Sandra777

Lucy made it home after 9 days AWOL. She was found in a park, seems likely she was dumped as there's no way she could have walked that far.

Mine get meaty bones for 5 weeks, so 9 weeks is fine. (They never get 'bones' as in a hunk of bone with no meat on) Only problems would be if she's not used to digesting real food if she manages to get meat etc off the bones she might get quite an upset tum for a day or so until her systems adjusts. Also, again if she's not used to it old bones harbour bacteria and all sorts so this can upset a dog who's system isn't used to the challenge. Me, I'd be picking up the manky old bones and giving her a nice fresh meaty one for lunch :laugh:

If you are counting 6 months from the last time she was in heat then she was in season in April and it would be somewhere around 9-12 weeks since she was in season? The hormone changes are virtually identical whether they are pregnant or not so sometime around 9 weeks after they are in season their body sudden realises it's not preggie, and it's quite common for them to look like they may be coming in again - it goes away within a week I've found. Failing that she could be a 3 month-er, they're a total pain in the butt! If she doesn't actually come in season but continues to look as if she might, it could be a good idea to get her checked out in case she has low-grade pyometra, that usually kicks in a little sooner after the end of the heat, but anything is possible.

Good quality food and a couple of tablespoons of bran wetted with water - just the cheap cooking bran flakes, no need to buy Allbran :laugh: Unfortunately it makes them poop like elephants, but quick and simple.

Get a grip Sheridan. Nothing that I have said here is anything that anyone can't find from media reports using the ever-useful google. Sorry if you thought you were missing out on something. I do have some first hand knowledge of previous events (going back to the mid-late '80's) which have nothing to do with this court case but which clearly show how this situation came to be. Not sure how my comments case shows an irresponsible lack of professionalism though - by profession I'm a bookkeeper :laugh:

In comparison 3 years is a VERY long time when you consider what the dogs and cats this couple had went through, and the sheer numbers involved.U Over 50 dogs and more than 100 cats were seized from memory, and they were left with more than 20 animals. How is it going to be policed that they can only have the animals they currently have - is someone going to go and check the microchips every day? You seem to have some personal knowledge of this case beyond what has been reported. Care to share? Yes I do and no thank you. Then don't post. Sorry, didn't realise this was a private thread just for you to post in :laugh:

In comparison 3 years is a VERY long time when you consider what the dogs and cats this couple had went through, and the sheer numbers involved.U Over 50 dogs and more than 100 cats were seized from memory, and they were left with more than 20 animals. How is it going to be policed that they can only have the animals they currently have - is someone going to go and check the microchips every day? You seem to have some personal knowledge of this case beyond what has been reported. Care to share? Yes I do and no thank you.

In comparison 3 years is a VERY long time when you consider what the dogs and cats this couple had went through, and the sheer numbers involved. Over 50 dogs and more than 100 cats were seized from memory, and they were left with more than 20 animals. How is it going to be policed that they can only have the animals they currently have - is someone going to go and check the microchips every day?

Furkids, Gerry @ Greenbank or Lena @ Marberg, pretty sure Lena has an ultrasound now. Gerry counted 3 heartbeats when our bitch was 6 weeks - she only delivered 2 pups and no left over gunk, so either the best re-absorption ever or he counted the same one twice :laugh:

Yes there are a variety of injections. Any competent vet will be able to advise what suits best for the circumstances. The older types often caused problems with conceiving later and/or pyometra after the heat when the injection "wore off" - the newer ones seem better but these are still serious side-effects to be considered.

To me this would be perfectly OK as part of her diet, but you need to be a bit careful if the pup is only used to canned food as her stomach may not be able to digest the cartilege in chicken necks. Take it slowly, introduce the new more difficult to digest food gradually and you should have no problems. What else did the breeder's diet sheet include because honestly I find the idea of only canned puppy food to be totally unsuitable. Mine get necks, raw meat etc from 4-5 weeks of age so it's nothing to do with 'is she old enough' but a lot to do with what her stomach can adjust too and how long it will take

Noctrl - generalised demodex is a VERY big deal. Sometimes it can't be treated. Some dogs don't respond to ivermectin. No ethical breeder would consider breeding from an animal which has had generalised demodex. Sounds like your dog had localised demodex so you can thank your lucky stars you didn't have to face the very real dilemma of whether to keep trying to treat a dog which is obviously suffering. A dog with three legs is in a way better place than a dog with generalised demodex!

