stormie

What's with Bondi Vet tonight? I was just thinking Chimes made a good save saying not all APBT's are bad and most are lovely dogs, until she compared DA to HA saying the Pitt that attacked the little dog could then go on to attack a child. Then they have a little pup coming in to see Dr Chris for a DNA swab because the owner was concerned it may have APBT in it and she has to be concerned for her family's safetly??!!

I wouldn't touch Kramar chews either - not after their recent recall!! Pigs ears, sheeps ears, venison ears etc. Orbit gets a cow hoof every now and then and he loves them and they last forever. Bit stinky though. Dried roo tails, turkey necks etc are another suggestion. Or what about an Everlasting Treat Ball? Orbit knows the rules are very strict in terms of eating treats on his bed or mat. If its something he's likely to make a mess with, I just put an old towel or blanket on top of his bed and he stays on that. Perhaps some more time reinforcing the rules will mean that you can be a bit more open when it comes to feeding certain chews inside

+1 for DMAN Tugs. We have them at work for Orbit, Gem and Sparky and so far they're still in tact!

I'm not a fan of Frontline. It rarely works against fleas so you're paying a lot of money just for the tick prevention. I'd use Interceptor (Heartworm and Intestinal worms) with Advantix (Fleas and Ticks) and you'd be all covered

What about a lovely rescue Greyhound?

Orbit gives himself lick granulomas often - mostly due to allergy but sometimes stress. The latest one came up a day after I started ignoring him, poor little man Sometimes they lick those areas if they're sore, eg arthritis in the wrist joint etc. I use a cortisone based cream for a couple of days and wrap it with a bandage at times when he's most likely to want to lick it.

LOL, it's a good thing everyone's different. I've got to say, I don't find either the labrador or the poodle aesthetically appealing at all. But apparently people exist that don't think staffords are handsome either (!) Definitely a good thing. I find it funny that other people took offence to this, yet I didn't and it was directed at me... ;D you'll have to meet my Labs some day, they're change your mind. I've already pulled some of the Spitz people into my lab loving world Maybe when you have been around Labradors as long as some of us you too will get sick and tired of the Lab bashing in any shape or form. Seriously doubt your Labradors will be able to convert a person that does not find Labradors "aesthetically appealing". l don't expect everyone to like/love Labradors, although it would probably be a better world if they all did , but I believe Staranais's post to be deliberately provocative to both Labrador and Poodle owners, particularly, when this thread is about the LD cross mutt. Someone saying they don't find certain breeds appealing is not 'bashing'. It's simply someone saying they don't personally like the look of them. No where did Star say that Labs were a bad breed or speak of them negatively - she just said she didn't find them aesthetically pleasing. Kinda sounds a bit like you just want to stir an argument. Clearly the Don has no idea on genetics whatsoever...

So funny! A few weeks ago my boss's dogs spewed a few times after digging up what they thought was black garden plastic. The spew smelt pretty foul though and looked like a bit of chux wipe in one. After further investigation of the spew, we realised the black plastic was actually that of a body bag and the stinky spew was the contents which must have also contained some surgical swabs They took over the vet clinic a year ago so whatever animal was buried in the yard in the bag was over a year old. I will never forget that awful awful smell...

Basically, ticks can be a problem anywhere east of the Blue Mountains. More common in bushy or coastal areas but I wouldn't ever think you'll be 100% safe. Our cat got one from a suburban backyard (though next to a little park) in the Hills District of Sydney. The Advantix will help and I'd be doing a tick search that night.

If it's what really wants to do, then go for it. Hard work and a desire to make the job a career pays off in this industry. IMO, there are too many 'kittens and puppies!' nurses and not enough nurses who really put their all into the job. It still amazes me dealing with some nurses at other clinics who have very poor communication skills. I started out with no experience or qualifications but just got a job because of my horse experience and general animal knowledge from owning pets. I'd always been a bit of an animal nerd I worked really hard, studied our vets text books on all the common diseases and medications. It all payed off and I'm now in an awesome job with an awesome boss earning a pretty awesome salary. I spent some time at our local specialist centre and seeing what their nurses did just blew me away. They virtually do everything! They're trained by the specialists so their knowledge is incredible. They'd be earning pretty good pay there too, I'd say! So yep, if she's willing to try and make a career out of it then go for it! There's nothing better than developing great relationships with your clients and being able to talk 'animals' with them. eta: Also, in terms of finding clinics to work at, obviously beggars can't be choosers, but I'd suggest looking for a nice little community clinic somewhere where clients are their main focus. Lots of these new chain vets are popping up all over the place where the attitude is often more about making money and staff have targets to meet. I know a few people who have found places like this really unpleasant places to work.

The thought of leaving Orbit behind, petrified and alone, kills me. So I would stay.

If you've used roo before, don't use it again. You need to feed a meat that Toby has never eaten before. To see any specialist you'll need a referral but your vet should be able to do this at your request.

Only is these are proteins he's never eaten before. You mentioned he gets fish oil so that pretty much rules out fish. What about roo? Alpha Kerri Oil is great - lots of dermatologists recommend it as it helps to create a bit of a skin barrier, reducing the amounts of antigens absorbed.

