Sue

I wonder this too. Poor dogs. Hope the survivor finds a good home or is reunited with its owner (who may not be an abuser!)

It's always hard to sort out the amount to feed to start with. Some dogs need far more than the packaging recommends, while others need less. Exercise levels will also alter the amount the dog needs. The nest guide is the condition of the dog. You should be able to feel your dogs ribs under a light layer of fat. If you can easily feel the ribs then the dog is too thin. If you have to poke then the dog is too fat. As you have only just got your dog it will take a little trail and error to find the correct amount of food that your dog requires. If you are feeding processed foods then I would start off feeding the recommend levels, and adjust as needed. As an aside, canned food is mostly water and not cost effective. Good luck with your new pet.

Not sure why he would use a condom, most would have some sort of spermicide impregnated into them or lubricant that would be spermicidal. Much easier and better to use a humble old sandwich bag. As for a hand job - a dog is not human and does not need that sort of stimulation. All he needed then was insemination tubes and syringe. Nothing [human] sexual or disgusting about collection and insemination. A simple job that is easily completed by one person once shown how.

More to grandma's story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england...ter/8597762.stm Officials sent the boy in to make a test purchase after receiving a complaint the shop had sold a gerbil to a 14-year-old girl with learning difficulties, who later dropped it into a cup of coffee. The boy was sold the fish without his age being questioned or providing any information about its care. An animal welfare officer also noticed a cockatiel in the store that appeared in distress and, when examined, was found to have a broken leg and eye problem. Higgins was fined £1,000 and ordered to stay in her house between 1800 BST and 0700 BST. Her son Mark Higgins, 47, who manages the shop, also admitted causing unnecessary suffering and was fined £750 and ordered to carry out 120 hours of community work. The case led to a series of national newspaper headlines bemoaning "Big Brother" snooping by local authorities. But Jonathan Coupe, executive councillor at Trafford Council, said on Wednesday he "wanted to set a few facts straight". He said the "main reason we took this prosecution was because the pet shop owner had caused unnecessary suffering to a cockatiel". Trafford Council had already warned the store about not supplying care information to customers, he added. "Magistrates felt the sentence they imposed reflected the level of cruelty caused to the animal."

It wasn't just the sale of the goldfish to an underage child, it was also the untreated broken leg on a parrot. The law, no matter how silly, is there and she should have checked the childs age.

What breed? Bull Terrier (Miniature) How old was the dog? 4 Was there a familial component? No What was the dog being fed? Need some detail of what exactly - if dry food, which one, if raw, what it was BARF diet How often was he fed? Once daily or more? Once per day Was his bowl elevated, or on the ground? On ground What was he doing when he bloated? (ie, at a show, at home, playing, at home alone) Eating Has he bloated more than once? No Has he had a gastrowhatsit? LOL (too lazy to look it up, but you'll know ) Yes Did he ever bloat after that? No Did the dog also suffer GDV Yes Did it have surgery? Yes What was done to relieve the bloat? Surgery to untwist the stomach and fix it in place. Another operation later that week to remove the piece of brisket bone from his esophagus that caused the bloat.

I've tripped over walking just one dog. Two dogs would be a mission for me, three would be unattainable. At least nothing got hurt, except your pride!

One of my males bloated, due to a bone being stuck in his throat. A week at the vets, two surgeries, one to fix his stomach and the other a week later to remove the bone. He went on to sire litters a few months later with no problems.

Like this?

Wow, the language in that interview says it all. "Do what we want or we will come round and and beat you up/wreck your business.....". Isn't that what common street thugs say and do?

Not nice. Unfortunately these dogs are just trying to survive after being abandoned.

Are you sure this is not an early April Fool's joke? How much milk would realistically be havested from a herd of rabbits aznd just how would you attach milking cups and keep them on? Sorry but I just can't see this happening in reality.

I got a puppy enquiry today so did what I normally do and searched the web for the person’s name and email address. It came up with a bebo page that was very interesting. The Potential Puppy Purchaser was a 21 year old psychology student who was “happiest when getting off my face with my mates” and she wanted to “F... over the person who stole her weed and ipod .” I did reply to her telling her why she would not be on a waiting list and gave her the helpful hint that she should carefully consider what she posts as prospective employers do search the internet for such information when a person applies for a job. Oh the joys of puppy enquiries. But thank god for the internet and stupid people! Do other breeders search the web for instances of the email addresses and names of potential puppy buyers or am I just a cynical soul?

Great article. Good to see something like that in the mainstream media.

Thanks everyone for your kind words and help. She is a lot better today, after getting her some more painkillers and giving her Arnica regularly. She has even tried to hop inside a couple of times when I have carried her out to go to the toilet. I added some lamb flaps to her diet and she amazed me by eating the bone and all. I will look into some other homeopathic remedies for bone healing. Cheers

This morning my thirteen week old mini bull puppy was pushed off the couch by her older half sister and has suffered a spiral break to her back leg. :cool: She is not in plaster but is on cage rest for two weeks. Vets are very hopeful that the fracture will heal well. Pup is feed a BARF diet which is raw minced chicken necks, plus veggie patty which is 50% mince and 50% veggies, plus yoghurt, flax seed oil, kelp powder and a 500mg vit c pill per day. She also has "dinosaur bones" to chew on. Should I add any other vitamins to ensure the fracture heals correctly? Thanks in advance

So now it's a fighting dog? Or is this a different breed to the Argentinean Dogo which was developed for hunting?

Last Tuesday my MBT bloated. He underwent emergency surgery to save his life. He is still at the vets, hopefully coming home on Monday. None of the "usual" causes were present. He doesn't eat a kibble diet, wasn't exercised before or after his meal, wasn't stressed, didn't drink at whole heap of water etc. Currently he is drinking ok, but is vomiting after eating. The vets are feeding him canned Hills Science diet. (after looking at it I would vomit too!) Vets have said that he cannot ever eat BARF again, as raw foods are to hard to digest?? and recommend a totally dry diet. Yet all the websites say that feeding a dry diet (kibble) is a major cause of bloat. Has anyone elses dog survived bloat, and what did you feed afterwards? Did your dog re-bloat?

Not in NZ. :D I should have made it clear that I'm not in Oz, sorry. It is only obedience that still enforces the yearly vaccination of animals.

You forgot one possible answer in your survey. "Don't vaccinate at all" I prefer to build my dogs immune system by good raw diet, exercise, basic hygiene principles and care. I accept that my dogs may contract a disease - and am prepared for that. In five years of not vaccinating and regulary showing, and walking my dogs in public daily, the worst they have had is a cold (not kennel cough). Having one vaccine damaged dog to live with is enough. Anyone that wants to experience the trails of living with a mentally impaired, hyperactive, compulsive spinner can borrow him for a week! :D I believe vaccination should not be thought of as common place. It is a medical preocedure and should be carefully considered.