Diva

Jed, are you saying the 2000 study I cited at length is now discounted? But that is the one that says that feeding off the ground may be a contributing factor. edited: rereading your post I think I may just be confused by your wording, or you missed the previous citation, either way don't worry about it. Unless of course you're aware of something more up to date that refutes the 2000 study I cited, I'd love to know if so.

It would greatly help me understand if I knew if the dogs transferred had ever formally entered into the RSPCA shelter. I didn't phrase that very well, but were they ever in the shelter as such? The RSPCA ACT web site has a statement of philosophy that reads: 'At RSPCA ACT every healthy companion animal stays with us for as long as it takes to find a home. There are no time limits and no animal is ever put to sleep because they have been with us too long or we have no space.' (my bolding of course) I love that, but it confused me re the transfers. Did they never make into the shelter in the first place? Or were they not considered healthy? I can understand if they literally had to turn them away at the door.

Current advice seems to be that soaking dry foods with a high grain content is not a good idea for bloat prevention. Soaking dry foods with a high meat content seems to be OK. Not sure I can find that article, but that is what I recall. Of course like all things with bloat, there is a range of advice out there, it's hard to judge. One thing that does seem constant in the research is that the risk of bloat is much higher if a direct relative has had bloat.

Me too. I haven't had a dog with it thank goodness, but my breed does get it. Any time anyone looks restless after eating I'm on tenderhooks.

cointreau SAS may have a different source, but one I've seen is: "Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association November 15, 2000, Vol. 217, No. 10 Non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in large and giant breed dogs Lawrence T. Glickman, VMD, DrPH Nita W. Glickman, MS, MPH Diana B. Schellenberg, MS Malathi Raghavan, DVM, MS Tana Lee, BA Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1243. (Glickman, Schellenberg, Raghavan, Lee); Center for the Human Animal Bond, School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1243. (Glickman) Objective—To identify non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) in large breed and giant breed dogs. Design—Prospective cohort study. Animals—1,637 dogs ≥ 6 months old of the following breeds: Akita, Bloodhound, Collie, Great Dane, Irish Setter, Irish Wolfhound, Newfoundland, Rottweiler, Saint Bernard, Standard Poodle, and Weimaraner. Procedure—Owners of dogs that did not have a history of GDV were recruited at dog shows, and the dog's length and height and the depth and width of its thorax and abdomen were measured. Information concerning the dog's medical history, genetic background, personality, and diet was obtained from the owners, and owners were contacted by mail and telephone at approximately 1-year intervals to determine whether dogs had developed GDV or died. Incidence of GDV, calculated on the basis of dogyears at risk for dogs that were or were not exposed to potential risk factors, was used to calculate the relative risk of GDV. Results and Clinical Relevance—Cumulative incidence of GDV during the study was 6% for large breed and giant breed dogs. Factors significantly associated with an increased risk of GDV were increasing age, having a first-degree relative with a history of GDV, having a faster speed of eating, and having a raised feeding bowl. Approximately 20 and 52% of cases of GDV among the large breed and giant breed dogs, respectively, were attributed to having a raised feed bowl. " I no longer have the whole paper but that should help you track it down. I also remember another study that identified raised bowls, the percentage of poultry fat in dry food, and a couple of other factors as significant, but despite racking my memory I can't track that one down

Sorry to hear that Liebhunde. I was very suprised to see two dead snakes on roads around here over the past week. I usually see no more than one all summer and I didn't realise they were active in this type of weather. It has scared me off my usual walking routes for a while, we'll be sticking to the footpaths for a bit.

I think this is sound advice, especially the part about not threatening legal action, save that for if you need to escalate. Try to assume as a starting point that they are stupid and just don't get it yet - be firm and very clear, but try not to sound angry, frightened or hostile. Good luck.

Yes, definitely better than most. Including the regulatory regime - higher registration fees for undesexed dogs (with allowance made for show dogs), lifetime registration, and no BSL. Petsearch mentions in the other thread on this that they have encountered a problem with microchip registries here, but I hadn't previously heard that.

