dunnwarren

Thanks Erny, I have to ring my vet tomorrow before I give her more meds, guess he will tell me then what to do next. Im just glad she is a bit better. I certainly wont stand by while she suffers, then I will be making the hard decision, I just hope I have her with me for a bit longer.

Just an update, Bonnie went for a short walk with me to the kennels tonight, and although she's not completely steady on her back legs she is nowhere near as bad as she was this morning. She even ran a little way, not far though lol she's really not into too much excercise more the couch potato type. It's just so good to see her being able to walk without falling over.

That's what my vet said, it's not epilepsy it's either trauma,(which she hasnt had) or a medical problem, even cancer will cause seizures. Now it's just a matter of waiting to see if she improves without any medication this morning, it's just soooo hard watching her struggling. I've had border collies on and off for years and never come across epilepsy, I did lose one with bladder cancer at age 5 but she never took fits.

Just spoken to my vet on his day off, he said not to give her medication this morning and only half a dose tonight. Could be the medication causing it or if it's a brain thing it might be progressing faster then we hoped. She is still very groggy and the back legs still aren't working real well but hopefully by tonight she will improve. Keeping my fingers crossed just incase. I really want to thank you all for your kind thoughts and ideas. Have to ring my vet again tomorrow to let him know how she is then.

Thanks both of you, I really needed that. It's just so hard watching her and knowing I can only do so much. My vet is great and Ive been going to him for longer then I want to remember and I have faith in him to do the right thing. He did say the meds might make her sluggish so that might be what's wrong, anyway I will find out tomorrow. Guess I just needed someone to listen to my tale of woe. Thanks for listening to my ravings lol

Well I did think of taking her to Melbourne for a MRI but I have to be realistic, one thing I just have not got the money for that at the moment and two, if they do find something wrong with her brain there is no way I would put her through an operation at her age. It is scary watching but thankfully I have had to cope with my young grandson who has epilepsy so I knew what to do. I will certainly talk to my vet first thing tomorrow. And please don't criticize me for not being able to spend money that I dont have as that's the last thing I need at the moment. Guess more then anything I wanted to know if anyone elses' dog has been on the same medication.

My 13 year old border collie took a fit Sunday night, lasted about one minute then she was fine. I took her to the vet Monday morning who checked her out and took bloods. These came back as normal although her cholestorol was up a bit. He put her on half a tablet of Phenomav twice a day. These seem to have helped (she hasn't had any more fits) but she seems very wonky in the back legs and getting worse. I will contact the vet again first thing in the morning but I was just wondering if anyone here has any suggestions.

Could someone here give me some advice please, I need to fly a silky pup to Launceston soon and I was just wondering the best way to do this. I have been trying to find Australian Airway Express? but cant find a phone number for them. Any suggestions would be gratefully recieved.

It's in the bin where I should have put it in the first place I guess.

I recieved an email from someone yesterday saying she was interested in buying my DOG, obviously came from a person not very fluent in English. She wanted to know if I could let her know shipping details and to do a deal. Emailed her back and said I dont send my puppies overseas, not long after I got another email saying "where do you live and where and when will you ship". Ok I replied "nicely" again and told her I DO NOT export my puppies! Thought that was the end of it, today I get another email saying "i want you to check out costs to ship to USA or Republic of Benin, it's a birthday gift for my son" She also said it doesn't matter how much it costs just forward my details so she can forward the money. Do these people really think I'm stupid? I get the feeling someone on here got the same sort of email but my memory doesn't go back that far lol. I wont be replying again!!

Oh boy, hope she isn't talking about me I sold a pup about 6 months ago and recently emailed the woman and asked how the puppy was doing and if she could possibly send me a pic or two. I love getting updates and all those cute pics of puppies and older dogs that have left home here. As someone said, some buyers do, some don't.

1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) I have bred and shown Australian Silky Terriers since 1980 2. Where and why was the breed first developed? The first breed standard was drawn up early in the 1900s' they were originally bred to kill rodents and watch over stock. It was originally called the "Sydney Silky"but in 1956 it was officially recognised as the Australian Silky Terrier. 3. How common is it in Australia? They are very popular around Australia as they make a great little watch dog and companion for families. 4. What is the average lifespan? They have a life span of about 14 to 16 years although can live a lot longer. 5. What is the general temperament/personality? They are very brave, assertive and full of energy. They are full of fun and mischief and adapt well to most situations. They love to be part of the family while forming a strong bond with one certain person. 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? Just to chase a ball and run around the back yard keeps them happy and fit. They love to chase anything that moves ie. birds etc. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? The silky is easy to train and eager to please so it's great for a first time dog owner. 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? Any breed of dog needs human company but providing the silky has toys to play with it is quite happy to occupy itself. 9. How much grooming is required? A good groom once or twice a week will keep the coat free of matts. A bath once a month is all that is required. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? Silkys' make great pets for children but must be supervised at all times especially as a puppy to avoid getting hurt by boisterous toddlers. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? In past years there were instances of patella luxation but due to selective breeding we rarely see these problems in the modern silky. 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be) There are no health tests done on Silky terriers.

