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skycat

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Everything posted by skycat

  1. skycat
    A lot depends on how long the split is: one of my lurchers got the end of her ear flap ripped by a fox, about 1 1/2 cm long: I tried glueing it, but it didn't work, so in the end I left it: kept the ear stuck on top of her head with masses of sticking plaster until it was healing well (about 10 days) and cleaned it every day with salt water. Her ear is now forked at the end but no problem at all.
  2. skycat
    Rainmaker: I'm so sorry to hear of your problems: bad enough to be unable to do what you want to do physically: let alone having an a*sehole for a neighbour and landlord. I've just had to cry off beating today due to my back not being right, but I'm going to do my level best not to moan about my condition which compared to yours sounds like a molehill of a problem. I really hope that the solicitor sorts that louse of a landlord out: hope it costs him dearly. If the worst comes to the worst and you find yourselves out in the cold I can't offer much and I'm sure there's people nearer you wh
  3. skycat
    It all depends on how long the dog has been laid off work, and how fit it was before it got injured. If the dog has done nothing for say, a month, then you need to bring the dog back up to fitness steadily and slowly: just taking it straight out running rabbits is more likely to damage muscles and tendons than if you did some road walking first. STeady trotting beside a bitke is one of the best ways to fitness, but take it steady to begin with: even doing 3 miles at a trotting pace will really tire a dog's muscles if it isn't fit: it is the continuous movement at the same pace which tires a
  4. skycat
    To imply that Salukis are short on brains also implies that people who think like that have never seen a good Saluki or Saluki lurcher in action: they are some of the cleverest hunters on the planet if only they are given the opportunity to learn how to hunt. Far too many people just use them as point and slip dogs, little realising what a useful and talented all round hunter these dogs really are. Not suited to everyone I'll admit, and can take some training and are often AWOL bast*rds to deal with until they are coming up 2 years old, but if you can live with them and understand them, t
  5. skycat
    I wouldn't give any pup a whole dead rabbit to 'rag about': IMO that is just asking for problems later on when it comes to retrieving its catch. By all means feed the pup rabbit, but not with the fur on. I must admit I do chuck in a previously frozen, gutted rabbit to a litter of tiny pups (3-4 weeks old) but only then, and never later in age. I don't want pups associating diving on to a rabbit with the intention of eating it when we're out in the field. Probably some people do this and never have a problem with the retrieving, I just prefer not to take that chance. Skin the rabbit,
  6. skycat
    Firstly I would never leave any food down all the time: that can actually encourage a dog to pick a bit at a time, which is not what dogs were intended to do. Dogs have evolved to eat a stomach full then digest it: constant grazing is not good for them. Also, when the dog is an adult and you want to work it, you need to work it on an empty stomach or you can cause all sorts of digestive problems, including bloat in large breeds, which is an instant killer. If you want to feed a complete food then feed it at one meal, add a bit of meat juice or very thin gravy to encourage the pup to eat
  7. skycat
    Keep them separated and preferably so the dog can't see the bitch for at least 3 weeks: most bitches are ready to stand from 11 days onwards, usually for about 5 days, but I had a bitch who wasn't ready to mate until day 21 of her season! Don't take any chances, and it's kinder to the dog if you can get her right away from him: not quite out of sight out of mind, but if she's right next to him or he can see her then its obviously going to be pretty stressful for him: some dogs go right off their food and fret all the time, others have less sex drive and arent'so bothered. AND it only takes a
  8. skycat
    Hi Hollie: is it a full skin thickness cut? It looks as though it might be: not to worry. If this were my pup I wouldn't want to be filling it full of antibiotics unnecessarily: these sort of things can help to build up a dog's immune system. The cut looks clean enough, all you need to do is keep and eye on it and let the dog lick it to keep it moist and clean. The only time you need to worry is if the cut and the surrounding area start to look swollen, red and inflamed. You can smear some Savlon or similar on to it, but don't be tempted to try and dry it up: the cut needs to
  9. skycat
    Im ,my experience the main trait that people can't cope with is that a Saluki type needs a huge amount of work and stimulation if it is not to go nuts through boredom. They also have an incredibly high prey drive and want to hunt all the time: this is most obvious when they are between 1 and 2 years old and they just want to hunt and catch non stop: if you don't get them out and catching they will take any opportunity to go off and do their own thing. And they go completely deaf on you: its not that they are difficult as such, it is just that their drive overrides everything else. Take a
  10. skycat
    Most likely anal glands: what are you feeding the dog on? If the dog's stools aren't really firm then the glands don't get emptied when the dog craps, which is what should happen. Dogs on raw diets that get plenty of bones don't generally suffer from this problem. Worm the dog if you aren't sure if it needs worming or not: better safe etc. Dog's turds should be hard but not impossible to pass: too much bone will make them crap white marbles, sometimes painful to pass: happy medium is about 60% meat etc and 40% bone. I've never had a problem with anal glands since my dogs have been on a
  11. skycat
    I'd have to say that anyone finding it cheaper to feed complete must be buying the worst of the worst cheap food: like Rainmaker says: get out there and start looking: a cheap shit cereal based food won't do your pup any good at all in the long run: can't remember where I read it now, but there seemed to be eveidence to suggest that food high in cereal matter could actually damage a dog's gut lining if fed over a period of time.
