vicdrg

Has anyone come across Myotonia at all. This is not genetic but related to Cushings but any information on treatment will be a help. It is very unusual and has struck quite suddenly - have tried acupuncture, hydro, massage, supplements - but nothing relieves except for a very very short time. Seems to fall between internal medicine and neurology specialists. This older dog, of about 12 kgs, can not get up on her own at all at the moment. Any suggestions.

thank you. Let's hope it's a fine day!!

Thank you DogMad. It's advertised on the vic dog rescue facebook page and website plus some other sites. It can be shared from the vic dog rescue facebook.

An invitation to all involved in rescue, their friends and their dogs to come to the Lead the Way Walk at Fairfield Melbourne on March 15th. This is the second year of this event. About six groups will be represented to date. Everyone buying a ticket before the event gets a free vicdrg calendar and a $20 simone perele voucher. And goes in the draw for an additional prize Rescue does lead the way in Victoria...

Thank you . I will check out.

Wondering if there is anything new in the treatment or prevention of parvovirus. And also if anyone has come across this new strain our vets mentioned a couple of years ago that was hitting adult dogs very quickly.

If you are from Victoria and you believe the current pound and animal welfare system is wrong please go to the vicdrg page and look at the information on the threads and in Notes and write or telephone the premier, minister, opposition leader, opposition minister and particularly your local politician. This isn't about what group you are in or with whom you are friends but purely about trying to get some changes. We were successful last election in getting community fostercare networks written into the Domestic Animals Act and being allowed to have Section 84ys. Change, however incremental, is possible if people speak and write. If we had the right to take pound animals we would not have examples such as what is happening in Mildura, with everything grace and favour of a manager above pound level who has a pretty horrible track record. It is all power games with rescue groups being used. Speak up so that rescue groups operate WITH the pounds and councils, not FOR them.

thank you for your support.

VicDRG has organised a foster care seminar this Saturday 24 May, 10.00 to 1.00 in Mckinnon, to be run by Underdog Training. Free to anyone foster caring or thinking about foster caring. A certificate will be issued for completing this seminar, Unit One. Unit Two will be run on Saturday 21st June. The two run independently if you cannot make the first one. For information on topics or to register interest pls contact [email protected]

thank you. Unfortunately there is a time element as carer is leaving the country in a couple of weeks and we have to decide what is best for this guy.

I completely agree with this. My next dog will be a rescue, not for a couple of years, but i have told couple of people and that is their exact reaction. "Oh, don't do that, they're all damaged" Its a shame really. We find the oppposite is happening in Melbourne. it's almost the 'in' thing to get a rescue dog,from people who formerly would have bought from a pet shop or a breeder. But it does make us laugh when they say they feel they should get a rescue dog and then give us a list obviously formulated from questions to ask a breeder - like can we see the parents!!

We tried describing them as lurchers but then got tired of being asked what that was. I always think of them as lurchers, and find if I'm talking to anyone from England I switch to lurcher.

thank you. We are looking for a country home for a wolfie cross whom I suppose you could say had a dubious temperament. He has lived on small acreage having a quiet life for a few years and we were asked to help him after a family break up. He adores his foster carer but he is not suited to city life - he just wants to hang around his person all t he time, inside and outside, and not be subject to a lot of stressors. Generally my own wolfie cross died of bloat 2 years ago now, and is irreplaceable. We don't have any trouble with the scruffers, small and large, but some we recognise are not suited to city living.

thanks will do. The one I was thinking of though was a general sighthound perhaps facebook page - mentioned briefly on dol last year I think - will keep looking and try that one too

thanks yes. I haven't seen or heard of Fifi for ages. I thought I had seen somewhere there was a general sighthound rescue or facebook page.

Does anyone know please. Or a facebook page.

