Danois

I was a fan of Orijien for my last dane - not so much of a fan of the Orijien cat as my cat end up poisoned I have recently switched to the Canidae Grain Free Salmon as I could not get EP Power (not grain free) as I need a higher protein/ fat food. I have been really happy with it - better poo, coat starting to improve and even better coat smell. It seems it is a really palatable food as my picky eater has really taken to it.

Hey sas - can I grab the chia seed? I must owe you some more sizzlers now

It would appear not - based on people's views here vets are damned if they do, damned if they do't. They spend too little time - they're just money hungry and incompetent They spend more time and they're incompetent as they cannot examine a dog, answer questions from the owner, get a quick nail clip and oh, you know that anal gland issue...within a short space of time. Many seem to think so little of their vets yet by the same token expect them to act as a charity and give clients accounts. I am beginning to understand why the suicide rate in the profession is so high.

Pet bonds are not legal to some states. This is what I wrote and included with a photo. The property was not specifically advertised as pet friendly. I was the only applicant with a dog (and a cat) and there were 6 other applicants. Boo is a 2 year old purebred dane who came from a registered breeder. He is also microchipped and registered with the council. He is desexed and is treated monthly with a preventative for fleas – this is a preventative, he does not have fleas. He is also vaccinated. He has a short haired coat which means he is not prone to shedding and he does not get that doggy smell – due to his coat, regular baths and his diet. His nails are clipped weekly. Like many danes, he likes nothing more than lying in the sun sleeping all day! He is not named after the slothful bear in the Jungle Book for nothing! They are a very low energy breed and his daily walk keeps him more than happy. He is always the centre of my weekend activity too – be it at obedience club or a trip to the beach or a bush walk. He is a former show dog (in the conformation ring) so is extremely well socialized and is well behaved and obedient. We attend obedience regularly and he is currently in 3rd Class (with 4th Class being the highest) and I hope to do obedience trailing with him in the future as well as return to the conformation ring. He is a quiet dog and is not prone to barking – he presents as an excellent deterrent on looks alone and this is a benefit for the property. He is not a destructive dog and does not dig. Boo spends his days outside but will be inside with me when I am home. He is fully house trained and I have never had an accident in the house with him. He has been on the cover of Urban Animal magazine several times. I am more than happy for a meeting to be arranged so the owners or property manager can meet Boo and satisfy themselves that he will be an excellent tenant and I am an extremely responsible pet owner. My current property manager will also be able to attest that he has not posed any problems for them. One of my referees, xx will also be able to provide a reference for Boo. xx is extremely knowledgeable in the breed and is responsible for dane rescue in NSW. She knows Boo well – socially and as she does obedience trailing she also assist me with those same skills. I can also provide references from my vet (xx), a dog trainer who is an obedience instructor from xx Obedience Club and who knows Boo socially and from the boarding kennels I use.

Having a dog who has/had allergies, I know I physically examine my dog every day to check there is no flare up - skin, eyes, between the toes and checking any lumps etc. IMO you need to have this visual check to treat accordingly.

The amount of cheese you'd give is minimal so I would not worry about it being fattening. Nor would I worry about onion powder in sausages as its such a minimal amount. I'd never use raw chicken. High value treat is something which smells extra yum - grab a 1/4 BBQ from the shops and shred that or get a cabanossi from the deli and chop it up small. Dried fish (I use the one from Lickables range) is also popular. I use the 4Legs balls and chop them in half or thirds - and this is for a 60kg dog so they're only little. Super treat is a Maccas 1/4 pounder pattie while its still warm.

I'd love to but work in the CBD and we have a term in our lease re no animals on the premises. At an old job we had a resident poodle x and before he came along I took the cat to work when I had work being done - he had a great time! Spent the day either on my boss' desk or sitting behind him on his chair.

Only thing it says is that there are obviously people in your area who are not being responsible dog owners and not vaxing their dogs for parvo. Every responsible dog owner I know, knows that vaxing is just one of those things you do regardless of costs as it is in the interests of your dog's health. Do you think it says something else??

You might not want to pay for a check up but the Vet has a duty to do the check up otherwise, as stormie said, he is administering the vax off label. Why would you ask a service provider to short cut their professional obligations? If you think you're being ripped off then find a new vet. My consults for a vax are at least 15 mins as my dog is gone over thoroughly.

It might be life or death for the animal but the person responsible for determining which it is, is the owner of the animal. If anyone is to feel guilty about the death of an animal, then it should be the owner (for not having sufficient provisioning as the death may have been preventable if they had) and not the vet. Perhaps this thread should be a lesson to people who live in areas with snake - that they need to ensure that they have adequate funds tucked away for a snake bit.

