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Oooh, so glad you liked it! Positive feedback already!
Ah, I love that one myself, its something I’ve done every year for our two. This year, with Roxy (ex Calista thanks to DID for keeping her cosy in the pound in her little jacket!) as well, I find that I have to put said bowl out every time we have visitors pretty much to be honest with you! We call my Mum the FEEDER or THE ENABLER as she just keeps on stuffing the dogs! Tried to get round this by banning all eating in the living room, confined to the kitchen, the same with other visitors, but my friends, and my mum, were stuffing food into their pockets and up their sleeves to treat the dogs when they were back in the family room! It drove me mad though because we’d no control over what they were being given and then you dont like scolding friends / family for treating the dogs but it got so bad that both of the Elders as we call them, ended up in doggy WeightWatchers at our local Vet! (expensive, when you check the price of the Hills prescription which they’re still on!) Seriously though, it is the best thing all round as at least the dogs are still getting treats, which we find has been vital for Roxy – she’s terrified of anyone outside the family and its been a great way to ingratiate people into her comfort zone by plying her with tasty tidbits! It works a treat. Forgot to say though, if your babies are weightwatching, make sure to factor the bits into their daily allowance as there will prob be a lot of visitors to your home over christmas and if everyone is treating him / herself from the bowl, it does add up! Have a lovely Christmas from all of us here! Definitely the DSPCA. Make sure you do it anonymously, otherwise you will incur the wrath of these erm, individuals……. My pal volunteers at the shelter. It sounds dreadful but sometimes when its hard to get them out, as they have limited number of vans / ambulances on the road, best bet is to say you think the dog may be slightly injured, may have got a bang of a car or something. Dont ham it up too much. Equally too, dont feel bad about wasting their time or lying to them as it is a genuine case. My pal told me this was the way to go as I had seen a very distressed dog running in amongst traffic one day on the M50. Nearly got myself and husband killed trying to catch the poor dog and nearly caused a pileup myself. Eventually phoned the DSPCA to be told they wouldnt come out for the dog unless it was injured. LESSON LEARNT! Best of luck with this poor little lad, it sounds like he deserves a REAL home for himself / herself. Well done you, big pat on the back, for caring enough to get involved. Keep us posted….
Forgot to say – every time we were there, we noticed really harrowing posters with pics of dogs that had been lost in Lough Key
so make sure that you’ve good recall and try to keep yours in sight as much as you can. When it gets dark, it gets quite dark quite quickly due to all the shelter from the trees and shrubs which are quite wild in areas and if you lose sight of your dog, its a huge expanse to cover in trying to find them. Just thought it was worth mentioning…….Have been to this lovely place many many times with our dogs but have not been in the last two years. Prior to then, you could have them off lead but there is a childrens play area (not far from the ruins of the old church in the park) and you would be advised to keep them on lead around this site. Also there is a lake / river area hugely populated by ducks / swans / scrounging gulls etc so best keep them on lead before they get a run at the water! Again, to agree with Liza, not sure about the camping area but unfortunately (unless others know any different) we have found that most camping areas ban dogs……… Have a lovely time with your dogs – there sure is plenty of space there, and lots of varying routes to take, including a nice little stretch by the river at the old Fairie Bridge – ours had a wonderful time there investigating all the smells, sounds, etc, and you can choose how far you walk / how long your route according to where you park your car as there’s lots of places to just hop out and park along the way.
Whilst thankfully none of our 3 have IBS, two of them are on a prescription diet in the Hills range. As my previous threads viz Hills will verify, we had our doubts initially about Hills resulting from information we had seen on another site. However, as 2 of them had quite a serious weight problem
, once I had contacted Hills direct and received a reply from them (posted on previous thread on the boards), we decided to go ahead and give it a go. I have to say, we have had no problems with the RD (which they started on initially to get to their target weights) and they are now thriving on the WD, which is basically a maintenance food. I agree with all concerned that Hills is expensive – we pay roughly 62.50 for 12k bag of the WD, however, when I had the dogs on what I could only admit now to have been supermarket muck, it was costing me a whole lot more as I was supplementing the cheap nuts every day with a protein (usually chicken, fish or meat) and a carb (usually brown pasta / rice) and of course veg as well – no wonder they ended up with a weight problem! Whereas at least the dearer brands are a complete food and you dont have to worry about them not getting their nutrients etc. The 12k bag lasts our two roughly a month so when you work out the daily costs and break it down, its not so bad. I agree wholeheartedly that it is cleverly marketed but there again what product nowadays isnt…… Regarding alternative therapies / treatments, I am sure there are a lot of vets out there that do it. I know one of our vets has additional qualifications in this area, also I have heard that Fox Vet in Finglas Village does alternative therapies but I will stress that I know nothing about Fox and wouldnt be able to say I would recommend. I’m sure if you do a trawl on the net, it should yield tons of results for you. I’m sure when you find the right food for your dog it will make a huge difference to his health. Good luck! The brand dental kits we have is Virbac and the pack we get is just called the Toothpaste Kit. We buy them direct from our vet in Glasnevin so I haven’t a clue whats available on the general market – perhaps the likes of the larger pet stores, i.e., Petstop in Blanch, or Petmania may sell them or something similar?
