raceylacy

I've now lost total interest in this programme. But I expect curiosity will kill the cat and I'll end up watching next week. Sandra

Aww heck .... what an experience! But why on earth didn't the vet staff arrange for this dog to be brought in through another entrance - like back door and someone else be 'on hand' - much less stressful for all!

Terri - I have only just read this ....... I am so dreadfully sorry to hear this sad news OMG I don't knowwhat to say ......... Thinking of you at this sad time - she was a beautiful, beautiful special girl, I'll miss hearing about her too ..... Sandra

Done! Sand x

Aww - cya there then Pingu - we're doing the GC's too - the Bronze display (or some of them) same days as you Can't miss us - OH is doing the display with Glen (Rough Collie) and his other team members are all under 16 - he'll be the old geezer with his 'Rough'! Sandra

Hiya presume Giz is another doglet? Is the liquid quite dark treacly looking and, well 'stinky' - if so sound to me that the anal glands need emptying - trip to the vet unless you up to doing it yourself Sandra

Hiya You will need to contact your vet either in person or on the phone. Tell them you wish to see a Homeopathic Vet (they cannot refuse you this and should respect your wishes and don't let them put you off! - it's your right!) Then once you've done that bit, make an appointment with the HomVEt of your choice and away you go .... You will probably be sent a form by HV to fill in asking for all the info of your dog's lifestyle, diet etc. And then just make the appointment. Your conventional vet is 'your' vet - the homeopathic vet works alongside your conventional vet - they don't take over the case so to speak. Think Murial put the link up for homeopathic vets but if memory serves me right this is the link just in case .... http://www.bahvs.org.uk (I doubt there will be a problem with continuing with classes etc) Sandra

Oh Agilitymad, how I sympathise. Right, if it were me first of all I would get a referral to a Homeopathic Vet to get a homeopathic view/treatment in supporting the immune system etc - so that your dog's body is better supported to cope with times when he is not feeling himself. And secondly, I would do as Pam suggests and get a titre test done, which as Pam says, although not foolproof, hopefully give you some idea of his immunity. And take it from there .... Hope this helps (a little!) Sandra

Heck - what a dilemma for you I try to keep it simple. Mine have puppy shots followed by a booster the following year. That's it. I came to this decision having owned a dog with severe epilepsy who initially we kept up with his annual boosters. This stopped following discussion with our conventional vet who said 'No more boosters'! I was also aware of the controversial subject re boosters, but I don't have a technical brain, and it is such a HUGE subject and if you go into it is a real can of worms! So went with my gut feelings and based on the advice of vets and what I learnt about epilepsy. One of the reasons I was particularly concerned was because I worked with rescue dogs at the time and was naturally concerned that I could inadvertantly bring home 'nasties' on my clothing etc (despite being on top of hygiene, dipping my footwear in Trigene etc). We were also with Richard Allport (Homeopathic Vet). He and my conventional vet both agreed that boostering was a big No No - firstly because you are putting yet more chemicals/poisens into Skye's system and it just means it is more for his body to cope with - his body was already compromised due to the AED's and the condition of epilepsy itself. RA particularly aimed Skye's homeopathic meds towards boosting his immune system. We all agreed that because of where I live (no significant stray dog problems), the fact that he was on a good quality diet, he was never walked near canals/areas where vermin live and he is never walked in public parks where other dogs congregate with their owners and pee up goal posts etc the risks were low and overall, epilepsy aside, he was deemed in good health. This still didn't stop me worrying as we are out and about with our dogs all over the place - holidays, classes, doggie events etc. When I discussed my concerns re working with rescue dogs - many of unknown backgrounds, who were potentially coming into the rescue with various illness - both of them again said the risks were very low - in other words neither of them were concerned. This therefore, just helped me with my decision but must point out, despite what they said, although reassuring in one sense, I still knew there was a 'risk'. Weighing it all up I felt it was a risk worth taking. Life is full of risks and sometimes you just have to weigh it up. Sadly Skye is no longer with us. He lost his battle with epilepsy not through not being vaccinated. I'm am writing this just to help you come to a decision - weighing up all the pros and cons. I continue not to have mine boostered but I do still worry. Thanks also to Alexis for putting another view point on it and of course Houndwoman and Muriel. There is no easy answer because of there being so much conflicting information. You just have to 'tune' in to what you know is sound scientific evidence and somehow try and get yer head round it. Listen to what your heart tells you ..... (I also Second Murial's recommendation of seeking the advice of a Homeopathic Vet - we did and I never regretted it!) Sandra

