nutrition in a form that is very natural and usable for your dog (amino acids/protein, essential fatty acids, fiber, enzymes, antioxidants, and a vast array of species-appropriate minerals and vitamins all in a usable form) ...raw meaty bones also supply good upper body and intestinal exericise and along with a proper pH encouraged by eating, bones also firm stools and help to naturally express the anal glands and they also keep your dogs teeth naturally clean....bonemeal is a substitute to raw edible meaty bones... As for every one squeezing the anal glands of their dogs....it is really wild how many Vet's and other dog care people are advising people to do this to their dogs.... :o I really am a firm believer in fixing the diet before going to the extreme of squeezing....what did these poor little dogs do before their owners realized there were such a thing as anal glands! It could be one of two reasons... number 1: we are over breeding purebreds and predisposing them to these problems...by over breeding you are inbreeding so this could possibly be one of those problems that is happening to purebred dogs number 2: It is a new novel practice which is selling to people who don't like the idea of little sacs on their precious little feefee's butt that contains a smelly substance....and the Vet's are playing on the people's naive ways to make an extra buck??? probably not....I think more than any thing our purebred dogs are suffering the consequences of our lack of knowledge where it comes to breeding. It does seem to be alot of Cockers, Springer Spaniels and other breeds that suffer from impacted anal glands the most...impacted glands are a whole different story, that is when a Vet must intervene.....(as for the breeds listed above these are only the breeds I personally have seen the most with this problem).

Mushrooms are dangerous as they can contain toxins, which may affect multiple systems in the body, cause shock, and result in death. [quote]Cassie are you talking about raw veggies or just people food, and why is it important to keep this separated? [/quote] Quote by Rosebud....sorry I should have been much more specific...veggies are alright to add to kibble...it is raw meats which can be bad.....exactly as alicat mentioned about the digestion process... :oops:

Do you people realize the harm a person can cause by running back into a fire?? if there had been a child in there the person running back in would have hindered the firemen in the rescue...there have been people who have died running back into a fire (some times for stupid things like paper work!) the firemen are fully equipped to handle emergency situations and have the uniforms to protect them...my father has saved many dogs & cats from burning buildings (and even saved a tank full of tropical fish on a few occasions)...and many children who usually always hide in closests or under the bed...it makes it hard to do your job when you have some one trying to run in and then you have to save them also!

For a Heartworm medication you will require a blood test be done before putting your dog on it.

[quote]AKC, Bull Boxers? Don't you know they are just a mix bred by stupid people who just wanted the money? All they are is a Boxer mixed with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, NOT a Pit Bull.[/quote] [b]Quote by OldGlory[/b] [quote]Where did this idea come from that in the beginning all dogs were purebreds and everything else since then that is not pure is a mutt? it is highly unlikely that the dog evolved from wolves into one of our modern purebreds and then later degenerated into a mongrel....purebreds are not seperate species...Sexual isolation from the greater population of dogs leads almost inevitably to dire consequences for those dogs that get trapped in a pre breed, another severe problem with locking dogs up reproductively is the problem of inbreeding. By not getting a purebred your chances of getting a healthy dog are greatly increased. ...crossbreeding ensures health and energy that are known as hybrid vigor.[/quote] Quote by Raymond & Lorna Coppinger

Some times I give a little bit of cranberry sauce with their fruits & yoghurt...I know its good for a humans urinary tract...so it must be good for a dogs. Usually when I give berries or yoghurt I give them seperate from their meats and veggies...just like our selves...I read some where...long long ago that when you eat fruits with main course dishes such as meats that the fruits can ferment in your belly...don't know how true this is...but I kinda use it as my own personal rule for myself, family and my dogs.