I know when I first started brushing their teeth, I too used to think that I was brushing their gums more often than their teeth but this is normal. When you become more familiar with where the teeth are in your particular dog’s mouth, and as he understands more clearly what you are doing, you will eventually end up brushing the teeth more often than the gums!!! Its a learning process It helps to give them a little treat (I know, it seems like its defeating the purpose!!! ) after cleaning their teeth just so its a pleasant experience for them, just til they get used to it, then after a while you will find they enjoy it so much you wont have to give them a treat after cleaning.
Its important to remember to get their teeth checked at least once every 6 -12 months (or even at their annual check up) as its vital for their all round health, just like us humans…….. BTW if anyone would like a doggie recipe for keeping their teeth clean, let me know and I’ll post it on the board.We have sought dental care advice from our Vet in the past and we were advised that the brands stocked in the supermarket, e.g. Pedigree have very little nutritional value for our furry friends but are very fattening. We were advised, on the treat line, when going for the likes of raw hide, to get the plain white ones, i.e., those non coloured ones (the others are say orange or brown in colour and are flavoured with beef, chicken etc and are quite fattening and not something to be given on a daily basis).
In addition, we bought dental care kits from our vet for our three and we’ve found them brilliant! For 13e, you get a toothbrush, then a finger brush (you use this starting out to get the dog used to the sensation of something in their mouth), a fully detailed booklet about dental care and a large tube of poultry flavoured toothpaste! We have found these kits brilliant and have one for each of our dogs. They now line up and love having their teeth cleaned as they love the taste of the toothpaste! The kit is definitely better value as the toothpaste on its own is almost as expensive as the full kit. We are like right nutters – each dog has their own washbag and their initial on their toothbrush so they dont get mixed up!!!!
If you cant be bothered faffing about with brushing etc, for a natural tooth cleaner, put large (buy them loose so you can choose the size to suit your dog, rather than the pre packed bags) carrots into the fridge and when they’re nice and hard, give them to your dog raw. Ours absolutely love them and the gnawing process is excellent for keeping plaque / tartar off their teeth. You will find that its soft foods which cause the decay / plaque / tartar build-up on their teeth. Even just having hard crunchy nuts as part of their everyday feeding regime will help as the hard foods have a slightly corrosive effect and the residue doesnt adhere to the teeth in the same way soft food would. Hope this is of some use to you. If all else fails, you could always book them in for a scale / polish, though be warned, its quite costly….. Best of luck with that Twist, hopefully your doggies will be minty fresh (like ours!
) in no time………Thanks a million anyhow Geordie – we really liked the look of Limepark from the website and spoke to Melanie there (who co-owns) and she was really lovely, so we have taken a leap of faith
and gone ahead and booked our holiday there! We are going towards the end of the summer and were really lucky to get the cottage we wanted for that period as they are almost fully booked out now until mid / end September (which is encouraging!)….. Really excited now about going as it will make a nice change from Kilmore, where we sometimes go, and as I say, its difficult to get lodgings for 3 dogs! If you’ve not been before we go sure I will post the official review and tell all on the boards! Thanks again, if it werent for your recommendation, we prob never would’ve found this place! Happy hols with Hailey when you do get going! Couldnt agree more with Des’ mammy! Insurance is vital – we have our 3 insured with Allianz and I was sorry to hear of Missymoo’s experience with 123.ie; unfortunately its not the first horror story I’ve heard about them. We’ve been Allianz for years and although they have increased our premium on Harry (he had a number of fatty lumps removed over the past couple of years, all harmless, t.g.), we have been pretty happy with the service they provide. However, having spoken with a friend recently (who shares the same Vet practice as ourselves), I would like to highlight an issue regarding some Vets and Insurance. Basically, my friends dog was very ill recently but t.g. pulled through. During the course of his illness, her dog was kept in for a couple of nights at our Vet’s. He was subsequently referred to the veterinary college for further investigation. All went well until my friend received communication from Allianz saying that they werent happy with her dog’s bill and were in fact querying it. It turned out that our Vet’s practice had done a direct claim with Allianz. Now, we ourselves have done this in the past and had found it very handy – it basically means that you sign the insurance form at your Vet’s and then they complete the medical details required and forward it direct to Allianz – meaning that all you pay upfront is your 75 excess, the Vet then claims the balance owing directly from Allianz, which saves you the initial outlay of having to pay your bill upfront. However, my friend discovered that our Vet’s had billed Allianz for 2 nights that their dog wasnt even with the Vet, and furthermore the Veterinary College claimed (and subsequently billed) for kennel cough vaccine which her dog had not received!
