Gibber

Sue....yeah, he "plays" with his tail occasionally but this is more like...."wait, I must quit running and stop to bite this irritation that continues to be the bane of my existence" kinda thing. His elimination continue to be free of any worms, at least that I can see. I am giving him until tomorrow night before I take any further action. Bill....even though the eliminations are free of any visible worms could there be eggs in the elimination? Will the wormers kill the eggs or larvae of worms? Thanks to both of you for the responses!

My two cents worth.....I have never read anything Mr. Aaron has written as being condescending in any way. I have always read his replies as help from an experienced BC owner/trainer. I completely see how Mr. Aaron was expressing astonishment at how long Melanie's dog needed bevaviour therapy....not that he questioned the length, just that he had never experienced the same thing. I, too, was astonished, but I am but an amateur dog owner. I do know one thing for sure...the length of this thread is also astonishing. This thread has more replies than the threads requesting info or mere stories that owners wish to share. That, in and of itself, speaks volumes. Let's not beat a dead horse here. Let us move on to more constructive things and not continue to speak derogatives about one another. To quote a now famous quip from Americana..."Can't we all just get along?" Mr. Aaron I have sent you a private message requesting answers to a situation I have. Thanks for any input you have.

The worms seem to be gone finally. He's had quite a few bowel movements with no sign of any worms. His activity level has increased and he seems happier. He does still seem to grab at his tail every once in awhile though. I will probably worm him again on Wednesday night and if any worms show up Thursday morning I am calling the vet. Thanks to everyone for your input, it's greatly appreciated.

Thanks Sue. You know, I wasn't all that pleased with the vet. My usual vet was out of town (football game, his alma mater...I understood) and the vet that filled in didn't seem all that thorough. Anyway, I went ahead and used the OTC again last night and no worms in any of his voids, as of this post. Maybe they are finally gone. I will continue to watch and see what happens....keeping the vets phone number handy. Thanks again.

Okay gang....what's going on here? I have used the liquid OTC wormer that rids pups/dogs from roundworms and hookworms three times now. The third time everything seemed better. Well, I took Sampson in yesterday (Saturday) and the vet used a paste that he said was very similar to the OTC stuff I used, but that it may be more comprehensive as the OTC stuff can be dliuted. Well, his last poop of the evening last night was FULL of roundworms!! All of his voids today have been worm free though, but he continues to bite at his back end. Can there be worm eggs in his food? This was a brand new bag of unopened dog food that is well reputed and I can't imagine that being the case but I am now reaching for answers. Should I worm him again tonight with my OTC stuff or what? Someone that I ran into thru my work has a dairy farm and has a SUPER reputation for raising very good BC's and she told me I might want to consider doing the worming 3 days in a row. That's what she does. I live on a farm but only have about 50 head of cattle and Sampson will NOT be working them.....but there is manure around the house that I have seen him go to a couple of times. He has not consumed any but could he get them from the manure? By stepping on it and then licking his feet? Any more/new advice? Thanks!

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, Sue you are right about the vet....so I am taking him Saturday. I took a closer look this morning once the sun came up and that stool was probably 75% worms and 25% feces. It looked like he had eaten a huge bowl of spaghetti. That's just plain nasty. He already seems more energetic. I thought I had gotten a really laid back pup....but thank goodness he's got energy! I had just never experienced these worms and I have had a lot of dogs in my life. From BC's to labs to english springer spaniels. The spaniel was a rescue and he never even had these worms. Sorry if I seemed a little overly excited...this was just new to me. Thanks again for the help.

Hey Gang: I wormed Sampson at the end of his 6th week...2 large roundworms came out. That kinda surprised me. Then, just last night I wormed him again because he kept biting at his back end. This morning is his first poopy of the a.m. his poop was FULL of these large nasty roundworms! They had to come rom thr breeder. Yes, she'll be getting a call. She put on his health record that she has just wormed him at the beginning of his 6th week. He is now 7 weeks old. How often should I worm him now? The wormer I am using is an OTC roundworm and hookworm medicine. Will this be an ongoing problem?

You people are insane. I have bred horses all my life and have done so with great success. My kids have experienced that process...but it's very difficult to cuddle a colt. You all act like I am trying to take some of your customers. The comment I made about the college fund was sarcasm...with the cost of college and all, I thought it was obvious I was kidding. Lastly, I would NEVER question someone else's real world teaching technique. My kids have experienced death more than once (horses, calves, deer etc) and they are well prepared and very knowledgeable about the fact that nature can be cruel and unfair at times. Thanks to you all for your concern....and don't worry, I won't ruin the entire BC industry with my two litters.

Sally and Caroline: I completely understand the point you all are making. My intent is to breed my bitch just twice and then have her spayed. I have cattle and Lady has begun to work with me, albeit very little. Now, my breeding intent has numerous reasons. First, I want my children to experience a litter. To you, probably not the best reason and I understand why. But, I'm talking two litters tops. There are a HUGE number of cattle farmers where I live and they all love my dog and have expressed interest in a pup if I ever breed. This bitch is incredibly smart and has tremendous instincts. These farmers all need a working dogs and Lady has what it takes. So, yes, I will raise two litters of pups, sell them and then make a deposit into my kids college funds. At that point I will have her spayed. I have two other dogs that I spayed early and had no intent of breeding...please understand that I realize the necessity of spaying a dog. There is a great working stud dog literally two miles down the road from me, with a great pedigree, and the owner has agreed to breed my bitch because of her great working potential. I hope I have answered any and all concerns...maybe not to everyone's liking...but I hope they are answered.

Thanks to all for your replies to my concern. Actually I do plan on breeding her. Just anxiously awaiting for the opportunity. Thanks again..what a terrific board! Matt Gibson

Hello All: I am brand new here and have something I need to ask. My pup had her first heat cycle in August of 2003. She was 10 months old. When will she come into heat again? I thought the typical was 6-8 months, but it's already been 8 months and no signs yet. Any help greatly appreciated.