westiemum

Big hugs DD.

Just beautiful DD - so reminds me of Maccles!! He too loved leftovers!! Any type of leftovers!!

No advice Anne - just support and big hugs. Really feeling for you and your girl.

Apparently it may snow here in Bathurst tomorrow!! Hopefully my flight will get out in time... mind you it would be nice to be snow bound!!

I find ACV pretty good for a range of stuff - it seems to have an anti-bacterial effect and fixes Sarah's dicky tummy upsets. (And her stained paws but thats another story) I use a teaspoon for my westies in a bit of water mixed in with their food - big dogs need a dessertspoon. Some people use it in drinking water but I find my guys won't it touch it that way.

Gawd! There'd be westie revolution here if I fasted my guys!! As well as apple cider vinegar, I use steamed chicken and rice to settle upset tummies - but doesn't seem to happen here very with my cast iron stomach westies.

Apple cider vinegar

Yep absolutely. I generally have a rescue for at least 6 weeks and sometimes longer - no ifs buts or maybes - remembering that we've never had any trouble finding multiple homes for a westie and people are generally very eager to get their hands on them..

Would it kill you to use the spoiler tags? :p Seriously though..yeah, pretty much. What works for one person might not work for another. I'd just pick whatever suits you best in terms of price for quality and give it a go. If it's not working after a month or so, try something else. You guys crack me up :laugh: If you've got dogs with a cast iron constitution see who will give you the best deal. Artemis suits my Dally really well so my Springers get it, as do my puppies. However one of mine looks great on anything - as long as it's without corn - so she eats all the winnings...Royal Canin, Advance, Holistic Select, Pro-plan and various high-performance foods. Make that two!! Mac had an absolute cast iron stomach - he'd eat anything and sniff out his favourite blue cheese at 500 paces! Never one off day from his beloved food in his very long life!!! My Sarah is different - she really needs grain free and has been known to get very itchy on dry.

I've used both a general vet and a specialist surgeon. And the generalist was successful once and not successful the second time - while I think the world of my generalist vet, I think in hindsight I'd go with the specialist given my time again.

Isabel I'd go back to vet wrap and use that - maybe you can use it just on the affected paw? Yes there are some great doggy daycares around - I got the most beautiful card and flowers from them when Mac died and they took such wonderful care of him - making sure he wasn't getting too tired during the day, giving him 'grandpa naps' in the staff room on the lap of whoever was there, making sure he didn't get knocked by other dogs. Nothing was too much trouble and I decided it was better than leaving him at home unsupervised while I worked. But like all things it seems there are bad ones as well, so it pays to be careful. So glad you have a good one for Jindi too. The thing I found with Mac was that although he was tired at the end of the day he always seemed happy to have the care and company of people and other dogs. He certainly liked going there and I never had any trouble getting him in the door.

Yep Thistle's right. I really admire you for telling your story so honestly - heart-breaking as it is - and then getting advice from the DOL brains trust to avoid it happening again. The fact you are asking such sensible questions means I'm sure you can do it too!

bilbo thats what happened to my departed westie Mac - he was running across an oval at Ocean Grove and blew his ACL. He was 6 or 7 at the time and had a TPLO when he returned home which was very successful. Then from memory six months later he blew the other ACL. He had a TPLO which failed within a fortnight. The vet was devastated and referred us to a specialist surgeon who altered the angle of his leg and performed a TTA which I was told is unusual in a small breed - but it worked well. The problem you have is that both doing surgery and not doing surgery will both have consequences. I think you do whatever you have to do to normalise the joint as quickly as possible. And if thats surgery then so be it. And if you don't do surgery the dog may develop compensatory gait characteristics which probably won't be good. I think as your vet seems to be saying , its less about the age of the dog and more about the return of function. So yes on the info you've given, I'd go ahead and have surgery.

Excellent post maddy.

Thistles quote reminded me when I got Andy from a puppy farm, he couldn't walk on a lead to save himself, had never slept in a soft dog bed (he still prefers hard floors at times), had never eaten out of a bowl, wasn't toilet trained, couldn't sit,stay etc, and had lived his life in a big cage fighting for food every second day (yes I saw this). I took him on knowing it could end badly and at the back of my mind, that I may have to PTS. But luckily he is deep down a good natured boy who just needed to be trained. So I basically started from scratch and puppy trained him. But the trick was that he was basically a good natured boy so I had something to work with. (The rest can be trained). And that's why trialling and checking the dogs temperament either through temperament testing, fostering or trialling or all the above is so important.