[quote]He is currently on a diet of fresh food and Innova puppy kibble. (Fresh food: Minced chicken, pork, beef or liver + occasional salmon or cod + diced vegs like carrot, peas, green beans, mushroom, leek, tomato, spinach, usually steamed and also occasional fresh fruits) His stools vary because of the food he gets, but they are usually firm/semi-firm. I don't wish to switch him to only kibble[/quote] [b]quote by Bubblezzz[/b] Just one more thing..your not feeding the fresh food with your dogs kibble...are you? :o if you are then change this immediately...feed the kibble perhaps in the morning and the fresh foods at night always seperate never mix fresh food & kibble in one meal. Spinach is good if fed only occasionally, if fed every day Spinach may interfere with calcium absorption. Don't feed the same veggies week after week, and don't feed veggies in excess...Too many above ground ground veggies can loosen stools and upset pH balance... :D

Anal sacs are a natural part of the make up of our dogs...usually the anal glands will express naturally with each bowel movement (this is your dogs own personal scent which another dog will come along and sniff!) ...I would increase the amount of fiber in my dogs diet...and as alicat mentioned bone meal would be an excellent choice to firm up stools ( I perfer raw meat and raw bones... You do realize also that it is not only during a bowel movement that a dog will blow its glands, it can be when the dog is excited, scared etc...it is normal...I work at a Dog Grooming shop and my boss is very much against squeezing glands on dogs ...she usually tells them if the dog is scooting or licking at the area then have your dog checked by a Vet...and first have the Vet advise on a change in diet instead of squeezing the glands and creating a big problem...one of my Newf's usually blows his glands every time he is being groomed (of course right after the bath) Usually a Vet will express the glands from the inside, at a grooming shop or yourself it would be sqeezing from the outside...which is going to make the problem worse...it's basically like picking and squeezing at a pimple..scar tissue forms and pretty soon its going to be some thing that your going to have to do... So first seek advise about changing the dogs diet so they will express during a bowel movement...don't be overly concerned if your dog is blowing them on other occasions..just simply have a baby wipe close by and wipe it off his bum...I don't know what to tell you about it getting all over your jeans and such...my Newf's are big dogs with big anal glands but of course I don't carry them! I just wanted to mention also, I have had alot of dogs in my 40 years and usually have always had at least 4 dogs at a time...I have never had a problem with anal glands on any of my dogs...although I do realize smaller breeds can be more prone to this problem...but, first seek to fix the diet before you start having to squeeze...

[quote]Breeds like the English bulldog are in a dead-end trap. There probably is not enough variation left to get them out of their genetic pickle. Unless the breed clubs open their stud books and and allow outside breedings, Bulldogs and the other breeds caught in these eugenic breeding practices are headed for extinction. The problem here is that unlike the wild counterpart becoming extinct because of habitat loss, these purebred individuals will increasingly suffer ill health. What is troublesome is that modern society seems to have little realization of what it is doing to dogs..owners don't seem to be disturbed about deformation....[/quote] This quote is from Raymond & Lorna Coppinger (Biologists)

I know I sound outrageous :oops: But with the extra money I spend on food I am saving a large sum of cash from constantly buying antibiotics, blood tests etc. And seeing a dog in such misery due to allergies....she had vaginal infections, ear infections, skin problems, horribe coat...and she was miserable because she did'nt feel good...all the money I put into their food is worth it to me...and I share their food! when I have a BBQ I some times serve...dog food... :o

Speaking of your dog sleeping in bed with you, I have a cute story: when I was a child my older sister had a border collie mix, and I had a Shep/husky mix...we always had seperate twin beds on the floor....until one day my father decided to give us girls more room hed get us a bunk bed! since I was a chubby child, for my sisters safety they decided it would be best for her to sleep on the top bunk...this had her border collie mix totally stressed for the first couple of nights...my sister would have to pick her up (no easy chore for a girl her size) and heist her up...any way to make a long story short the dog watched our cat one day jump up on the night stand dresser and then jump up on the top bunk...she did the exact same thing...from that day forward that is how she was able to get up to the top bunk..it was so cute.