Following the logic of some here (that you must treat the animal), the only logical answer to your question is that you go out of business. But that's okay right? After all, the dog survived and that's what matters the most...

Now you are talking about 2 different things.Paying later and being asked to pay upfront.I would expect to pay at the end of treatment/consult.Not before. Yes but how do they know you will pay at the end of the consult? We are talking about anti-venom here which is a considerable expense to the clinic.

That's the point though, they said they would pay X amount. Saying and doing are two very different things which is why the situation stands as it is. Exactly - and what if the dog needed a second vial? Suddenly the vet is $1,500 out of pocket for medication they've had to buy and having to rely on someone saying they will pay the bill with no way of knowing if they actually will or simply drip feed it back to them over the next 2 years.

I'm sure the vet will also not sleep at night worrying about how he can feed his family, pay his bills and order sufficient supplies to treat other animals who present at their clinic when he's having to carry bad debts or has insufficient cash flow to get by. It is not a vet's responsibility to ensure people have money to afford treatment or to extend lines of credit to people. That is your own personal responsibility that you take on when you become a pet owner and if you cannot afford it or have a fund set aside then you should be rethinking your choice to own a dog.

Anne - The vet has a business loan to cover its operating costs. It has to call on that loan in lieu of cash flow (i.e the bad debts) which would have ordinarily gone to the operating costs. As it is a loan, interest is payable. Not sure what is hard to understand about that I would expect a Vet to charge upfront for at least the anti-venom. The minute the vial is used it is a cost to the practice. They need to ensure they are paid for that (given the cost of it) to ensure that they can replace their stock. I can imagine some here would be calling for blood if they rocked up to their vet with a snake bite only to be told, "sorry we have no anti-venom on hand as the last 2 people are paying it off at $25 a week and we cannot afford to replace it until they pay us." Again - vets are not banks/ credit providers - they are a service provider and what people expect of vets they would not expect of other service providers.

There is a correction I spotted - under Vet Nurse - its Shannon Haynes at Pennant Hills

Steve - I've sent you an email - which you can now disregard

This advice is incorrect. A breach of contract does not automatically render the entire contract null and void. It depends on whether the breach is capable of remedy and is remedied. Non payment is capable of remedy. If it is not remedied then you would be within your rights (and always subject to the contract) to terminate the contract.

Nothing in their spiel suggests you are an employee. If it were worded properly it should say "employees, agents and contractors" - technically the disclaimers of liability do not cover you. In any event - if you were an employee then a) you would not have been asked for an ABN but rather a TFN and b) you would have had to have been paid the minimum wage.

Except she is not an employee...

Cost should not be the issue - the issue is whether your dog needs to have the vaccines pumped into it every year when 3 yearly is enough to give them protection.

you have taught me well Master!

There is a lot of info in the health thread re allergies. If you're trying to determine an allergy then you normally go on to a diet with a novel single source protein and carbs - either raw (eg roo and sweet potato) or in a kibble (there is some allergn kibbles around that have white fish and potato in them) and ensure they get nothing else including treats. Your dog could be allergic to anything in the food its currently on - be it the meat, brewer's yeast etc etc. You need to eliminate and then build back up to identify the source if you're going to do it properly.

Not sure why Fairwork was recommended as an avenue or an ombudsman. You are not an employee of the company. If this was being done properly then you would be an independent contractor - as you're contracting your services to a company. You should have your own ABN as you'd need to charge GST for the rendering of the services and then account to that GST to the ATO. If you don't provide an ABN then the hirer will retain an amount equivilant to the GST amount. You would also need to have a public liability insurance policy (unless covered by the company's) as you would be liable for any damage or injuries caused by the dogs in your care. As for what has happened: This is a straight out contractual relationship. If you agreed to act as a carer (whether a contract was signed or not) and you performed the services but were not paid for those services then it is a breach of contract. I'd go and speak to the Chamber Magistrate/ Registrar down at your local court or speak to legal aid regarding sending a letter of demand for the money or putting in a small claim - if you want to pursue it. If you've signed a non-poach contract but not received any payment for the services then I'd question whether it would ever be enforceable or whether the business would go to the (considerable) expense of an injunction to stop you taking in the dog. They'd also have to know that you've taken in the dog.

Take a deep breath, gauge the tone of the forum and your time here will be enjoyable. Go in boots and all and you'll get people's backs up. For the record, your post made me raise my eyebrows too and Greytmate raised some very valid points. Also pays to remember that people can only go on the information you post.