Also Kathy, make a mental note of the colour of the blood, is it bright, watery etc. Sandra

Hi Fluffymoster My advice would be to seek the advice of a Homeopathic vet before you start introducing other things such as Milk Thistle yourself. A Homeopathic vet will work alongside the conventional vet and will be able to introduce homeopathic remedies alongside the AED's. The HV will also know the correct dosage and administration. In our case we went to Richard Allport with Skye (now at The Bridge). Sadly we lost Skye to Epilepsy - he was diagnosed with Idiopathic Epilepsy - in other words 'Cause Unknown'. I recall having a conversation with RA re giving Skye Milk Thistle and he was very dubious about introducing yet another medicine, albeit homeopathic because it was another thing for Skye's system to cope with. At that time (last year) tests were showing that Skye's liver seemed ok. Skye was eventually on the maximum dose of both Epiphen (Phenobarbital (sp?)) and Potassium Bromide (Gentrix). When we took him to RA he was given Homeopathic Remedies of Agnus Castus, Tarantula, Phosphorus and one other which I can't remember . He also prescribed supplementation of Epitaur (contains taurine etc as it is believed that the brain becomes dehydrated after siezures), he also had Co-Enzyme Q10 daily. A HV will look at the whole picture. In Skye's case RA went from the angle of 'upping' Skye's immune system so that it could better cope with the fits. My regret is that we didn't go down the HV route sooner and therefore that is what I would advise your parents to do - it did make a difference. but I do think it unwise under the circumstances for you to try and self-diagnose (and that's not meant to sound rude ) - get a HV to make the decisions ..... If google 'Homeopathic Vets' you should be able to find the website where there are listings of HV in the UK. Good luck and hugs being sent - I know how awful epilepsy can be .... Sandra

This sounds to me to be the book by Colin Tennant . Tell your friend to use the book as a 'door stop' only That is it's only real use. Here are a list of more appropriate authors Anything by Gwenn Bailey (readily available in bookshops or Amazon) Ian Dunbar Bruce Fogle (readily available in bookshops) Both Your Dog Mag and Dog's Today mag run series on puppies and will have lots of useful info - the latest issues will be coming out about now in Newsagents (probably the larger ones). There are others but I've pitched it at a level that will be easy for your friend to understand otherwise they will be too techy and mindblowing. Tell your friend not to ditch the book but to use it to help her understand the difference in the trainig methods and theory. CT is very much based on Pack Leader drivel - your dog is really a wolf in disguise and bears heavily on the dominance hierarchy that your dog is about to rule and take over the household. When if fact it is a little more complicated than that. Hope this helps - and whew - well done you for noticing!!!! Sandra

Hallo Mrs B ...... I'm Mrs D Welcome aboard ... Sandra

The playbow could also actually be appeasement behaviour to calm the other dog down. Especially if the other dog has taken exception to Ruby humping it - she will pick up the slightest subtle body language from the other dog - it may be kinda like 'hey, didn't mean it - i'm harmless really' - something like that - so it could be that the humping behaviour kicks in through habit and on the one hand could be interpreted as a dominance issue but in actual fact Ruby isn't dominant at all and responds accordingly - she is could well be confused .... Am I making sense? Sandra

Hiya Aloe Vera Spray may help. http://www.naturalpetcare.co.uk then search 'Aloe Vera'. Sandra

