Maddy

As dangerous as any sleeve muzzle, really. If there's one thing I hate seeing, it's people walking their dogs with a sleeve muzzle on- dangerous, pointless things as a dog can still bite- trust me on that one :/ The trouble with racing is that it could be okay. Remove the gambling, make it a hobby (no prize money) and only those who really loved the sport (and the dogs) would hang around. Unfortunately, it'll probaby never happen here.

Probably bark muzzles. The US yard muzzles are fairly good (although not as good as the UK yard muzzles, which are lighter and better designed). A lot of greyhound owners here (pet owners) still use wire muzzles and honestly, these terrify me. Welds can break and when they do, it turns the muzzle into a mess of sharp wires. This is a bark muzzle. They're not all that different from the regular nylon sleeve muzzles pet owners use for things like vet visits. They work by not allowing the dog to open its mouth wide enough to bark. There are a few different styles (wire, apollo strapping and strap closure) but yeah.. same sh*t, different bucket.

The situation in the US was/is quite different to Australia. in the US, greyhounds are generally housed at a track, in kennels that are basically very large crates. The dogs are turned out several times a day but the standard of care in many facilities was absolutely appalling. (there were other issues but it's complicated and I'm hot and tired :p ) Compare to Australia where greyhounds usually live with their trainer (for smaller trainers) or on large, purpose-built properties. These dogs live in decent sized runs and arguably have a much better quality of life. Most trainers I've dealt with do provide reasonable care (especially when considered against all the pet dogs who live lonely lives, locked away in backyards) and that's not my issue. As Lynn said, it's about numbers. Many breeders seem to go for a shotgun approach- breed enough puppies and invariably, one or two might do well. This, however, leaves you with a heap of other pups who aren't going to cut it. When I was rescuing, most of the surrenders were either 15 - 18 month olds (trialed and not fast enough) or 2 - 4 year old dogs who'd run a few races and either weren't fast enough or suffered an injury. Dogs with injuries are out for their own good but for the slow dogs, a different grading system could keep them in the game. As I've pointed out before, a race of slow dogs is still a race and you can still place bets on which slobby lazehound finally slothes past the post. Many of the problems could be fixed but change in that sort of industry is very slow to happen. When I had to deal with the racing board down here, I was once told by the chairman that he didn't microchip his dogs because "them microchips cause cancer". *sigh*

The only information I can find all leads back to Jean Dodds so yeah, I'm very skeptical. Exactly. 77% of tested dogs being hypothyroid (probably from the medication) does not suggest that hypothyroidism causes seizures or that thyroxine is going to be of any benefit. You have a correlation that is explained by a medication involved and nothing I can find suggests any causation. As an aside.. here is a list of symptoms/disorders jean Dodds attributes to hypothyroidism: Weakness, stiffness, laryngeal paralysis, facial paralysis, tragic expression, knuckling or dragging feet, muscle wasting, megaesophagus, head tilt, drooping eyelids, seizures, mental dullness, exercise intolerance, neurologic signs, polyneuropathy, lethargy, weight gain, cold intolerance, mood swings, hyperexcitability, stunted growth, chronic infections, dry/scaly skin and dandruff, coarse/dull coat, bilateral symmetrical hair loss, rat tail, puppy coat, hyperpigmentation, seborrhea or greasy skin, pyoderma or skin infections, myxedema, chronic offensive skin odor, infertility of either sex, lack of libido, testicular atrophy, hypospermia aspermia, prolonged interestrus interval, absence of heat cycles, silent heats, pseudopregnancy, weak, dying or stillborn pups, slow heart rate (bradycardia), cardiac arrhythmias, cardiomyopathys, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, bleeding, bone marrow failure, low red blood cells, low white blood cells, low platelets, corneal lipid deposits, corneal ulceration, uveitis Keratococonjunctivitis, sicca or dry eye, infections of eyelid glands, lgA deficiency, loss of smell (dysosmia), loss of taste, glycosuria, chronic active hepatitis, other endocrinopathies adrenal, pancreatic, parathyroid. Just about every vague or common symptom you can think of. The majority of these things would have likely causes elsewhere but by listing every common complaint she can think of as being something possibly linked to hypothyroidism, she's just created herself a huge market of dogs that "should" be tested. I doubt I'm going to change the minds of any Jean Dodds believers here but hopefully, other people who are considering wasting their money (or risking their dog's health based on her recommendations) will think very carefully before they do so.

