westiemum

Nushie and Boronia, do these make at home yoghurt thingos have a lot of sugar in them?

Yes exactly powerlegs. Ness' dog Kenzi in the Health and Nutrition forum is a case in point - good breeder, homework and research done, and still stuff happens. Same with my Mac - five ops later and I'm 15k out of pocket - was it his previous foster carer at fault? Nope. Stuff happens. Would I do it all over again? In a heartbeat. . Just like the OP.

Johnjellis my guys get natural unsweetened yoghurt - whatever is on special (Jalna this week ) for breakfast, along with chicken necks - dirt cheap and very easy.

I came home after three weeks OS with my mother house-sitting - the boys were all over me like a rash the moment I walked in the door.. The girl literally turned her back on me and sulked and wouldn't look at me or come anywhere near me. It took 48 hours for her to melt and join in and then she was all over me too! Moody girl!

Sigh... yes Mac again - he doesn't read the textbooks! He's a westie and has had both - a Deangelis the first time which worked well in a 8-9 kg dog. A Deangelis for the second one which failed so a TPLO with a specialist surgeon the third time who also changed the angle of his leg. At the time of the TPLO it was very unusual to use that technique on a small breed where they usually use a Deangelis but it was necessary fro orthopaedic reasons.. So I'd definitely be getting a second opinion before making a decision - having the oepration fail hurts financially but more importantly hurts the dog to have to go through it all again and to have a second GA (which IMO should always be minimised). Hope that helps. Will be very interested to hear what you decide.

Good. Its very easy to accidentally offend online so just wanted to be sure.

Great post Rappie - that was exactly what happened with Mac. BTW I wasn't being critical of general vets - I love those at my practice. I work really well with mine and they aren't afraid to say 'I don't know' - happened recently with Macs laryngeal paralysis. I have no doubt there are some general vets who are really experienced and skilled with complex surgery. In my case with an older dog with complex needs we all felt he required a specialist - and I'm sure that was the right call.

Snap wundahoo and thanks for the information. I'm only familiar with Macs ablation surgery. Absolutely agree about using a specialist - I remember my vet saying he wouldn't touch this with a barge pole as its a specialist surgical job. OP not sure where you are but if you're in SA and would like to PM me I can give you some further details.

Sorry to hear about your girl - sad to have such bad untreated ears that get to this point. I'm not familiar with the terms you've used but my Mac had something the same or similar. Mac had what was referred to as a left ear ablation at the age of ten for similar reasons - chronic pseudomonas infection after years of no treatment in a notorious puppy farm. The infection became so resistant to all ABs known to man ( i even flew the last lot in from Sydney) that surgery became the only option. He had his external ear canal, ear drum, middle and and inner ear cavities on the left all completely removed and is now deaf on that side but he functions really well cuing from the other westies. Having other dogs to cue from has been really really helpful for Mac. After the surgery the surgeon told me that his middle ear cavity (and inner?) was so full of pus he didn't believe that we would ever have got on top of it clinically and it would have been incredibly painful. . So surgery was the only option and the right decision. The surgery in Macs case was over 4 hours which is a long time and a lot of GA for a little dog. But he recovered very well (fentanyl patch, ABs and anti-inflammatories if I remember correctly and a drain). His recovery was uneventful except I think it took him some days to get over the very big GA. A word about general vets and veterinary surgeons - unless your vet has a lot of experience with this type of surgery I would use an experienced specialist surgeon. This is long complex surgery with high risks of things going wrong (from memory like accidentally cutting the facial nerve - which for a rescue dog looking for a home would be disastrous IMO). Yes it will cost a bucket with a specialist surgeon but worth every cent IMO. I can't remember what the cost in 2009 was but I'm sure it was well over 3k. But it sounds like it will be well worth it for your dally - you'll be staggered at he difference it will make to her. Hope that helps.

Done - and forgiven for not including westies! Hope all goes well with your assignment.

Sigh 3G double post again.

+1

He looks like he thinks its completely unsuitable 5+1! I think you need to return it! Where did you buy from? And is that he colour they call 'sand'?

Yep I get giggles when I buy stuff from 'behind-the-counter' at the Chemist and they ask 'Have I used It before' and I say 'Yes it works very well on her paws' ! Only once has a smarty asked if I've discussed it with the vet! I also get funny looks buying bulk frozen veg - usually I just say 'dog food - it's cheaper' - and they look in wonder!

Good luck Kenz! All fingers and paws crossed here for you. Will be waiting with baited breath to hear how you both get on.

Very funny ness! Good to see you in good cheer still. As to cans the obvious difference is I'd have no compulsion about eating the sardines or mackerel myself - and they are 'served' with veg to make 'Westie fish casserole'! As to eating he dog food cans I'd no more expect them to eat it either! I shudder to think what's in that stuff.

Great post Hardy's Angel. I think we do very similar things except I feed more veg - more to bulk up meals to keep weight down (old westies can get very porky very quickly if you're not careful). Egg hunts! What a great idea. I'm going to try that.

Interesting topic. I'm really time poor too and yet I feed raw mainly, human grade. I use VIP grain free dry for emergencies rarely. I try to keep my diet as unprocessed as possible and do the same for my westies - and they are doing extremely well for old dogs ('perfect' blood panels a month ago much to the amazement of my vet so I must be doing something right.) I shop for my guys at the same time I shop for me. Its no big drama. Veg on special (zucchinis and carrots are favs), Black and Gold Frozen mixed veg, chicken wings and necks, eggs, yoghurt, cut up turkey necks, cans of Home Brand mackerel and sardines. Adelaide Dog raw meat formula and lamb necks. RMBs (soup bones from the supermarket). Chewy meat on special from the supermarket. I get to the central market on Saturday afternoons when I can. Its easy and cheap - and I think it's cheaper than dog food. All it takes is a little thought and a shopping list! And a minute more to prepare than opening a bag or can. I think it was Rosetta () who said in a previous thread 'Since when did feeding dogs well become so complicated'? And I couldn't agree more. I keep it simple, cheap, human grade and as unprocessed and fresh as possible - exactly the same principles as I do for me. It's not rocket science IMO.

Great story. Thanks for posting.

Happy Birthday gorgeous girl!!

There are still good people in this world. RIP beautiful boy.

Correct B. It was a freezing night here last night - and he found my hot water bottle and plonked himself on it for the whole night.

Thanks everyone. Yes I'm really pleased with the way the little munchkin has settled into his new home. He adores his new Mum and sits under his new Dads foot to get a back scratch after dinner! He's not silly!! And if you didn't know before, you'd be hard pressed to see where his coat at the base of his tail was so terrible - it's looking really good.

Thanks P. Yes Mac is very good at making himself comfy. He has a whole side of a QS bed to himself and where does he sleep? Of course in the crook of my legs! On my side of the bed!

Thanks DD. Yes he's getting more and more cute as his coat grows out and he fills out a bit and gains confidence. To be honest, he was very confused - opened the door of their car for him to jump in and he raced back to the front door. But I dropped in the next night to return his beloved ball which got left at my place and he'd settled right back in as if he'd never left. Sat up like Jacky on his new Mums lap after playing with his ball. So all fine in the end!