Jumabaar

Paw paw cream on a true hot sport was a disaster for me- having put it on one before I realised what it was (thought it was a graze). I ended up having to wash the area with chlorhex to get the area clean again because the bacteria were having a party under the cream and it was getting bigger at a crazy rate.

Some dogs, just like some humans need professional teeth cleaning semi regularly almost regardless of what you do as a preventative. You should be getting the vet to look at any dogs mouth every 12mths to see if they need a proper cleaning under an anaesthetic- generally they wont . Perhaps you could book in with your vet for a dental check (I think this is dental health month so there are a few clinics around doing a free check) and see what is actually going on before booking in a dental. Also use the opportunity to look at the variety of different preventatives that are available.

I waited 2mths for blood tests to be done in Melbourne. Cracked the shits and sent them to the US and had results in under a week even with shipping- and it was the same price for 10 tests as it was going to be for 2 tests done in the Melbourne lab.... Best of luck with the results.

I wish Pat Hastings thought the same I went to her most recent workshop here in Sydney and was very surprised to hear her say, when asked, that she would never tell a prospective 'pet owner' (and she included sports prospects) of any of the structural faults in a dog that she was rejecting for the show ring... She wouldnt sell pups with structural faults to sporting homes so thats a null point. I personally wouldnt tell prospective pet homes the problems their pup has either- its a demographic of people who are on average not interested in anything other than temperament and health. I would disclose if I thought there would be problems later in life and I would disclose if I was asked but there is no way I would taint the relationship of a puppy owner !! Particularly when the 'fault' might be trivial and will never impact on the dogs life. ie sorry I rejected your pup because it had 5 degrees less angulation through the stifle than what I find desirable. In all honesty they dont care about the angulation AND you have just told them the pup was a reject. As opposed to an adorable pup that was selected because it was the perfect match for them.

I also used Pat Hastings test for structure. I pet homed a pup that was not great structurally but had the perfect temperament for dog sports. There was no point sending a pup with all that drive to someone only to have the dog be injured due to structural faults. I sent those prospective buyers to a different breeder because I kept the only two 'complete packages'- and to sell them anything less would have not been in anyones best interest. Much better to wait for the temperament in the right body!! I am not sure how I pick the temperament. As a breeder it was easy for my by 8weeks to pick the differences- I think its hard to walk in and pick them though and I will in the future go to breeders who do the sports I am interested in and be guided by them on the pup with the right temperament. My first girl was 'sheer dumb luck' being the sleepiest laziest pup in the litter who was given to me in the hopes I could keep the dog from getting fat :laugh: She has been my highest drive nutter who still pulls the wool over my eyes and was the perfect dog (thats totally not biased of course)

I do this too. The change in immune balance in the pregnant bitch means that worms that lie dormant in her system are able to reactivate and she becomes the source of infection for the pups. Worming them all at the same time means all sources of the worms get rid of them at the same time.

Is it possible to ring an emergency vet? They will be able to give you advice on keeping the dog comfortable overnight. Roll a towel and tuck it under the dogs stomach to make a sling so you can move the dog around. You should just need to take the weight of the back end which should allow you to get it out to the toilet and to the vet. (Picture of what I am talking about is here http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=towel+sling+dog&hl=en&safe=off&client=safari&sa=X&rls=en&biw=1231&bih=780&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=YCa2WtOxrrOqfM:&imgrefurl=http://www.doggiewheelchair.com/2010/12/throw-in-your-towel-at-handicapped-pets.html&docid=reBGQDmADfLe0M&imgurl=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qYQuCcC_Ez8/TP1dMa1KReI/AAAAAAAAA28/EJSgisSnPBM/s1600/Towel-Transport-1.JPG&w=1600&h=1200&ei=Xq0nUKTjE8uviQfxl4EI&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=127&vpy=83&dur=233&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=158&ty=98&sig=105227252674148951203&page=1&tbnh=135&tbnw=193&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:73) I have managed to move a 60kg dog after knee surgery with this technique.

Some gentle hill work may work- so doing some zig zags up gentle slopes. Also some very low cavalletti to get him to pick up his back feet- I started off with walking over pool noodles before making some taller ones but noticed the dogs strengthening with just that.

No advice can really be given without a veterinarian to diagnose the actual problem. This would involve palpation and probably imaging. Also the dog may need pain relief which can also only be prescribed by a vet.

I have to say why not a pom? This breed appeals to the OP- a pap or schip may not have the temperament the OP is after... Well done on doing a thorough job researching your future companion. I wish you the best of luck!!