Can you provide links to some studies that confirm this? Everything I've read suggests hypothyroidism does not contribute to seizures and in hyperthyroidism, it is very rare- with the recommendation that thyroid testing be done after all other avenues have been explored. If someone has done studies that prove seizures in dogs can be controlled 77% of the time with thyroid medication, I'd be very interested in seeing them.

The trouble with stats for greys is that they're estimated based on other figures (litters registered against dogs named), don't account for any rehoming and don't include dogs already named or dogs retired to breeding and so on. With those issues, getting actual numbers would be very difficult. Given the bulk of dogs PTS in pounds are not purebred, I'd guess greyhounds would actually make up a sizable portion of euthanased purebred dogs. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any other breed that is bred in such numbers where the majority are PTS for reasons other than humane (old age, illness, whatever).

I'll be blunt about it- I think Jean Dodds is a quack. Whatever good she may have done in the past, she now just pushes her own product. And that's fine but when someone has commercial interests in a type of testing (or product), their ability to remain unbiased and objective is compromised. Bruce Syme is another, although at least he just pushes expensive calf museli, rather than diagnostics. Then there's the fairly relevant issue of medication- some epilepsy medications cause the hypothyroidism in humans. Jean Dodds, however, is fairly vague about the facts because suggesting seizures or epilepsy are a symptom of hypothyroidism just broadens her own market. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10461631

Idiot Dog has the same sort of seizures and also seems to do very well on the phenobarb, although a fairly high dose because we were having the odd breakthrough seizure. Interestingly, not only were his bloods normal, they were actually really good. On paper, he's healthy as a horse but he's very much reliant on the phenobarb. Personally, I wouldn't be bothering with stuff like thyroid testing (no offense to the Jean Dodds fans) but checking for the obvious stuff like a portosystemic shunt or underlying infection. Some causes of seizure can be treated so it's worth getting the dog to a vet.

The majority of dogs who are unsuitable for racing are put to sleep. A few remain with their owners/trainers (retained as pets or for breeding) but they are the minority, generally speaking. Where I am, there is one vet (who shall remain nameless as he is a piece of sh*t) who will PTS dogs for free if the trainers agree to allow him to take their blood first. When someone is offering euthanasia for free, uncaring trainers have no reason to even consider an adoption group. The greyhound in my avatar picture was due to be dropped off at that same vet at 14 weeks of age. Fortunately for him (and me), his trainer relented and surrendered him to me.

If he wants to be able to sell his product, why not do it the same way everyone else has to- with proper testing (anecdotal evidence is not sufficient) and TGA approval? If his product actually works and is safe, he'll get his approval. This isn't "big pharma" out to protect their profits from some amazing miracle product, this is the government doing what we employ them to do- protect consumers from dangerous or ineffective therapeutic products.

This surprises me. Can you provide the evidence please. I am interested to see it. http://www.ncis.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/FACT-SHEET-Animal-related-deaths-final.pdf You've been a bit unfair to poor little shetland ponies, giving them all the blame. I don't think I have. If young children are going to be around horses, ponies or donkeys, I'd guess it'd most likely be ponies. From seeing dog bite stats in NSW, there was an obvious correlation between number of dogs registered per shire and bites reported* (as you'd expect, really) and I think it'd be safe to assume that number of incidents with any animal will increase/decrease based on how many people are in contact with those animals. Logic aside.. thug pony. *To a certain extent, dog bite stats by breed correlate roughly with popularity of breed, also.

This surprises me. Can you provide the evidence please. I am interested to see it. http://www.ncis.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/FACT-SHEET-Animal-related-deaths-final.pdf

Blinks' hunt paintings are amazing. Stuff like this cannot be compared to someone awkwardly photoshopping a dog into some random background.

I'd be asking why he is claiming the work of other people as his own. I had a casual look through his other galleries and they were the same, all other peoples' work. That said, I believe the paintings on the home page are his, there is a big difference in quality/skill compared to the ones in the galleries though so it's still very misleading.

Golden retrievers by Nigel Hemming. English setters by Thomas Blinks. Wire fox terrier by Lilian Cheviot. Hound is a George Stubbs painting. Basset hound by Sandro Nardini. Hunting dog by Alexander Pope. Other greyhound painting by Christine Merrill. Several more English setters by Thomas Blinks. Springer spaniel by Lilian Cheviot. Irish setters by Henri Schouten. More setters again by Thomas Blinks. Cavalier seems to be an original work in that someone has pasted a cav's head onto a painting by Karl Pavlovich Bryullov. Above those paintings is the text- "Here are some further examples of our skill." Edit- the disclaimer from the bottom of their About Us page..