If it's the same thread that I am thinking of, said pup went on to have a litter (all blues of course) on her first heat and was on-sold to another "breeder". According to the person who saw the litter, she still had a serious skin condition at the time the pups were 6 weeks old. Yes, the litter was registered. Squinter - yes if you return the pup the breeder might have it PTS. IF the pup is going to have life-long issues with a very painful condition this is probably the best outcome for the pup. Some times there are worse things than death. If you plan on breeding you need to understand that even people who do their best to produce "perfect" pups sometimes get messed with by mother nature and even in the best of breeding programmes there are sometimes pups you cannot save. It would be much more of a concern to me if the breeder bred from or on-sold the pup as happened in the case above, but honestly you have to think of you first and if this is a real concern to you then perhaps you have to make the decision to spay and rehome the pup OR PTS.

x2 You may have a good chance of curing the problem and having no more issues once it has grown up... You could even show the dog once the condition is cured BUT you have to consider what you will do if this doesn't happen and you are still fighting this horrible condition in 12 months time. As for "the breeder won't want it back" - if the pup has been purchased as a breeding prospect then it doesn't really matter what the breeder might want - it is not fit for purpose and you would have a very good case for a refund. Generalised Demodex is very serious and no ethical breeder would brush it aside as anything less. (The jury's still out on localised Demodex) Honestly I would take a step back. Of course you love your pup, but do you love the pup more than you love the good relationship with your husband? If the vet thinks this is serious and could be an on going (lifetime) problem then I would suggest a second opinion - ask your vet for suggestions - and reconsider when you have this additional information. I don't think anyone can say for sure if this will be a lifetime problem, but the severity could be an indicator. Sorry you have found yourself in this situation.

Rubbish. If BOTH dogs are de-sexed they're back on a level playing field. With an existing where issues have arisen I would say desex one, keep the other entire, but this is a situation this person is planning on creating - get a bitch and 99% of the time the problem will never arise. I didn't realise they already had a Cavalier - hope it's not a male or it could end up very unpleasant all 'round.

Or fight to the death with no chance of separating two dogs with that much power. I sure wouldn't risk an entire male of either of those breeds with any other entire male. The risk is just too great if they have a disagreement. I would be very surprised at anyone that would sell you a second male. x2 If you are purely in the pet situation (ie not an established committed breeder OR trainer) I personally would class anyone who would sell you a male puppy of ANY breed with a male Corso at home as totally unethical. Two very powerful breeds, if they start a serious fight some one or thing is going to die before they stop. Please reconsider - why not have your dog neutered when he's old enough (could be 2 years or so) and then go looking for a bitch. I only say have him neutered because if you go looking for a bitch with an entire male at home this raises a lot of alarm bells given how many bogan idiots want to get in to "tough" breeds - sad but true.

In almost all cases it's not specifically the COLOUR people are concerned about - it's the lack of ethics of the breeders of blues Blue is a recessive gene which means to keep the colour to the forefront (ie produce lots of blues) you have to mate blue to blue (which will give you all blues) or blue to a son/daughter of a blue. This means that for the majority of the breeders of blues they choose the breeding pair based on the colour of the dog. Any ethical breeding programme concentrates on health, temperament, conformation and the vast majority of ethical breeders don't really care what colour the pups are so long as they are healthly, with the correct temperament and good conformation. Yep we all have our favourite colour(s) but when it comes to breeding there are far more important things to consider than the colour of a dogs hair. You miss conformation off the list of things that are important to you. Please reconsider this. Correct conformation isn't just something show dogs need - having shoulders, hips, stifles and topline where they belong are basics to allowing a dog to life a normal life - great bulgy bulldog fronts, turned out hind legs and sway backs are not natural or normal in an active breed like a Stafford and a dog with these problems can't live a happy active life. You would be well served to look interstate, not because there's no good breeders in Tasmania (there are) but because there's not a lot of breeders there compared to Victoria so you might get frustrated with the wait. Best of luck.

Yes I found this one particularly irritating, a dog that eats table scraps in this house is no gourmet :laugh: Very badly thoughtout and will only give meaningless results. To the question about my height and weight I didn't have the option to say NOYFB!

I chipped at 6 weeks and vaccinated at 7 - vet came to the house at 6 weeks because she was coming virtually next door for something non-work related anyway :D

Bump for the night crew - 60+ views and NO ONE has been involved in the Melbourne obedience scene :laugh:

Could someone who has been involved with obedience in and around Melbourne for a few years please PM me please. I have a question about a specific trainer - nothing bad, no complaints! TIA

I have no objections to anyone rehoming a dog or cat or budgie or horse or hamster There's two sides to this in my way of thinking. To some people animals are disposable and if they aren't particularly good owners then the animal could be better off somewhere else. Yes of course if someone isn't a particularly good owner there is always a chance that the animal will be sold or given to the first person who will take it so it might end up somewhere worse, which does make me angry. To other people animals are precious and every care is taken when circumstances force the owner to rehome - in which case it's pretty much guaranteed the animal will end up in a good place. People's lives change and to chastise and belittle someone who has made the decision to rehome really isn't very helpful to the animal concerned.

I'd call and complain but not be too worried about the dog (assume she's otherwise healthy?). The danger with 'off' bones is more to us than to the dogs.

x2

Straw is great for dogs like this. Hay has too many seeds in it.