Maddy

If it's bad enough that you'd consider putting her to sleep, I'd be getting second and third options on her current treatment. It could be something as simple as adjusting the dosage further.

Which end of the state are they in? If it's up north, I'd suggest Peter de Boer in Mowbray. He's a great vet and very honest.

Without any printed course materials and paid in full upfront, $1552.

Pretty much. Just because an ingredient has vitamins X, Y and Z in it, doesn't mean dogs are capable of getting those vitamins from it. Lots of sciencey language and claims, zero actual science. Also lots of dodgy marketing terms like "promotes healthy organ function", which means.. nothing. Personally, I wouldn't touch it.

I own and rescue a large breed and have never had pups or young adults who did anything like that. So yeah, I'll agree with science, you can agree with disproven theories based on faulty studies

example : One of my dogs knew a friend well ... one day friend acidentally scared dog - dog would ,forever after show fear aggression when friend and dog were in certain (somewhat confined) situations. Dog was certainly not trying a domination strategy ......and the behaviour was always with this person Exactly. Crying "domination" whenever a dog doesn't do what you want/expect is not good management. If the dog reacts strongly, it likely has fear or pain motivating it and that should be addressed properly. People say "Oh, I see no reason behind it" but that doesn't mean is there is no reason, just that they aren't seeing it.

If Aidan doesn't, Megan from Doghouse might. Why does a dog have to have some ulterior motive for not enjoying something? He isn't trying to "dominate" anyone, it sounds like the dog has had some injury and is now aversive to being touched. If you hurt yourself, I'm sure you'd object to people manhandling your injury, too

*facepalm* Please stop making this about you and yours? Yeah, you might be lovely and yeah, your son might be great but no one here is talking about you. Again, what was said was that certain breeds (because of perceptions) often attract undesirable owners for those breeds. As for judgments not being fair.. your breed got the reputation it did because of bad owners. Simple. As. That. Wow, there really isn't any reason to be rude.. You really can't blame people for getting short with you here. Arguing the point over something that was never said is frustrating.

*facepalm* Please stop making this about you and yours? Yeah, you might be lovely and yeah, your son might be great but no one here is talking about you. Again, what was said was that certain breeds (because of perceptions) often attract undesirable owners for those breeds. As for judgments not being fair.. your breed got the reputation it did because of bad owners. Simple. As. That.

I didn't. I said a majority of dogs loose here are bullbreeds and it's the owners slack attitude that worries me especially after the recent attack on my greys. Any breed of dog can do damage to mine, remember I have the original breed subjected to BSL we are already muzzled by law, but any larger breed can kill mine in minutes. I was talking to a friend of mine who was with Bull Terrier Rescue here on the Central Coast and he said himself (as Remarkabull did) his beloved breed tend to attract a certain type of person which makes it difficult when rehoming. He said for example people don't want a greyhound to put on the back of the ute to protect to tools or in the yard to protect the house, they want something big tough and scary looking and if they bite then that's an added bonus I know you didn't HW.. But so many on this forum do.. I have run my own business since 2004 as an accountant. I have had bull breeds most of my life. I don't consider myself anything like what some seem to think we are, all because of the type of dog I choose to own. My dogs are trained, well socialised, have nice manners and are good dogs - but because of 'what they are', I must obviously be 'a certain type of person'.. Certain members of DOL wonder why the bull breed people get up in arms and want to defend our choice, when we are put in the same 'bucket' as those who are irresponsible. It is not just bull breed dogs but sadly that seems to be the only ones the media reports on.. I don't judge all poodle owners based on the irresponsible owner at the local park and her horrid dogs who bully every dog they can. There are good and bad dog owners of every breed.. Edited to add, if you knew my current boy - there is nothing big, scary or tough about him. He lays down for puppies to play, he belly crawls to smaller dogs to say hello and he rolls over if another dog growls at him.. They aren't all like the persona that people think they are - sure some are but most are not. No one was saying "bull breed owners are bogans". What was said (and I agree) was that certain types of people are attracted to certain breeds. You rarely see rough guys walking chis or poodles- they almost always pick big, strong breeds that have generally negative (however undeserved they might be) reputations. It's unfortunate for those breeds because it perpetuates those negative stereotypes but that's how it is. I have no doubt there are piles of responsible, good bull breed owners but no one was talking about (or referring to) them anyway.

Thanks, I remembered as soon as I hit post :) I have sent him a message. If they're up north, Megan Hulme at Doghouse Training. Both are excellent trainers though. Avoid Des the Dog Derper at all costs. Aidan can explain why.

As Debby Downer as it is, I have to agree. Not brave, just a cat and the usual cat variety of self-interest. Big dog comes bowling in (close enough to be a danger to the cat), cat does what some cats will do: put up a fight and then scurry off somewhere to glower murderously at the offending creature. I get that it can be tempting to apply human motivations (like bravery) to animal behaviour but I think by doing that, you're not seeing what really happened. /DebbyDownerism

I gets lots of foot shy dogs (and own two myself, oh the fun) so nothing to feel bad about. Just start at the very beginning- clicker and some treats. Go slow with the handling and try to avoid pushing too far. If he's really foot shy, you might have to bust out the extra high value treats. I do things like separating the toes (because you'll need to be able to do this, especially if he has hairy feet), applying small amounts of pressure to push the nail out, generally moving your hand around the foot, lifting it, putting it back up again. Basically, getting him comfortable with the sorts of things he'll be feeling when you do make a start on cutting.