Her dog in fact was so ill at the time that no Vet in their right mind would’ve vaxed him for anything as random as that! I can understand one mistake being made but for two service providers (both closely linked) to bill for work / treatment that never occurred is pretty suss. I would therefore recommend that if you should do a direct claim via your Vet, you request a copy of the completed form that they are submitting to your insurance company. At the end of the day, where Insurance fraud has been committed it is ourselves who ultimately foot the bill. This made me so mad! I have anonymously raised it with Allianz as being with our Vet for the past number of years and having our 3 dogs currently registered there, I dont want to jeopardise my relationship with the practise. Just thought I would let you all know……….. B.T.W. Lucille, I hope Des is ok – one of ours has a very slight heart murmer as well. We have gone through full bloods, E.C.G. and a referral to Tom Mullaney, Cardiologist at Nutgrove, only to be told that although his heart rate is slow, there is nothing to worry about for now, that he doesnt need meds at the mo but he will need to attend our Vet at least once per month to have his heart monitored. Its a huge worry though but hopefully Des will be as good as new with his pills. All paws and fingers here are crossed for you Des! Anytime we dont go abroad we holiday in Ireland so we can take our dogs with us. Would highly recommend Mill House Farm, Kilmore, County Wexford. There are a number of self catering little cottages which have been built on a converted farm. The couple that own them are Greg and Philomena Stafford and they are lovely. We (including our two big dogs) were made very welcome when we stayed there. The accommodation itself is fairly basic but very clean, and apart from the fact you would have to keep your dog on a lead on your patio area outside your cottage (as there are cattle in the field just opposite), its a fab place for the dogs. All the beaches in the surrounding area are great for them and also you can do lovely hill/field walks just outside Kilmore itself. There is no charge for bringing your dog(s) with you. Also have heard about the Ardilaun Hotel in Galway – they charge 10e per night for our furry friends – you can have your dog in the room with you. When booking, though, make sure to request one of their garden rooms, where your bedroom patio doors open out onto the garden and your doggie can do its jobs out there (clean up of course!)…….. Delighted to hear that your dog is being included in the family holiday – we only ever kennel ours when going abroad, nothing beats a proper family holiday where everyone is along for the fun!!!!!! Enjoy, whatever you do!
Would totally agree with what everyone has said viz getting it checked with the professionals before making any decisions. I have to say, I can particularly identify with what Claire f says – we have 2 dals (both from ashton) and dals are notoriously vocal, though not in the way of barking. Roxy in particular with emit a low really deep scary type noise that sounds like a growl but actually isnt (I know that sounds weird!) when she’s really happy / excited, like when I’m putting on her harness, and when she sees her dinner! The first time my mum heard her she nearly had a heart attack with the fright as she had misinterpreted it as a growl! Our other dal, Lola, also makes what can only be described as a cross between a cat purring (yes!) and a growl when she’s really contented and you’re petting her in a particular spot…… Would also suggest having your jrt checked out by a vet if its only when you pet a particular area that he growls as there could be an underlying medical problem. I can understand your worries, particularly regarding your young son but please please think carefully before you make any major decision – just to be aware, if you do surrender your dog to the pound, he will only get 24 hrs to be rehomed, not the usual 5 days that the other dogs would get. Im sure dog training ireland and/or your vet and the boards here would be able to point you in the right direction. Good luck……..
