skycat
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Everything posted by skycat
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It's always a hard call to make: go to the vet or wait and see. I recently had a similar situation where one of my lurchers presented with exactly the same symptoms as a dog I had years ago which swallowed a pebble which then got stuck in her small intestine: wouldn't eat, throwing up even water, very uncomfortable etc. The recent one seemed the same, but, like yours, an x ray showed nothing inside her that shouldn't have been there: just a nasty bug which could have been picked up anywhere, with classic signs of nausea (drooling, hiccuping in her throat, swallowing constantly) . Bloody dogs,
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You may not have that much time: kebab sticks can skewer this stomach, perforate it, which usually only has one outcome. Get him to an emergency vet asap: like, now.
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Feed once or twice a day when working?
skycat replied to whitefeet4190's topic in Lurchers & Running Dogs
Never feed just before running a dog. Can cause bloat and at the least the dog won't run well if it's full of food: especially dangerous if you feed dry food which expands in the stomach and draws vital fluids from the rest of the body in order to digest it. If you must feed before running, you need to feed at least 3 hours before, but I have never fed before running a dog. Canines are designed to work on an empty stomach, and even if the food has left the stomach it is still being absorbed in the intestines and would make the dog very uncomfortable. -
nice stamp of dog, and fabulous feet.
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Respect doesn't even begin to cover what I feel for your dedication to that dog. I've had dogs break their necks in the past and had them put down, partly because the vet said there was no hope of recovery, and partly because I've been too scared to try, and then fail despite my best efforts and partly because I can't stand seeing my dogs suffer. But sometimes it's a question of temperament too and he must have a fantastic temperament to have wanted to play even when he couldn't stand. You, sir, have just proved that recovery is possible even in the most hopeless of situations. Hats off
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that's absolutely correct. I had an incompetent vet, a proper greyhound vet at that, who put a cast on one of my lurcher's legs all wrong: when she seemed to be in even more pain I went to my own, not a running dog vet, but very good, and she said the cast was actually pulling the break open even more. It's scary how much damage incompetence can do, and yes, this pup did get sores, from the new cast as the leg then had to be completely immobilised, but they healed in the end. If you can keep the pup quiet enough then nature will probably be the best course to take, and better a cracked bone th
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As this thread was supposed to be about a dog, albeit one with a name that conjures up a certain person, I'll simply say good looking dog, and congrats for getting it up and running again. ?
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Something I've been using for cramps and restless legs is magnesium oil. You massage it into your calf and thigh muscles. I've found it helps a lot, and quite often magnesium deficiency is what causes cramp. Get it from a health food shop or online.
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I'm 5'6" and if I walk fast my 24" lurchers have to trot to keep up, but if I walk slowly, they amble. So, it depends on how tall you are and how fast you walk as to whether or not the dog has to trot. I would say that a spaniel would have to trot if you are average height and walk fast. I'm guessing your'e just wanting to keep the dog ticking over in this warm weather: but warning: if the dog is overweight or very unfit, even half an hour's brisk trot will cause it to overheat in this weather, so I'd walk it very early morning or if not, then go somewhere where the dog can get in the water to
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Road walking is good for maintenance purposes, keeps feet etc toned, but it needs to be a brisk walking pace, so the dog is trotting at your side, rather than ambling along like a camel, which moves both legs on each side at the same time. That is a very energy saving pace and many larger or unfit or older dogs try to do it to save their joints.
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Not really got anything useful to say, so I'll just send you a hug and be thinking of you in all the best possible ways.
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Ah, hadn't seen that. I would say there's Collie in there too, but you never can be sure. Nice dog.
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Great looking pup. Be interesting to see him once he's full grown and fleshed out. I love his eyes: really intelligent and he looks very sane as well.
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If you are feeding bone, which you are, Calcium supplements would be unnecessary. In fact, there is some evidence to suggest that too much calcium may be detrimental, and may cause kidney stones. Personally, the only supplements I feed are Dorwest Herbs Keepers Mix, but only a couple of times a week. And yes, as has already been said, nettles are good. You can dry the fresh leaves in a slow oven and crush once brittle; that way you can keep a stock in a jar all year round. Just be careful not to pick old nettles or those which might have been sprayed with herbicide. Just pick the tender top le
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Quite agree: the joints are where the long bones grow from: they are called growth plates, and the bone there is soft and almost spongy compared to how it will be when the dog is mature. It is for this very reason that so much damage can occur without you realising if the pup does too much running or jumping. It is only when the dog is around 18 months old, in the case of a large breed lurcher, that you can start to do some serious work. The height at which you start training a pup to jump should never be more than a couple of feet from the ground. Don't worry, the fact that it can jump 2 feet
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That's really good; lot of character in the dogs' faces and eyes.
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Cool! Thanks for that, I was wondering what the score was on MOTs.
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Yes, but what real chance have they got of implementing this? They are already talking about making exemptions and farming certain species so that they can continue to use them for their infernal traditional medicine. And what about the dogs they routinely roast alive? No change for them. A pity nature can't wipe out that entire country, leaving only the animals and birds to live as they should.
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Love watching good dogs working like that. Good handling too: liked the way the red merle was held back when the blue merle caught: I take it the blue merle is the younger?
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I like the idea of raised beds as the dogs can get out of any drafts at floor level, but as Tomo says, put sides on them and fill them with straw or blanket rags. Dogs don't just curl up to keep warm, it's a natural way to lie, keeping their bellies safe, an ancient instinct. They lie flat out when they are too warm or completely relaxed as well. I've never had a dog mess on its own bedding: weird.
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Even horses get straw on top of that stuff. Seems a bit harsh for a dog as there's nothing for it to curl into or make a nest. Never mind heat lamps, dogs need to snuggle down into a bed, and not only for the warmth and comfort. Psychologically they are better off being able to arrange their own bedding as they see fit. I remember someone telling me that Brian Plummer used to have nothing but a board at the back of the kennel for his dogs to use as a bed. Smacks of laziness to me.
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I've carried medium sized munty bucks in a large game back over my shoulder: helps if you gut them first as that makes up a lot of their weight. But as has been said, they do vary a lot in size, and the biggest I ever saw must have stood a good 24" at the shoulder, but that was a one off and it was very old and skinny. My old Deer/Grey caught them for fun in the open (big striding dog of 28") but they aren't that fast in the open. It's the way they can streak through apparently solid brambles without trying that really keeps them safe. Their speed in cover makes them almost uncatchable unless
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They are like ghosts at night. Your spot some bright white eyes, and then they vanish. It's something to do with their colour and fur texture: they're almost impossible to see if they keep still, and they spend very little time out in the open. I've practically fallen over them whilst beating and they'll keep quite still by day even when you pass them a yard away, unless they're disturbed by a dog. Round here they have reached pest proportions. They live in people's back gardens and those are as bold as brass: seen a little cockerpoo barking at a pair in a garden hedge and the munties just sto
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Had a very sensible little rough coated lurcher of around 23" many years ago. The first munty she ever saw threw its head round as she grabbed it by the back of the neck. It opened her shoulder blade to the bone, like a knife through butter. Never even bled a lot and it was only when she started limping badly I realised what had happened. A friend's dog nearly died after a buck ripped his artery in his neck. And a friend got bitten through his welly when trying to immobilise another one. They might be small and a bit comical to look at but they are dangerous little sods.
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Knew a bloke who bought a Whippet, Deerhound x Greyhound. All the rest of the litter made at least 25", but his turned out 18", and he reared it well and knew what he was doing. Beware getting anything directly related to something much smaller than you want.