fifi

She is probably quite disoriented from the anaesthesia. You may need to put him on the teat and gently but firmly use your other arm to keep her head away at first. Talk to her and encourage her to lay down and settle. If she is still wary, you may need to do this at each feed for a day or two and have him safely in a warm box. You can also express a bit of milk onto him and very carefully encase him in your hand and very carefully let her smell and lick through your fingers. Some Bitches do take a while to adapt to waking up to pups, the occassional one just doesn't bond or let down milk. do you have forumla and bottles on hand just in case ? Its good that he's at least getting colostrum, and hopefully in the next 24 hours your girl will settle. stay with them and vigilant. fifi edited because I need a coffee .... can't think !

I think the combined Irish Wolfhound clubs / breeders in the UK have addressed a bit of this quite well. One of the problems mentioned in this thread is accessing pups / breeders, unless you are in the know, most of Joe Public wouldn't know where to begin looking for registered breeders or shows to come along & look at. This website is a good template for breed clubs - http://irishwolfhoundpuppies.co.uk/default.aspx And the users & breeders are encouraged to visit the site often to keep it ahead those e-pup type buyer sites. Some really interesting comments too on owner behaviour, I agree, it's not enough just to help people source their pups, but to encourage lifelong ownership and quality care. I think good vets & vet nurses play a big part in this, one's that are breed aware, rescue aware/supportive, understand development and training issues, and who nurture good ownership. fifi

Huga, I'm so sorry, Harry's character showed in his face thinking of you all. fifi

good to see you hung in here Beckly85 :-) Do you have a mentor in your breed ? that would be my first port of call. then joining the boxer club, joining your state's canine body and applying for your prefix. Don't be in a rush, think of breeding like a long apprenticeship, a chance to learn more about your breed, lines that go well with eacher, what dogs are like around the country & overeas. fifi edited to add words !

Actually, some people did ask about the dogs and invited the OP to the boxer thread. And please don't start breeder bashing, it was actually the breeders who gave informative posts or asked pertinent questions so they knew what the starting point was to give advice. fifi

Congrats on a fringie Trish, every fringie is more exposure for Fauve's to be SEEN As well as being fun to win ! fifi

Yes, repeating one'self is tedious, but I also hate watching people sliced & diced for being new and not know the secrets of the 'inner sanctum' !! Different of course if someone has information that a person has bad intentions, but that's a different story altogether. I still don't get why people bother posting nasty stuff if its not plainly neccessary....IE: the OP is a known troll or is known to be a bad dog owner. fifi

Why ?

Thanks Espinay & Staranis, Funnily enough I had kept the first correspondences both written & then emails, I had from my first foray's into my breed and then later to my now mentor/breeders. I look at them now and CRINGE !! the niaeve' things I said and statements I made...OMG !!! its a wonder they looked twice at me ! (and I came from a doggie house too !) Everyone one begins at a point of understanding - we just need find out that point and take it from there. I love the analogy to the newly hatched Athena :-) Yes, there are those seeking to be in dogs for the wrong reasons and they are very experienced at deception, I choose to be cautious but at least start of with kindness and see if they reveal otherwise. fifi efs & adding stuff !

The other day when I was shopping for stuff for our show, the cashier & I began talking about dogs. He has two pets of a breed, male & female, byb bred and both entire. He expressed an interest in his breed and becoming a breeder. So I mentioned briefly the registered breeder thing, the health tests for his breed ect...ect.... He just glazed over in confusion and said - yes, his dogs are registered with the council and the vet health checked them when they had their vaccination ! So I very briefly explained what I meant. We need to remember that most of what is normal for us is IN HOUSE JARGON to joe public. So I invited him and his family to come up to our show for a look. I introduce him and his lovely family to some exhibitors at a non busy time, And the people with his breed and similar breed were so rude, exclusive and arrogant that I don't doubt he'll just go home and have a litter of pets because its all too hard and snobby. Another potential newbie turned away, so many opportunities for education are ruined. And yes, many people we offer assistance to - go and do the wrong thing, but we can't stop trying for the sake of converting a few. fifi edited to correct stuff.

