Loving my Oldies

A vetinerary clinic is hardly someone's lounge or dining room. My chin is dropping and my eyebrows are disappearing into my hairline --- I can't believe that some people find it so offensive. LOL - me too. Exactly. Some cats are incredibly sanguine at vets, but I imagine the majority would find it pretty damned stressful to be at eye level with strange dogs, people, and have no way of escape. :laugh: :laugh: Voice of reasons This sort of crap really annoys me too, Rascal. I can't imagine not comforting a person or an animals if they are upset, sick, hurting. Are you well? :D :D

We sure do get it! I'm sitting here with a Bonnie grin on my face. Well done Bonnie and Michelleva and family and not to forget, Georgia the Barking Teacher.

Super updates, Dave73. Jazz has healed so well! The attachments formed between animals, particularly when one has been seriously ill can be nothing short of inspiring. Your Zeus is obviously taking his new role vey seriously.

Yes, K. She is an old girl, about 15, called Gussy Cat. I've started a few threads about her in the cat forum. I'm taking her to the vet tomorrow or Tuesday (depending which day "my" vet is on duty) because, although she seems happy enough, she isn't eating enough to keep a sparrow alive http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/253380-recipes-for-home-made-cat-food/ Quite a few photos in this thread, K, which was started over a year ago. It has been a bit of a roller coaster year with her. http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/244282-my-gussy-cat/

Excellent news, Dave. Poor Ridgie Bro :laugh:

Gussy wasn't in the bedroom and, even in this dreadful heat, she seems to like to spend a lot of time outside. I went looking. I found her wrapped around a bush in a large planter. She was sound asleep, but because I wanted her to lift her face or at least open her eyes, I gave her a little tap. She immediately jumped up:

I didn't say that, either. Read what I and others have said from an objective point of view rather than rushing in to tell of your experiences. I didn't say to rehome her to an elderly person either, just a person who wants a constant companion which does not arbitrarily mean an elderly person. Mia's home is a very tense one at the moment - having to move, car written off, coming up to Christmas. A lot of anxiety producing events are happening all at once to this family through no fault of their own. For an anxious dog to be around all that can exacerbate her problems. Again, through no fault of the family. I agree with what Clyde says. On the other hand, there may be a rescue group who has a carer who could foster Mia and with the experience to assess, manage and diffuse her problems. Bellacody, DOL has a vast membership, but it is not the be all and end of the rehoming and rescue world.

Well I was thinking exactly that, that maybe an older person just wanting a constant companion would be perfect....but I wasn't thinking about her stress levels completely. Part of me thinks her anxieties would be better if she had that special someone who wanted to be with her all the time...it's just so very hard, isn't it. I have a few rescue places to hear back from and one to call so maybe it will be ok...I hope. Actually this isn't always the best option, everyone thinks it is because the dog needs company it seems. The dog I just mentioned in my post had an elderly owner who spent most of their time with him. However we all have to go out at some point - shopping, doctors etc unless we are housebound. When his owner went out, the dog I had was put outside. His distress was enormous and he climbed trees and a 6ft fence and took off. In the end his owner would leave the gate open so he didn't injure himself in his stressed out state. Weaning the dog off the need for constant human company is the best thing ... We are all aware and in awe of your vast experience, Dogmad, but my response was not made in the context of Mia's need for constant attention: it was made in the context of her being a vey small Staffy and a vey loving playful little dog. AND, in the knowledge which I am sure that you also have, that dogs can change in different household. Owners, despite their very best intentions, can make a dog anxious and wary and, perhaps, even dog aggressive. In another home, Mia could just as easily settle down, curled into a comfortable ball and wait for her owner to come home.

I would continue to go very very slowly, Michelleva :laugh: . As you say, she has now found her voice and the great strides you and she have made haven't taken very long. In your situation, I would be starting to put some rules into place to nip in the bud behaviours that could become a problem simply because, in the early stages, we can be so worried about upsetting the dog and/or falling back a few paces. Bonnie is obviously an intelligent and loving dog and is learning the ropes very quickly.

I would have thought that a staffy of only 8-9 kgs would be quite easy to rehome, actually, even taking into account her other issues. Find someone who wants a small loving dog and a constant companion and she'd probably have her ideal home. That home needs to be found, of course. Advertising in the local paper and getting information from a rescue person as to how to check out the calls and the potential home would probably be the way to go.

And Merry Christmas from a member of the Bee Gee's Appreciation Society.

You can't have it both ways. The insurance company is a business answerable to its shareholders.

Well 30 years on and it is even easier for a business to swallow up others. The profit motive is stronger, the regulations are useless, communication is instantanious, the people who are supposed to guarding against aggressive and inappropriate marketing are part of the problem. Perhaps you can explain to we simpletons the difference. The last time I looked, a business case was a business case whether you were selling bananas, property, uranium, or veterinary services. Is there a profit in it? How can we maximise that profit? How can we get around any strictures imposed by the regulators without drawing attention to it? Etc etc etc.

