Kaz

So sorry Kamuzz. I didn't realise what a beautiful looking boy Robbie was. I know how hard this must be for you.

Thanks guys. Jess is sorely missed. I keep going to her corner to give her a pet and then remember she's no longer there. She went out in true Jessie style however. She scoffed most of a huge pack of Vets Best Rewards and paid no attention at all to what was going on. I was lying on the floor along side her while she pigged out. She went out doing what she loved doing best She had a huge grin on her face. My new rescue rottweiler arrived the same day which is keeping my mind and thoughts. occupied.

Yep I can! But that's when I raid the freezer On various occasions mine have had sausages, rump steak, chicken breast, roast beef, Inghams medallions, and there is alway rice and pasta in the pantry and bags of frozen veges at the back of the freezer. Once I even had to race out for the large tub of KFC. (shops had all closed by then) My dogs love me when I run out of food.

Dear Jess was given her wings today. 6 months ago I had a call from a man looking to rehome his rottweiler. Some bright spark at the RSPCA had given him my number after they wouldn't accept her due to the fact she was 10 years old. As he spoke her age, my heart dropped. How the hell was I going to rehome a 10 yr old rottie? But in every other way she fit the bill for a dog who would be suited to my household. Well, I refuse to be ageist so I said bring her round and if my dogs liked her, she could stay. The man promptly broke down and cried. He had had this dog since a pup and an emergency meant he was going to have to move overseas for an unknown period of time. He just couldn't bear to put her down. A few days later Jess arrived. And once again my heart sank as she was carried out of the car. This was the most decrepit old dog I had seen in a long time. Her arthritis was severe and she had had an accident a few years back which had damaged her joints and tendons even further. Jess was incredibly distressed when she was left here and spent hours sitting at the front window watching for her owner. However four days later she began to settle and relax. And eventually she seemed to think this had always been her home. I advertised her as Free to Good home, but by the time some serious calls started coming through, She had become so much a part of the family that I couldn't bear to put her through another upheaval and I didn't want to part with her any way. I took Jess to the vet within the first few days of taking her and a prescription of metacam seemed to make all the difference to her quality of life. Soon she couldn't bear it if the other dogs were playing and she didn't join in. She couldn't do much so would make this funny warbling growl, shake her head and hop/sway from side to side with excitement. The other dogs could tell how infirm she was so they would often lie in front of her so they could mouth wrestle with her without knocking her over. Every night she would lie on her mattress at the foot of my bed and most of the day would be spent lazing around in front of the telly or basking in the sun on the back deck. A week ago, Jess took a turn for the worse. She seemed very subdued and had trouble getting up from her bed and would have to be helped to her feet. The vet diagnosed myelopathy. She was having trouble even finding where to put her feet. There was no improvement over the next few days - in fact she seemed to worsen, And the light in her eyes was just no longer there. With a heavy heart, Jess was given her wings today. I held her in my arms and we cuddled to the end. I will miss my sweet grumpy old girl. Jessie enjoying the sunshine on her last day.

Great post Shmoo I would just like to add that if you are considering becoming a foster carer for a dog. PLEASE JOIN A RESCUE GROUP NOW!!!! It's no use waiting until you see a particular dog on death row that you would like to help. It may be a couple of weeks before your application to join is processed, home checks done, etc, by which time it may be too late. Joining a rescue group doesn't mean you must immediately foster a dog. Get the paperwork sorted, sit back, and if you see a dog you want to save, then you just have to put your hand up and there is no final mad rush with all the related stress and heartache.

So sorry Juice. But I bet you gave her the best six months of her life. That thought makes me so happy. I wish more of the old and unloved in the pounds were as lucky as Girldog

I had my old dog on metacam for many months however it got to the point that it was no longer effective. We then switched to Zubrin. You may want to ask your vet about it. No adverse reactions to either medication, by the way.

I was hoping to find something a little more exact I'm always worried about water temperature when I bathe my dogs.

Ta Poodlewranger. She hasn't had pups recently but is practically straight from the pound, is underweight and has kennel cough. I am thinking the dog equivelant of ' just run down'. I think I will invest in a steak or two

I have a pound dog here who looks a touch anaemic. Her gums aren't really too pale - nothing to cause me to panic - just not as much colour as I would like. What would be the best thing to do?

