stormie

Yeah Goldens are the same "If you Golden Retrievers you may also like Irish Wolfhound, Afgan Hound and Akita" No mention of Labs, the "other perfect family pet" Yep, it seems to have a set group to match up for the 'if you like this...' section. Overall we thought it was a pretty poor breed selection site. Suggesting an Akita for someone who was looking at a Golden?!?!? Or to say 'if you like the Dalmatian you may also like the British Bulldog'??!! Anyways, we voiced our dislike to our Pfizer reps :D lol, what did they say about that? Just that he would let them know our concerns. Also pointed out our unhappiness with the Labradoodle listed as a 'breed'. Doubt much will come of it though! Apparently the breed selection thing was created by a vet :D

This is you, isn't it Raz...

I'm not sure this is correct though. I think so long as you're not making money off the image of the person, you are free to do what you wish with the image. Correct me if I'm wrong, photographers.

Yeah Goldens are the same "If you Golden Retrievers you may also like Irish Wolfhound, Afgan Hound and Akita" No mention of Labs, the "other perfect family pet" Yep, it seems to have a set group to match up for the 'if you like this...' section. Overall we thought it was a pretty poor breed selection site. Suggesting an Akita for someone who was looking at a Golden?!?!? Or to say 'if you like the Dalmatian you may also like the British Bulldog'??!! Anyways, we voiced our dislike to our Pfizer reps

Hugs Before you make any big decisions, I would be inclined to prove for sure that Ollie is the cause of your son's allergies. In most cases of animal allergies, it's the dander of the coat people are allergic to, rather than the hair. If your son is allergic to Ollie's hair, then he's just as likely to be allergic to Miley's too. Also, Spring/Summer is the worst time of year for allergies. Could it just be that his allergies have flared up due to all the extra pollens about? It would be awful if you rehomed Ollie only to find your son's allergies continued and in fact Ollie wasn't the cause at all.

I'm not sure whether or not you could necessarily determine WHY the dog ran out of oxygen. Perhaps a specialist pathologist could but I'm not entirely sure. The changes that you can see in a dog that has passed away due to lack of oxygen may be the same in either case. For example, should BAOS be the reason, the dog would likely have been panting and breathing heavily and the airways may then be swollen and thickened etc. However, should the reason have been lack of oxygen to the cabin, the dog may have become quite stressed, breathing and panting heavily etc resulting in the same changes. This is such a tragic thing to have happened and I really hope you get some answers.

Sorry to hear about Annie's unhappy tummy. Did they also rule out EPI? I haven't had a lot of experience with IBD in dogs - mostly cats, all of which were diagnosed by biopsies of the bowel. They were mostly managed with prescription diets and AB's when required. Is it an option for you to visit a specialist?

I used to put Orbit's poo in any holes he started digging - it stopped that pretty quick!

My boss has one for his Newfy and he absolutely loves it. Though I've heard of some dogs chewing the yellow lid off, but if you don't have a destructo dog I think it would be great.

If the glands are emptying randomly like this, I wouldn't say it's a 'good thing' The glands are meant to express as they defecate. The fact that your Goldie's glands are leaking probably means they are full and may need to be expressed. It's when they don't express naturally (during poo) that you can get problems because they fill up and can get infected. I'd be looking at increasing the fibre/bone in your dogs food to firm up the stools to encourage the glands to empty when they should.

Awesome thread! A few of Orbit... his funny side... his serious side... and some cute ones being glum cuddles just love

Maybe try another scent? VJB kindly gave me some of her Apple to try and I fell in love with it. I ended up buying a 5ltr bottle of the lemon scent (nice, but I think I prefer the Apple so far) and in 6months, I've probably only used a quarter of it. I pour some in the rinse cycle of all his bedding, couch covers etc. I also spray the diluted stuff on the floor when I'm mopping. Basically, I use it everywhere

I think it is far more likely the "fellow at the park" will look at it and then look away and think it is a cross bred. Most people at the park can't tell the difference between pures and crosses anyway. Maybe, but all it takes is a conversation.