Lots of good advice love4paws. Devastating though it was you absolutely did the right thing by giving this girl her wings and releasing her. I doubt there was anything that could be done safely with her and she would not have enjoyed life. I'm so sorry to hear such a devastating story. It sounds like your daughter tried to do all the right things except to get the dog on trial before taking her home and as you said, double checking her socialisation. It also sounds like she inadvertently got mixed up with a less than stellar or maybe very inexperienced rescue service and to be fair - I think this was the biggest part of you problem rather than the dog itself. The separated kennel at the rear was a red flag and an experienced person would have asked why? While I know they denied knowledge of her aggression issues, if that was the case why was she kept separate in a rear kennel? And why wasn't she fostered? I suspect that there was very little your daughter could do to avoid this and I feel for her and the family who lost their dog. Most interstate adoptions work well for the right dog and the right adopter and rescue service. But I'm not sure I would have ever put a dog like this out for adoption in the first place. As you say I suspect the poor dog had it all stacked against her right form the word go. Very sad. Either way she needed to go to a very experienced breed home or sadly be given her wings and not adopted. But at the same time I'm so pleased it hasn't put you off rescue for good. So I think the best advice is to adopt locally if you can and only take a dog on trial (usually for 2 -3 weeks) - and don't be afraid to take the dog back if you have concerns or it doesn't work. Every situation will be slightly different, but when I rehome a dog, as a re-homer I do at least two home visits (checks!) and if possible I get references from a vet. And I expect the adopter to check me out too with lots of questions about me and the dog! Particularly whether or not the dog has been temperament tested or family fostered (there's a reason why your GSD girl wasn't fostered). That's harder with interstate adoptions (and some rescue services won't adopt interstate for this reason), but it can be done. For example, I've done a couple of home visits for interstate rescue services and then the dog has arrived on trial. Even better, if the family then go and pick the dog up and stay locally for a trial if at all possible- but I know its not always possible. And for an interstate adoption checking out the rescue service is even more important - and thats where DOL can be very useful. And if the rescue service objects to your questions or gets antsy then move on - there are always plenty more gorgeous dogs needing good homes. Also quiz the rescue service for as much information about the dog as you can. Adoption is a two way street and adopters should take as much time 'interviewing' and getting to know the rescue service as the rescue service does getting to know them. Think about or research the process of adopting a child and ask similar questions. Always always check out the dogs behaviour and where the dog is currently housed even if interstate - there's almost always someone here on DOL who can help you out with an good opinion. Just ask. Also ask the service how many dogs have been returned after a trial failure? This has only happened to me once - and we learned and did eventually find the perfect home for the boy. And lastly never take a dog who is not offered on trial - whether local or interstate. And only adopt interstate knowing you just might have to foot the bill of returning the dog if it all goes pear-shaped - or giving the dog its wings. The vast majority of rescue services are brilliant, operate at significant loss and really want to do the right thing. And they never pass on problem dogs. They deal with the problem and are with the dog as they pass if that becomes necessary. So having said all that, what type of dog are you looking for and when? I have no doubt that someone here will be able to help.

Bush river first up I'm a 'dyed in the wool' raw feeder - who only feeds dry in dire emergencies (there's a westie revolt here if that happens!). But... if I'm forced to buy dry and need a cheaper brand, the VIP Grain Free from the supermarket was fine and very cost effective. I used to buy mine at Woolies so don't know if Coles stock it. The other one I used was Black Hawk but my westie girl got very itchy on it but I believe they now have a grain free and they'll send out free samples for you to try. The other one I'm hearing good reports about is Ivory Coat which you buy online and there seem to be many suppliers in WA - but haven't tried it myself. There also was a brand of working dog dry food that country people seemed to swear by - you could buy it cheaply in huge bags from stock supplier places - can't remember the name - but will come back with it if I can find it or Perse might know if she pops along. Lastly theres a new brand that appears to have popped up - 'Stay Loyal' - Australian made and owned and offer free delivery but have no idea what its like. But their website suggests its selling well and they'll send samples too as long as you pay the postage. Hope that helps.

Thistle those socks on the left - the pink stripe ones look very similar to the Woolies baby socks I was talking about. Those red boots with feet in them look great. I might try them for Sarah - her paws are bad at the moment too.

I too found doggy day care just wonderful for Mac in the last months of his life. They had a little birthday party for his last birthday in August last year and insisted on having him for the day without charge, two days before he died. (I offered to bring him in just to say goodbye but they insisted on having him as usual with Sarah and Andy). He was very frail by that stage and they were all incredibly sad to know it was his final day with them. Someone carried him around all day and they all took turns holding him and were very teary when they helped me out to the car with him for the last time - very reluctant to let him go. He was their oldest 'pack member' and they took such care of him for me and it was such a relief for me to know he was well cared for a day or two a week in his last days when I was at work .

I suspect we're westie women for life Isabel!! Now how about some photos of the beautiful girl in her new booties?

She's beautiful with quite an angelic face. Great save!!

Or would toe grips help? Apparently EastWest Vets in Melbourne sell them?

I think this is them here - on special! Or booties?

Isabel I'm so sorry to hear about Jindi. When my Sarah westie was compulsively licking her paws I put cream on them and baby socks over the top. I bought the smallest size I could find from Woolworths (I think) and they had rubber bobbles on the bottom for grip. They might help? I can't put my hands on them at the moment but if I can find them I'll put them on her and post a photo to show you what i mean.

Hes gorgeous SM. But he does look like he's in the dog house!!