I agree with science_doc & hobbit, here is an interesting quote from Raymond & Lorna Coppinger (both are biologists) [quote]During the past one hundred years, hobby breeders have taken the working-sporting breeds and bred them specifically for the household market. I understand that throughout history breeders have bred miniature and gargantuan forms of dogs simply for display: the bonsai-garden type of breeding. But few of our modern household breeds are much older than a hundred years. The "perfection" of breeds is coincidental with the interest in expositions in which owners or trainers submit their dogs to judges who decide which which dogs are superior in looks. Over the past hundred years, the hobby breeding program has succeeded quite well in isolating subpopulations of working-sporting breeds from their greater populations for the specific purpose of public display and sales to the household market. This is an important concept to understand. The modern hobby breeder specializes in a breed. A breed is a population of dogs that is mechanically isolated from all other dogs. It also points up a very different process than the one producing pet or show dogs. A dog purchased from inbred stock (closed stud book), untested in the field for many generations, is the product of a breeding program (maybe) that has little to do with its working behavior. The expectation of the new owner is that the dog will be good because it is a purebred golden retriever[i]."What kind of dog should I get?" "Get a golden retriever because they have a friendly nature and disposition, athletic ability, love of water, and natural instinct for hunting and retrieving". [/i] That sounds ridiculous to a working-dog person, or to a population geneticist. Friendly disposition is genetic? Love of water is genetic? Athletic ability has something to do with golden color? Is the implication that all goldens have this same set of genes, and all these traits? Is there no variation in golden retrievers? Lord Tweedmouth had good dogs because he had a good breeding program that included a high percentage of crossbreeding and because he hired people to work those dogs from their youngest days and develop the best dogs. He liked to hunt, he liked to have the best hunting dogs, and he was proud of his eye for working dogs. And he culled the bad ones. Increasingly, the modern household dog becomes a genetic prisoner trapped in an isolated population. With each succeeding generation the behavioral and physical misfits get eliminated from the gene pool while breeders try to hold on tho the ancestral form. But in each new generation we see a host of new genetic problems. Lists of breed-specific genetic diseases are now part of the professional and popular literature. And it is worse than that. Breeders and owners forget what the historical dog looked like. They select for the exagggerated form. They select for the longest face. They select for the really big ones. They select for the flattest face. The breeds end up with weird conformations. Each breed takes on an unnatural shape, becoming a freak of nature. They are loved the way the hunchback Quasimodo was loved-a dichotomy between the grotesque form and the honorable personality...As the decades go by, every part of the household dog's life is increasingly manipulated for the human host's benefit. The dog is capriciously manipulated for human pleasure. The more bizarre and exaggerated the animal is the more benefit it seems to confer. This recent breeding fad for the purebred dog is badly out of control. It appears that selection for the exotic is the goal, We are producing unhealthy freaks to satisfy human whims. This is terribly unfair to dogs. The same reduction in gene diversity takes place when a breed club tries to select against hip dysplasia, retinal atrophy, and some other so-called genetic disease. Every time an animal is culled for genetic problem, the genetic variation in the closed population is further reduced. It's not just the bad genes that are affected, it is all the animal's genes. Any time there is selection for or against single characters, ie, "tame" or "hip dysplasia," then one must be prepared for the appearance of new or altered characters because of what Darwin called "the mysterious laws of correlation" Today the phenomenon is called pleiotropy, or saltation-the fact that more than one characteristic can be controlled by a single gene, and selection can result in unintended and unpredictable changes. Many breeds are living to pay a terrible price for the temporal increase in population or the luxury of expensive food and care. It is not simply that the dogs have access to the kind of medical care that is given to humans, but that they have been bred so they need such care to survive. Breeds like the English bulldog are in a dead-end trap. There probably is not enough variation left to get them out of their genetic pickle. Unless the breed clubs open their stud books and and allow outside breedings, Bulldogs and the other breeds caught in these eugenic breeding practices are headed for extinction. The problem here is that unlike the wild counterpart becoming extinct because of habitat loss, these purebred individuals will increasingly suffer ill health. What is troublesome is that modern society seems to have little realization of what it is doing to dogs..owners don't seem to be disturbed about deformation....[/quote]