I've never had a problem like that with my Aust. silky terriers apart from one who after sneezing all day was taken to the vet and had a grass seed up her nose. Poor lady, I'd hate to lose one of mine like that, especially not knowing why.

Told ya this time next year was looking good What a complete stuffup.

Mine says 263 days,,, u gotta share those Bertie Beetles with me Pebbles

GayleK I tried Uncle Albers on my silkys, did you notice any change in their drinking habits? Mine seemed to drink a lot more while on it. I did ring the company and asked about salt content but they said that it was no more then the usual dry food I fed.

Hmmmmmmmmm and I thought you loved me

This time next year looking good I say. What a balls up it's become. Im going to be old and grey by the time they fix it, ok I know what some will say to that statement especially pebbles

I agree Kirislin, with some dogs (not all) a very firm hand is needed. I tend to think some people are just too soft with their dogs, guess Im from the old school, a smack on the bottom and a very stern NO doesnt hurt the dog, but certainly makes them think twice about repeating whatever they did. Ive seen silkys literally take over the household because people just let them get away with bad behaviour while they are little. Not one of my dogs would even think of snapping at me or growling because they were taught when little that it was not an excepting thing to do. Should I put on my flame suit now??

One of my dogs is allergic to cooch (sp) grass, he breaks out in a rash and scratches continually after being in contact with it for only a short time. Not sure what sort of grass you've got but you can think yourself lucky to have any at all, all i have is dirt left on my lawns.

I'm sorry but not sure if your last comment even deserves an answer wildairbc, surely you cannot honestly say that entire dogs, stallions and bulls should be treated the same. Size and trainability is one point where they differ, the stallions and bulls I owned could never be trained to sit and stay, I know you meant as far as desexing is concerned but the main reason they are desexed is because of size and trainability or lack there of and the fact that steers and geldings are worth more unless they have a strong pedigree behind them. It's a bit general to say that the average joe can't handle an entire dog, there are more responsible dog owners then unresponsible ones, some have their animals neutered but a lot dont, that doesnt make them irresponsible in my book. I am married to an American and when we went to look at the dobermanns at the dog show last weekend he commented on how much nicer they looked with their ears down,, softened the head he said. As far as ear cropping I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone here in Oz that approves of it, might be a handful and that's it, certainly not many as you suggested. I show a breed that used to have tails docked, that is no longer allowed here and we live with that decision, it certainly wasnt as traumatic as having ears cropped.

Ive owned both stallions and bulls during my life and never had a problem with either, it's a case of knowing the animal and what its temperament is like. Yes we desex a lot of our bulls but that is for sale purposes, steers sell for more then bulls, same with rams and stallions. Dont really think you can compere an entire dog to stallions and bulls. Im not against desexing, it's great tool for those unable to manage an entire dog or bitch, but I do think people should be given ALL the facts not just told it's the best thing to do.

I'm not repeating something just because I read it on the net. I have been breeding for 32 years and in that time have only ever had one bitch speyed, the rest after they finished breeding lived their lives out with me or in pet homes, these were checked out thoroughly and it was left up to the new owner whether to spey them or not. But they were given the pros and cons of desexing, some did and some didnt, it was purely their choice.

And we wont even go into why vets recommend yearly vaccinations, another money making excercise. My point being that the normal Joe Blow isnt given the facts, just what the vet wants to tell them. I'm certainly not anti vets but I think at the end of the day it's the figures on the books that motivates certain vets. I havent always been a breeder but always had dogs, and none of mine were ever desexed and I certainly never had unwanted litters, it all depends on the owners.

Perhaps Mr and Mrs Average aren't told of the pros and cons desexing can cause, there are not too many vets out there that will tell them what the cons are, just the pros. As far as obesity is concerned (it's one of my pet hates) I had to have a bitch neutered for health reasons and was forever cutting her food back because she tended to put on weight very easily, never have that problem with my entire bitches. People just do it for the simple reason that they can't be bothered with the 6 month cycle their bitches go through, more bitches are desexed then dogs, it's a known fact just for the owners convenience.