Lucky girl. Hope it works out for you. :rolleyes:

Maybe some posted in the last thread and haven't come across this yet.

I agree that having an effective quarantine area is out of the reach of most of us. But I don't think that should put you off putting in the best quarantine area you possibly can. It could still save you from spreading it to your other dogs. One of the most important things is that whatever is inside the quarantine area should never touch what is outside the area. That means double fencing and if there is any runnoff from cleaning the area, the other dogs should have no contact with that area as that is also contaminated. You can get things like disposable plastic shoe covers - nurses use them. disinfectant baths outside etc. If you do have what turns into a parvo case in that area, you won't be able to clean 100% effectively, but at least you have kept the rest of your yard clean. It really is so much better than having nothing at all. I don't attempt to quarantine every dog that comes from the pound. My dogs are vaccinated - yes I know that isn't 100% certain but I can live with the slight risk. But all puppies go straight into a quarantine area as they are most likely to have caught something from the pound environment,

Name:Kaz Age (optional): 42 Location:Seven Hills (Western Sydney) Rescue Group: Paws'n'Hooves Time in Rescue: 2 yrs Who can vouch for: Panlewis Schmoo Cavnrott Petsearch Stormy Pikespooches Peibe Sas Cordelia Reddog Horus Juice Kamuzz Singsong Alix15 (these people have met me, or else have worked closely with me over a distance, though whether or not they say nice things is up to them ) Preferred Breed: Danes Rottweilers Staffies Bullterriers Boofymutts (particularly females or young or non dominant males) Experience (if any): Flying by the seat of my pants,

I'm terrified any time a pup has runny pooh. In the dog rescue game the spectre of parvo is always looming in the background. But it doesn't sound like anything to worry about. Usually parvo dogs are depressed and really look ill. Stick to the chicken, the new diet is probably too rich. Chicken and rice only might be best for a day or two until she is back to normal. It's best to use chicken breast or bbq chicken as that will be easiest on her stomach. After that, just switch back to whatever the breeder was using. Make sure she is drinking and doesn't get dehydrated but It sounds like she will be ok tomorrow.

I went to puppy preschool with one of my dogs - the main aim was to socialise. One of the puppys' owners was discussing a dominance issue concerning another dog and the puppy school trainer was quite irate when she said "We do not use the 'D' word here!" She must have been all of 23 years old and it occured to me to wonder how she would go about handling a dog aggressive rottweiler or dane with that perspective

I've just got my first fearful case - sounds a lot like yours, Cosmolo. Though the recovery time doesn't seem quite as bad. Have only just started working with him so fingers crossed.

Prong collar? I'm a convert! It's not my first choice of training tool but for certain dogs it's a lifesaver.

Can't see how anyone of you can find that Mexican midget SEXY He seems sweet though.

So sorry for your loss. He was a beautiful boy - and still is Time will mend you. Just remember that you are the one suffering but the one you love is at peace.

I've come across dogs that won't touch Eukanuba but all of them will eat Royal Canin.

Can't remember if you said you've tried metacam or Zubrin, Cavnrot. Cartrophen didn't do anything for my last old dog but these did. I've got my current old rottie on metacam and had a huge improvement within hours of the first dose. We may try cartrophen a little later.

The ducks are stock and apparantly they are free range at this time of year. I can understand that the owners couldn't take the risk. Go on Josh I know you want the handsome lad :rolleyes: and very bright.

Marley is back with me now and looking for a duckfree home.

Another '2 cents worth'. I agree with the other posts. Get a trainer who knows what they're talking about. Maybe you need to take a break from training classes and just concentrate at home on getting your dog to walk on a loose lead. With every single one of my foster dogs that pulled on leash, I used the method of simply not going anywhere until they had stopped pulling. And that meant waiting till quite a few of them had thrown a temper tantrum on the end of the leash. They all quietened down after a while and gave up when they realised it wasn't going to achieve anything. If they forgot this occasionally I would simply spin around and head off in the other direction. It really keeps them on their toes. It may take some time and it can be a little embarrassing in public but it has always worked for me. I walk my dane on a prong as he has had special issues in the past. He is beautiful to walk now and he really doesn't need correction on the prong so effectively its as if he was walking loose leash on a soft collar. I never walk any of my rescue dogs on anything but a soft collar as the 'not going anywhere until you behave' method works so well.