Here is a quote from Raymond & Lorna Coppinger (biologists) this quote is from a biological view point: Many dog breeders have poduced a contrary effect in trying to preserve breeds. [b]They treat breeds as if they were species[/b], and sexually isolate small populations of them in an attempt to preserve their historic, ideal phenotype. Sexual isolation from the greater population of dogs leads almost inevitably to dire consequences for those dogs that get trapped in a purebred. Indeed, the idea of trying to modify a breed's behavior into a more tractable type of pet, while holding its form constant, seems not to work very well. Holding the size and shape constant while changing the behavior might well be one of those developmental constraints that don't work, like trying to get ocular overlap and robust drooling in the same animal. Another severe problem with locking dogs up reproductively is the problem of inbreeding. Once the stud book is closed on a breed, it is unbelievable how fast thay become inbred. I was sitting in a review session at The Seeing Eye in New Jersey one afternoon with John Pollak, a geneticist from Cornell, and I asked how fast inbreeding will occur once a population is isolated. A true teacher, he led me through a little exercise. How many founding sires do you strt with? if you have just one, than all the first generation will be siblings or half-siblings. By the second generation, all breedings are inbreedings. If there are two founding sires (unrelated), then the third generation is inbred. So he developed a formula for me to go home and practice with. If I started with five hundred unrelated founding males when I closed the stud book, then by the tenth generation I will start inbreeding. That could be only fifteen years after the stud book was closed. If I created a breed of dogs in 1900 (that is, closed the stud book) with 500 males, currently that breed would have been inbreeding for eighty-five years. They are caught in a genetic trap. And what can possibly be done about it? open the stud book. The pure breed story is worse than that. Starting with five hundred males, I get ten good breeding years if I use all the males equally. If the members of the breed club begin to breed only to the champions, then the inbreeding is accelerated. If the stud book closed on five hundred males but every female is bred to this year's grand champion, then inbreeding starts next year. Is it such a wonder, then, that our purebred dogs have so many breed-specific diseases, increasing all the time? Consider the advice of the experts who counsel breeders to eliminate from their breeding programs those dogs that exhibit retinal atrophy or hip dysplasia. The inbreeding coefficient increases more rapidly. The breed is in big trouble. The old-fashioned breeders who continue to create dogs by cross-breeding for specific, specialized tasks, like the lurcher breeders of Europe or the sled dog drivers, are, by and large, disdained by pure breeders. I have been chastised many times by newcomers to the world of the uncommon guardian breeds. How could I possibly crossbreed the pure white Maremmano-Abruzzese with those gray and black Sarplaninac? Well, I say, in the first place, my understanding of the transhumance leads me to believe that the Maremmano-Abruzzese and the Sarplaninac are not pure breeds at all. And in the second place, improvement of plants and animals, when performance is the goal, relies on crossbreeding and hybridization. The ability of agriculture to produce the quantity and quality of animals and plants it does depends heavily on crossbreeding and hybridization. The successful techniques of cross-breeders of working dogs are practically unheard of outside of their fields. What purebred breeders forget is that golden retrievers and every other modern breed are poducts, originally, of crossbreeding. That is why they have been good dogs. At least in the beginning, they had the health and energy that are known as hybrid vigor. Surely we owe dogs more than tightly restricted lives and distorted body shapes. Surely we can give up the eugenics of the pure, the perfect dog, and create instead a population of well-adapted, healthy pet dogs. In my wildest dream, I imagine people who have given up the "What kind of dog should I get?" question and gone to "I would like to make a dog for this task"

The bearcoat shar-pei is beutiful!

