Schnapps

Awfully nice to know I am not the only one being plaqued by ticks. They are not wrong when they say the first thing you know you have brown dog ticks is when they breed and crawl up the walls and curtains in your house! I have dosed the dogs with advantix but hourly they seem to be still picking them up. It really urks me as there isn't a flea on the whole property but these rotten ticks came in somehow, probably on my dog after a show. I might need to investigate Proban I think as the brown dog tick has three life stages and they can last up to 5 mths in each stage without biting a dog. Two of my dogs are elderly so I need to be careful what I use as their internals aren't what they used to be. Proban sounds like its very safe longterm.

I have read all the incontinence problems with dogs but it most always seems to be in females. I have a 6yr old entire male who occasionally wets while he is sleeping. It doesn't happen all the time but it is most annoying. Any thoughts?

I can see where people get confused with dog aggression. I have had dogs all my life and have been guilty sometimes of letting the dog be boss. Example: When the dog was a puppy with a bone, I would 'pretend' to take her bone. It was hilarous, as she didn't growl or bite, but the little claws would wrap around the bone so I couldn't sneak off with it. Guilty as charged.

The link doesn't seem to be working. http://www.caninecountry.com.au/

Thankyou all for your condolences. Steve, I don't know exactly the tumour position. I guess I will find out on Saturday when I muster up the courage to collect the collar and lead. I will have hubby with me then for support.

Devastating news I'm afraid. I feel like I've just been hit by a bomb. The xray shows a massive tumour and Stewart will be put to sleep permanently. At least he had a great, spoiled rotten life till the end. He was so premature at birth, 4yrs ago, the vet said he wouldn't last a week. He did well to get to four and he was a great little dog. We will all miss him, both skin kids and furry ones.

Results from the blood tests show nothing wrong with the pancreas. He's still staying with the vet and now he can't even hold down water without tossing it up. He is on a drip to replace electrolytes. The vet will xray him today to see if there is anything obvious like a twist or an impaction. If the xray shows something bad, do I put him down or go the painful surgery with no guarantees? If the xray shows nothing, do we continue with him on a drip and hope he gets over his illness, or put an end to it today? I really don't know what to do.

We went to the vet but I got to come home alone. The vet says 'Stewarts' temp is up a little and on feeling his insides, says there doesn't seem to be any build up of food or poop to indicate an intestinal blockage. He did however find the pancreas very tender. Going on his usual voracious appetite and the fact that he's like a racehorse and never puts on any weight, the vet thinks a pancreatic insufficiency which has flared up to an inflamed stage. Stewart has to stay in overnight on a drip to flush out his system and blood tests will also be taken to confirm diagnosis. A special Hills diet will be on the agenda.

Yep, he has an appointment this arvo. He seems happy to come and greet me and wag his tail heartily, although he is not his usual racey self. His eyes were mucky this morning when he woke up, so I have cleaned them. He is drinking ok, and has no trouble jumping on the bed, so I'm not thinking chiropractic problems. Maybe he just caught something and needs antibiotics to choof it off properly. Very unusual for him to get sick tho. I will also raise the question of bone impaction with the vet, although I would think the dog would be sicker than this if that was the case. Also, my neighbour a couple doors up had his dog die suddenly last week. He thinks someone baited it, but I thought it maybe was the 5ft brown snake which one of my other Schnauzers has since sent to snake heaven. Now I'm starting to worry, my dog might be slightly poisoned either by snake, or a bit of residual bait. He has good mobility tho, so snakebite seems unlikely as the brown snake usually causes paralysis somewhat like paralysis tick. He is ailing, but not really displaying any real alarming symptoms except for being off the food. Tis puzzling.

I have a 4yr old Schnauzer male (desexed), who normally has a voracious appetite. He has never refused a meal in his life. At birth he was very premature and the vet said he wouldn't last a week but he just had his 4th birthday. He's never been a fat dog as he doesn't sit still for long enough to gain any. Three days ago, he suddenly stopped eating and the best I can get him to do is nibble a little bit of sardine cat food. He is lethargic but not stressed or panting. He usually plays pretty rough n tumble with the stud dog so could he have twisted something inside or internally bruised himself? I can't think of anything else it could be. Anyone have any ideas?

So, there seems to be an element of truth in nursery rhymes. Jack and Jill went up the hill. When Jack fell down and broke his crown, the treatment was vinegar and brown paper. It has always intrigued me what the signifance was of the brown paper tho. Any medicinal qualities with it?

Schnauzers do eat a lot of grass. Mine graze like cows sometimes. Rarely any problems tho unless they swallow a long stalk without chewing and it can't pass all the way out the back end. I am their saviour with a tissue.

In the same way this cold windy weather causes peoples lips to get dry and crack, I am wondering if dogs licking their behinds could suffer the same painful dryness and cracking? Maybe you need to get your dog a chapstick.