♥Bruno♥

4 homes lost so far ;) My cousin and her hubby are vollies and they spent all day yesterday fighting it. Just so disgusting to think it was deliberatly lit ;): Such a horrible tragedy

Ooh I'm not sure what would be next on the calendar, I will have a think about it. I can PM you who the lady is, actually I don't know her name, but i know where she works and lives (not in a stalkerish way, it's just a small town )

Thanks for everyone's replies. I was being a bit over zealous, probably because I see some pets not being treated very well around here, I just wanted to be sure. Yes the rotti pulling the cart is a strong large male, he gets up quite a pace too!

Ah ok, thanks for that :p

There is a local person who owns and breeds Rottweilers (not sure if she is a registered breeder). At all the local shows, fetes, carols etc etc, she has her Rottweiler pull a cart, which kids sit in for a ride. She walks the dog around the oval with two kids at a time in the wooden cart. It just looks wrong to see a dog pulling a cart with two (sometimes 10 year old) kids in it. Am I being silly about it? Is this what Rottweilers are bred to do anyway, so the dog wouldn't be in any harm? I could understand if it was a couple of dogs, but this is always just one dog pulling the cart and kids.

That is absolutely ridiculous. You know what, when sows aren't kept in ridiculously small areas they DON'T crush their young! Sow stalls are a necessary evil because of what we have created. I find it pretty ironic that people would be so against puppy farming and defend factory farming (yes, intensive farming). I guess because they are just pigs and chickens who gives a shit, yeah? ETA: the problem with live exports is not the way they are transported. It's the fact that they are exported to countries with next to no animal welfare laws, that do NOT adhere to our Australian standards. Once thy are off the boat we have no way to control how they are treated or slaughtered. They are commonly put in car boots and strapped to roof racks and each other. Seems you are the one who needs to underhand what goes on. I have my facts straight and first hand. I don't just read of a website and pretend to know. I am a primary producer, we live export, and I am happy with the way it it undertaken. What happens to the sheep on the other side of the world is not my concern, nor do I have any right to dictate to people in another country, of another religion or custom, how to treat their food. And what proof do you have of sows not crushing their piglets when not in stalls? What website have you googled to get that snippet of info?

Why should we be ashamed of live exports and 'factory' farming? And the term 'factory' farming is a made up term courtesy of PETA. The correct industry term is 'intensive' and 'non intensive'. Live exports account for a major part of our economy. Have you actually been onboard a ship and witnessed with your own two eyes how the sheep are transported? Obviously you haven't. They are kept in fine conditions. No worse than when they are kept in the shearing shed while sick or during shearing. All pork sold in supermarkets with a bone in it is Australian Pork. Retailers are not allowed to import any pork with a bone in, so if you want to make sure you are eating Aussie pork, go for roasts and chops, quite simple really. Sow stalls are a necessary evil, would you like to be a 500 gram piglet being rolled onto by a 200 kilo+ sow? They do not live in the sow stalls, they birth in there. End of story. Enjoy your free range chicken, but know that you are no better off eating that than eating a nice piece of light deprived milky veal. Both are raised indoors and under lights. This forum is a breeding ground for misinformation. If you want to bag farmers and the livestock industry, for gods sakes get your facts right first!

OK, so call me a bit slow, but I just found this thread Can I join in? Anyone else from the Wheatbelt?

I detest them as they are narrowminded and ignorant, as an organisation. They have no idea about livestock and always go in guns blazing.

Thanks for the info. I will try Advantix and hopefully we get some sort of defence happening.

It's blow fly season out here again and Bruno already has some fly bites to the tips of his ears. I am pretty much fed up with vets telling me to spray his head with Aerogard or similar to keep the flies off. Those types of products just aren't cutting it. So, had a brain wave. We jet our sheep with a product called Vetrazin, which is a straight solutionof Cyromazine (500g/L). Has anyone here had any experiences using this on dogs? I did ask one vet who said she can't recommend off label use, but does know of instances where it has been successfully used, if diluted appropriately. Vetrazin forms a barrier on the animals skin which flies hate, and works for 12 weeks. Basically looking for any vet opinions, or from anyone who has actually used this product. Thanks

Hi everyone, I never post in this section (never needed to) but am after some advice. Bruno got his leg caught in some barbed wire 8 days ago, and had 3 stitches put in that same day. The vet bandaged it up and gave me a weeks worth of antibiotics. I took the bandage off today, and the wound looks like a big wet scab sort of thing. Should I keep it covered, or will it being exposed help it to heal quicker? Bruno will lick it, I'm sure, is this going to be harmful? I just dont know wether to bandage it up again or leave it exposed. Thanks

Advocate states that it is safe to use on dogs with heartworm. Thats what the pamphlet says anyways, but I always thought you had to get the tested first, as if the Advocate kills the heartworm, they end up caught in the dogs lungs, which is what kills it.

