Big Paws Only Dog Forums

You can't go wrong with the oster clippers- I bought mine more than ten years ago, and besides new blades every so often (when I didn't plan ahead enough to have my old ones sharpened) I have only had to replace the brushes (a small part that goes inside the housing, not actual "brush" things) and that was only one time, and ordering a set is quick and painless, not to mention cheap.  I used them non-stop for 7 years, grooming everything from cats to severely matted sheep dogs. They have not failed me even once.

The secret is to buy a bottle of blade wash and use it BEFORE using a new set of blades.  They come coated in some sort of protectant that needs to be removed before using clippers, or it will ruin the blades quickly.  I found this out when I was having all my blades resharpened by an old guy in our neighborhood who had a sharpening service/shop for all types of blades.  He was right- I tried this on my next set of new blades, and it worked!

I think the larger breeds do tend to sleep more than smaller breeds.  My mastiffs seem to sleep most of the day, with brief periods of activity, and then back to napping.  They wake up in the morning, go outside to potty, and then back to bed to snore for a couple more hours, then wake up for breakfast, and back to sleep, then wake up to go for a walk or out to play, but never awake and alert for much over two hours at a time without a nap.  Wish I could sleep like they do!

http://mastiff.org/exhibit-hall/health/mhsurvey.mv
Please input the info on each of your mastiffs here to assist the research for better health in mastiffs.


http://cgap.ucdavis.edu/EMPS%20kit%20form.htm
PLEASE request and submit this DNA test kit on each of your registered mastiffs. They need samples from ALL mastiffs, not just those who are effected.  Together, we can help the researchers improve the health of our pets and for future generations.

Please- pet owners and breeders alike- your input can make a difference in the health of our babies and the future of the breed in general.

My Frankie has idiopathic epilepsy. She is on potassium bromide once daily, and melatonin at bedtime (helps reduce nighttime seizures!).  Our rescue boy Jesse lets us know up to 24 hours ahead of time that she is going to have one, so we can kind of be prepared.

Santa's beard was real- amazing, huh?  I was surprised, and concerned before we got there that Jesse would think it was toy stuffing and take off with it, but he didn't even try.  When we first got there, Santa was in a panic- trying to figure out how to nicely let us know those dogs were NOT sitting on his lap! The ones they had done just before we arrived were a pug and a mini doxie, so having mine walk in was a shock to all of them.  Once Santa met the monsters, he was totally in love with them, so that worked out well. I am pretty sure everybody involved will be talking about it for a while!