Dog allergies are not always a result of genetics, FCOL. Outside influences can promote allergies in dogs just as the same applies to people. This is a theory and we are yet to know the cause. Google will tell you all sorts of conspiracy theories but truth is, we just don't know yet. The Dermatologists believe it's mostly genetic, but I'm sure you'll argue with them too. Until then, they should not be bred with.

Not all dogs born outside the "standard" are prone to health issues. Take a closer look and realise that so so many purebreds are fraught with health issues even though they do conform with the standard. No, and no breeder will be able to guarantee that every pup they breed is 100% healthy. My boy is an example of a dog who comes from a good breeder but unfortunately was just struck by the nature devil with allergies. I spent the weekend at my breeders place and met all his family and didn't see one itchy dog. Orbit was just unfortunate, for whatever reason. But problems will and do arise when people try to cash in on a particular colour by breeding a male and female together, with no concept of genetics. I've seen in myself in my breed - breeders trying to 'cash in' on sought after colours and producing poorly conformed dogs in which general existence was painful. It won't matter if you desex the little Black and Tan Staffy and tell it's new owners they shouldn't be bred, because the fellow at the park will still see the dog and think 'awesome, I could make a mint selling those'. So then you get a whole new crop of breeders breeding this and that, with the only aim of producing certain coloured puppies. The health problems that occur may not be directly because the dog is Black and Tan, but because it was bred by Joe Blow who has no idea of the his dogs lines, health etc and have created multiple generations of potentially unhealthy pups who could in turn go on to reproduce themselves. So if one puppy dying, humanely, manages to save hundreds of future puppies who could live a life of suffering, then as harsh as this might make me, I'm all for it.

This was was I was wondering.. I know about the dilute alopecia in breeds, but in Staffords, would you say there are more skin issues in Blues mostly due to the colour breeding and dodgy breeders using whatever they can, regardless of health? For eg, in Danes, the Harli's probably have the highest incidents of skin issues which is most likely due to genetics - so many of them are all related. I know a few Atopic Blues, but I don't believe it to be as big a thing as it is in the Harli breds. So is it the colour or is it the breeding of that colour? eta - in terms of putting to sleep puppies, it sounds sad to us, but there's no cruelty involved if done humanely. They just go to sleep. Surely it's better to be done early before any possible suffering begins? I'm sure its difficult enough for a Breeder to have to do, let alone the new family as well when they find out their puppy has serious health issues.

This I'm not 100% on. I guess the virus types 1, 2, 3 etc are strains. Whether there are more strains of each virus that aren't listed I'm not sure. Usually its kind of 'news' when a virus develops a new strain, like with Parvo, so I'm not sure there would be 40 odd strains we don't know about? Thanks Stormie. So are these statements correct: We vaccinate dogs against 1 bacterium and 1 virus, which are the two primary infections of what we know as KC. The vaccine does not give total immunity but reduces the degree or severity of symptoms that develop when infected with the primary bacterium and virus. There are several other viruses that also can affect the dog that also make-up the condition that we know as KC. Yep I would say this is pretty much it. I should say, it might give total immunity to some dogs. ie, your dog may have encountered CPI and not have got KC, because its immune system worked because of the vacc. For those that were vacc'd and got it, may have encountered a virus or bacteria that isn't vacc'd against. Also, the disease may have progressed to something more severe, but didn't because you had it vacc'd against bordetella. It might help people realise why vets give antibiotics to most KC cases too. As I wrote before, there are many bacterial causes and seeing the most common agents are a bacterial one and a viral one that can allow bacteria to invade, it makes sense.

This I'm not 100% on. I guess the virus types 1, 2, 3 etc are strains. Whether there are more strains of each virus that aren't listed I'm not sure. Usually its kind of 'news' when a virus develops a new strain, like with Parvo, so I'm not sure there would be 40 odd strains we don't know about?