Seeing he's become worse, it may not be a bad idea to do another food elimination diet. Allergic dogs can be allergic to many things. or example Orbit has allergies to the environment and food and whilst I can't control the environmental ones, I can control the food. By keeping that part under control, it keeps his itching down just a little bit more. As they age, they can develop allergies to more and more things. Many don't have a huge success with immunotherapy but many also have - not a complete cure, but enough to bring the itching back to a more tolerable level which can be managed much easier. At the end of the day though, IMO, it comes down to quality of life. Sometimes the only thing that will provide ultimate relief is cortisone and many 'poo poo' using it due to possible side effects. But if the alternative is an unhappy, uncomfortable dog, I know which I chose! Another thing to consider, is that skin is an organ. So like any other organ in the body, if it's constantly inflamed and infected, you can eventually see more severe problems which can, believe it or not, be fatal. Obviously this is in extreme cases, but again, is a reason why drugs like cortisone can actually be really helpful for some animals.

Just as many wounds DON'T heal because animals have continued to lick them, making them moist and infected. Think of hot spots and lick granulomas. The constant licking and irritation from the licking can create worse wounds than what was started with. Why do we prefer dogs not to lick their surgery wounds? Because of the risk of infection and prolonged healing. Wounds should be kept clean and dry.

I dunno, I just think it's all about communication. The most common thing we hear from our clients is 'do whatever you think is necessary' and we love this. They have complete faith that he's not out to suck them for money and will do what is in the best interest of the animal and the client. We have clients who still want annual vaccines because they're nervous and that's fine. We also have a few who don't vaccinate at all and that's fine too - we just remove any reminders from their file and just make them annual health checks. We have the AVA printouts in our waiting room for people to read if they haven't heard about the changes before. We talk to them about boarding requirements, and if they have a regular place, will call up to ask what they're happy to accept. We've not run into any problems so far!

We started doing the 3 year protocol 12months ago with annual vaccines. We also have the Nobivac Triennial to keep boarding kennels and training clubs etc happy. We also titre test. Since taking over the clinic 12months ago and changing the protocol, we have seen more people than the previous vet. We average a new client every day. People are recommending us all over the place. I believe it's because our vet is so open and honest with our clients and treat them as individuals and help the client decide for themselves. Many of our clients go boarding so still need to come in for yearly Kennel Cough shots anyway. The thing is with the vaccines, is if they have seroconverted, no amount of vaccines is going to increase their immunity. They either have the memory cells or they don't. If you titre test a dog that's lived inside all it's life, its levels will likely be low. But that doesn't mean it needs another vacc - it just means the body hasn't been challenged recently so there are no antibodies circulating. I don't understand why, if you're dogs have been titre testing and their levels are high, why you'd still vacc every year? My boy is 3yo and hasn't been vaccinated since he was 16wks old. My boss is more than happy to NOT vaccinate him, knowing the potential risks for him in terms of immune mediated diseases, because of his already crapola immune system (allergies).

We looked right into the labeled 3 yearly vacc and decided to go ahead and get it. Yes, there are more virus particles but we were assured that in the scheme of virus particles, the difference isn't actually as significant as it sounds. The labeled 3 yearly also covers for a newer strain of parvo - another reason we erred towards it. This way, we're covered by the company in the event something goes wrong and also its much more likely to be accepted by boarding kennels and training clubs.

I would get a very good quality food to prepare for the pup's arrival, but wait and see what condition it is in before worrying too much about adding raw. Pup might have some growth issues to sort out first, which require a perfect balance of calcium/phosphorus. Once you know what you're dealing with, then you can look more into varying the diet.

Maybe have a look through the rescue pages too. Lots of short coated x breeds end up in pounds or foster care that need homes!!

I'm about to try the Canine Country Barf with Orbit. We got a pretty good deal in terms of price, though it's still a bit expensive to feed a giant! Prior to this he was eating 500g horse or turkey meat for breakfast and then about 1kg turkey necks or horse brisket for dinner. Once a week he'd get a couple of eggs and small amounts of liver. I also use a multivitamin powder weekly too. He has allergies so its not easy to vary his meat. He looks great though, on this. The Barf we're getting is roo based with the fruit and veges. I used to make Barf myself a couple of years ago, but making up enough to last even just a month was an all day process and just way too hard. I just bought myself 90 days worth of Barf and 45days of Turkey necks, which averaged out at about $140 a month or $35 a week. Not too bad though a bit more than I have been spending.

Sas pretty much summed up the Danes for you pretty well. Whilst they don't have the exercise requirement of a working breed, I would say they have a higher need for training, due to their size and strength etc. So the time you would spend exercising a working breed, could be close to the time needed to be spent training a Dane to ensure they are good canine citizens. Orbit is my first Dane and I'm constantly learning every day how much work it can take with leadership.

Agree with suggestions of behaviourist help. Up till then I'd be ignoring the dog and treating it like it doesn't exist. The more you fuss over it and try to 'make friends' the more it's going to think it's ranked higher than you.

Raw offal is fine, but just be sure to worm monthly with something that covers for hydatids. Even though it's human grade what you get from a supermarket, its designed to be cooked. Better to be safe than sorry :D Should add, liver and hearts give Orbit terrible diarrhoea, even in smaller amounts. I would try it first with smaller portions rather than a sudden bulk day - the out put can be pretty foul!!