Maybe you have a possum passing by at that time, the possums around here are like clockwork in their schedule Or a neighbour now gets home or leaves at that time for work. I'd just not reinfoce it, definitely don't feed her and just tell her to go back to bed. Maybe try to tire her out a bit more in the evening to encourage her to sleep through.

What he might want to do and what he might feel legally obliged to do might be two different things. I feel for the vet in this case - but boy what a looney that woman sounds like!

I think in this case less dogs are dying. The truth I suspect lies somewhere between the RSPCA's too rosey (but very professional) PR and the previous staus quo. I congratulate the RSPCA for the good work, it's a major, major improvement. But dog geek is right I think to raise the issue of the transfers, they are the first thing that leapt to mind when I saw the stateline program as well.

Nothing in group today. Didn't matter. Nice grounds, good company and a judge who actually paid attention when going over my dogs was enough to keep me happy Only downside was the composting toilet - suffice to say it wasn't coping Beauie, thanks. The one I was thinking of was a youngster at Tumut. Meant to say hello to the hander but it was such a muddy ground I didn't end up walking over. So nice to see Irish Wolfhounds out and about, we had a drought for a while around here.

IW4ME, was that you with the Irish Wolfhound at Tumut today?

Yep drop by and get your share! we can watch ssm working in the ring

Amen to that.

The forecast seems to be for it to ease tomorrow morning but back again in the afternoon. If I had realised that entering a show could make it rain like it has been I could have broken the drought years ago.

It would be worth the effort PF. Just imagine how weird and eccentric absolutely fabulous the palace would look with shiny pink walls.

Oh Lordy, don't let poodlefan see it comes in PINK!

At least convince her that any breeder of any breed who will place a 6 week old puppy with her is definitely not ethical.

Me too. 60's going on early 70's

If he moves nicely on the lead, not jumping up or baulking, and lets a stanger look at his teeth and feel his body, that's probably enough for his first show. Anything more than that the person showing him can talk to you about. You mostly just want him to be happy and enjoy it as a baby puppy (but hey I'm pretty well a Show newby too, so what do I know )

thanks bmp I love that Belgian.

My experience seems to be a bit different. Kids played in the streets but they didn't take their dogs with them unless they had a new baby puppy to show off. Dogs stayed at home mostly. If they went anywhere it was usually on lead. But not as many people walked them as I see now, and it was more common not to have a dog than to have one. You still knew as a kid not to run from a dog, and not to bother one that wasn't yours. If a child was bitten it was usually not considered a big deal, depending on the severity of course, but frequent biters were killed. Most negative attitudes about dogs were about the barkers. There was only one dog who roamed the neighbourhood, a white boxer who lived a block away and was generally disliked for his wandering habit and cranky nature. He bit a few people, and his owners were considered a bit antisocial for keeping him. I don't think anyone reported him to the council though, although I probably wouldn't have known. Male dogs weren't desexed. Female dogs usually were. People who didn't desex culled the litters at birth (drowning mostly) or gave them away if the litter was considered a bit special. Some dumped them. Most dogs weren't pure bred. I think most got basic vet treatment. But no-one would spend thousands at the vet as we do now, they'd euthanase. Dogs didn't much come inside, or if they did it was to a specific part of the house. They might sleep in the laundry or have a bed in a corner of a room, but they weren't allowed free run of the house. The exception was a few people we knew with toy breeds, but it was considered very indulgent. I think some people worried about their dogs as much as we do, but they'd never admit it. The only conversations about dogs were those I initiated as a kid, unless it was a working dog it wasn't a grown up topic.

I have heard that putting a light in the roof space and leaving it on day and night for several days, along with the napthalene or quassia, will help encourage them to move out. But the main thing is blocking their entry points once they have. A friend was so tormented by a resident possum over a period of months that he got up in the middle of the night, knocked a hole in the wall where he could hear it and chased it out of the house. This method is not recommended!

Thanks for another well run show ssm