This is one reason I no longer use wire muzzles. I've never had a nylon basket muzzle break and even if it did, fairly thick plastic won't do as much damage. Whether the greyhound is muzzled or not, I don't think it makes a difference; they're a tall, leggy dog (with a very exposed throat and thin skin) that aren't really built to defend themselves. If there's no hope of defending the dog yourself, a greyhound's best chance is probably to run. Letting a grey offlead brings with it other risks and weighing up the risks/benefits in a situation like that would be hard but personally, I don't think I could bear to see any of my dogs being torn to pieces in front of me- I'd rather slip the lead and give them a shot at getting away. I suppose another option is to carry something to defend with. Pepper spray or telescopic batons might not be legal but plenty of other things are.

Same. Before I started on the PPI, I got into the bad habit of swallowing air (because it feels briefly better) and that makes it even worse. If it turns out to be not something transient, I wouldn't hestitate to try proper medication for a dog.

It's not bile, it's just usually clear liquid with whatever he's eaten in it, I'm feeding them charcoal biscuits for a snack in the morning and it comes up green in colour (as does their poop). They are healthy as in low in fat etc. He's very healthy - I got him about a month ago and got the blood tests done and thorough checks He's definitely not feeling unwell at all, it's not like vomiting, it's no noise or effort from him, just a pool of liquid that appears suddenly. I will be hoping to rehome him but always do so with full disclosure. This is OK for me to manage as I have tiles but if a person had carpet then it wouldn't be great. I just wondered what other people's experiences of reflux were and if any meds helped. I've had a couple of hounds who've gone on hunger strikes (usually from the stress of a new environment) that resulted in reflux. From my own experience, it usually clears up within two weeks of them beginning to eat normally again. Bland foods seem to help so with dogs like that, it's chicken necks/wings and small amounts of Ziwipeak fed frequently. I suffer from GERD myself (caused by an immune disorder) and it sucks :/ Hope it clears up for your boy.

I make chicken breast jerky and for the Special Ed. hound, venison jerky. It's very easy stuff to make and actually smells quite nice while it's drying in the oven. Liver jerky is another but I have to admit, the more you smell it, the less tolerable that smells becomes. Having said that.. the broth left over from pre-boiling the liver can be added to all sorts of things. I usually let it cool down (to skim the fat off) and then it can be used to replace water in biscuit recipes, used as the water for frozen dog treats, etc. Alternatively, once the fat is skimmed, it can go back on the stove and be cooked down to a rich liver gravy that can be used (in small amounts) to make other foods more appealing or for dogs who need a bit of a boost. A trainer friend of mine does a roast chicken slice that the dogs absolutely love. I think it was just flour, eggs and BBQ chicken from Coles than had been pureed, those things mixed together and tossed in a cake tin. You could probably replace the wheat flour with something more healthy.

Ditto, and I've had youngsters of various ages. That's not to say it's impossible, of course, but I'd be getting another opinion anyway. Regarding diet, I wouldn't feed rice or vegetables to a greyhound and honestly, I wouldn't feed raw mince (and certainly not cooked mince) unless it was a mixed mince (containing some offal and ground bone). Also, I don't think fish oil in a young dog is necessary. If your dog has a good diet overall, supplementing in general is rarely needed and fish oil supplements may be doing more harm than good- there was a thread on here a while ago about a woman who almost lost her dog to a potential side effect of fish oil capsules, it's worth a read.

Did you miss the part where I acknowledged that results would vary between dogs? Here- I would suggest to anyone who was interested in trying rosehip powder to start with the regular stuff first and see if that makes any difference first. It's massively cheaper ($20/kg compared to $190/kg) and without the RHV website containing any information on how their product differs from the normal stuff, I can't see any benefit to buying the RHV.

I've tried the rosehip vital and found it to be absolutely useless. Rather than rehash what I've already said about it.. http://bodgerreviews.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/rose-hip-vital-canine/

