Melo

I missed it as well, actually I am never home in time to see the news, would be interested if anyone did see it what was said?

Saw a preview to be on 7 news tonight telling us which BREED of dogs will cost us the most in vet bills in their lives, WHAT is this going to be another purebred bashing where everyone will be told about these lovely oodle cross breeds and how they have less health problems

3 months today and my heart is still broken. I miss you terribly Tara......

So sorry. RIP Kira.

Yes his nickname is 'freak of nature', and no-one believes us UNTIL they meet him

Well someone forgot to tell our GS that if he was done early he would not develop properly, he was de-sexed at 6 months and still grew into a hulk like 60kg german shepherd. (and he is purebred, with papers and no he is not over weight) Health wise he is now 11 and showing signs of problems in being such a large dog, other than that his health is fine. Do we regret him being desexed, umm NO! Each to their own..............

.....All the best, think its best I withdraw my post as people find it easy to assume.....

There are good breeders of Samoyeds in SA, and maybe I am a bit sensitive to the statement at the moment but to say you will get better in Vic is just a tad unfair. The breeder I got my girl from has been breeding for years and was more than helpful and had beautifully bred dogs, she is a wonderful person and has been nothing but helpful in the 10 years of my girls life. Yes I am sensitive at the moment as I had to make the heartbreaking decision to put my girl down on Friday , but geez don't write off SA breeders just on 1 or 2 peoples say so who are not even in the state.

Tara - Samoyed 30/3/00 - 12/3/10 - Rest in peace my gorgeous girl you tried so hard to hang in there but the pain was just too much. You have taken a piece of my heart with you.........

I noticed with my Samoyed girl after a sleep she was lifting her left back leg and placing down again, after some other medical problems I questioned the vet and he could not find anything wrong with her legs. Off home she went but it continued and seem to be getting worse, I also noticed the hair thinning on her legs, so off back to the vet we went and I highlighted my issues, he still could not feel any problems but took her in for x-rays. The x-rays showed her legs were fine, but she had an old injury in her back that was very arthritic, in fact he could not believe how bad it was and she was still walking Over the years she is getting worse even with medication so I took her to a Chiro that does acupuncture which has given her some relief in her back. Anyway just thought I would tell you my story, as just don't rule out there is not a problem even if their legs are showing nothing.

Has P&K pets changed ownership or something, as everytime I have been in there they definately had puppies??

Yep new Pets Domain store out at Gawler (well Evanston I think) and we did the same thing, walked in thought beauty nice big store with lots in it, then discovered the glass cages with the DD's. Don't think they appreciated us standing there commenting on their $1,100 SamoyedxGR puppy, picture 2 people talking very loudly as to why the hell you would you buy a crossbred puppy of those 2 breeds when you pay about the same or less for purebred puppies of which both of those breeds are gorgeous dogs and don't need crossing Think they were about to tell us to leave, before we both turned around and left never to return.

No Tara is still with us, just not sure she is ready to go just yet as still wants to go for her 5 minute walk and is still eating, but I still look at her each day trying to decide if I am doing the right thing. She started with a seperation in her elbow joint which was not too bad, but now overtime she has arthritis in it, plus her knee joints in both front legs are feeling the strain. Her back also has problems in that there is fusing and alot of arthritis, which the vet was surprised when he xrayed her that she is even walking at all . She had acupuncture treatments that have relieved her back tenfold, but unfortunately it just does not seem to be helping her front legs. She is on Metacam (anti-inflamm) & Tramal (pain relief), so we have really done all we can for her. (And yes I blame myself everyday as most of these problems come about because of our over-grown Shepherd's rough play, so I failed in protecting her from the damage) Anyway, back to you, and I understand totally what you are going through in trying to make the right decision at the right time, playing 'god' as they say, its just a real pity that dogs age so quickly and have to leave us so soon.

I just wanted to give both you and your dog big (((((HUGS))))), I am going through the same thing at the moment (although my dog is only 9) and each day wake up thinking 'oh god will this be the day'.

Well just a little update: She is still hanging in there, I have spent alot of the week crying as I really don't know how I will make the decision . For now she is still comfortable, happy, eating and giving her GS buddy an earful whenever she feels like it , so she still has some fight in her. She did get me up the other night, I thought she was in pain (which there may have been a little) so I gave her some of her medication and about 1/2 hour later she settled and went back to sleep, then in the morning I found she had had an accident inside which usually upsets her as well so that could have been why she was unsettled. Its is such a roller coaster ride of emotions, 1 minute I think 'how the heck to I make the decision to take her life' and then its 'oh crap she looks in pain is this about to be the time?', believe me my poor old brain is working overtime.