It's also a good idea to see if your dog burps afer meals - Rough Collies are prone to Bloat - fortunately Glen usually has a good burp - even though he is quite 'dainty' when he eats his grub (bit of a girl Bless!) In other words ....... 'It's Good To Burp'! Sandra

What about Cortaflex? - I used to give it to my horse who had arthritus as an alternative to 'Bute' with success and I know there is Cortaflex for dogs too but you'll have to google it. Sandra

I don't know, but experience tells me it 'could' be a sign of the beginnings of an ear infection that is right down in the inner ear so you wont be able to see anything or maybe something has got stuck down his 'lugg'ole? Think I'd err on the side of caution and just pop him along to vet to be on the safe side in case it is one or the other. Sorry can't be of more help ... Sandra

Brammie - try the Phytoplex Slippery Elm - it's the herbal version of a 'Rennie' for us hoomans. Sandra

Oops Sorry Jo, no I don't know who you are and just responded to what I read ..... I too work in rescue and was looking at it from an experience point of view but apologies .... I stand corrected ..... Moving on .... I would recommend Naturezyme available from http://www.naturediet.co.uk and stick with the Burns - allow at least 4+ weeks to see a change but the Naturezyme should make a difference over days. Sandra

Hi - is there any news? I just wanted to say, if it were my puppy and the diarhea had not resolved within 2 weeks I would have no hesitation in seeking veterinary advice. Worm damage would be a consideration - there have been all sorts of bugs about this winter causing diarhea, even though she may seem well in herself. By the time you have spent money on all the holistic and other homecure remedies, you might just as well have visited the vet and got a proper veterinary diagnosis or be on the way to one. This poor little might has had diarhea for 4 weeks now? I wouldn't like to have had diarhea for that long .... Please think about seeing the vet - it is very difficult to diagnose this type of thing on an internet forum where no-one is able to see your puppy - there is a million and one things that could be causing it and only a vet will be able to diagnose it after doing tests! I'm sorry if this offends, but this is a young dog who will not have the same immune system as an adult and it concerns me as to why she has the runs after all this time, despite efforts by the poster to resolve - clearly nothing has worked so far .... Sandra

Hiya I would strongly advise you to go to your vet armed with a fresh sample of poo. At 14 weeks, and in view of the fact that you think she had a heavy worm burden, her immune system is probably not as it should be. It can take weeks for the digestive system to settle, and there are many many causes for diarhea including stress. You also mentioned that you are doing a lot a training with her. It may be an idea to 'ease up' on this and just let her settle and find her feet - training at that age is usually incorporated as part of the daily routine rather than it being formal. Try to keep her as calm as possible too. Border Collies are very easy to over excite without you even realising it and this in turn can affect the digestive system. Many people mistakenly go over the top with toys (I am not saying you are but just making a general comment as this is often the case) and this can inadvertantly cause over excitement. Also any homeopathic meds, suppliments etc need to be administered over a period of time as does new food i.e weeks. Due to your pups age I really think a vet needs to be giving you advice - pups can quickly go down hill because of their immaturity in coping with simple things such as diarhea and the fact that you have already tried various things may initself be causing a problem. Hope this helps and hope you get it sorted. Sandra

Ange's post just reminded me to mention, I do add a little Naturediet to my lot's evening meal too - mine love it too (they are fed twice a day) but your littlun is probably too young to worry about doing that and I only started because Skye (deceased) had so many pills and potions added to his food. I just carried on the routine as they love it Sandra

Hiya I'm a Burns fan - all mine have been started off on Burns Mini Bites - which is designed for small dogs and doubles up as a puppy food. I then put them on Burns Maintenance (chicken & brown Rice) or Burns Lamb/Brown Rice at about 6 months of age. Here's the link to Burns with lots of useful info ...... http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk Sandra

I think the warn sign is only visible to you - you have to make sure you're not naughty. If you are naughty Pingu with press a button and you'll get one of your boxes filled in and you'll go from 0% to something else %. So just make sure you're good ....... like me Sandra