Danois

Only the 2 highest plans have limited tick cover (per annum limit). It is not an accident - this can be ascertained from reading the definition of 'accident' which means 30 day waiting period but you should confirm this with your insurer.

Be very very careful about switching diets around on a growing giant breed puppy as it can lead to problems. I would always go by the advice of the breeder generally. My experience with giant breeds is that it is better to feed an appropriate giant/ large breed kibble while they are growing as this has the correct ratios and % of protein and fat for slow and steady growth which is critical. I would not be feeding a lot of raw outside bones and chicken wings. A dog will not starve itself and if you are offering alternatives when he does not eat then you are simply teaching him that if he holds out long enough then something better will come along. There are some studies which associate bloat with soaked kibble and honestly they do not need it. If you want to entice then use a tsp of vegemite or a tablespoon or so of mince and mix that up with a little water to make a gravy and then mix it into the kibble - not enough water to soak it but coat the kibble. You do not need to be spending the 15 mins with the pup while it is eating - put the food in the crate, shut the door and go and do something. At 13 weeks I personally would not be feeding 4 x a day and maybe that is the problem - he is not needing 4 feeds? I would be feeding 1-2 times a day as well as training treats. Which is another thought - how many treats are you giving with training during the day? Also echo the advice of another poster - go by the advice of the breeder and experienced owners of the breed or giant breeds before the advice of a vet. Some vets will suggest giant breeds need calcium supplements

No insurance policy will ever offer 100% cover - you either need to pay an excess ($100 is common for pet insurance) or pay no excess but only get back 80% (can vary but no more than 80%).

You know off lead park does not mean dogs can't be on lead in it - just that they're allowed to be off lead (provided they are under effective control) if the owner chooses.

Ask yourself a couple of questions: 1. How will you afford to desex the pup in a few months; and 2. If pup decides to get into something it shouldn't and you need to rush to the emergency vet at 2am on a Sunday morning and pup needs emergency surgery (which you have to pay for before the surgery) - how will you afford this if you're broke?

You do realise people transport 8 week old puppies with these companies and you're willing to stick a dog straight from the pound into the same van

If you do end up rehoming then I trust you will be responsible and ensure he is desexed first.

If it is recipes for diet then you should speak to your breeder first. Bullmastiffs need to be grown slow and steady and feeding a homemade diet to a giant breed is not straightforward.

I would assume dogs need sunlight (like people do) for the Vitamin D (which helps calcium absorption).

Trying to find the missing kong is the number 1 reason I run late for work in the mornings. He has it out the back during the day and I swear I never see him bring it into the lounge but somehow it ends up under the couch.

You may have cover under your public liability insurance (as part of your home/ contents insurance) for this. To the OP - the pet insurance policies I have seen never cover food even if part of the treatment plan. A claim for a condition/ illness should be covered unless it was a pre-existing condition which your dog had treatment for before the policy was taken out.

Not really something to be proud of I would have thought...

You insure your car, contents, health, income - why not insure your pets? I paid around $800 in premiums for my last dog and got about $6k back in around 15 months. Never had one claim questioned. First thing I did when I got my current dog (from day 1) was insure. I have a policy where I get 80% back - majority of my vet bills are around $100 so $100 excess does not really work for me. I know if I put the premium ($45 from memory) in an account - there is no way I'd have enough there to cover a large vet bill. Large dog = large bills. I also find I am more inclined to go to the vet over smaller things knowing the insurancre is there.

Not really you have not - I was able to find these facts in about 10 seconds...

Someone touched on the part that concerns me. On several ocassions my dog has been trying to get away from the small dog in question and it gets under his feet - now if he steps on it, you're going to end up with an injured dog as he is 60+kg or he'll trip and could break something - then the owner is going to end up with an expensive vet bill. The other downside - if a large dog decides they've had enough then the result will not be pretty for the small dog. I am not sure many small dog owners think of the consequence that their dog could be seriously injured as a result of their 'cute' behaviour.