Well, Hills have not yet got back to me. I will be following up my written comments to them with a phonecall (to their UK office) as soon as I can. At the mo, have been up the walls with our poor baby Harry (beardie/terrier cross) – he’s got a very slight heart murmer (non symptomatic t.g. but needs to be monitored as his heart rate is quite slow). He’s only about 7yrs and very fit. He’s already had an ECG (mixed results), full bloods (thyroid, calcium etc, still awaiting results) and then tomorrow he goes in for another test. Please, all, keep all paws and fingers crossed for Harry! As soon as we get the results and no more, I intend to address the Hills issue, as I’ve said, I will be discussing with our Vet and phoning Hills as well. I have to say, I was quite mad when I read what Wiv had told us – would totally agree – we would all go without in order to look after our babies, and you think you’re doing the best possible thing for them by getting them a top drawer food like Hills (which, by the way, was recommended to us by our Vet, and is a huge seller for them), then to discover that……….. Interestingly enough, Hills reduced their food by almost a tenner per bag (for the RD anyways), wonder if its just coincidental in current climate, or is there a darker reason for this
(mind working overtime here!). Anyway, will keep you all posted on the Harry and Hills situation……….Would agree with everything Twist says. Our dal had an awful problem with wind as well, and like Frodo, would cry every time she dropped one and would literally run away from her own smell!
Every time we had visitors and she did it, we could tell that they thought we were doing a Shep and blaming it on the poor dog If you have the time, I found this recipe to be very good for our girl, though every dog is different. All ingredients are doggie friendly (unless Frodo has a particular food sensitivity to any of the ingredients listed):A CRUNCHY CURE FOR WIND
9 oz (250g) gluten free flour (from bigger supermarkets/health food shop)
1 egg
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 fl oz (125ml) skimmed milk
1 teaspoon each of finely chopped mint and parsleyMix the flour, egg, olilve oil and milk to make a dough, not too firm, adding a little water or flour if necessary. Finally mix in the chopped herbs.
Preheat oven to 345F (175c). Cover a baking sheet with baking parchment.Put portions of the dough into an icing bag and squeeze out onto a baking sheet (or just use a spoon!). Bake in the hot oven for 15 – 20 mins. Turn off the heat and allow the biscuits to dry for another hour in the oven, but watch they dont burn as the oven will still be hot!
Hope this helps! (I can smell him from here!!!!!)
Im so very sorry to hear that. She looked like such a beautiful little girl. It never matters how long (or not, as the case may be) we have them for – they worm their way into our hearts so quickly……. You have done a wonderful thing in giving Snowy another chance and filling her last few weeks with happiness – what a truly lovely ending for her. As you say yourself, it was a good way for her to go, peacefully in her sleep, in a home where she was very loved and part of the family. Piddle to beat the band at Rainbow Bridge little Snowy…………………
Seriously though, it is the best thing all round as at least the dogs are still getting treats, which we find has been vital for Roxy – she’s terrified of anyone outside the family and its been a great way to ingratiate people into her comfort zone by plying her with tasty tidbits! It works a treat. Forgot to say though, if your babies are weightwatching, make sure to factor the bits into their daily allowance as there will prob be a lot of visitors to your home over christmas and if everyone is treating him / herself from the bowl, it does add up! Have a lovely Christmas from all of us here! 
, once I had contacted Hills direct and received a reply from them (posted on previous thread on the boards), we decided to go ahead and give it a go. I have to say, we have had no problems with the RD (which they started on initially to get to their target weights) and they are now thriving on the WD, which is basically a maintenance food. I agree with all concerned that Hills is expensive – we pay roughly 62.50 for 12k bag of the WD, however, when I had the dogs on what I could only admit now to have been supermarket muck, it was costing me a whole lot more as I was supplementing the cheap nuts every day with a protein (usually chicken, fish or meat) and a carb (usually brown pasta / rice) and of course veg as well – no wonder they ended up with a weight problem! Whereas at least the dearer brands are a complete food and you dont have to worry about them not getting their nutrients etc. The 12k bag lasts our two roughly a month so when you work out the daily costs and break it down, its not so bad. I agree wholeheartedly that it is cleverly marketed but there again what product nowadays isnt…… Regarding alternative therapies / treatments, I am sure there are a lot of vets out there that do it. I know one of our vets has additional qualifications in this area, also I have heard that Fox Vet in Finglas Village does alternative therapies but I will stress that I know nothing about Fox and wouldnt be able to say I would recommend. I’m sure if you do a trawl on the net, it should yield tons of results for you. I’m sure when you find the right food for your dog it will make a huge difference to his health. Good luck! 
Her dog in fact was so ill at the time that no Vet in their right mind would’ve vaxed him for anything as random as that! I can understand one mistake being made but for two service providers (both closely linked) to bill for work / treatment that never occurred is pretty suss. I would therefore recommend that if you should do a direct claim via your Vet, you request a copy of the completed form that they are submitting to your insurance company. At the end of the day, where Insurance fraud has been committed it is ourselves who ultimately foot the bill. This made me so mad! 