As part of the foster care education program funded by a grant from the Bureau of Animal Welfare there are two one-day seminars being run at Diggers Herding. Each day will be geared towards working breeds and high energy dogs in an urban environment. These courses are free and limited to ten each day. They will be run on Saturday the 26 October and Sunday 27 October. If you are interested please email [email protected] Foster care training units A and B will also be running at Kepala in November and Practical workshop for those that have completed the beginning units will also run in November most likely at Clayton. thks.

Little Gifts, a bit off topic but I want to agree with your posts. Rescue should be the third arm of animal welfare not used by shelters to lower their kill rates. There will always be appropriate cases to go to rescue, or community fostercare networks as called in Victoria, but the super pounds should not be able to use that as a way to avoid their responsiblity to act as a shelter, that is a rehoming and rehabilitating institution. People do not donate money to them to offload their responsibilities - if they choose to do that they should pay all vetwork and ensuing costs.

[ I'd like to see the LDH organisation work more closely with rescue - but they have been stung before by some overzealous people involved in rescue, so are probably not overly open to that idea. Maybe they need to have some of the less radical types in rescue come to them with a proposal that all can work within, and maybe we could see some changes there... T. It's sad to see this old chestnut regurgitated all the time. If you mean that some of the early rescue groups were driven into animal welfare by what was happening at the Lost Dogs Home, yes that is accurate. If you mean that they often discreetly adopted dogs that would otherwise be killed, that is they failed for various minor reasons at the Lost Dogs Home, but could be adopted if you paid extra money or convinced them you could cope with a timid dog, yes that would be right. Sometimes you have to be shaken out of your comfort zone and LDH certainly did that for some of us.

Absolutely agree Aphra and that is what we will be doing. We will be presenting this as a Code endorsed by DRAV members and with the numbers of groups consulted given, and it is then up to the Councils to act as they choose. As said it is the first step and aimed particularly at Councils who have never dealt with rescue before. If you have the time to consult all rescue groups in Victoria and produce an amended version for Councils that you present on behalf of other groups we wish you well, and also the same to those aiming for an Australia-wide Code. By the way you were the only group originally asked to the initial consultation that did not reply!!

When you say 'in their care', do you mean owned by the organisation, or is this related to where the animals are being housed? Ie, one foster carer with 3 entire females in their care is different to an organisation with 30 dogs that are physically housed in a number of carers' houses, 3 of which may be entire females housed in different locations. Is this distinction not made? That's interesting Linda K because as one of the people looking at the welfare section of the Code that will cover puppy farmers I specifically asked this question at the meeting to discuss this and was told this would not be the case. I would have thought it would be extremely unusual for any cfc network to have in one household three pregnant dogs and if there were three different carers with three pregnant dogs it would not be any sort of issue.

To advise that we are continuing to run the two programs being funded by a grant from the Bureau of Animal welfare. In areas where we work in Victoria (includes north west victoria, and parts of Eastern Victoria) we are able to offer free desexing to the pets of anyone holding a concession card at agreed vets. In some cases we have also been able to negotiate discounted chipping and vaccinating. In pounds where we have contacts we are also able to offer our $50 cat subsidy scheme(cats only). Anyone adopting a cat from these pounds, can obtain a fully vetworked cat for the payment of $50. VicDRG, with the assistance of the Bureau, funds the rest at agreed vets. If you know someone who would like to take up these offers please direct them to [email protected]. Or in the Sunraysia area contact Kaye on 0419545106.

VicDRG has been running this year an education program for foster carers which is funded by the Bureau of Animal Welfare. We are running Unit One and Unit Two seminars that are open to any foster carers from any group or from an individual intending to be a foster carer. They cover the basic issues that may be faced by a carer and increase their knowledge of basic problems. These courses run as three hour seminars on the weekend - with Underdog Training Bayside and 4Paws at Kepala. We are just setting the dates for three new series of training, a first aid course, and a general discussion on animal welfare in Victoria - an overview. There may be one Unit 3/4 course held, depending on interest. These courses are free but have limited numbers. If you are interested in being involved please email [email protected].