But pet plan will cover for the life of the pet up to the maximum amount each year- so if its a $10,000pa policy and the dog gets a chronic condition they will continue to pay 10,000pa and so long as there are no gaps in cover it will never become an exclusion. In the Hollard policies all chronic conditions eventually become an exclusion, even if the cover has been continuous. It was explained as 'yearly' policies vs 'life time' policy to me as well- I assume its the lay person explanation they give to try and explain the difference.

Best of luck!! I hope its something easy to avoid

he is 12 months at the end of this month, and its not fleas haha we ruled that out, M_B do you know a good dermatologist in Sydney? Dr Linda Vogelnest is great- works for sydney university but there are quite a few others around as well that are great too!! lol they are expensive! man i should have got pet insurance! LOL- yes exy but after seeing someone spend $600 in a few months at their regular vet to try and treat skin allergies that a specialist managed to control after two visits I always recommend them sooner rather than later if your not getting a speedy resolution to the problem because all those little consults add up pretty quickly.

he is 12 months at the end of this month, and its not fleas haha we ruled that out, M_B do you know a good dermatologist in Sydney? Dr Linda Vogelnest is great- works for sydney university but there are quite a few others around as well that are great too!!

I dont think anyone should ever be embarrassed by what they do during the grieving process. I cant even actually tell you how much I paid- probably over $100ea for my 5 and 7 week old puppies, and more for the one that was 13weeks. I didnt particularly care at that point. They were all individually cremated no idea on that cost either, but I still avoid the room with their boxes in there A veterinary surgery is a business. If they choose to discount euthanasia/disposal they have to make up the cost for materials, the time spent doing it and any other costs elsewhere- in consult fees, medication mark ups etc. So you may find that some choose to charge the full cost to keep costs low in other areas, others may discount it. It just depends on what they are comfortable doing- their ethics/morals, how many bad debtors they have on their books and a number of other factors. Also a nurse offering individual cremation isn't necessarily 'upselling' they may just be offering all the options to people who honestly dont know that private cremation is possible. If you were not offered an alternative group cremation it may be that this clinic has chosen to not dispose of the dogs to landfill- so there may not have been a cheaper option at the clinic. The average person realistically doesn't research these things before they happen so its usually a very uncomfortable conversation for the owner as well as the vet nurse who is balancing a very fine line- remaining unattached enough to remain sane, but still being empathetic and fulfilling the clients needs.

"Birdseed exclusions extist so that people get insurance early." ????? meaning????? Maybe I'm a grumpy old woman, but I don't see why people no longer save 'for a rainy day'. If you kept a buffer fund of, say, $10k -- this can cover car break downs and a hundred other little mishaps, so long as you replenish it after you draw on it -- you'd still be better off self insuring. How much do you pay for pet insurance premiums each year? How much over the life of your two dogs? How much did your premiums go up after the two claims you described? I don't know if pet insurance companies presently class people as a 'bad risk' after they submit a few large claims, but if they don't now, it's only a matter of time before they do so. btw, If a moldy lunch cost you $1000, I would question whether your dogs are healthy. A dog with a healthy immune system can eat quite a bit of garbage without worse consequences than bad farts and irregular bowel movements. Sandgrubber- Megans dog is lucky to be alive as eating mould can be fatal, regardless of how robust a dog is. Insurance is about risk. You either take the risk on yourself or you pay for someone else to take on that risk. ATM its easier for me to pay for someone else to pay for that risk because I don't have the 10k behind me. I have a few dogs on it and I will add the rest once I start working. If I can save up a nice buffer then I may consider dropping the insurance but up until that point I pay for the privilege of having someone else having cash to pay for anything that pops up. Posted at the same time as melzawelza!!

Just a link to a recent thread- this is an awesome post by Cosmolo! http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/240166-halti/page__view__findpost__p__5917316

I kinda like the crops- to me they are not all that far off what I would do myself. BUT here is an old challenge that really helped me with my cropping http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/192738-april-photo-challenge/page__p__4430464__hl__thirds__fromsearch__1#entry4430464 it is about the 'rule of thirds'. So normally I attempt to frame it along those lines then crop to tweak it. I will qualify I am not arty at ALL!! Maybe when the bronchitis decides to go away I will get the camera back out and try and stretch my imagination again. :) There are some really nice photos in here!! Nice to see some more inspiration being thrown around

My 7.5yr old Kelpie still shakes, howls then hides if she sees a cockroach....... She was VICIOUSLY attacked by one at 6mths of age (read one flew up as she was stalking/tormenting it and touched her nose :laugh: ). Mind you I also run screaming at the sight!!

