Here is Scottie's pic to be added to the list... Thanks for helping us out, Yen Lu! I think it's a great idea to put all our furkids' photos here..

Umm...what do you mean by you only received the microchip last month? Usually, the breeder would microchip the pups before selling, and then the MKA cert that comes later will have the microchip number printed on it. Perhaps you should check with the breeder / petshop to confirm? The certs would take considerably a long time to reach you...I only got Scottie's cert when he was about 6 months old, if I remember correctly.

What does Bobo look like? There are a lot of variations for Salt-n-pepper, so there's no real salt-n-pepper color in my opinion.

This post has been edited by Rayne: Mar 10 2009, 10:55 AM

I found this link with regards to heartworm preventions: http://achinook.squarespace.com/storage/HeartwormJE082408.pdf ://http://achinook.squarespace.com/sto...rmJE082408.pdf

Very good read... I used to feed Scottie Heartgard every month since he was 6 months old, but after I've started feeding him a raw diet and reading more about natural rearing, it kind of gives me second thoughts about the whole Heartgard thing, so I've stopped giving Scottie that. (Please read the article to see why I would do that).

I would like to say though, that it is up to you as the owners to decide what to give or not give to your pets...for me, after reading up on this, I don't feel the need to keep giving a parasiticide every month when I know that my dog is living a healthy life by eating species appropriate food,and has a good immune system. However, I would also send him for a heartworm test every year to make sure he is free from them.

More links with regards to this and vaccinations:
http://www.rawfed.com/vax/vax.html
http://www.kaossiberians.com/health/Bellov...m%20article.pdf

Yes, got...you would need to ask your vet about it. It mostly detects if your pup is heartworm positive or not. Usually, if the pup is heartworm negative, the vet would ask you to take the 'preventative' of Heargard, or Interceptor, or other heartworm medications. If heartworm positive, they might also prescribe these medications to kill off the worms (and possibly other medicines as well).

I think it is best to go to the vet for injections and stuff...no doubt the petstores might charge cheaper, but they might not know about the medicines and stuff (unless the petstore has a vet inside too). Just my two cents' worth

---

Added on March 10, 2009, 12:28 pmThe annual jabs are not for deworming purposes. They are annual vaccinations and are different from deworming.

This post has been edited by Rayne: Mar 10 2009, 12:28 PM

You're very welcome... Good to hear that...Kenji is looking SOOO cute now! I love that photo of him that was put in the first page.

Well, no harm in being careful I haven't brought Scottie for his test yet, so I'm not sure about the price for the test...will let you know once I've found out.

Re: symptoms, here is an excerpt taken from the link: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1621&aid=743

What are the signs of heartworm infection and how is it diagnosed?

Most dogs with heartworm infection do not show signs of disease. Some dogs may show decreased appetite, loss of weight, and listlessness. Often, the first sign of the disease is a cough. Animals with severe heartworm disease will start to show lack of endurance during exercise. Some will accumulate fluid in their abdomen (ascites) that makes them look pot-bellied. In rare situations in which animals have many adult worms, the animals may die of sudden heart failure.

Blood testing is performed to identify dogs infected with D. immitis. Because blood tests are not always accurate, we need to interpret test results in relation to the history and the symptoms the animal is showing. Radiographs (x-rays) and ultrasound (echocardiography) are often performed to look for typical changes in the heart and lungs caused by D. immitis, and determine the severity of the infection. Changes include enlargement of the pulmonary artery and the right ventricle. Certain types of cells (eosinophils) may increase in the blood or secretions from the lungs in heartworm infections. These additional findings can all help support the diagnosis.

Hehe....so cute! Scottie never watches TV...but he likes to sit/sleep next to me when I'm watching TV. LOL!

I heard about the show, but sadly I don't have Astro.... I knew who win for the first season though...

Don't put him on the leash just yet... You can just carry him to the place where you want him to go, or lure him over with treats

If you're not planning on breeding the dogs, may I suggest that you either neuter Wilbur or spay the female, so that you won't get 'accidents'?

Female dogs usually have their heats when they're about 6-8 months old. It would be about twice a year...do a little Google search on the reproductive cycle of dogs...I'm sure you'll learn more about it.

I have to say that breeding is so much more than just getting a puppy to keep...you would also have to consider the mother's care before, during, and after pregnancy, the cost of *knock on wood* a Caeserean birth (yes, there really is for dogs), and the OTHER pups that are born just to name a few. It's fine to keep just one of their pups, but what about the rest? Can you afford to keep them all if you can't find homes for them? If there are genetic defects from the birth, what will you do with the pups? That you would need to seriously consider (and possibly do some reading on it) before embarking on breeding.

