Maddy

The first article, on her own site.

I got as far as the part where she implies it can cure.. And couldn't take her seriously after that. I know the woman is very well-respected around here but she's obviously a quack

I get a lot of bed shredding dogs so I bought an XL Durobed cover (not the actual bed) and stuffed it with filling salvaged from other shredded beds. It cost $50ish, is easy enough to wash (just take out stuffing and put in machine) and six months in, is fairly intact.

I'm surprised they've only just started stocking it. The Launceston ATB has a decent range of super premiums and has been selling things like Taste of the Wild, Royal Canin and Nutro for at least 12 months.

While I'd generally agree with you on the issue, I think it does depend a lot on the individual dog. You get some dogs with nice, tight dewclaws and they're never a problem. Then you get the dogs with the dewclaws that flap in the breeze and usually end up having to come off anyway when the dog inevitably snags it and rips the tendons and muscles halfway up off its leg, causing the dog a hell of a lot of pain and distress. I don't agree with the cutting of dewclaws by breeders though, for any reason. I don't think you can tell how firm a dewclaw is going to grow to be (from looking at the neonate puppy) and besides that, cutting a thumb off without any anesthetic is not humane by any stretch of the imagination.

I've never bothered with the dry shampoos (because I can't help but think they'd just leave more crap in the coat to wash out) but I do use a "between baths" product. It's the Plush Puppy Wonder Wash and it seems to do a fairly decent job of not just covering smells but stretching out time between washes. All three of my dogs are mostly white so it's also handy for doing the necks and other areas that yellow from oxidisation of oils in the coat (or wee stains >.>) Only problem I had with it was that a little goes a really long way. It can be hard to judge how much you've sprayed on a certain area until you go to towel it out and it feels soaked.

I'd agree with what others have said- don't make a big deal out of it. I get a lot of greys that have never worn coats (or pajamas) and I just put them on and leave them to it. Without an audience, they stand there for a few minutes and then just go back to whatever they were doing. By the next day, you'd think they'd been born in a coat.

Those kennels looked a hell of a lot better than most greyhound kennels I've seen (and the dogs looked far better cared for). If AA want some sensational footage to drive donations, I could point them in the direction of plenty of greyhound properties that wouldn't require any heavy editing to make them look awful. I guess 70 year old ladies are easier pickings though

My old beast is the same age and has similar problems. No obvious pain when moving about, just a bit creaky and slow to get going. I was giving him Flex but recently switched to the Paw Osteocare chews which if nothing else, are easier than having to find new and inventive ways of hiding powder in things. This place has them on sale at the moment- http://www.budgetpetproducts.com.au/new/index.php?productID=3477&cat=299

An outoging and sociable dog who is good on lead. I used to use Kiff for any greyhound events we did and he was amazing but he doesn't have the energy to do them anymore. He's also a dream to have on a lead, he used to pull like a train but hundreds of hours later and sometimes, I feel the need to look down to make sure I still have a dog on the other end of the leash :D I was hoping our youngest dog would be able to take over his role but as it turns out, despite heaps of socialisation, Bosley is below average around strangers, and because of his blind eye, horrible to walk on a lead (he does constant donuts, doesn't like walking on any hard surface, etc).

Chrissie Swan & her just as ignorant offsider Jane Hall should shut their mouths until they are actually prepared to do some research instead of hysterically calling for the eradication of breeds such as GSD's, Rottis & Rhodesians - amongst others. I've been listening to her unfounded rants yesterday morning & again today where she questions why anyone would want to own a dog that weighs more than 50 kilos - sitting in judgement of people like me as if we are some kind of child killing monsters. Ms Swan hasn't met me or my dogs yet she is of the clear belief that my beautiful dogs have no place in society simply because they weigh more than 50kgs. That appears to be her only criteria to declare large dogs a dangerous menace & a threat to all children. Strange that Ms Swan didn't have the same level of concern for her own unborn child when she made the decision to smoke cigarettes during the later stages of pregnancy, despite the undisputed FACTUAL evidence that smoking whilst pregnant can have serious long term effects on the health of the foetus. And don't even start me on how she sent her 'rescue cat' back to the shelter because she found it sleeping in the babies cot. Wonder if her Bondi Vet buddy Chris Brown shares her extreme views regarding large dogs & dog ownership in general. Ah.. so weight is what makes a dog dangerous. I'd commented elsewhere today that my greyhounds (who are all very tall dogs) had yet to eat either of my children and that perhaps they were broken. As it happens, most of my dogs are around the 30-35kg mark so at least 10kg shy of being baby eaters. Useful to know!

As far as I know (and from my own observations) the staining is fungal. I have two parti greyhounds- one has really heavy staining around his mouth (he looks like a filthy child at times) and the other has absolutely no staining. Both are fed the same diet, both live indoors (at least 23 hours a day) and they are of a similar age. The difference, so far as I can tell, is that the male has a wet mouth and the female doesn't. He has been on antibiotics (of differing types) for a few different things but those antibiotics had absolutely no effect on his staining. Interestingly, his teeth/gums are far better than hers, ruling out it being related to dental health but also suggesting that the amount of saliva seems to play a part- when he does the crazy shake, saliva goes everywhere, when she shakes, nothing. I've had a smell of the skin around his mouth (as well as his breath) and while the breath is fine, the staining does have an odour. I've never done anything about his staining because it doesn't bother him and he's otherwise healthy for a elderly dog but in the interests of science, I might pick up some natural yoghurt for him and see if that makes any difference :D Assuming it is fungal, i'd guess the causes would be similar to cause of overgrowth in humans- a warm, wet area to start with and then something happening to trigger the overgrowth: stress, antibiotics, compromised immune system, etc.

