nvdane

I've been corresponding with George at ASAP & have found him to be very helpful. Experiences I had with 2 other Genetic Labs in Australia were not favourable - one did not repsond to a request to let us know what tests they had available for our breed because the information was (and still isn't) on their website. http://www.animalnetwork.com.au/tests/index.php?breedid=61 "no results found"... So, why would I bother using them? Animal DNA could not provide us with the type of service I was looking for & referred me to the other lab that never responded.... Our swabs have arrived, plus extras.. will see how we go.

Aimfor Valour Aimfor Star of Gallantry Aimfor Companion of Honour Aimfor Star of Courage

The length of time your dog/cat needs to spend in quarantine depends on a number of factors. This can include country of export as there are some countires that AQUIS will refuse to allow you to import an animal from, type of vaccinations required (eg; rabies) or whether or not it has passed all the test required for that breed. Below is the link from AQUIS, which may answer some questions you may have in that regard as accommodation times vary from the minimum 30 day period. http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/cat-dogs/count...at4/info-pack-4 Also, there are specific times that they will accept your imported dog/cat for boarding. Bear in mind, depending on the number of animals being housed, you may not be able to purchase a space at a quarantine station of your choice.

Was just speaking to one of the Vets we use regarding this as our puppies are due for their 1st injection on the 23rd December. Response from them is:- C3 at 6 - 8 weeks C5 at 12 weeks Booster/Kennel Cough at 16 weeks.... For our adult Danes, we'll be doing the 3 year injection from now on as it is $90 ($30 a year) instead of $80 for the annual C5 vaccine.

You could try this company. I found them a few years ago when my mother-in-law was importing her new Boston Terrier. http://www.logans.com.au/temp-1647437541.php "Dog Insurance – Including Greyhounds Increasing values for breeding, show dogs and greyhounds means owners cannot afford to take the risk of losing their dog and not being able to replace them with a similar dog. In addition breeding dogs generate significant income which increases their value." I recall the insurance policy costing around $300 - it covered the purchase price of the dog, the cost of the airfare/freight & all the AQUIS quarantine charges including the accommodation costs. I know you're looking at this from a breeding perspective, however, they might just be worth a phone call.

Sadly (even if you do have pet insurance), it is the action of others that force the decision to euthenaise upon you. We had a Great Dane male - 2 year old who suffered a Bloat episode. My husband had just come home from picking up our boy from Kindy & noticed that our boy was dry wretching, drinking water but unable to vomit. He took our children to a friend & took our boy to the vet - he got there in adequate time - no, they didn't even have a bloat rescue kit. They stuck a needlethrough his stomach wall, let out some gas & said yep, he's got bloat... They did nothing for 30 minutes & when my husband queried what was happening, they said it would cost between $4,000 to $6,000 to operate on him - by this time our boy was in shock, it was obvious that he would not recover from the surgery as they had left it far too long - We did what was right by him, said goodbye and brought him home to be with us. And yes, we didn't have that $$ in the bank & no, we couldn't pay it off. What bothers me is following year, my mother-in-law who lives in the country had an 8 year old male Dane suffer an episode of bloat - Sunday morning - 2:00am emergency surgery - the cost $1,500 How can this veterinary surgery which is in the Metropolitan area justify such an enormous difference in the cost when the surgery required would have been exactly the same?

We have Great Danes & were quite surprised at the difference in prices charged by some vets here in WA.. 1st vet : $390 for our GD dogs (75 - 80kgs), $280 for our girls (50 - 55kgs).. 2nd vet $220 per dog - no difference just because the males are heavier.. Plus $100 per dog as the x-rays need to be sent elsewhere for scoring. I knew there would be a difference in some of the quotes, but I was not expecting that kind of a difference in what they charged. G