I have a group of friends with dogs that my babies love to play with...we have a wonderful trail in the woods we meet Sunday mornings for a great social walk...they really look forward to these walks...I let my Rottie & one Newf sleep with me at night...the other 2 Newf's sleep on my floor ,they do have their own doggie beds of course...big doggie beds!...(I have to keep a fan on constantly in my room & the window open) I also massage my dogs (feet, legs and back)...I also take my dogs to work with me once a week on Saturdays (its a nice laid back day).

Your new puppy is sweet! :lol:

pei I did'nt know that about the Shar Pei's thanks for sharing that info :) [quote]YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT THE BEARCOAT [/quote] mouseatthebus So you have seen a long coated Bull mastiff? are they pretty cool looking? [quote]You can get Siberians with long(er) coats too...they're called wooly siberian huskies apparently! Really gorgeous, although I think medium length is quite enough..can you imagine the hoovering if you had one?!! Doesn't bear thinking about[/quote] snowpaws, never saw a long coated Siberian either, only the normal medium coat...and how horrible would that be to groom! :lol: I work as a bather at a grooming facility...when I take the high velocity dryer to a husky the coat just flies! I usually leave looking like a long haired human...and could possibly be the next bearded and long haired back women of the 90's if a long haired husky ever came in! :lol:

K, don't let ignorant people upset you... Lets see now about the breeding your dog topic..I have 3 Newfoundland dogs and a Rottweiler...no one has ever asked me to breed my Rottie as I rescued her and she has soooo many issues...but my Newf's I have had people say how cute and cuddley they look and they look like big teddy bears...I usually just tell how many hours a week I spend grooming them...that stops them before they go any further and ask if I'm going to breed :lol:

I 'm so sorry :cry:

Actually this type of behavior can happen with any breed...it just depends on how dominant the individual dog is (although I do realize APBT's do tend to be much more dog aggressive) I have 3 Newfoundlands and a Rottweiler, the male Newf & Rottie are dominant...I have one young female and a very submissive female...when the dogs are playing they always pick on the submissive Newf...she spends most of her time clinging to my legs...(hiding behind my legs) but, when I have just have her and the one other dog out together there are no rough interactions...I have seen Newfoundland dogs acutally attack and hurt another Newf when it had fallen down... when bringing another dog into play with them even the new dogs tend to pick on my submissive bitch! I think as a general rule, its probably not a good idea to let your dog play with mutiple dogs...find a couple of good freinds for your dog and walk with them..even a freind of mine who breeds Newf's will not keep more than 2 Newf's together at one time...

As for books I have don't have any suggestions at this moment but I'll check what I have at home...are you enrolled in obedience classes..the socialization may help build his confidence..and try to carry treats for your dog and reward him when ever he is "brave?" some people also beleive that coddling a dog (whenever he panicks do you make a big deal out of it?) try to just act normally instead of making him feel there is a reason to be nervous.. Here is an article I found on calming dogs with body language and how to read their body language...kinda interesting. [quote]If you are around dogs long enough, especially dogs that interact with each other, you will notice that they use specific signals to communicate certain things to each other. Animal behaviorists believe some of these signals are meant to relax potential aggressors, as well as calm themselves. Canine language takes form in facial expressions, ears, tail, body movement, and sound. And certain body signals are thought to curtail aggression. If you have multiple dogs, observe them when they are wrestling. When things begin to escalate out of control, they signal each other to stop. This type of behavior is thought to foster cooperation among pack members. If you are observant enough of your particular dog's use of calming signals, experts say you can even use them yourself to calm your dog during times of stress. Check out your dog during particularly anxious moments: at the veterinarian's office or in obedience class when he does something wrong, for example. You will probably see him yawn, sniff the ground or inanimate objects, or even lick his nose. If your dog has the opportunity to encounter unfamiliar dogs or people at a public dog park or even on the street, you may see him display some body language that is meant to say, "look, I am not a threat to you." Some typical signs you may see include: Sniffing the ground: This is thought to be a signal from a fearful dog to calm another creature (human or animal) that may frighten him. Turning the head, head held to the side, or eyes flicking to the side for just an instant. Your dog may even do this when a child runs up to give him a hug! Sometimes, this takes place in such a short time you may not catch it. You can use this signal to greet a new dog that may be fearful by coming up to the dog at an angle, or by looking away. Remember to let children know never to approach a strange dog by staring at him. This indicates aggression in dog language. Better yet, never let a child approach any unknown dog without immediate adult supervision. Licking his own nose: Quick or slow, this also is thought to be a signal to calm strangers. Interestingly, black dogs use this signal more often than other dogs. This may be because their features are more difficult to see and a pink tongue stands out. Licking your face or another dog's face, although a typical canine greeting, may or may not also be a calming signal. Yawning: This is a common stress signal. We have noticed this in dogs during obedience training when their owners are expecting a lot of them, at dog shows, at the veterinarian, or when their owners are disciplining them. If you own an older dog, try some of these signals to calm him down. Older dogs are much more sensitive to their owner's body language (that is why they sometimes seem to be able to read our minds). Try communicating with your dog in his own language. He may look at you strangely, but its worth a try....[/quote]