I keep reading these kinds of statements but have never seen evidence of there being a number of strains and the vaccine only covering a certain number. Can you provide a source for this? I'm repeating what numerous different vets have told me about the KC vaccine over the last 8 years or so. I have no reason not to believe them, they have all been good vets and I have entrusted my dogs and foster dogs lives with them. I think from memory there are 38 strains and the vaccination only covers two. I guess it's a bit like the many strains of the human influenza virus, the annual vaccine covers one or two of the many strains one could succumb to. Your Dr is the best source for more information there. :D I wasn't disputing it. I was asking for a reference is all. I believe that most people misinterpret the infomration given by Vets. Dogs are vaccinated against bordetella. Bordetella is 1 factor in kennel cough and it is bacteria based. Dogs are vaccinated against this and the vaccine will either prevent this dog developing the infectiom, or it will lessen the symptoms of bordatella in an inefected dog. Most dogs who develop kennel cough also are infected with several other things that make up 'kennel cough', and these are viruses. These viruses may also include parainfluenza. We also vaccinate against parainfluenza. As for 'strains' and the fact that there is defined number and a defined number that the vaccine protects agains I am not so sure. Hopefully someone who has knowledge, like Rappie, can explain it all because it is very confusing. This is from the 5 Minute Consult - CAUSES: Viral - Canine distemper virus, canine adenovirus 1 & 2, canine parainfluenza, canine reovirus 1,2 or 3 and canine herpesvirus. All of them are implicated in the damage to the respiratory epithelium resulting in the cough, however CAV 2 and CPI may damage it to the extent that various bacteria and Mycoplasma spp may invade causing severe airway disease. Bacterial - Bordetella bronchiseptica - with no other respiratory pathogens produces clinical signs indistinguishable from those of other bacterial causes; Pseudomonas, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Pasteurella, Streptococcus, Mycosplasma, and other species equally likely. So, there alone are a number of causes mentioned, not all of which we vacc against. So for those who were vaccinated and still contracted KC, its possibly they contracted one of the above mentioned that we don't vacc against. CPI and Bordetella Bronchiseptica are apparently the principle agents involved. Bordetella was and probably still is, believed to be a secondary factor involved in KC that can make the dogs very unwell, eg fever, feeling sick etc, so by vaccinating against this, you're potentially reducing the chances of your dog getting the severe symptoms. Also, the majority of the vaccines we use, do NOT stop the viruses from entering the body and multiplying. What happens is, after they've entered the body and mutliplied, the immune system then mounts a response to eliminate them, not allowing the disease to progress. This can explain why some animals can still come down with the disease and show symptoms, because the virus is in the body and for whatever reason, their immune system just didn't mount a strong enough response, so the virus was able to progress.

My understanding is that its any type of grape/sultana/raisin. Also, I believe the they cause kidney damage, so you may not see clinical signs until the kidneys have been sufficiently damaged. Just did a quick search and found fatalities at doses from 10-57g/kg, so if this is so, I'd assume 42g (which not all was sultanas) shouldn't cause too much trouble. I've never dealt with a case, so someone else might be able to provide more info.

The assumptions are absolutely astounding me! I'm planning a litter of Stafford puppies.....I might just put a sign up outside my property. Then with my obvious trailer-trash, overgrown, weedy appearing property, I too can be reported to the RSPCA!!! Can we stick to the point at hand instead of twisting things around, as per usual? lol Huge difference between you placing a sign outside your property once in a long while and these people who are obviously breeding various breeds of dogs and also on a very regular basis, don't you think? Some of you can be so childish when trying to prove a point and the ability to twist things around is quite astounding, lol. Isn't it just. How can you say they are 'obviously breeding various breeds on a regular basis? You also said there's only a slim chance the dogs are being well cared for - all on the basis of a sign placed out the front of a house. Is that not twisting things? How do you know this person isnt a rescuer, adveritising puppies they've saved from a puppy farm or pound?

Some registered, ethical breeders have more than 1 breed. For all we know, this person might actually be a registered breeder who takes great care of their dogs, shows, health tests etc, but just has a sign out front to advertise their puppies. I'm not sure why there's only a 'slim chance' their dogs are well looked after.

I personally wouldn't go to a chiro without doing xrays first. I would call your vet and explain that she is worse so they can investigate further.

He's not itch free by any means!! Beef and turkey seem to be ok in that they don't give him any flare ups. He's on Atopica now and still needs cortisone every few days. And he's still itchy.

Just wanted to add - the Annual Proheart Injection is NOT a vaccination. It's injecting a years worth of the drug in a slow release form. Like others, I wouldn't touch it if you paid me.