Nala (pics)

Hey Don,


Nala had her first swim last weekend. Not intentionally she was running after Tucker and then she was swimming. I think the water was still a little cold for her, she would follow him back in but not enough to swim.

Over the last couple of days she has been showing more interest in retrieving.

Since I was replying I figured I would attach some pictures of the bad one.

Evan

Hi from Bahrain (pics)

Hi there guys,

Just a brief note to let you all know that I have now finally arrived back in Bahrain safe and sound after a long but uneventful journey.

It was good to be home and see you all again and thank you all for the time I spent with you. We hope to be home again in early August and look forward to seeing you all once again.

Take good care and look forward to hearing from you when you get a chance.

All the best,

Rod

Coal (pics)

Hey Don,

Just thought I send you a little note on Coal down here in Glace Bay. He's a great dog, getting big fast and he's great with our daughter Haleigh. He loves being around people, for example my daughter had her 3rd birthday last weekend and he was right in his glory out in the backyard playing with all the kids.My wife takes him for a walk everyday and he stays perfect on her left side without pulling or dragging. I don't think he's fussy about the car though. Coal really seems lost when my daughter is in daycare there turning in to such buddies, he misses her when she isn't around. Anyway just thought I send you an update. Oh ya I haven't received anything on his papers yet.Is that normal.How long does it usually take?

Thanks Chad

Kim PENNIE showed It in Truro

Kim PENNIE showed It in Truro. She won the maximum points possible at one show, 5 making her total enough for the title of “Canadian Champion”.

db

Exercise Induced Collapse In Labrador Retrievers (EIC) by Sue Taylor

Exercise induced collapse (EIC) is a common cause of episodic exercise intolerance and collapse in otherwise healthy, adult, Labrador Retrievers. Dog owners and professional trainers have recognized affected individuals for at least 20 years, but they have not had a name for the disorder. Veterinarians have speculated that the episodes might be due to heat intolerance, low blood sugar, electrolyte (sodium, potassium or chloride) disturbances, heart rhythm abnormalities, or an inherited muscle disorder. Dogs with EIC are normal at rest and able to tolerate mild to moderate exercise but occasionally become incoordinated and collapse after 5 to 15 minutes of strenuous exercise. It is common for related dogs (littermates) to be affected.

Read More....
http://www.doindogs.com/exercise_induced_collapse_in_labrador_retrievers_EIC.shtml

Be careful with dogs off-leash

from article

Hi everyone,

I had a scary incident yesterday at Long Lake provincial park and I was hoping you will take a few minutes to pass this email on to any of your dog loving friends who may use the park. I walk this trail occasionally and had just been there the day before with my own dogs and although it is not the most popular entry point, I know of another dog walker and a few other people who frequent the spot. The incident occurred on the Prospect Rd. side, behind Exhibition Park. I was walking four Springer Spaniels who love to bound through the woods but always "resurface" frequently and check in with me. It didn't take long for me to notice the mom of the group was missing. I began calling her and walking back along the trail but no sight of her so I walked back to the truck thinking she may have become disoriented but she was not there so we walked back down the trail again.

Fortunately, one of her daughters alerted me to something in the woods and I followed her in to find her mom sitting next to a small bush, not moving but still alive, about 15 or 20 feet off the main trail. It took me a while to realize the reason she was not moving was that there was a snare like the ones I have attached wrapped around her neck and she was actually suffocating. I reached in between the snare and her neck to give her a bit of air and thankfully I remembered an email that had been sent around a couple of years ago saying to do the opposite of what you would want to do ie: pull the snare apart so I pushed the snare closer together at the top of the dogs neck and thankfully it quickly unlatched and I was able to free the dog without further incident. She is doing fine now.


This could have ended so much differently and I am so thankful that it turned out the way it did but if you are like me, you may have a false sense of security on provincial park trails when it comes to hunting. I just want everyone to be careful - if possible keep your dogs on the main trails, you may want to put bells on your dog so they are easier to locate if they are out of sight and if this does happen to you, remember not to panic. Thanks to one of my other dog walking clients, I will now have a pair of wire cutters in my first aid kit (which can be purchased at Bark n' Fitz downtown) that I always carry with me when I am out hiking.

I have informed the department of Natural Resources about the incident and the Springers' owner will be taking this to the next level so at the very least there will hopefully be more signage letting people know they are not allowed to hunt back there.

