Staffyluv

Try closer to 70% now. Really rare aye? But they still sell for over $2000 ... Because idiots are still willing to pay $2000 from a backyard breeder, just so they can say they paid that much for a rare blue english staffy (mother of dog, it just about killed me to write those last 4 words).

Try closer to 70% now. Really rare aye? Brindles are the least appealing, so it won't be long and it will be the rare brindles..

Morons.

I am in Canberra and we used Rod Straw in Brisbane as our oncologist - he is one of the leading canine oncologists in Australia. My link Our holistic vet was Barbara at All Natural Vet Care in Sydney.My link Note there are different holistic vets there now compared to when I used them. Our regular vet was wonderful and used to liaise with both of these vets, for the best care all round. We used both holistic and main stream veterinary services. Our vet administered the treatments recommended by the oncologist, all test results were sent to both the oncologist and the holistic vet and the holistic vet used to do phone conferences with me to discuss Ol's progress, set backs and what to do next. His chemo went for 6 months and we used to update the oncologist each year - he was amazed that Ollie lived so long. Chemo doesn't affect dogs like it does humans - they sometimes get a bit flat a day or so after for maybe a day or so but that is about it. Ollie had a 3 week chemo protocol. One week he had Vinblastin, the next week he had Lomustine (spelling not sure of it) and the third week was rest week. Then back to the vets for bloods to see if we could go again. Sometimes his blood count wasn't high enough to do chemo, so we would wait that week out and go again the next week. It is expensive and draining - the emotional roller coaster of a terminally ill dog is hard on everyone. We knew we were only buying Ollie time but it was worth it. After the chemo finished we had the option to go again but chose not to. He was holistically treated for the next few years and then we just let him be - he still lived a couple of years after this. If I had to do it again - I would...

True the dogs should be leashed in public. I find it interesting that when we were kids, dogs were rarely leashed and rarely confined to our yard. They never rushed people walking past and they didn't attack people or other dogs.. Our street always had numerous kids and dogs roaming around - the kids were more feral than the dogs. I often find myself wondering why it is so different now, compared to back then.

I think the reason some may think it odd is because it was 2 staffs, the woman was on the ground with both dogs on her 'attacking'. Winter woolies would definitely make the attack less but dogs teeth are a decent length and would easily go through winter woolies. I would like a dollar for every time my dogs have picked up a tennis ball and popped it in half - clothing is no protection (unless it was something like a bite sleeve or suit). I don't doubt for once second this poor lady was attacked by the dogs. I did say what I think is a possibility as to why she doesn't have the injuries that would be 'expected' from an attack by 2 staffords.

I was wondering afeter what I have seen and read on this story if it was an attack.. It is purely hypothetical but perhaps the dogs were very over excited, she got knocked to the ground and the dogs were just all over her in excitement.. It would explain the lack of bites. A massive staffy rumble, two very excited staffs, in the midst of two small dogs and two people, one on the ground, could easily look like an attack and to someone who doesn't really know staffs, it would probably even feel like one. Two staffs with a victim on the ground, in an attack, they are unlikely to let go. It is inappropriate for the dogs to be off lead and rush anyone, aggressively or not. I feel for the woman and others affected by the incident. Hopefully the owners of the staffs will be fined accordingly and learn from this..

MCTs seem to show up in dogs that have a history of allergies as well - especially skin allergies. The body releases histamine in response to an allergy - so do MCTs.. There has been quite a bit of study done on the link. Back when Ollie had MCT his prognosis was 12-18 months (grade 2, multiple tumour sites, no clear margins). 2 years from dx seems to be a very interesting point in time - it seems so many pass around that time (I was very lucky). I am sorry for your loss RobynH, it really is an insidious disease but it can be managed to a degree. Removing the instance of histamine releases by giving anti histamines daily is one thing. A good vet and a good holistic vet that work with the canine oncologist is how we managed to keep Ol well for so long.

I agree.. I always thought puppies had a sort of puppy license with older dogs but have come to realise that just isn't the case at all. Glad the little dog made it through such a horrible ordeal. The poor owner and her kids. How awesomely courageous of the bystander. Ollie dog was attacked a couple of times, once by a female SBT and she was adamant that she wasn't giving up. Even with her owner (a very large woman) laying on top of her, she still managed to get out from under her and out of her grip and come after him again - it is something I will never forget. Zig has been run down and I thought was going to be attacked but the other dog just stood over him with its mouth around him - then again, he rolls over at the first sign of not being able to get away or back to me. Where as Ollie dog stood his ground and wouldn't back down.. Maybe that is why one turned into a fight and the other didn't??

Yep, agree with sas.