oh that made me cry Angelsun. I understand losing a heart dog when you are not there, and I found that loss the hardest to come to terms with. run free Journey, he sounds like one very special boy. fifi

Just looking at a few USA veterinary sites, looks like they have been using it for some time now with success, do you have access to any US breed forums ? We havn't used it at all in our clinic. fifi

I agree with Sandra777, I've found reproductive issues to be one of those very heritable traits. I pushed and pushed with my Tara who had endocrine issues, and reaped the result of the disaster litter from hell, and had to desex her anyway. She was my last hope at the time and I acted from sheer desperation. It was shattering, and none of the pups were bred from. Things like frozen semen AI and progesterone tests I'm fine with in a normally cycling bitch, but I feel when you begin to mess with one who may not be 100% in that area, you are looking at multi-generational problems. JMO fifi

Bindi.....I think Georgea needs a sister..... don't kill me !! fifi

I've washed mine in the twin tub, a short wash with cold water & a gentle soap powder... Just don't use hot water or bleachy type products (love learning by experience...NOT !) fifi

Good to hear your girl is fine. The symptoms you described are often indicitive of Bloat/GDV or other immediatley life threatening conditions, that's why we were so keen for you to get in touch with the vet. Keep an eye on her though, and if she isn't 100% herself, a checkup would be a good idea. fifi

I would phone the vet on afterhours call to arrange coming in immediatley. fifi

2nd that - VET NOW, don't wait. fifi

Love that poem Xavier :-) I'd seen it somewhere before but forgotten it. fifi

Hey, my BIG spectacular somersault fall is somewhere on VIDEO !!! :D Everytime I see a show like funniest home video's, I keep expecting mine to appear ! Pixiemeg, I watched a longtime pro have a slip in the mud last week, he hung onto the lead, jumped and and laughed the rest of the way !! really doesn't happen all that often though. Just don't take it all too seriously, those that do must give themselves ulcers I think !! fifi

BOTH of which we have done with wild abandon !!! Had the lead break and the dog finish the lap and stack for the judge while I stood there in the ring looking at empty lead !!! Been nervous and couldn't hear the judge at my first show, ended up doing some geometric nightmare that was halfway between a triange & a circle.....more dodecahedron..... much to the judges disgust !!! BUT the things that have gone right in the ring, I have focused on my beloved dogs, we have won & lost, made great friends, learned to avoid those that aren't so great, travelled to some fantastic shows, and have a reason to spend all our wages on more show stuff !!!!! fifi

PM, I've seen a few posts about how worried you are, you need to stop overthinking it and just DO IT BABY !!! Do go to show training if you can, it will give you the confidence to know what you are doing, but by overthinking and becoming tense - you WILL set both of you up to feel anxious & therefore not at your best. You might even notice the proliferation of the beverage drinking.....a small swig will certainly calm those newbie nerves (which by the way many of us have even after a while !!!) In the ring is the same as in life, we learn as we go, sometimes you are in there and both the dog and yourself are in the zone and it feels perfect, other times you fumble or you are both out of step, the dog doesnt want to stand ect. remember both or you are living beings and will have the odd off day. Just smile, tell people that you are new and ENJOY !!! fifi

This, and what other's have already said. Being a rescuer means having to put your own emotions aside at times and put the future first. How many lab or staffy crosses do we all see every day in pounds ? Being able to prevent another unwanted litter should be the first base for rescue, not creating them if there's a chance to desex. Heartwrenching I know, but you will have one nice girl to re-home and not half a dozen with unknown issues to worry about fifi

:D ;) WHooooohoooooo :) What a relief for you Kaf, Nice and quiet recovery, and the physio is a life saver. Give that smooshy face a kiss from us fifi

What an excellent idea. I 2nd that one If you still need to separate them using a plank of wood lenghwise in the box, get two 'L' shape corner fixtures from the hardware shop and screw in each end to secure it safely. fifi