Malaban. Very easy to get and probably a lot cheaper than Frontline spray. I use it around our boundaries (most of our neighbours have dogs) and we've never had any problems.

Fixed that for you. Back to the OP.. For what it's worth, the same sort of thing came up in the Northern suburbs of Launceston. The RSPCA and police investigated and found absolutely no evidence, just a lot of "heard it from my uncle's neighbour's mother's friend's mechanic so it must be true" variety of hearsay. Add in some Facebook (because nothing makes a population stupider than FB) and you have a similar sort of community panic that is based on literally zero evidence and a heap of assumption. I've seen several cases recently where people claimed their dogs had been stolen for fighting. When said dogs were found wandering locally, the story didn't change- they just claimed that their dog had somehow escaped the dogfighters because it was distressed when they found it (a week or so without food and familiar surroundings will distress most creatures but nevermind the logic, there's drama to be had).

How is he actually positioned when you're working on his nails? I found very early on that cutting the nails of a standing or sitting dog usually ended in either blood or someone running off to hide. I put dogs up on the grooming table and then, using a towel, get them laying on their sides with their feet dangling over the edge (which makes it all easier anyway). I get in a lot of greys who'd never stand or sit still for the nail grinding but are fine on their sides. I've noticed it can also help to put a facewasher over their eyes.

she already has a proven track record with how she regards any helpful advice. She's a nutter and doing greyhounds no favours at all. I'm afraid I have to agree with this. I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and contributed some information on how to do things properly but as happened to others, that advice was completely ignored. How lovely someone is really has nothing to do with rescue anyway- I probably don't come across as being a lovely, cuddly person but I work damn hard at what I do for the sake of my breed and it shits me endlessly to see people (however "lovely" they may be) charging in and doing stuff that jeopardises all the hard work of people who do things the right way. People like that, in my opinion, are selfish and lazy. They don't bother worrying about consequences and I suspect some of them couldn't give two f***s beyond their own egos.

It's a commonly abused means of avoiding the law, along with claiming the dog is a greyhound cross whippet. In my opinion, people who refuse to accept (and respect) greyhounds for what they are should not be rescuing or offering advice to the public. It's not enough to just like greyhounds.

Sorry HA but your cuddle factory analogy made me giggle. But the filthy farm comment is very true. I had a friend who bought (read as "you can have this one or she will be put down") an older bitch from a high volume breeder (purebreds but little different to what would normally be called a puppy farm, just cleaner). She nearly died during desexing and the vet's graphic description of her uterus always haunts me - he said "Wet a tissue and put it on the table. Then try and pick it up without breaking it. That was her uterus. Now imagine that each break bleeds..." Sorry = OT. But yes, I too have seen raffles etc at specific events - for horse services, for sheepdog pups from highly desirable lines etc. But they are very much targeted at an audience that have the means and knowledge to take on an animal for reasons other than impulse and general cuteness. That made me cringe but I'd imagine it'd be pretty accurate. At least the ex broodies from TL don't have to worry about stuff like that- the owner has them put to sleep after he's finished with them >.> A friend of mine (now the proud owner of a rescued grey) actually wanted to buy one of his ex brood bitches and was refused because apparently the breeding bitches are.. his wording was either feral or wild, I forget which. Neither are adjectives you'd want associated the mother of the puppy you were buying, either way.

As far I as know, no threats were actually made (the post was pulled because it got very critical of TL). In my opinion, Tasmanian Labradoodles started the whole thing in the hopes of not only making some money and getting some free publicity but also to create a sense of good-will. They also give away "therapy" dogs for the same reason. And it works- in one group I'm in, a woman said (I'm paraphrasing here) that we should all stop being so horriwbly mean to TL because they do so much good for the community by giving away the pups they can't sell. I'm sure the owner is aware that the tide is turning against puppy farming (which he admits he does) so they're busy trying to portray themselves as some sort of cuddle factory where rainbows and sunshine and happy thoughts are made (rather than a filthy farm where bitches pump out puppies until they can breed no further and are then killed).

I have to agree with this. I feel sorry for his family but.. no real pity for the "victim".

Roo tails might also be a good option. Lots of places sell them here (for soup, sort of like ox tail) and they're quick and easy to chew through.

I've noticed a lot of butchers cut across the bone for briskets, turning them into neat little choking squares. That's why I'd rather get whole flaps and cut them up myself, I've never had problems feeding out ribs that have been cut between the bones.

I get my sheep slaughtered to order but most butchers would probably have them. I found that the closer you get to the source of the meat, the more unusual bits and pieces you can actually get. Trying to source green tripe from a butcher was a nightmare, getting it direct from an abattoir was really easy (and very cheap, too). Beef brisket might also work but the bones are obviously a lot heavier. Most of my greys have trouble getting through beef brisket.

I use lamb flaps. They're a soft bone (they don't bear any weight) and even greyhounds with their long but fairly weak jaws can make short work of them. I cut off the fat and fell (the greasy tissue layer beneath the skin) and usually feed them as whole sections but you could easily slice between ribs to make smaller sections for quicker feeds.

we do . If it was for the dogs, I'm sure I could find the time. For myself though.. meeeeeh, stock cubes. Having said that, if feet are involved, hell no. Everything about chicken feet makes me want to vomit up everything I've ever eaten plus some future food. Oh you'd love when I feed them to Max, she runs around for a while with the foot in her mouth then swallows it whole and for the next half hour brings it back up and swallows it over and over until it's just right D: And then..