Yes Cassie it is unfortunately Tara Thank you to all the replys and please believe me when I say I will not let her suffer. I feel a little better that I will see more of a sign that it is time, and I don't think it is far off unless she does get over the 'hiccups' she had over the last couple of days. I figure while she still greats me loudly at the door each night to tell me how her day was (well thats what it seems like she is doing ) and still eating then she is still holding in there, but realistically I know that if the drugs don't make her comfortable enough to lay down and sleep (and so far they are, without hitting the maximum she is allowed) then it has to be time.

I am so upset and confused at the moment, I know my little girls days are numbered but will I really KNOW when I have to let her go. She has seperation in her elbow joint (front leg) and now both her front legs are full of arthritis so she has difficulty walking. She is on the strongest drugs possible to keep her comfortable, but the winter is not being kind. All was going ok until the last few days she has 'played' with our over grown boof of a shepherd and injured her back leg then she took a tumble trying to run to her outside bed to have her bikkie. So the last couple of day we had to up the drugs and she still looks a little uncomfortable and is now not eating her full meals, still eating but just not all of it although will not say no to a bikkie It is hard, as she sill quite a happy dog and very determined to go for her morning walk even though it is only a 5 minute stroll, she still wags her tail and looks happy, but I can still see the sadness in her eyes. She is only 9 god damn it, why does she have to go!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the replies, I have gone with Chiropet - she has an appointment next Tuesday, wish me luck as the vet's have given up on Tara and we are running out of options

I am looking for someone reputable that does massage & acupuncture on dogs? Anyone in SA currently take there dogs somewhere they can recommend?

Thanks all for your replies, with the aid of pentosyl(sp?) the medication to help with upset tummys he seemed to have settled again and back on his Proplan for sensitive stomaches with no probs. Although from the suggestions above we now have him on a probiotic and papaya enzyme tablets so will see what happens. THANKS.

Turkey, yep tried that when chicken become a problem (sorry did not write everything cause I would have gone on forever). Pork, did not think it was good for dogs. Roo, a definate no no, goes through almost quicker than lamb & beef.

He could only have chicken, so chicken carcasses, wings, necks etc.

I'll try not to make this an essay, but we are having so much trouble with our now 8yo German Shepherd that we are running out of options. O.k, when we first got him as a puppy nothing seemed to agree with him, he was forever getting an upset stomache and each vet we tried could not seem to come up with an answer. It seemed to calm down on Science Diet Large Breed or something like that, but being quite expensive we changed him to Supercoat Chicken. This seemed fine for awhile but then the stomache upset started again. Even changing back to Science Diet did not stop it, after another heap of vet visits and changing diets around there was still no answer. From this site ( ) I read about BARF diet and thought, o.k. we have nothing to lose will try that. Worked great, had a very happy and healthy dog for a good couple of years. About 1 year ago his upset stomache started again, could not understand it cause nothing in his diet had changed. Off to a new vet we trundled (bare in mind all these vet changes were due to us being moved around with the RAAF), they suggested trying a Salmon based dry food as maybe there was an allergy to chicken (he already cannot eat Lamb, beef or any red meat really). Well we put him on Proplan and once again things went great, happy healthy dog again, passing normal poo. Now this week, starting last weekend his stomache is once again upset and for the life of us we don't know which direction to go this time? ;) ANY suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Our older dog (7 years old) suddenly got a blocked anal gland, the vet kept clearing and it just never seem to get better. She then got an infection and they decided they had to take them out. When they operated they found a grass seed lodged in the gland , she recovered well from the op and all was fine. Hope something like that is not happening to your fella?

Zoepuppy, I feel your pain with the specialist being hasty, we have been through so much mis-diagnosis with both our dogs over the years not too mention I went through about 2 years of mis-diagnosis with a horse I owned only to eventually lose him cause they stuffed the treatment up. It is difficult, but feel sure the dogs will tell you when it is all too much. Aki, Tara will be having regular swimming classes as there is an actual doggy swimming pool not far from home, just got to book her in. Mind you Tara has been on 2 of her 20 minute walks so far and is definately not complaining, major sammy smiles from her. I have ordered Joint Guard so will see how that goes, but any suggestions are very much appreciated.