Sandra777

Update... not sure if it's good or bad - the pup has a sprung toe. Probably shouldn't repeat what I said about their vet

What sized dog? Ox tail bones can be quite small so a bigger dog can easily swallow one - or try. IMO they're too good for dogs, make awesome casserole! I like the lamb offcuts from the supermarket for mine, or our butcher sells "doggy chops" which are the same thing but usually more meaty and often a mix of species. Mine love pig trotters and eat the whole thing - but pork is a rich meat, so watch out for the after-burners :laugh:

A puppy buyer has just phoned and their 10 month old Stafford has a (probable) torn cruciate. They are going back to the vet tomorrow for x-rays and will know more then. I've never had this problem 1st hand but told them what I could from what others have told me over the years, but some of their questions I want to get back to them with more advice (not saying their vet won't give them the best advice :) ) Main questions at the moment would be... Will the x-rays give a good diagnosis or is there something else/better they could opt for? Is there an option other than surgery worth investigating if the damage is not too severe? - And can you tell how severe the damage is by x-rays/scans? Their vet has indicated they're looking at around $1500 for the op - is this about right? (she's 13-14kg) Any specially useful re-hab suggestions? I did emphasis the absolute importance of correct rehab and that the long-term outcome was largely in their own hands with this one. Any suggestions of a good vet in Brisbane for the op? They are going to grill their own vet about their confidence to do the best job, or ask for a referral but suggestions most welcome!

6 weeks is much too young, as everyone else has already mentioned. My Dog is frankly rubbish and woolworths biscuits and weetbix well... to me all fits with allowing the pup to leave at 6 weeks. Definitely do not change her diet immediately* even though it's not good, she has enough stress in her world. She may not need to drink a lot as the My Dog is mostly water and if she's drinking some of the milk that could be enough for her. Did the breeder tell you how much to feed? A 'mini' foxie is a very small puppy - she probably doesn't actually need all that much food and is it possible you are just expecting her to eat more than she actually needs? Put the food down and when she walks away, pick the plate up. I would be inclined to feed for 4 or 5 times a day for a little while if you're really concerned, and of course make sure she has access to water at all times. If she doesn't seem to want to drink water then you can put a bit of milk with it and this often encourages them to drink. Leave her on her current diet for a few days then please swap her over to something better - Nature's Gift canned & some high end dry food would be a start :) * ETA immediately - didn't make a lot of sense before :laugh:

What dog aggression is out of line unless you want to train the dog to fight the dog needs a damn good correction and put back in it's place.........the only one who does the fighting is the handler and the dog needs to learn that. Too many dog owners try and place discrimintory reasoning when a dog is allowed to react and when they are not, ideally unless you want a full on fight to death to occur down the track, any bristle up's need to be corrected and stopped. :rofl: :rofl: If you punish a dog for warning of it's intentions you get a dog that "snaps" "for no reason". By punishing the dog for communicating in correct 'dog language' you are teaching the dog not to exhibit the behaviour which allows the intelligent owner to read their dog and act appropriately. The dog learns not to do something which causes it to be punished, which shows that on the whole dogs are considerably more intelligent than some DOL members.

Would've guessed something like this. IMO he is moving out of the puppy submit to anything stage and moving on to being an adult dog. Adults don't necessarily react the same way puppies do! Time to stop him randomly meeting dogs when you don't know how he or they will react and go back to more controlled meetings until you have an idea of his adult character. Without being there it's hard to be positive, but I would suggest Gus acted appropriately towards a dog who overstepped the mark. It probably did look like Gus was going to bite the SWF, and obviously you don't want to know for sure - but it's highly likely he wouldn't have done any harm and would have just shown the other dog who was the boss and then they may well have gone on to play happily again. Pretty common, dogs playing enthusiastically, one hurts the other or does something unacceptable, one reprimands the other and they make up almost instantly

How old is Gus?

Yes you can :laugh: :D ahem :laugh: of course I am just teasing :D I love a Rotti smile too but on topic, favourite is Staffords obviously, then anything big and boofy. can't really decide on a least favourite The all time best smile...........

Lena Ferguson at Marburg Vets

I am under the impression it's perfectly legal to breed APBT's in Canberra & NT - unless things have changed recently??

Yep. One of mine refused to push after the first contractions, ended up with a caesar 3am Christmas Day I didn't breed from her again for 4 years because of this then finally had no choice if I didn't want to lose the line, she had 5 pups in less than an hour and a half. Doesn't mean it's always going to happen this way, but there's hope. Maiden bitch with a breech first pup can often cause a problem IME.