  12. skycat
    I would say that the only thing that can be affected by being cow hocked is the take off speed. I used to think that cow hocks weren't as strong as straight hocks but having had one or two dogs that were cow hocked I'd now have to say that unless it is an extreme case then it doesn't seem to affect them at all.
  13. skycat
    Very good advice there: but you say that the dog has cut its pad, then say 'between the toes': do you mean the web between the toes is split? That can be quite a different type of wound to a split pad. Depending on how badly it is split: only a tiny bit or over a centimetre into the web, it will heal but fcan take a long time if its long. The edge of the web contains a strip of very strong gristly stuff which takes the brunt of running and crashing into things. Once that gristle strip has been cut it can take quite a long time to heal properly. Don't let the dog run free until it
  14. skycat
    A true runt is only a third or less the size of the normal pups, usually has an over large head, very week straggly looking body, the eyes are often buggy (sticking out)a long scrawny neck and it would not usually survive if the breeder didn't hand feed as well: they often can't seem to suckle properly either. I reared a true runt from a litter of terriers once (the only runt I've ever had) and although it appeared to grow to normal height it suffered from digestive problems (colitis, diarrhoea) and had to be put down at a year old.
  15. skycat
    Don't be so negative you lot! If the dog is unspoilt, healthy and has done a bit and had its brain activated a bit through general hunting there is no reason why it shouldn't come on and learn more and prove itself to be half decent in the field. A lot of dogs don't fully mature until they are 3 years old so give the dog a chance.
  16. skycat
    Pups are looking great: good luck with them.
  17. skycat
    All the ideas already suggested are sound: maybe try the following as well: protect side of run from prevailing wind/rain with either wooden fence panel or plastic sheeting during winter. Put a few shavings down in the run: some dogs don't like to piss on bare concrete, and of course put a roof on. Also: if both dogs are bitches and are due to come in season, or been in season there could be a territory/dominance conflict going on. There doesn't have to be fighting for conflict to happen: pissing in beds can also be a territorial thing.
  18. skycat
    Pups are looking really well: good luck in finding them decent homes. My sort of lurchers!
  19. skycat
    Getting a dog properly fit is an art in istself: lurchers being crossbreeds will all vary a little in type even even within the same litter. Just because you can see the pin bones doesn't mean that the dog is the correct weight or fitness: only steady, prolonged and regular exercise of the right sort will get a dog properly fit.
  20. skycat
    Could also be a dust/house mite allergy: I've got a bitch suffereing similar to yours at the moment. 6 years old and never had a problem before, nothing has changed except maybe there is a bit more dust in my house LOL! Though I think (not absolutely sure) that the problem started when I got a second hand rug: could have been infested! I'd try steam cleaning the environment too to kill these mites: carpet, soft furnishings, hard floors, skirting board cracks etc, or the kennel if dog lives outside. Homepathic Sulphur is also good for skin problems and my dog is definitely much better
  21. skycat
    A lot depends on the size and breeding of the dog but I personally wouldn't start biking until the skeleton has finished growing: about 12 months in smaller lurchers and up to 18 months in bigger dogs. Its not a good idea to try and put loads of muscle on to an immature frame: joints, bones and tendons all need to be adult size before loading with muscle.
  22. skycat
    It's also supposed to be good for arthritis: I haven't used it in years but seeing this thread will have to give it a go again: dogs don't seem to mind the taste at all.
  23. skycat
    I think what you are talking about is the third eyelid: an inner membrane used to protect the eye: if this is showing across the eye then it is usually down to either an infection in the eye, a sore eye that has been bashed, or sometimes even an illness or infection elsewhere in the body. Not usually a problem in itself, just an indication that something isn't right. Monitor it and check if dog is under the weather in any way. If it doesn't clear up in a day or two see a vet: but you can check the eye now with a small torch to see if there is a foreign body stuck either in the eyeball or
  24. skycat
    Ice pack is the right thing to do, then massage: I'd use something like Weleda Arnica Massage Lotion or a good spirit embrocation though it is really the act of massaging that helps bring blood to the area and relax the muscle fibres and break down any tightness. Beware of massaging too hard though: if you don't know what your'e doing you can do more harm than good. Firmish rubbing with the flat of the hand. Keep dog on lead for at least a week if the muscle is just pulled and sore, but if its actually torn then 3 weeks on lead: difficult to tell whether torn or pulled unless you are an
  25. skycat
    That must have been brilliant: people often don't realise just how much skill is needed to make the simplest of things: the experts make it look easy, but it isn't is it!
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