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skycat

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Everything posted by skycat

  1. skycat
    What sort of ground are you running him on? If the fields are covered in flints then no amount of conditioning will avoid injury. Also, what are you feeding him on? How old is he? Pups have softer feet than adults, and they toughen up with age. Bad quality food will also leave him more open to injury. Walking several miles a day on concrete or tarmac will help to toughen the pads up too.
  2. skycat
    I have to admit that Dill's tail, my bitch, has never been damaged in cover, but I still hate the look of a dog with a tail curled over its back like a pig Just doesn't sit right with me somehow. But looks never made a working dog, so long as all the bits of the body are in the right place.
  3. skycat
    I certainly enjoyed one bitch, though dedicated coursing enthusiasts would have shot her on many occasions. If she didn't like the look of a particular hare when it jumped she'd maybe run it a couple of hundred yards, then jack. Others she ran like a bullet, and into the ground, sometimes on courses lasting several minutes before killing: she knew something I didn't, that's for sure, and if she was running with another dog, I never saw that other dog go on to catch the hare if mine had jacked to begin with.
  4. skycat
    Lovely head on that bitch.
  5. skycat
    This might seem a totally irrelevant question, but what are you feeding the bitch on? I ask this because I have noticed that dogs fed on a properly balanced raw diet seem to heal much more quickly than those which are fed on complete foods, especially if that food is cereal based (in other words, containing more cereal matter than meat) An example was an adult dog I took on which had bleeding sore end to tail and an open abscess on his hock. The previous owner said that it wouldn't heal. After a month on a raw diet both had completely healed and the fur was beginning to grow back. I'm
  6. skycat
    Had terriers climb trees after foxes when it's flooded round here. One fox threw itself into the river just short of the far bank after having crept out to the thinnest branch. Another time the terrier went up inside a hollow willow and the fox launched itself over the heads of the lurchers: didn't get too far though: many years ago this happened.
  7. skycat
    Sorry Huan, was writing my post so didn't see yours before I posted. Not trying to detract from yours in any way, merely a tangent. But to comment on what you said: humans are as governed by tradition, habit, sameness (as in feeling comfortable with what is accepted, safe, familiar) as a herd of animals. You hit the nail on the head when you said that there was once a very good reason for such practices. The fact that this reason no longer exists means nothing to those who feel that theirs is the only way to do things. Habit and custom are more effective tools than any weapons when controlling
  8. skycat
    I still say it comes down to how the animal is feeling in the moments before its death, rather than method or religion. I eralise that this,as an argument, could end up shooting hunters in the foot, for obviously a hunted animal is not feeling all calm and relaxed just before a dog whips it up, but my argument would be that wild animals know fear every day of their lives, are programmed to live in a state of heightened awareness, and in the case of rabbits, are quite likely to see their compadres snaffled by fox or whatever on a regular basis. Take the videos we've seen of lions killing zebra
  9. skycat
    Which illustrates the point that it is not the moment of death itself that makes killing inhumane, rather, the moments leading up to that death. I was in Morocco many years ago and there was a traditional festival which led every household to get its own sheep, which was killed by a drain in the back yard. The family I was staying with were very careful to observe the ritual of giving salt and food to the sheep seconds before its death, which never bleated or struggled at all as it died. The killing was very calmly carried out. the fear that the animals feel in slaughter houses greatly exac
  10. skycat
    One of the problems is that the ignorant public see these 'super' dogs at Crufts, think "Aw, I want one of those", then go to a breeder and think that because their dogs are pure breeds, and win shows, those breeders actually know what they are talking about. In my (admittedly limited) contact with KC breeders, I was shocked at how thick, ignorant and blind those people were. Not saying they are all like that no more than saying all lurchermen are idiots, but here's a couple of examples........... One example: many years ago, I once spent a weekend at an Irish Wolfhound breeder's place. th
  11. skycat
    Thanks guys: made my miserable Monday morning better with some of those replies
  12. skycat
    Pretty thing isn't it. Good shape too.
  13. skycat
    Like most cheaper foods, the protein is of poor quality, mostly cereals, so not what I'd feed a pup that had had a bad start in life ... or any dog for that matter.
  14. skycat
    Whatever you feed you need to make sure the pup is getting mainly meat and bone, not cereals. If you look on the ingredients on a bag of dog food the first ingredient listed is the one there is most of: so, for example, it may say 'wheat, chicken meal etc etc'. This means that the food is only fit for rabbits, not dogs which need a lot of good quality protein to grow properly. If you are not sure how and what to feed in terms of raw meat, tripe and bone, then get yourself a good quality dog food such as Iams or Purina Proplan for puppies, which is meat based, not just mainly cereals like w
  15. skycat
    i cant remember the exact details, but a few years ago some academic from a danish university did loads of statistical research, and found basically that the birth rates amongst the "useful" members of society were getting lower by the year, and the "degenerates" were increasing. he drew the conclusion that over time the overall quality of society was falling. guess what, he was absolutely destroyed by the bleeding hearts, the liberal, apologist, PC , politicians hounded him, he was forced from his job, his career and life were ruined. and just because he spoke the truth!!! And ther
  16. skycat
    Get it taken off completely: it will never heal properly and even if it looks as though it has stuck itself back down, it is likely to open up again when the dog runs hard: the amount of flexing on the leg in that area is immense. I've seen a few dogs without stoppers: their owners always taped them up with strong stretchy sticking plaster padded with a bit of sponge before running: makes sense as the leg is much more prone to damage without the stopper to protect the tendons and bones, especially on hard ground.
  17. skycat
    Dog removed as in not allowed under the metal: probably slipped on rats in the open: use a bit of imagination!
  18. skycat
    Totally awesome shots: bet you all smelled lovely at the end of it As for Rudy: I doubt he even noticed he'd got a little cut on his back. Dogs are always doing this sort of stuff when they're working: no matter where you are: there's not a field/hill/valley in the country without some sort of sharp things just waiting to injure a dog. And Moll did say that he was kept away from those metal bits once they realised the danger.
  19. skycat
    Tragedy, and it brings it home so much more as we've followed his progress on here since he was a pup. Truly gutted for you Jim, nowt else to say.
  20. skycat
    I have never retired a dog, as in leaving it at home when I take the others out. As they get older, stiffer, carrying old injuries, less prey drive (in most, not all cases) they are just happy to potter about and catch the odd rabbit that comes their way. I suppose it depends on how you work them, what type of land you have access to: mooching about, a bit of bushing, keeps older dogs happy, and their experience is invaluable to youngsters learning the ropes. I would never leave a dog at home unless it didn't want to come out, and by that time most of my really old ones have been near to the e
  21. skycat