Personally I have not owned a Stafford with a chronic health problem, and I have owned them in multiples since 1980 (and singly since 1978). SOME Staffords have chronic allergy issues and this I think would be the biggest problem in the breed as a whole. Demodex would be the second biggest problem in the breed as a whole. Both these are strongly linked to the immune system so it is essential you question the breeder very closely about the occurance of allergic reactions to grass, food, pollen, carpet cleaner etc in the sire and dam and the grandparents. Apart from this I would say the tendency to act without thinking is the next biggest problem in the breed and especially with a young dog (up to 2 or 3) you will often find yourself rushing to the vet for stupid and embarrassing things. Ate a mobile phone Ran through a glass door Fell off a log and landed on head (despite common belief, you can hurt a Stafford by hitting it on the head :laugh: ) Sliced almost completely through a front pad playing with a edge cutter lawn-thingy Burned nose trying to catch a fly that landed on the BBQ These are a few things just one of my little treasures did in the first 5 years of her life.

There's no such thing as an "english staffy" and no they're not miniature "staffys"

I read it that their vet had wormed, vaccinated and heartwormed her which is what I was responding to. Think I'm wrong, re-reading it. Still wouldn't worm a pup within a week of getting it home.

Lucy made it home today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She was found in a park, and has come home safe and sound. Seems likely she was dumped there as there's no way she could have walked that far.

Definitely do NOT worm her again so soon after being heartwormed, vaccinated, transported to a new home, had a total change of diet and everything else. Wait a week at least. Unless she has a giant tapeworm and is severely anaemic, worms won't kill her in a week. Let her settle down, get used to all the changes, then worm her again. I am gobsmacked the vet didn't mention her legs and feet - they're pretty bad!

Hope you find her soon. The missing (stolen) Stafford puppy was found this afternoon, so don't give up hope.

Unfortunately there's been people stealing bull breeds up here all along too, so more than one low-life in the world

Too early. Put the box away or prevent her accessing it until the last week. Mine scorn the "approved" place until the last day or two, but they're primarily inside dogs so the couch or dog bed is always better :laugh: The last 5-7 days just put one of her blankets in there, feed her there and make sure other dogs can't access the area and she will almost certainly decide this is a good place. 2-3 days before hand replace her bed with whatever you intend her to whelp on and perhaps put a small piece of her usual bed in there too is she's a fussy type.

The first and most obvious answer is feed what is on the breeder's diet sheet. One would HOPE they know something about their own "breed". Dog this size I wouldn't class as 'large' or needing to be feed large breed food. I have Staffords, they're a touch lighter at maturity although many do make 20kg. Mine don't get puppy food at all - unless someone wins some :laugh: They get adult dry food from the first, I use Bonnie Working, other brands are fine too. Never seen much difference in the dogs when using Bonnie as opposed to some more expensive brands. If I only had one dog, personally I would use Nutro. My pups get bones from when I start weaning (4-5 weeks, depends on the litter) starting with chicken necks but quickly progressing to wings and more 'bony' bones. They get raw meat as a basis of their diet their whole life, always supplemented by bones 3-4 times a week, chicken carcasses, lamb offcuts etc. Sardines, tinned mackeral (can't get fresh reliably), eggs with shell, a bit of table scraps (never much here), even the odd bit of milk.

Not a word about Lucy. She has been reported to the police as stolen.

You should feed whatever the breeder has on their diet sheet (assuming it's not KFC & Weetbix ) for a week or two. Just get the breeder to send you that part of the puppy info pack before you pick the pup up so you can be prepared. Crates are great if you want to travel/camp and also good to teach the pup to be confined in case it ever ends up seriously ill at the vet. But not crate training isn't a sin - whatever works for you! Psst ...there's no pictures, so it never happened :D

Yay for Hugo! Sadly Lucy is still missing - perhaps more media coverage is required

Yes, they can have a split season with the first one usually not being fertile and then they wait a few weeks or months and come in again. It is not common but not really uncommon either. They can also come in every three months and be fertile each time

Just trying to spread the news as wide as possible. Staffordshire Bull Terrier Lucy went missing between 7 & 8 pm last night. She is black brindle with a little white on her face, chest and paws, 11 weeks old. Her owners live on the main Ipswich-Rosewood road at Thagoona. OH helped search all the roadside and ditches as far as humanly possible for miles, along with a dog and calling the pup. She is chipped, posters have been distributed and pounds, spca etc notified. Schools, shops etc canvassed. Postie notified Please help bring Lucy home!