But then, Wilbur is still very young, so I guess you have plenty of time to consider it all Humping is not necessarily sexual all the time...I've seen Kenji (my sister's Chihuahua) humping my Scottie quite some times already. He does it to show he's dominant over Scottie. Most of the time though, if it IS sexual, it will be during the heat cycles...it will depend on the female herself if she wants to allow the male to mate, so you would need to keep an eye on them. Of course, neutering Wilbur would help eliminate the problem coz they would not have the urge already after neutering.

This post has been edited by Rayne: Mar 12 2009, 03:52 PM

Bobo sure looks cute in the outfits there! She's already a Salt-n-pepper color what...

Sorry to hear about Pluto's ear, Karie...hope he's feeling much better now!




I finally remembered to bring my camera to the training grounds yesterday, so I managed to get some photos of Candy, a Giant Schnauzer... She is imported from Germany, but she's very gentle and shy....I put Scottie next to her for some comparison. Heh!


Meet Candy:






And some comparison between the Giant and Min. Schnauzer... I tried to take a photo of two of them standing, but they won't really cooperate much with that...*sigh* This is the best I could do. LOL!








This post has been edited by Rayne: Mar 16 2009, 10:49 AM

The only way to tell if you are feeding too much or too little to your pup is to monitor his weight yourself, I think...weigh him and see if he's getting heavier every week. He should be gaining a bit of weight every week. Check also his sides by touching and feeling his sides. The ideal thing would be when you apply a bit of pressure on the sides and still be able to feel his ribs. If just by touching alone you are feeling the ribs already, it means your pup is not getting enough and you should up the amount of food. If you apply a bit of pressure but still cannot feel the ribs, your pup is a wee bit overweight, so you should reduce the amount of food....I don't think this would be the case though, coz pups use up a lot of their energy really fast. haha! This way of 'measuring' can also be used on adult dogs.

LOLLLL! Did he feel the spiciness of the chilli after he ate it? Geng la your Boy Boy...

Are those expensive? I have not seen those sort of things before...I usually just use baby wipes to wipe Scottie's beard after he eats and his feet after training...works good for me. Not too expensive too...

---

Added on March 17, 2009, 11:44 pmI wish I could go...but Sunday I got training class ler... Would you all be staying until 10.30am only? Perhaps can put me under pending first? I should be able to confirm one or two weeks before the date.

This post has been edited by Rayne: Mar 17 2009, 11:44 PM

I don't have any objections to it...

I'm training with Puppy.com at Ampang... Currently, Scottie is in Novice class...I think his graduation exam will be coming soon, so I'm hoping he will do okay. Are you training Boy Boy with MKA?

---

Added on March 18, 2009, 9:19 amI don't think it will be that hot though, if we can find some decent trees for shade. About 2 weeks ago, I was at the MKA obedience trials from 8am and I stayed there until like, 2pm. It wasn't really that hot to be honest, coz we had those nice trees to get shelter under, and sometimes it's breezy too. So, if we can find a spot with a good amount of trees,it shouldn't be a problem I guess

This post has been edited by Rayne: Mar 18 2009, 09:19 AM

I guess it depends on the 'quality' of the dog, if you know how to look for them based on the breed's standard. I'm not good at judging all these things, but you can get a book and read up on the standards to compare if the pup meets that standard I think there would always be a reason that breeders put up such a high price, but there are SOME unethical breeders who might just tell you that a pure black Min. Schnauzer is RARE, and because of that, the price is high

Sure, a black Min. Schnauzer can be hard to find, but there should also be other factors as to why the price is high. Don't fall for the 'This is very rare color leh' kind of scheme. I've seen this happen to my neighbour before. She bought a two-colored beagle when the breeder told her the dog's color is a rare color....but in actual fact, a two-colored beagle is a fault, and cannot be shown in confirmation shows. Some more she paid RM1200 for the pup.

Perhaps you could ask someone who has more experience in judging the breed's standard to come with you when you want to view the pup... Or better yet, you can do a bit of research, and then bombard the breeder with questions about it. A good breeder would have a broad understanding about the standard and can tell you the strengths and weaknesses of the pup(s). If he/she cannot answer your questions, my guess is that it's something else there.

This post has been edited by Rayne: Mar 18 2009, 11:33 AM

Skin irritation could be caused by alcohol, I think...most of the baby wipes now don't have alcohol already. And yes, it's very mild.