You need to follow the advice of your breeder re diet as there is very specific dietary requirements for large/ giant breed dogs to ensure that they grow slow and steady. It comes down to the right balance of protein to fat and also the calcium and phosphorous ratios (care should be taken if adding other foods to a dry diet as it can throw these out). This diet needs to continue for at least 12 months until growth is finished. Personally I prefer Eagle Pack but look at the other super premium foods like Euk and ProPlan. Your breeder should have also said not to use calcium supplements.

That was our issue too Sheriden - immune mediated disease affecting the joints.

Funnily enough dyzney - we met a young entire male rotty there and he was the biggest pussycat!

I don't think I have ever started a thread here venting about the behaviour of other dogs but after my trip to the park today I'm seriously over the behaviour of a large number of small dogs and the attitudes of their owners. As the owner of a large breed I am certainly expected to have complete control over my dog around other dogs - including expecting him not to harass other dogs, to be able to be recalled away without hesitation and not rush other dogs. Went to Sydney Park today (this is a massive parklands area) and we had 3 separate incidences of small dogs being aggressive. First one was when I was getting a coffee and he was at my side - 2 SWFs ran up and were snapping and growly. I told the owner to control her dogs and her reply was 'oh sorry he's just like that'. Next one was when we were walking - passed a couple with 3 small poodley type dogs - 1 came over to Boo and they interacted nicely with a few sniffs - the other 2 then ran over and essentially it turned into a pack 'attack' on Boo with the one who he'd interacted with joining in. 3rd one was a little min pin type on a lead lunging and snarling at him. In each instance the owners really did nothing to stop their dogs behaviour or even prevent it happening. However if the shoe was on the other foot and it was my dog displaying those behaviours to small dogs I don't doubt I'd have the rangers knocking on my door or would be abused by the owners for having a dangerous/ aggressive dog. Why do these owners not see that their dogs behaviour is aggressive and unacceptable - rather they seem to think it is cute that their dog is being brave and taking on the big dog. They even make a joke to this end instead of getting their dog under control. I don't want to resort to carrying a stick when I walk my dog but I am sick of it and dislike the fact that my dog is now wary of all small dogs as he thinks they're going to have a go. Rant over :D :p

They can't keep a deposit if there is no pup in the litter for you. They can only take one for a specific pup.

Actually a breeder specifying a diet is quite common practice and one of the most frequent response here when someone asks - what should I feed my puppy is 'ask your breeder'. A breeder knows which food works best for their lines (there was always be some pups which it does not suit). Whether you actually follow that diet is your own choice but what the breeder is saying is that if you choice to feed say PAL instead if Advance then they cannot be responsible for the puppy's health (other than latent or genetic defects) - for example if the dog developed something like pano. A non-refundable deposit is reasonable provided it only represents a small portion of the purchase price. It is designed to stop time wasters and stop people telling multiple breeders they'll take a puppy and then pull out and leaving a breeder to find new buyers (which can be time consuming). It also demonstrates your commitment to getting a puppy. Transport - that's the buyer's responsibility and costs but you'll need to obviously fit in with the breeder's schedule. Vet check - that's to protect both parties - stop you claiming something happened to the puppy when really it fell off the couch on Day 3 and stop the breeder claiming it was fine when it was sent (unless something happened in flight). I would take the puppy to the vet the same day.

Your dog has allergies right? Allergies do not come from an underactive immune system that, if strengthened would alleviate the issues. Allergies are from an overactive immune system. Hence the use of cortisone and other immuno-suppressant drugs like cyclosporin to treat.

Yeah and without cortisone my dog would have been utterly miserable and I would have had to have him put to sleep at 9 months of age as his quality of life would have been crap. At least cortisone let him have some semblance of normality during his time here. Quite frankly, your suggestion that people who use cortisone as a 'short cut' is offensive. Those people who do use it know that like any drug, cortisone has its good and bad sides and have to make that informed decision.

There is no evidence to suggest adding water reduces risk of bloat - in fact research seems to suggest that soaking the kibble actually increases the risk - particularly when the kibble contains citric acid.

CKCS x CKCS/Poodle cross