Of course they don't, but when a practice manager/vet has signed a contract guaranteeing certain KPI and whose remuneration is subject to the rise and fall of share prices, then the potential for over-servicing becomes so much the greater It's called "Economies of Scale" and I reckon it is one of the greatest furphies perpetrated on the consumer and society in general. It means fewer jobs, less regulation, less choice, etc etc. Yes, it works for a while, but reach a certain size and all the good things that are supposed to happen are cancelled out.

yes they do, those little growly noises that are like music to me after the way Feather's been all her life. I've never heard her make them until now. Ah such emotive posts .... little tears here, but happy ones. Looking forward to your update telling us that Zeph has learned how to play Dee's game .... or has taught her one of his own.

Oooh, I got all teary and funny in the tum looking at those photos of Juniper ready to go on trial. So sweet, so eager, so full of love. Darling girl.

Princess Playful

To see dogs fnally click is just the best thing. Such a lovely story and beautiful beautiful photographs. It has happened here (the clicking that is, sadly not the photographs ): http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/252412-it-has-taken-a-while/page__p__6313276__fromsearch__1#entry6313276

Oh, how special is that.

Yes, as I said above, it will be all about profits and the interests of the shareholders, most of whom probably couldn't tell a dog from a cat and won't care less unless it affects their dividend. :(

The trouble is in today's market, this is what we will be reduced to. Same as the strangle hold that Woolworths and Coles have. I used to think I was supporting a small wine shop, only to find it was part of chain owned by Coles, I think.

Some orgs on there that I wouldn't recommend.

I imagine so , but worse than that, because the vets would be on a profit share, they might (just might now, nobody jump on me from a great height about how wonderful their vet is :D ) be tempted to push unnecessary treatments and/or operations. (The latter is already being done for luxating patellas with some vets boasting that they make their money out of those operations. Although some dogs definitely do need the operation, for most it is a bit like the Scam thread going in general: they frighten the owner by telling them all the dreadful things the dog will suffer if they don't have the operation. ) With the Greencross expansion, it really worries me for the future pets and their owners, because I have seen this exact same scenario IRL, but with medical clinics. I worked for a venture capital organisation for many years and one of their investments was to bring a whole lot of medical clinics under the one banner. It was very successful and a lot of people made a lot of money. However, they spent more time working out how to share the profits among the investors and management than they did on whether or not the venture was a good one or a necessary one. One of their selling points for the raising of future funds was the number of millionaires they created.

I regularly get messages on my computer advising that my computer is running slow. Needless to say, I ignore. No way would I be giving personal information to a voice over the phone or a "box message" on the computer. But, again, I have been using computers years both at work and at home. Many many people don't have constant daily computer use and are at risk simply because of lack of exposure to all the things that can go wrong or to all the scams that are around.

http://www.smh.com.au/money/investing/greencross-credentials-can-only-get-stronger-with-merger-20131212-2z8ru.html Fragmented industries can create profitable opportunities for the brave, and this has certainly proved the case for Greencross. The veterinary services provider has grown impressively through acquisitions in recent years, delivering compound annual growth rates in revenues and earnings of 29 per cent. With an aggressive acquisition strategy in the past five years Greencross now has 85 general practices, nine specialist/emergency centres and four laboratories. Advertisement Outlook We believe the company's successful roll-up model of vet clinics still has plenty of room to expand, with less than 6 per cent share of the available revenue market in Australia. Management is looking to acquire 10 to 20 clinics in the next year with target multiples of 3.5 to 4.5 times earnings before interest and tax. Acquisitions have not blown out the balance sheet with gearing set to remain below 65 per cent. The company has reached a scale whereby acquisitions can be funded out of cash flow rather than debt. The company's growth profile could be further turbo-charged by a proposed tie-up with Petbarn, a big wholesaler of pet products which has 100 shops in Australia and 24 in New Zealand. Petbarn has a robust revenue and earnings profile, and the merger would create strong synergies between the two. The combination would create the leading integrated retail pet-care company in Australia, with 124 shops and 100 vet clinics in Australia and New Zealand. The merged entity would have pole position in the industry which is estimated to be worth about $7 billion a year. The combined company would have revenues of about $440 million and EBIT of about $40 million. The deal is subject to shareholder approval in late January. Price Shares in Greencross have been performing exceptionally, up 54 and 138 per cent in the past six and 12 months respectively. The gains are even more impressive on a longer time horizon, and a testament to the impressive growth delivered by management's roll-up strategy in the lucrative but fragmented industry. Worth buying? We are attracted to the growth proposition Greencross already represents in isolation. We believe this will be only strengthened by the proposed combination with Petbarn. The integrated nature of the new business would be a first for Australia but has successful form in other countries such as Britain and the US. Meanwhile, we do not regard the valuation of Greencross – either in isolation or after the merger – as demanding, given its enviable earnings growth, and the prospective market share gains. Consequently, we believe the stock is worth buying at about the present level. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/money/investing/greencross-credentials-can-only-get-stronger-with-merger-20131212-2z8ru.html#ixzz2ngQvmRpr