There is nothing stopping the vet from buying online also I would have thought. Look in the real world the "general public" are going to make savings where they can - they are not willing to pay extra because the business (whatever it is) has high "overheads". Thats just reality. Would you use bulk billing doctors and discount chemists where you can? I pay a higher price for professional services provided by my vet compared to some others in the area. I don't try and negotiate a lower fee. But I see no need for a markup of 50 - 100% on medications I really don't. I am willing to pay extra for high quality service. The dispensation of medication is part of that service- I personally am often time poor when it comes to needing medication for my dogs so I am more than happy to pay for the vet to keep it in stock for me instead of having to send in scripts etc. Part of that means they pay a higher initial price for ordering in the small quantity they use, and then I pay a mark up. I am more than happy too because my dog usually has significant benefits from the quick and timely use of the medication. Sure it means I pay more but I certainly dont want veterinary clinics to start ditching their inhouse pharmacy so I will continue to support them. I dont even want to know about the 300% + mark up I pay for my non veterinary products- how much do you really think it takes to make a cup of coffee??

Yes, yes and yes... I do realise that it is more me than him and that he is young and excitable.. That the other dogs offer more than I do (to him), with play and excitement for him. Treats don't really mean anything to him - he couldn't care less about them. He is very ball focused and I have found these squeaky tennis balls made by kong that he is mad for... I can get his attention with these but it doesn't last long - maybe 10-15 minutes and he is looking for the other dogs again.. No amount of calling, squeaking or treats in front of his face will take his attention away from the other dogs (if there are any around)... We have a martingale collar but the trainer said to take it off him as he does not respond to it at all - he literally keeps going gagging and choking. I need to learn to watch him better to respond before he escalates to a level of excitement (the point where I lose him).. In saying that - if he thinks I am leaving, or I say, that's it lets go, he walks away with me... He is 16 months old now and I know he will settle with time and training. Just wanted to highlight that for you since sometimes we miss what we actually say. Can you give him a break in a crate after 10minutes and work him under his time threshold for a while? ETA- 10minutes is a LONG time. I have trouble focusing at obedience for 10minute without sitting down and having a rumble/cuddle session with my current 16mth old pup. Usually I move away from class and do some fun cuddle/settle time for 5/10minutes then rejoin the class and do another 10minutes (or however long until I get bored again :laugh: )

Sounds great!! Slow is good- makes the end result even more amazing!! The first class where you get reliable attention is such a high!!!

This is one of the things I am having problems with (still). At home, even with other people around or at the park on our own, I can get him to do just about everything (even his recall is awesome)... As soon as there is another dog around, I lose him.. He is more interested in the other dog or dogs... I gave him half his dinner last Friday night and no breakfast, so he would be really hungry at training and focus on me (with the food). I had raw mince and liver treats, which he loves... After about 15 minutes, not even the food could entice him from wanting to play. He was totally focused on the other dogs... He values tennis balls higher than food, even when he is hungry he will chase a ball non stop for ages... I put him in the car for a few minutes but as soon as he was out, he was pulling towards the other dogs... Moreso the 2 puppies in the group.. Look at me works great but not when there are other dogs, not even with his favourite foods... It really is frustrating but he is much improved on what he was like, so I am hoping with persistence from me and constant training he will eventually turn a corner... I really do wish I had made the time to take him to classes before now.. He would be great at agility or flyball (he is tennis ball crazy) if he could focus long enough to go through the course.. Bless him, he would see another dog and be off to play.. All in all, I think he is a pretty awesome dog... I am sure he will get there I have worked with a dog like this- I used to go to obedience classes and work in the carpark!! He had to learn to work in the presence of other dogs/distractions. Each week I could move a little closer- to the point where we just on the cusp of him losing focus moving back and forth to do harder work at a greater distance, and do easy work as we moved closer. LAT really helped with this as well as a few other techniques. Mind you he has only ever been worked on a flat collar or martingale- because if I was working at the right distance I didnt need a tool to keep him focused. ETA- I used to give this dog a treat for taking a treat to begin with because he was too focused on the dogs to notice the food!! He was the definition of 'easy wins' for quite a few weeks before I could ask for focus or sits near other dogs!! Another of my dogs that is fear reactive I did use other tools under the guidance of a behaviourist. So I do know they are necessary, but do wonder if your dog isnt telling you he is too close/overwhelmed to be working near the other dogs and you need to work outside his threshold zone for a little while to teach him that the presence of other dogs doesnt automatically mean play time?

Perhaps look at a control unleashed and the "look at that" (LAT) game. The halti will only mask the problem it wont fix it. LAT will also help with your focus problem. I also much prefer the harness rather than a head collar in the mean time.

Actually I wish I could call the RSPCA irrespective of a dog barking because the conditions are horrendous.