Are there any documented cases of silicosis in dogs? Silicosis in humans typically shows up 15 to 20 years after regular exposure to crystalline silicon, eg., in daily work in mines. It seems unlikely that dogs would be at risk because (1) they don't live long enough to develop the disease; and (2) the exposure would most likely be for a few minutes a day and could be minimized by careful administration. P.s. I tried to do a casual lit search on silicosis in dogs. The only recent article I could find was a Chinese article where they were trying to use dogs as an animal model for human silicosis. They did this by blowing ground glass, with color markers, directly into the lungs of dogs and then doing CT scans. Talk about animal cruelty! http://aammt.tmmu.ed...ew&id=201202200 p.p.s. I think DE is worth exploring more broadly as a control for arthropod-parasitism, including the mites that cause mange. if there's a way to control a broad spectrum of parasites through physical abrasion of the exoskeleton, dog owners need to exploit it. The drug companies would prefer concocted poisons that kill fleas, ticks, mites, etc., but if there is an old fashioned remedy that does this without poison, it's worth looking at, and improving that remedy. DE has lots of variants, It's not just food grade vs. livestock grade. Could be produced, eg.., in various size classes, with sorting to avoid the sub-micron particles that get into the lungs, with high yield of the particle sizes that kill parasites. I agree DE has its uses but given its mechanism of action, it would need to be reapplied very frequently and any grooming by the dog is not only going to remove it but also expose the dog to inhalation. Using it outdoors.. now that's another matter and one worth looking into further. In a cattle study (involving GI coccidiosis), DE was added to feed and even though it obviously became wet, it continued to work. So.. it could be used outdoors on long shrubs, longer grass, etc (and kept moist) and in theory, should still be able to cut the ticks' exoskeletons and damage their eggs. The obvious downside to this is that DE is not selective so it would also kill beneficial insects that came into contact with it, like bees.

Silly question, no. I'd say dremel little-by-little so as to avoid hitting the quick. I suspect that the live tissue grows outward toward the end of the nail, so will have grown further out where nails have been long for a long time. Little-by-little should allow filing back as the live tissue recedes. This is a guess. If anyone knows different, please say. This is correct. The longer nails are left for, the longer the quick gets in the nail, which in turns means you can't take as much off on the first go (you have to train the quick back). Having said that, some dogs have really slow quicks that never seem to go far while others have quicks that really have to be watched. Also worth adding though that the quick tends to grow in a certain direction and not always evenly within the nail itself. I've cut nails that had huge arches over the top with the quick barely covered undeneath, and then nails where the top was very low and the underside was really thick. Whether or not these were initially caused by bad cutting or not cutting at all, I couldn't say although I suspect this to be the case. With nails that have thick uppers, I usually leave those alone as it doesn't seem to cause too much change in growth (although it can make regular cutting harder because of the increased amount of nail to actually get through). Nails with thick lower edges though, I try to grind the underside back up to a more claw shape (if you know what I mean) because as the nail thickens further, the added pressure on it seems to distort the shape and they start growing slightly outwards. For initial grinding, if the nails are really thick and overgrown, it's best to focus on enabling better wear of the nail, rather than taking length off immediately. I do this by using the grinder to loosen up the tip (breaking up the really hard protein that forms the U shape) and then softening the edges around it. This way, when the dog walks on concrete, the nail will get a bit of natural wear, which in itself will help train the quick back. Oh, and one other thing.. dust mask :p Your lungs will thanks you for it. Let me know if you need any help or want to borrow a grinder to try.

Other issue with DE is the constant inhalation of the dust which could cause long-term lung damage. Personally, I wouldn't do it. To answer the others.. Neem - Will not kill ticks. May repel them. When you're dealing with paralysis ticks, may repel is not good enough. Diatomaceous Earth - May work, but has serious risks. Silicosis cannot be cured. HerbaGuard Powder - Main active is DE, other oils would be in trace amounts (as Pennyroyal is highly toxic) so really, it's just fancy, expensive DE that smells nice. ACV and vinegar in general - Besides not being proven to actually work, applying enough vinegar to have any kind of effect is also going to drastically change the pH of your dog's skin from between ~5 or 7 down to ~2 (white vinegar is usually around 2). For feeding/drinking water, I can't see how this would work but either way, I don't think it's wise to be altering pH levels in such a manner. Garlic - To be even close to 100% effective, it would have to be fed in considerable quantities. Given the risks associated with feeding garlic, I wouldn't use it for any reason. Brewers yeast - Zero evidence. Citrus Spray - Zero evidence and probably not pleasant for the dog, either. I think there's a lot of demonising of the Evil Chemicals without people really understanding them. For example.. if you let your dog have anything to drink today, you've exposed it to the chemical H2O. Chemical does not mean evil and with one exception above (the DE) the "natural" remedies would rely on chemicals to repel or kill the ticks. Also, natural definitely does not mean safer. Pennyroyal oil is far more toxic to ingest than imidacloprid, for example. If your dogs are having reactions to either the active or the carrier of one particular formulation, I'd be discussing alternatives with your vet.

A dremel, a pocket full of BBQ chicken and patience. Even though it's noisy and it takes a bit of time, I think using a dremel makes it easier for the person doing it because you don't have to worry so much about hitting the quick. Which means less anxiety for you and there isn't that pause before a cut. You know the pause.. "please don't create a gushing font of toe blood, please oh god please" :p

Good idea. As for the other dogs that are publicly available, I'm not sure what to do I've put something on the page about ti. But I hate when people are blatantly making crap up about a dog they've never met and it's all incorrect. All I can do is hunt those pictures down and comment the proper description. If it's possible (with image size and res), you could include the pound notes or at least the basic, important info on the picture. Use white text with a black outline and it'll be fairly visible on just about any image. I'd include breed (or mix), age, gender, exclusions (pocket pets, cats, small kids, whatever) and some brief info on the dog (eg, crazy high energy or very shy, etc).