Riley (pics)

Angus (special bond) (pic)

There's a special bond there. =)

Theresa

Mollie in Bahrain

Here are some pictures of Mollie in Bahrain. She has a nice big yard with lots of grass and all sorts of interesting trees to chew on. The weather is nice, still relatively cool in the low twenties (C) and she is really having a ball. Thanks for training her so well, she knows quite a few commands and is learning fast (how to get her way). We just wanted you to know she is one happy girl!

Best from us and Happy Easter to all!

Wendy & Steve

Bound For Bahrain

grapes/raisins

Organically grown seedless grapes are not safe for dogs! Dogs have suffered from grape toxicity after ingesting home-grown grapes grown without chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.)

The cause of grape toxicity is unknown. Dogs have been affected by red grapes, green grapes, seedless grapes, grapes with seeds, commercially grown grapes, backyard-grown chemical-free grapes, imported grapes, grapes grown in the USA, etc. Grapes causing toxicosis have been tested for a variety of toxins (including pesticides, heavy metals, mycotoxins, etc.) with negative results.

It is not known whether some dogs are more susceptible than others.
According to the literature, toxicity has occurred with amounts as small as
0.32 oz/kg. For a 40 pound dog, this is less than 6 oz of grapes/raisins.
It is not known whether the effects can be cumulative (e.g.: will eating small amounts of grapes/raisins over time cause the same effect as one large
dose?)

NO grapes or raisins are safe for dogs! Please do not feed any amount or any kind of grapes/raisins to your dogs!

Interesting article

last night at agility class, a vet, who is a fellow agility student was telling us about a case she had this week. The dog ate a child's teddy bear and was very sick. When she opened the dog up to remove what she thought was an intestinal obstruction she found a huge gelatin type mess inside and the dogs intestines were black and the tissue dead. The dog will die no surgery can fix him up there was no living intestine left from stomach to colon.

This was not an obstruction. .... so she called the manufacturer of the Teddy Bear on a quest to find out what the gel was and what killed the dog. Turns out the stuffing in children's toys contains ingredients for flame retardants and mite control! It is designed to be come a gel. It is highly toxic. Now you would think a child's toy would be safe because it is for children, but they don't expect a child to eat the stuffing of the toys... huummmm that seems a bit scary too. But we all know dogs demolish stuffed toys.

So do not give or buy your dog any children's stuffed animals... some people get them at goodwill etc. The vet will be posting a warning and story and I will send any other facts as needed and as I learn more. Maybe some children's toys do not have this ingredient, but better to be safe then sorry. So meanwhile, make sure all your dog toys are for dogs. Please pass this on... it is a horrible death she described and one that can be avoided.


More info:
http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/stuffedtoys.asp

The Parkering

Hey Don,

Just to let you know we received the papers for Parker. Everyone can’t believe how great of a dog he is.

I do have pictures, but any notorious for not downloading them, but even better, a friend of ours looked after him while we were away and he is a pro photographer and has pictures at the below link.

Dan

http://flickriver.com/photos/legrisak/tags/parker/

Bella (pics)

Hi Don

Just a few pics of Bella. I will send more later. This is all it would allow me to send for now. She's doing great, cute and playful as ever!!!

Leslie and Pat

Nala (pics)

Aulay & Ben (pic)

Handsome Angus (pic)

You can't convince me that there was ever a more handsome black lab. =)

Hope you are all doing well.

Theresa & family

Two peas in a pod (pic)

Just giving you an update

Hi Don,

Just giving you an update. She is doing awesome. The first week we slept close by (not following yours and Pierrettes advise), but withing 4 days she did rarely came at night. We let her go at midnight and at 6 am we let her out again. This week she did not cry/bark once.

The book Water Dogis great. He states that a dog is never to young to learn. So we started doing small things like "sit". In week two she does exactly what we ask her. She is nipping at the boys, but that's more play. We are training her to learn what not to chew or bite. That's a work in progress, but we'll get there. We're so happy with her.

Talk to you later.

Thanks,

Matt, Ilse and the boys.

Cooper (pic)

Don,

He is the most handsome one of the lot. He's grown a wee bit since you saw him last. Truly he is a challenge and a joy and doesn't miss a thing. Smart too!

I hope you are well and dogs are healthy. Talk to you soon.

Judy and Ken

Life of Riley (pics)

Mollie at Play (pics)

Pictures of Oka