I was talking with a breeder of Bullmastiffs and I was joking about how I wished that Newf's came in a smooth coat...and she asked if I had ever seen a long haired Bullmastiff...no I havent, she said that she had only seen a couple and they look some what like a Tibetan Mastiff..she said you can register them...but of course you can't show them...I know nothing about genetics but she said some thing about it being a recessive gene (has to be in both Male & Bitch)...any way, I'm sure all the Bullmastiff people are aware of this...but, I just thought it was kinda neat.... :roll:

Ellieangel, there are so many different types of worms out there which all have their own intermediate hosts etc...it's hard to keep track :lol:

[quote]There's was an article a few months back in 'dogs today' magazine which warned that heartworm is rare in the uk but it is around. There is evidence that slugs and snails can be carriers so if your pooch has a snack on these from time to time [/quote] quote by ellieagel I would love to see that article...do these slugs and snails bite??? ouch, I'd hate to live there! :o At the Vet Clinic I work at...as far as we know Heart worm is only spread from the bite of a Mosquito (which is the intermediate host)...an adult heart worm will lay very tiny larvae called microfilariae. The microfilariae can live up to 3 years in the dogs blood stream. These microfilariae enter a mosquito when it sucks blood from and infected animal. In 2-3 weeks the microfilariae develop into larger larvae in the mosquito and migrate to the mosquitos mouth. When the mosquito bites another animal, the larvae enter the animals skin where they live for 3 months and grow to a size of 3 inches... Did you know that there have been reported cases of humans having heart worm....we humans can also be infected with heart worm, but instead of migrating to the heart, the larvae migrate to the lungs. There the Larvae can block vessels causing an infarction. At the site of the infarction, a nodule (solid bump or lump in the skin) develops which can be seen on radiographs. Usually the person has few, if any signs of infection. The recommended treatment is surgerical removal of the nodule.

Rowie the Pooh I don't know how to PM some one?? :o I work at a Vet clinic and a boarding/Grooming facility ...the groomer at your Vets office will use a table with a noose...the dogs head goes into the noose which enables the groomer to clip the dog...although the dog may be hyper, snappy etc...the groomer I work with usually does not have a problem...first off; some dogs that nip their owner will not nip at the groomer...they are on new territory and they have an experienced dog person working on them...just like when you go to obedience, have you ever been embarressed by what the instructer can make your dog do and you can't? also a groomer will have muzzles on hand. Jackie maya As for a dog being tramatized at a grooming facility...its not the most pleasant experience in the whole world for a dog...and you can't explain to them why they are there. Do you know how many dogs will not drink water at a grooming facility...they are stressed. I don't know if the people at petsmart did not put water down, or your dogs were too stressed to drink it...did they actually state to you that they hadnt given the dogs water?