Jebus, I wish vets would warn owners of the incisions required to get clear margins. I am sorry about your boy. MCT is often not as bad as it sounds. Mast cell tumours release histamine - get your dog onto an antihistamine once a day. Ollie was about 22kg and took one polarmine tablet a day for the rest of his life. What grade were the tumours removed? Has the vet suggested chemo?, radiation?, or a wait and see approach? Ollie was grade 2 MCT, with no clear margins on the excision of his biggest tumour. They took lymph nodes near the main tumour site (he had 4 tumour sites the first surgery) and the lymph nodes contained mast cells - he was already systemic. So we chose to do 6 months of chemo (vinblastin and ?? can't remember off the top of my head but it is all in his thread here in this part of the forum). While he was having chemo and for many years after, we also treated holistically - high doses of vitamin C (1000mg a day), five mushroom drops, lymphodran, anti-ox and a couple of other supplements as well as chinese herbs (the things we do for our dogs hey!) We made the decision to stop doing surgery when he was 11 years old. He had a toe removed as it showed another type of malignant tumour. He didn't recover from this surgery very well and we decided then, that he wouldn't have any more surgeries, no matter how many lumps and bumps we found. He did have 4 surgeries to remove MCTs over the years. Ollie's prognosis wasn't very good - his initial prognosis was 12-18 months with chemo. He lived over 6 years - had a good life and was loved right to the very end.. He was given his wings at the ripe age of 14.5 years old.

My vet took x-rays and you can see wear on Zig's right hip and to a lesser degree on his left hip. Zig is 3 years old now. When I asked about scoring - I was told it is a specialist field and that these x-rays would probably need to be redone and sent to a specialist to get an accurate score. We know there is wear on his hips, that is good enough for me - we will x-ray again on a regular basis to see if it gets worse and what further treatments may be needed over time. I first noticed him carrying his right leg after hard exercise. It didn't slow him down at all but when he ran, he would carry his right back leg and not use it as much. We initially thought a knee injury (type and age of dog) but after the x-rays we realised it was actually his hips. He would often stand leaning to the left, putting more weight on his left back leg than his right after exercise. So we have moderated his exercise to a degree, added some supplements to his diet and he has pain meds but we never use them, to be honest - he just doesn't seem to have pain at this point). Good luck with your pup - I hope it isn't HD.

Zig has been on VAN and Blackhawke kibble for a while (bones and kibble in the morning) and VAN at night. Everyone always comments on how shiny he is. I think I will change the kibble back to Earthborn Holistic (Primitive and Ocean Catch) because he seems 'softer' in muscle tone since I changed to Blackhawke and it isn't the first time I have heard this. The bones I use are lamb ribs, chicken frames, turkey necks, chicken necks and wings I buy the premade VAN but also have the mix here and usually mix it with roo mince.

I'm in.. Staffyluv over there as well... Zig and I are taking a bit of a break from obedience because we are a bit stagnant there.. Not improving and even going backwards in a couple of areas, sometimes. Back to relationship building and making it more fun.

My old SBT had quite a few lipomas removed and never had one grow back - I didn't realise they did.

I hope he is stood down - how dare they hurt an animal, when they are supposed to be searching a house..

Most dog trainers don't focus on training dogs. They focus on training the dog's owners to train their dogs. I'd never recommend an owner send their dog away for training. However, seeking instruction from someone knowledgeable in dog training, especially as a novice seems no more than smart thinking to me. Exactly, all my dogs go to obedience training and we have also had one on one with specialised trainers. They teach you how to handle your dog.. They don't teach the dog anything. That is my boy in the background - pound bull breed and my current foster girl in the front.. He is at CCD level at our obedience club (one level up from advanced). She starts obedience at the same club next term. Ziggy and Bella Doggie park fun by jamoore photos, on Flickr This is my boy after he came 3rd in his advanced obedience class and his then foster sister, who came 1st in her beginners class.. Zig third and Zip first 15.9.2013 by jamoore photos, on Flickr

We had two SBT while the boys were growing up - both great dogs. Our oldest son was 8 and the youngest was 2 years old when we got the first dog for them. Sadly we lost this guy when he was only 3 years old. The next SBT came along when the youngest was 5 and the oldest 11.. He stayed with us until he was 14.5 years old. I totally agree with Wreckit - you need to make sure you have the right environment for them.. Not so much, are they right for you..

Happy Birthday to the biggest baby...

My sister did the same thing with her Stafford.. He is now looking at having his leg removed as it can't be fixed again and he is in so much pain.

Keep some of his food out of his meal and get a puzzle ball - where he has to work for the food. Instead of dinner taking five minutes, it gets drawn out a bit longer. Chew toys are another option, so are big meaty bones that will take ages to chew on. It is hard to keep them amused for a long time, when they have to rest.

I'm the same Raineth, can't believe people don't get their dogs treated.. She is bouncing along nicely now. Using her leg, playing and just being a puppy.. It's good that Jakes blood work was fine but on the other hand, sometimes you wish it showed something, so you can fix it.. Fruit loops are fun :D

True T - one of our local buy swap sell pages has a moron asking if anyone is interested in Chi pups as she is thinking about breeding hers.. $450 for males and $500 for females because you can make money out of females. It drives me nuts and as much as I want to rant and rave on their posts, there is no point...

She is on the mend. She was run over before she came into care and left untreated. So she had to have her femoral head removed (like they do for dogs with severe hip dyslasia) and some ligaments fixed on her right back leg. We are doing some physio with her to get her using it again. Stretching her leg back and also getting her to stand on a Paws Fit Disc is helping. The vet said it would be 3 months before she is using it as normal as possible. She comes to the dog park with us but tends to just walk with me, while I throw the ball for Zig to get a good run. She only does about 20 minutes of walking before she is tired though.. She is being booked into obedience next term, so she gets her beginners obedience pass and then she will be ready to be rehomed.. She is going to be a hard one to let go but I can't help another, if she was to say - and I know there is a perfect family out there for her..

Stunning animals.