WWBC

Looks like he was burned or scalded with something or a road burn maybe? Looks like scarring. WWBC

You can't rescue them all. Nice theory, but not realistic. Sam bit Vicki, someone he was not familiar with, he has also bitten his foster who he runs to for reassurance. Big difference between Sam and humans and Melanie and Solo, Melanie said it herself, Solo would never lay a tooth on her. A dog like Sam, if adopted out is a huge liability, personally and financially for the rescue that places him. Basically there are two choices, Sam could perhaps stay with Vicki and be "managed" and hopefully not bite her or someone at her home or Sam could be released from this life that he doesn't understand and be safe to humans and himself. Tough choice. Again for your own safety and to prevent taking a chance on losing everything you own and/or love put Sam down. Hold him, love him, cry for him and the future he will not know, but let him go. WWBC

call the manufacturer, should be an 800 number on the box. FWIW WWBC

I had one rescue here, very briefly, I might add. That was suppose to be kid safe, etc. He was really unpredictable. The first couple of days he was fine, no problems, one day as I went to crate him, he wheeled around and attached himself to my arm with his teeth. Having dealt with rehabbing raptors, I was very still, remained calm, and as soon as he released my now punctured arm, I stuffed him in a crate, and made a trip straight to the vet. I warned the vet what had happened and held the dog as he was put down. Easy no, but what if he had bitten someone else who had pulled away and sustained major damage, perhaps even triggering a rage? We can't fix them all. Please don't risk getting injured again by Sam. Release him to be peaceful and healed. Good luck WWBC

I'd be very careful about placing him. He could be a huge liability to you, especially if you place him and he bites someone. Sounds like he nailed you pretty good, and intentionally, over a minor thing. Could he be salvaged, possibly, but is it worth the risk to you and/or someone else? probably not. If he bites someone else you could lose everything. Putting down a dog is never an easy decision, but a dog like Sam might well be better off being put down. I wouldn't want the responsibility of him biting someone, which means he would have to stay with me or be put down. Whatever you decide to do with him. Good luck WWBC

Labs and very active bird dog in the same sentence? I believe that there are some active bird dogs that are Labs, but the majority of the ones that people end up buying as pets are not of the active bird dog variety. More like the BYB variety, which would also account for many of the other problems that are seen with the Labs the general public have as pets. JMO WWBC

mushrooms or some other fungus in the manure pile perhaps? Hope you find out what the problem is soon and he gets better quickly. WWBC

You can use a snug fitting T shirt and it will do the same thing. Many folks who use holistic medicine with their dogs will use a snug T shirt on their dogs to help relax the dog during storms. It is based on T touch and pressure I believe. Many people swear by it for helping dogs who are thunderphobic. Many of the BC rescues use similiar methods. Good luck WWBC

What color is Cody Blue? If he is blue, he could have alopecia. He could also be low thyroid, just some things it could be besides mange. WWBC

When you register your dog's tattoo with NDR they have tags available with their 800 number and you can have the tattoo number engraved on it. It states the dog is tattooed. They also have some nice, heavy, nylon buckle collars, the ones I got are black, with an orange stripe and state the dog is tattooed and NDR's 800 # They also have decals for your vehicle. I use the dog's registration number(used to use SS #). I tattoo my dogs on the inside of the thigh/groin area. The only dog I have microchip is a victim of the shifting microchip problem that has been mentioned several times. I still prefer the tattoos. WWBC

Here is a link to one of the newer procedures being done on young dogs. But it must be done at a young age. http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/jps.htm It is not as major a surgery as some of the other corrections. Hope your dog is just having growing pains or trouble with a pulled/strained muscle and nothing as dire as major CHD. Good luck

So sorry to hear that diagnosis. Cherish the time you do have left. It won't help the hurt when she leaves but it is important. WWBC

When playing with your dogs, for alternatives to sticks, please check out www.Stick-To-Toys.com Perhaps some of the stories there will help persuade those who don't see the dangers of sticks to use alternatives. WWBC

Any news yet? Announcements? WWBC

Young female pups seem to be prone to get urinary tract infections, I suppose because their parts are so close to the ground when they pee. Anyhow, you could try getting some Cranberry capsules from the local store or order Cranberry relief from one of the pet supply catalogs and add it to her food to help her get over this infection and possibly prevent another one from developing. Good luck and I hope she feels better soon WWBC

You can try researching at http://www.offa.org and scroll down to Breaking News, then click on Collecting and Analyzing Phenotypic Data to Minimize Disease: A Breeder's Guide. Good luck with your research WWBC

If you check with your vet and your dog is indeed getting pudgy you could try giving your dog green beans, straight from the can, with his dog food. I use plain, canned green beans as a filler for my 16 year old BC, she gets 2/3 cup of Blackwood 1000, which is for less active dogs, and 1/2 can of green beans twice a day. I think it helped to split it into two feedings. I have a couple of small terrier rescues that get 1/4cup of the same food with a can of green beans divided among them, they only get fed once a day. The green beans act as a filler and help the dog feel as if he has had a good dinner. Good luck WWBC

Yes Melanie and there is also a list for Border Collies of different colours from Black and white. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BCColours/ Enjoy WWBC

Hi RDM You may want to post this question over on a BC merle list. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Merlebordercollies/ Someone over there might be able to answer this question. Good Luck WWBC

Hello, While I am sure you can BAER test at five weeks, that is a little young from what I was told last week. We took 3 BCs for BAER testing, a red merle(8months), a black tri with a blue eye(3yrs), and a black tri split face(6yrs). We were discussing the test with the neurologist that was doing it and talked about a litter that had been tested 2 yrs ago(at a different place, by a different Dr). The litter was tested at 6 wks and one of the pups tested unilaterally deaf,she was the darkest pup in the litter, which included a blue eyed pup, it was very interesting that that particular pup tested that way as she was the last to open her eyes and a little behind the rest of the pups. The specialist we talked to last week said that the pup may have been immature and that it could very well be normal hearing. She said she prefers they be at least 7 weeks. I am glad that people are BAER testing more and it is an interesting topic. WWBC

I have been feeding Blackwood since Dec of 2002 when I first "discovered" it. I am very happy with it and from the evidence of my Border Collies they are too. I have my seniors on the Blackwood 1000 and my others ( from 7 months to 7yrs) are eating the 2000. The most that any of my dogs need would be 2 cups a day, some of the less active ones get only 1 cup a day and they are all maintaining energy,weight and their coats are very nice. Stools are small and twice a day at most. The dogs love it and eat it with great joy. I also use Blackwood dog biscuits, you can get them in great 15# bags. Their biscuits are the same make up as the dog food, one of the biscuits is the 1000 food in biscuit size and shape and the other is their lamb/rice. They also have a good "kennel" food for people who have a lot of dogs. It is called Adirondack and is a very basic form of the Blackwood food. The 40# bag here is $17.00. A local bird dog kennel is using it exclusively for their hunting dogs and are raving about the energy and staying power of their hunting dogs. The link for Blackwood food is http://blackwoodpetfood.com/ They have an excellent message board for questions and answers. JMHO WWBC

Your bitch may be coming into season early, or it is possible that she may have a UTI . Sometimes this will attract a male. Might be worth dropping off a urine sample at your vet's to check for infection. Good luck WWBC