Looking through some of "their" work, I noticed a picture that was familiar to me. It was A Greyhound In An Extensive Landscape by Alfred de Dreux. Now, unless Alfred de Dreux has been risen from the dead and is painting for them, that's not their work.

Yes all animals do have the 'potential' to be aggressive but the levels of 'aggression' and damage can vary greatly. Just like motor vechiles. All motor vechiles can be dangerous. But what has the potential to be more dangerous and do more damage- a Mazada 2 or a Semi-Trailer?? Some dogs have more strength, size, power and alot more prey and fight drive in them because that's why they were bred and that's why they even exist. People shouldn't pretend that all dogs are equal. Some dog breeds are less suitable as family pets, for apartment living, and city socialite life. The old adage that all dogs(or mammals) have the potential to bite is True but also False. Because I'd rather my kids play with 'potentially' dangerous Rabbits than 'potentially' dangerous Hunting dogs ( and yes i have met hunting dogs before). Obviously? No one here was saying otherwise so I'm not sure who you're even having that argument with. That said.. the original point still stands- all dogs are predators. Children have been killed by big dogs and children have been killed by small dogs. Statistically though, you or your child are more likely to be killed by a Shetland pony (or a cow) than by a dog so if you're really worried about protecting children, keep them away from pony rides.

2 words... Watership Down :D As a child, I remember being absolutely horrified by that movie but still not believing rabbits would actually hurt each other because.. you know, they're cute and cute things don't rip each other to bloody pieces. When we first brought Rorschach and Blackie home (10 weeks old, meat farm rescues), we put them in a lovely big run on the front lawn so that they could taste grass, feel the sunshine on their backs and breathe in the fresh air of a new life.. that lasted all of five minutes before Rorschach decided Blackie would look better with a Glasglow grin and laid into him with a murdery focus that would've made Jack the Ripper cringe. ^ That is the face of a thug.

So tired of this pluralistic BS. If a person commits an assault, we don't just shrug our shoulders and say "oh well, all people have the potential to be aggressive." ALL dogs most definitely do NOT have the potential to be aggressive. What we perceive as "aggression" (anthropomorphism) is a function of breeding, upbringing, and training. Dogs that have been bred for security work, some forms of hunting, (and yes fighting) often have "aggressive" traits bred in. Unfortunately dogs bred "wildly" or carelessly bred without regard to "temperament" may also have these traits. It's like responding to a fatal white-pointer attack by saying "all fish have the potential to be aggressive." No that would be like pointing to a dog attack and saying "All mammals have potential to be aggressive". They do, whether or not a pigmy shrew would inflict severe injuries is another matter though. :laugh: They absolutely do. Some of the nastiest injuries I've had from an animal have been from rabbits. They're cute but if they're in a mood, those claws (the same ones that can dig very nice burrows) are perfectly capable of excavating human flesh. The OH's rabbit goes one further and kills sparrows that come into her house.

I have no opinion either way regarding this particular story but I have to agree with Christina about kennels generally- if you cannot safely evacuate the numbers you have, surely that's too many. If clients were made aware that no effort would be made to evacuate their dogs in the event of a disaster, I think many would look elsewhere for boarding.

Sarah Palin's kid puts his foot on a dog, PETA kill ten of thousands of dogs, Sarah Palin is the monster? Seems legit.

An unrelated adult dog is not necessarily company for a new puppy.

Idiot Dog at 14 weeks old, small enough to fit on a pillow.. Idiot Dog at around 18 months old, big enough to take up most of the bed :|

I think that's sort of the point of them. Shed antlers have a very high mineral content so they won't rot or get smelly, which is useful for people who can't feed bones outside for whatever reason. How fresh they are probably also makes a difference- antlers that have sat in some warehouse accumulating foreign smells are probably not very appealing to dogs. I get mine from a friend who does commercial shooting on farms down in the midlands and the dogs seem pretty keen on what they're smelling. In my opinion, fallow deer antlers are probably best because you can cut up the cups, which seem softer and provide a larger area for the dog to grasp. The coronet section (with the brow tine cut off) would also be good, depending in how thick the main beam is coming off it. Thicker there is better because then the dog can get its teeth into the softer core. That said.. some dogs just aren't into them, as with any food.

It might be worth discussing other options with the vet. Local anesthetic would be quicker and probably easier for everyone concerned, especially if finances are a factor. My vet has stitched up some sizable holes in the exam room with just some local (and they healed up perfectly) and that involved snipping away damaged edges of live skin. Removing a dangling dew claw is less cutting and no stitching so it should be easier. If it was the actual toe, I'd definitely say GA but it seems excessive for a toe nail.