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Comment by Angus on May 6, 2012 at 9:00pm

Based on the recommendation here (http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/006115.php), I bought the 16 blade Master Grooming Tool from Amazon. I groomed Angus with Furminator and got about a cup of undercoat before we both gave up. About ten days later, my Master Grooming Tool arrived. In the same amount of time, I got about 4 cups of undercoat. This did an esp. good job on on his "mane"--the area between his ears and his shoulders--and the "bib" on his chest, which the Furminator didn't do well. My house still needs to be vacuumed and Angus is still the hairest dog I've lived with but the fuzz-bunnies are substantially smaller.

Comment by Leksi on October 6, 2011 at 1:32am

I use a brush called the "Furminator". They go for around $35 for a medium size brush on Amazon (tax free too and free shipping), and are even more expensive at Petco. The brush is worth every dollar as it has a hair-grabbing mechanism. Crumpet enjoys being brushed thanks to some treat-based positive reinforcement. I brush her at least twice a week. That seems to have reduced the shedding by about 80% and has made her coat shinier.

Comment by Heidi at London Wul on August 9, 2010 at 10:24am

How common are cruciate issues in the Cardigan?
How about allergies?
Back issues?
(I am the owner of a Newfoundland who has had TPLO surgery on both knees and aggressive allergy issues.... wanting to learn about Cardigan Welsh health in general)

Comment by Deb , Gretzky, and Norman on June 19, 2010 at 12:43am

Gretzky has just recently started licking his paw until a sore has formed. Someone mentioned to me that it could be caused by allergies. I've always thought it was due to boredom. How do you know if your Corgi has allergies and what do you do for it? Has anyone had paw-licking problems and what was done for it?

Comment by Bev Levy on February 10, 2010 at 1:52pm

Acckk! Major issue. LOL

Comment by Bev Levy on February 10, 2010 at 10:24am

The debate over immunizations is on going but I still think they have saved more lives than they have taken. Heartworm is a mature issue in most of the US.

Comment by Cathi on February 10, 2010 at 12:33am

Another thought about heartworms, testing, etc. I asked our vet if its possible to get a false positive for heartworms from the blood test that counts larvae, and he said its very unlikely to get a false positive since the tests have been so specific for several years now.
I too, am very thoughtful about giving chemicals etc. to my pets, since they aren't making the choice for themselves. I wanted to know that having Bunny go through the treatments for heartworm were not in vain or without merit.
He reassured me that with the multiple tests that she had during the time clearly showed she had heartworms, and a pretty serious case.

Comment by Cathi on February 7, 2010 at 5:13pm

Always talk with your vet about options for treatments, preventatives, meds, etc. There are maps on the web for heartworm and other parasite infestations.

Comment by Cathi on February 7, 2010 at 5:10pm

Just to add my thoughts on using heartworm preventative meds - I've had two dogs that had heartworms. Bunny came with heartworms, at age 6 from a reputable breeder of corgis that had taken all of her dogs off heartworm prevetative's 6 mos before. Bunny needed two rounds of treatment over 6 months to take care of the issue. She's been on Heartguard for the last 3 yrs or so, since getting the 'all clear' on a heartworm test. I've had her tested a few times since then, just to be sure. She has some residual damage to her heart and lungs from the worms, which will never go away.
One of my other dogs picked up heartworms when we lived in Texas, by Houston, in the 70's. The treatment back then was very hard on the dogs, and very carefully administered.
Once you have a dog that's infected with heartworms and understand the damage and consequences of letting the worms get started, and getting them through the treatments, I would hope that the choice would be to give your dogs the preventative first.
Bunny had the treatment plan where her first dose was a strong dose by injection deep into the muscles of the back leg. She had to stay at the vet's all day in a small pen to keep quiet. For a month, she could not run or jump or do anything strenuous. The meds kill the adult female worms - who reproduce and spread larvae into the blood stream.
Then later, 6-8 weeks, she had two shots, one each day a day apart, and had to spend the day at the vets so they could watch her. Again, a month or so of little activity. Testing during this time to count the larvae in her blood stream to gauge if the injections were working.
Then, because of the degree of her infection with the worms to start with when I had her tested (two days after she came to live with us), she had to have another dose 2 months later. Again, little activity for a month.
The dogs need to be quiet because, as the worms are dying in the heart and lungs, bits break off. A bit can clog an artery or move through their system and cause strokes, blockage of blood flow, etc.
Not every dog survives the treatment for heartworms, some die during the treatment while in the vet's office being watched.
The truth is, dogs get cancer just like people and who really knows the reason. Dogs can die of many illnesses, accidents, etc. just like people.
If you can prevent an illness or infection from a parasite - wouldn't you out of love?
Find a picture of a heart and/or lungs with heartworm infestation to get a picture of what you could be choosing for your dog.
Cats also get heartworms, and they don't treat it, just give the preventative meds. Cats usually don't survive the treatment, the percentage is low enough that vets generally won't treat cats for the parasite once they have it. Indoor cats get it worse than outdoor for some reason.
Anyway, hope my experience and thoughts will help others out there with a choice for their dogs.
Cathi

Comment by Alice on February 7, 2010 at 4:01pm

The preventatives are not actually preventing heartworms, it is just a milder form of heartworm treatment so basically you are constantly treating them for something they don't have so that if they were to contract heartworms it would kill them before they can grow into adult worms. It can effect their immune system and organs, so yes, if the immune system is lowered they may be at higher risk for cancer and other illnesses. In some areas there are a lot of mosquitoes so your dog is at high risk and the options are use the preventative or test for heartworms constantly so if they do get them, you can treat them in time, but of course treatment is very hard on them. It's a tough decision. We have not put Finn on medication yet and I don't know if we will in the future or not.

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