stormie

Jeebus! Talk about no respect for people's property. I just can't imagine people thinking its ok to do that.

Manuka Honey and rest isn't going to help if he's got something lodged in the back of his throat somewhere. I'd get him a check-up and if they diagnose KC, you don't necessarily need to take home antibiotics. They're often given to prevent secondary infection but I'm sure if you speak to your vet you can ascertain whether they're really needed in his case. Get a proper diagnosis first from a professional and then look for alternate therapies

Thanks for the suggestions so far!! Ok so I have an idea... What if we came up with a list of important considerations for buying a puppy. Eg: Why Purebred - explaining the true purebred, breed standards, predictability etc. Which Breed For Me - discussing what points people need to consider about their requirements etc, visiting dog shows to view different breeds Breeder and Shelter vs Pet Shop and BYB - talking about breeder COE, health testing, breeder support, puppy farms, difference in puppy temps from breeders and pet shops/farms etc. Selecting Your Breeder - visiting shows, meeting breeders and their dogs, be ready to wait... using websites like DOL and breed clubs to find breeders. and more if we come up with them... So we have these articles - could we not make a sticky where we have these articles available to download and view at anytime? That way, people can view one or all, and print off appropriate ones to give to friends/relatives, or do what I would eventually like to do, and make a folder with all the above to sit in our waiting room...

;) you used Orbit's funny photo!!!!!!!!!! But it looks so great!! Thank you!!!!

Generally with allergic dogs, you're dealing with an overactive immune system - its reacting to everyday things which it shouldn't be. I'm all for getting dogs into 'optimum' health with an appropriate diet for them (one they do best on) and supplementing with things they need, but I personally stay away from the things that claim to 'boost immune system'.

Thanks for the links!! Will have a good read tonight. And Danois, you're more than welcome!

Even if we just had a database of documents that we could print ourselves as needed, to put together in a folder. There's so much information you could put in there that I'm thinking would be best for people to go home with, as 5mins waiting for a consult may not give enough time to read through it all...

We'd like to have a booklet or folder in our waiting room which helps to educate clients on how is the best way to go about selecting and then buying a new dog/puppy. We are wanting something that goes from start to finish, such as initially why to go Purebred, how to select the best breed for you and what considerations you need to make, sourcing an ethical breeder and what to look for in breeder etc etc etc. Some information educating people on pet shop puppies, puppy farms etc would be good in there also, but not too harsh as to upset clients who already have pet shop puppies. But just explaining that whilst it seems like you may be 'rescuing' the puppy in window, you're actually just creating demand. Is there already something out there that covers all of this and if not, how plausible would it be for us to all get together to combine information and create books to cover all of the above to potentially offer to vet clinics, grooming salons etc to keep in reception areas?

While obviously you don't know the full story behind the dogs medical history, I think it's nice that you care enough to have considered a follow up call. I would have no issue with another client calling up asking over an animal they had seen whilst they were here to see if he/she was ok - obviously I wouldn't be able to give them details, but to know that the particular animal had been in their thoughts enough to make a phone call, to me, is really lovely and thoughtful and I would tell them such. Our clients often chat to each other in the waiting room discussing their pets' health. There are some really neglectful owners out there - we see it all the time. Last week we admitted a cat with such an horrific flea burden, she died within a few hours. So yep, this dog could have been making weekly visits to the vet, but it may also have been sitting at home in a backyard somewhere receiving no care. We don't know, but I think it's nice to know there are still people out there who think and care about things other than themselves.

Gily has the vet actually seen the discharge for themselves? I'd get the urine cultured - you can't really say there's no bacteria in the urine unless its cultured to see if anything grows. Have they given her a simple course of AB's to see if that clears it up? I don't want to pay out on your vet at all because from what you've said they sound great, but I think if it were me, I'd probably want more done to make sure its not something like a stump pyo going on and rule out other things before just starting on incontinence meds...

Gily - missed this and just posted in the dane thread for you.