I've been thinking about making Bruno's food myself. He eats a mainly raw diet, apart from his kibble. I'd love to make that myself. Is it possible? Has anyone done it, and do you have a recipe I could try?

I need to trim Bruno's nails for the first time. They have always worn themselves down naturally, but since we moved they haven't been getting as worn down and are now long and need a trim, especially hi dew claws. The dew claws are getting to look like hooks, so I really need to chop them pronto. The question is, I am so scared of cutting into his quick and making him bleed, how on earth do I tell how short to cut them? I trimmed them the other night but was too nervous about this and only shaved a tiny bit off the end of them, not hardly enough. I'd prefer to do them myself rather than take him to a vet or something, as I think he'd be more comfortable with me doing it while he's laying on the couch or something. Any advice appreciated.

Bruno loves the vets. All the girls there ooh and aah over him, fawn over him, pat him heaps and let him run amok around the reception area. Once he even sat on the receptionists chair! He just has never had a problem going there. The vet there is very good, so I think that has something to do with it.

You also aren't supposed to touch the area for a while after the dog is chipped, as it can damage the chip and make it un-readable. I made sure not to touch Bruno's spot until about a month after he was chipped, and its still in the same spot. I wont be touching the area unnecessarily though.

Bruno will often sleep on the tiles in the living room, rather than on the bed or on the carpet or couch. Even on weekends when he nods off on the floor, I will say "hop on the couch", so he does, lasts five minutes, then gets back onto the tiles! They just sleep wherever they are most comfortable, and at the moment the cool tiles seem to be the winning spot. If your dog is uncomfortable he will find something softer to lie on (given that something softer is provided/available).

Good for you for rescuing a puppy then taking the time to teach her and love her. You deserve extra puppy kisses!

He's my big sooky boy, that's for sure. I set up the couch with my doona and pillow, put the heater on, and went to make a cup of tea to settle into the midday movie, come back to find him under the doona! He was too cute to move, so I camped up the other end! He also lets me use his rump and hind leg as a pillow when I feel like it. Big sook but I love him!

OK Ok, due to public demand, here is a few shots of Bruno.

So even if our dogs are fully vaccinated, they can still catch Canine Cough? Bruno has been retching a lot lately, but not really bringing anything up. I thought he would be immune to CC as he's been vaccinated!

Bruno is now 10 months old. We have been through every single naughty behaviour imaginable, from biting, jumping, digging, pulling clothing off the line, ripping clothing (while I'm wearing them!) and the list goes on. I am now the proud owner of a very obedient, very large (45kilos!) boy. He has turned himself around over the past two months. It has been a terribly hard slog, and I almost gave up at one point when he had ripped yet another pair of my pants as I walked out the door, but I'm so glad I hung in there. Many a phone call to his breeder, many tears (mine and his!) lots of stand offs and grudges later, he has finally matured! I have been using lots of techniques learnt here on DOL, and for the most part, they have worked. I'm not saying he's the perfect dog, nor would I ever want him to lose his cheeky streak, but we have so much fun now together! I still have the water spray handy, and I only have to say "spray" and he immediately behaves again. So, I just wanted to let everyone know to keep trying every technique until you find one that works for you and your dog. The rewards are endless...

I dont get how people will spend money to get their dogs groomed but not have the money or be bothered to worm their dogs? It just doesn't make sense to me. I'm not sure how much a groomer costs, but I'm sure it wouldn't be really cheap, yet these assholes wont even cough up to ensure their dogs are free of worms? I just dont get it. Wasn't the woman embarassed by the state of her dogs? I hope you gave her an earful.

Buy the large puppy kong Russ Ren. I bought it for my Ridgeback boy, and at 9 months old he still hasnt managed to destroy it! It isnt too small for him to play with either, and he still loves it when I stuff it. I wouldnt buy the adult one, as they are made of a different material that isnt good for puppy teeth.