    Simoman

    skycat replied to paulus's topic in General Talk

    Jeez, that's a hard one to deal with: some people just aren't dealt a good hand at all: wishing you all the very best Simo, and keep fighting.
  22. skycat
    Horrible loss for you: so tragic. Deepest sympathy for you.
  23. skycat
    Torn muscles need a specific type of massage, though if the injury is long standing it will probably have healed leaving scar tissue, which could account for lameness after exercise. Tendon or ligament problems are difficult to heal well, though certain types of physio and massage can help, using appropriate embrocation. Worst cases may need to be operated on. I had a dog which ripped out one of the tendons from her wrist: she was on the lead for 6 months and was able to work again almost 100% afterwards, though she did go lame after a really hard run. My local back man diagnosed this purely
  24. skycat
    you would be amazed at the amount that only give one dose of panacure liquid as they have not actually read the instructions that say administer over three consecutive days I know: many people just don't read the instructions properly, or at all ... mind you, it might help if they weren't printed so small that you need a magnifying glass to read them
  25. skycat
    Panacur is OK if you follow the correct protocol, but I've used it in the past and it has failed to get rid of round worms: this was in pups that I got at 6-8 weeks that had never been wormed properly, nor the bitch. Try Drontal on a pup like this and you will be amazed at how many more worms come out in their shit. I only use Drontal now, and yes, I cut down the tablets into quarters or less if needs must: doing it by eye, and overdosing, not by much, is better than underdosing. I wouldn't trust Panacur for a bad worm infestation you need to get rid of quickly.
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