What's her temp? Does it happen all the time, or more so after meals and how long has it been going on for? Dogs will pant when they have a high temp or if they're feeling pain.

I'd say he looks pretty classic of a kelpie x cattle. I would think he's too big to have much foxy in him if he's bigger than your average border.

What a tough call for you to have to make, CW. I think I would. I deal with euthanasia regularly, but even though I've been doing it so long, it's actually become harder for me and I get quite teary during the process. But after it is done, their spirit has gone and what remains is their body. I have been there for all our 3 dogs being pts and during the process it was painful, but once they were gone, they were gone and I just no longer saw them as who they were. One of them passed away in sudden circumstances and I couldn't handle not knowing what she died from, so I actually helped my vet autopsy afterwards.

Iso is gaseous. Thio is a great anaesthetic and even with all the 'fancy' ones out there, the specialists still say it's probably one of the best/safest. But yes, it can burn if its injected outside the vein but you usually know if thats happening cause not only does the skin fill up but you're patient doesn't go to sleep!!

Almost all vets would use ISO on every patient - its the standard gas and has been for a long time now . It's Thiopentone that sight hounds shouldn't have - the induction agent. And the latest with the anaesthetists is that its actually preferable to give more of the IV anaesthetic than the gas.

Hope you're not talking about me, sas, cause I don't get my turkey necks from him. I tried but he said he couldn't get them?? Ohhh poo!!! What were you getting form him? He gets me my turkey mince. Necks I get from (well, I get them when they get my order right) Myella.

I'd go see a specialist first. But I can tell you that at one of the Specialist talks my boss went to regarding Osteosarcoma, they discussed amputation and it was said by the specialist that the large/giant breeds actually cope very well with amputation, assuming the rest of them are fine. So if breed size is concerning you, I wouldn't let it.

Hope you're not talking about me, sas, cause I don't get my turkey necks from him. I tried but he said he couldn't get them??

David Vella is considered the 'Rabbit Man' in Australia and works out of North Shore Vet Hosp. Not sure if he'd be in on a Sunday though, but he'd definitely be my recommendation for bunnies.

I think people are really underestimating the jaw tone of a dog. When a dog is under GA, they lose jaw tone, which allows you to open their mouths quite wide to get the scaler, and thus your hand, inside the dogs mouth. Jaw tone is something which is used to assess the depth of anaesthesia - if a dog is light, their tone is stronger and there's a lot more resistance to open the mouth. So a dog that is just sedated, will still have jaw tone and make it very difficult to open their mouths. You could even try it now - try forcing your dogs mouth open as wide as you can to allow easy access to the very rear molars (you'll probably need to grab the tongue too, to get it out of the way) and see how long you can hold it open for. I'm not doubting the laser, but what I am doubting is that anyone can do a thorough job on a dog that isn't completely anaesthetised.

I think so, yep :D

Yeah I think it'll just be something we do all the time now, turns out getting the blood to WA is very straight forward so no need to want to send in groups. We only opened the account the other day, so we're still waiting on all the forms and tubes etc to come in the mail, but soon as we have it all I'll let you know and you can come in.

umm sas, don't you think this would be more appropriate in Off Topic?

I get that they're used to having their mouths inspected, but there's a MASSIVE difference between inspecting a mouth and scaling a tooth. For something to remove the plaque build up, its got to be reasonably strong, so I'm just not sure how I can imagine using a laser on and under the gum line without it causing some sort of discomfort for the dog. Plus, when a dog is under GA having a 'normal' dental, you have to get right in there to do the insides and outsides of the very black molars - something I just can't see a non sedated/GA'd dog letting happen. Personally, I'd rather go with a GA (and if there are concerns, get pre bloods done) and have it done without ordeal and know that it's completely thorough and that should any teeth look not so good they can come out there and then. But like I said - happy to hear about how its done. I have googled 'veterinary laser dentistry' and can't come up with anything remotely like you've mentioned.