Crits'N'Bits

Sammy I am so sorry RIP little man - run free

thanks for your advice guys reason they are washed on a weekly basis is that I use them in my therapy sessions and they need to be really clean and smelling lovely - or it can have the opposite effect to what we are trying to achieve. So far I have been getting some great responses from my clients. Will try some better quality shampoo - although the one I am using was recommended by the vet and is good quality.

just wondering whether any one knows of, or has done, a dog grooming course by DE. where i live we are fairly restricted with hands on courses so my only option is to do it by DE (if its available obviously) cheers

that is just so sad - what a terrible way for little Kelly to go and how devastated the lady must be... RIP little girl run free Kelly

my dogs are being hydrobathed and blow dried every week i was using a flea shampoo for every wash - but noticed that their skin was starting to get a bit flakey - so now using a gentle shampoo one week and the flea shampoo the next week am i doing them to often?

Yesterday was a very sad day - we lost another 2 of our family dogs - my mothers little black poodle Lotti and her little pom. Munchi. Both delightful little dogs that were very much loved by our family for about 16 years. Both little dogs but with huge hearts and personalities. They will be missed by us all RIP little ones - we loved you Lotti and Munchi. Thank you both for the wonderful times we had with you. Good bye for now Digby and Bing will look after you both now - until we meet again

so sorry elise they were certainly a cute little group. its always heartbreaking to loose your special babies. RIP rattie brothers - look out for each other at the bridge

what a beautiful, gentle boy - so sorry to hear of your loss roxiekda run free at the bridge lovely boy RIP sweet Lucky

so sorry horus - hope you and ellie are ok RIP Cleo run free little girl

so sorry Kaffy and family RIP Mac run free on the other side

thanks alanglen - that has helped to understand this all abit more and to know what to do/request if ever it happens to another of my animals. the tragedy in all of this is that i would have sat up with him for a long as it took while he was on the drip or with whatever other treatment was needed.

RIP beautiful boys so sorry for your families loss amy

thanks for your comments guys - it helps to get some thoughts about this. i am seeing the vet again tomorrow and hopefully will be able to get some of the results. alanglen i was quite interested in what you said that there is a specific urine test to tell you when they are ok to take off the drip. i am pretty well certain that this was not done. initially he was on the drip for 2 nights and the first night he sat on the tube and actually blocked the flow. when he came home he was far from well and i had to keep pushing fluids into him. i think more should have been done then. he started to come good on the wednesday and thursday, but had relapsed by friday. for a little dog that otherwise appeared to be fit and healthy it is just so unfair that he lost his battle. maybe there was too much damage for him to pull through, but i still feel not enough medical treatment was given initially

we keep going over and over why we didnt pick up on signs of it if there was already a weakness there. and also knowing that there would be muscle weakness after a snake bite why didnt the vet send him home with something stonger than amoxil - surely something else would have been more appropriate. and now that the vet is saying it could have been a congenital condition - why didnt they consider that when they sent him home for that week i know its all "whys' and its not going to bring him back - but i guess i just need some answers. with the vet not wanting to show me the test results it just makes me think there was something that was overlooked initially. sorry for the vent - but i am worried that this might happen again. we only have one vet clinic here and at the moment my faith in them is pretty low.

i have been trying to get some information regarding kidney disorder in dogs particularly in whippets. following the death of my dear little whippet last week (snake bite then recovery - then relapse and kidney failure) i would like to find out whether kidney failure in whippys is common. i have asked my vet and also requested to see all the tests results they did on my boy - however they are reluctant to hand over any of his records and also indicated that they thought there may have been a congenital kidney disorder my boy was only 22 months old and there had been no symptoms of kidney disorder prior to the snake bite so i really cant understand why this has been said. i know that nothing will bring him back, but i would really like to know why his condition deteriorated so quickly a week after the snake bite. i almost feel as if the vet did stuff-all to save him - all they have given me is a bill for $800 and a dead dog

Digs, its a week since you left us and we miss you so much my little shadow no longer follows me around the house or sits by the door waiting to go for a walk. No longer do i have your soft little head resting on my lap or the touch of your paw on my leg Poppy is still looking out the window waiting for you to come home and Sash, Lily and Ehba miss you and cant understand why you are not here wherever you are now i hope you are running free and playing with Bing, Linky and Jess and that one day we will all be together again. run free little man - we love you

Erin, can fully understand your families heartbreaking loss and how hard it is to say goodbye to a much loved family member as we are also going through the same thing Run free Kelly - you were a special girl and your family loved you RIP

redz, i am so sorry and i know how you are feeling - its just like a huge part of you has been ripped away. i had to say goodbye to my boy on saturday indirectly due to snake bite (he had recovered from that but it was the resulting kidney failure a week later) RIP Lou i am sure you and Digby will look out for each other

thanks guys - it really does help having all this support. this last week, and particularly today, have been very hard. Trish - a huge for the picture of Digs - i so wish we could turn the clock back to then and be able to erase what has happened - he was a special little man - to know Digby was to love him. he was a gentle loving sweet boy who loved us all unconditionally

Digby came to live with us when he was 10 months old in October 2006 From the first moment I met this little guy I was smitten with him. He would worm his way into any warm spot and you would only see his little nose poking out of the blanket. He loved to drape himself over you, loved going for drives and just being with his humans. Digs I loved you so much and saying goodbye to you was the hardest thing I have had to do. You had courage until the very end. You are now in your resting place on top of the hill where you can watch over us all Run free my little man - you are in my heart forever be a good boy until we meet again ... your loving family xxxxxxxx RIP darling Digby ;) - you are now on your next adventure

Bing, my sisters beautiful border collie, went to the bridge today after loosing her fight with cancer. A truly remarkable dog that has been a big part of my families lives for over 14 years We loved you Bing - run free beautiful girl, you are in our hearts forever ... now you will be able to play with Jess, Linky, Indi and Tilly RIP our sweet Bing

Wot a sweet little thing ! She's gorgeous thanks - we think so too

Ehba and Lily

Name: Lily Sex: female Age: 15 weeks Colour: brindle Breed: whippet Hobbies: playing, playing and more playing - then sleep - then food - then more playing...... Loves: tug toys, her pink spider monkey toy, her blankets, going out in the car and meeting people (she is a little social butterfly) Hates: bath time, training time, cold frosty mornings without her coat on

Name: Ebha (pronounced Ava) Sex: Female Age: 9 weeks Colour: brindle Breed: whippet Hobbies: she has only been living with us for 9 days after jet setting it down from Queensland to cold old Victoria so she is still settling in but she does love playing with the other dogs and jumping on the cat; she also likes going out in the car Loves: loves crawling under the doona and cuddling up; loves her tug toys; loves food; loves people Hates: cold frosty mornings; still not sure if she likes the horses; not that thrilled about bath time or brush time !! and still not terribly thrilled with "school" time (learning to stand, lead, etc - but she is only a baby after all !)