RuralPug

I'm so sorry. I've never had to deal with this condition but a quick google tells me that the treatment is usually to suppress the immune system chemically while the cause is sought. Sending positive vibes and good thoughts to you both...

You may need to be a financial member of the ANKC affiliate in your state of residence before you apply for a reissue of the certificate. Given that you are now in NSW, then you had better phone DogsNSW and sort it from there. Edited to say that info is meant for kelpiecuddles - pawsaroundoz you should re-join Dogs Vic first and then arrange for a reissue. It actually depends on the state you were living in when you obtained the pup if it was transferred into your name at purchase (the registered pedigree I mean). Some states will only allow transfers to financial members of the affiliate body, others will register limited register transfer to non-members. The breeder should have a record of the registration number, which you will need for new certificate. :)

I pretty much agree with the above posters...I don't think it is fair for a breeder to be expected to accept for rehoming any dog of their breed(s) simply because you are asking the very few the clean up the messes of the many, in popular breeds. There will be a few cases of genuine change of circumstances, but most of an ethical breeder's sales will have gone to homes which value them and are not looking to rehome. I do expect breeders to do everything they can to assist in the safe rehoming of a dog that they have bred. Although it may not be possible for them to take the dog into their own homes, they should be prepared to assist the owner with rehoming at the very least, and hopefully they can offer advertising, perhaps assistance with short term fostering ( even at a relative or friend's home), contributions towards desexing and/or health care where possible, networking for rehoming etc. I think that there is an ethical obligation to give whatever assistance they can in the case of a dog they have bred, and those saints that often go out of their way to assist with dogs they have NOT bred should be lauded. Where the owner has surrendered to rescue without even contacting the breeder is when frustration can often occur - here the rescue has to decide whether or not to work with the breeder and vice versa. The very least the breeder could do, in my opinion, in those circumstances, is to provide details of expected temperament and any possible issues based on their knowledge of parentage and offer their networking to assist in finding a suitable home. Most breeders would probably prefer to rehome the dog themselves, but if it has been surrendered directly to rescue, I'm not sure that many rescues would happily hand the dog over for the breeder to rehome, and they would have no obligation to do so.

Ooops...selective memory on my part. Presumably he didn't have the runs at the breeders, so something has changed. It might be gut fauna and yoghurt doesn't always contain the right ones - best of the yoghurts is all natural with a preponderance of the live bifidus but a purpose made probiotic is way better. I am not familiar with that brand of probiotics, but yes, that is the type of thing I am recommending. I can personally recommend the Protexin powder. It might not be missing gut fauna that is causing the issue, but a good probiotic can't do any harm and is worth a try.

What everyone else has said...if he clears up on chicken and rice, then it is the food itself that is causing a problem with him. One commercial food can be great for Dog A but useless for Dog B. You have been to the vet repeatedly and no long lasting joy so is probably not bacterial or structural. I would first try probiotics, just in case his internal fauna is lacking, if that doesn't work then it's diet changes until you find what is right for him. And I would probably start with a grain free, if you prefer to feed kibble. Surely you have already asked his breeder what they were feeding him?

And another win for compulsory microchipping! If only we can convince EVERYONE to keep their details up to date...

I would phone the after hours vet nearest you and ask their opinion. If they want her brought in, jump to it, but they may say just watch her till morning. Be guided by their advice - they may suggest a human antihistamine and then bring her in the morning if she is not better. It does sound like hives or some other sort of allergic reaction.

I am needing some opinions/info on a cat rescue in Victoria (Melbourne) which has come to my attention and has no online presence. Not going to name it in a public post, but if you have had dealings with a Melbourne-based cat rescue in the last 12 months or so, could you please PM me with the name of that rescue and if it is the one I am checking up on, expect a solid interrogation! Thank you.

Could perhaps the Tasmanian ACD, Koolie, Border Collie, Dalmation, English Setter, Bull Terrier etc. etc. (all breeds which have a high incidence of pigment lack associated deafness) breeders get together and raise funds towards one or two BAER machines to be operated by a teaching university that has a veterinary medicine course? Perhaps one in Launceston and one in Hobart? Fund raising could include looking for sponsors etc. Perhaps by the time you got enough breeders to say they would use one if it was in the state, theN some enterprising vet might decide that there was money in it and buy one!

Many breeds go through a bouncy adolescence during which they are prone to knock litties over in their excitement. The Boxer is a prime example - great family dog if you get an older settled adult, but really hard work trying to keep youngsters safe from Boxer youngsters. As a six year old (and a plump sturdy one at that ) I was bowled over by an excited young Irish Setter when visiting a kennels. I think the breeders thought they'd lost the sale, but my mother probably thought it was a bonus and bought the bitch anyway! Some small breeds are extremely fragile and a toddler could break their bones by tripping over them - the Italian Greyhound is an extreme example (sometimes I think you can snap an Iggy bone just by looking sternly at it! ). But the bottom line, as others already have said, is that it is horses for courses. If you think the parents are sensible and responsible enough to keep both puppies and children safe, then any breed is suitable.

In the old days I used to give vaccination boosters every year then stop vaccinating altogether at age 8. They would have an annual senior health test instead. Titres were unheard of in those days but my bet was that they had developed full immunities by then. I never had a senior severely ill with any of those diseases. Now that vets are recoomending a full puppy course and then three yearly boosters, I will do the full puppy course, then annual nasal KC and three yearly C3 boosters. I am intending to stop the nasals at eight 8, and switch to titres three yearly at age 10. That is for my own dogs, rescues get an annual C5 unless they are seniors ( then they get an annual C3 and a nasal kennel cough). You have the right to the vaccination regime of your choice. Boarding kennels (or their regulators) have the right to refuse anyone who uses a regime not approved by the regulators.

Before Esme Watson there was Dorie Evans!! Hyacinth wasn't quite in the same league....

Thanks for that info Aussielover looks like I need to be wait a bit longer before I ask for local experiences with this one.

My friends overseas seem to be raving about this treatment for grass allergy, yeasty dogs, mystery allergy dogs etc. Apparently this medication is now available in Australia, through Pfizer (I'm not 100% sure of the distributor though) and has been since earlier this year. Does any DOLer have actual knowledge of cases where it has been prescribed yet? I will have to remember to ask my own vet next visit. Here is a blurb from an overseas clinic as an overview for those to whom it is new. Certainly to me it would appear to have far less side-effects than cortisone which is commonly prescribed where antihistamines don't work.

Shazzapug would be your goto lady for that - loves her Iggies and lives very near Kyneton. PM her. She doesn't pop in to DOL every day but she will probably get an email alert with a PM - and will then trample everyone on her way to the PC to find out what you want LOL.. Naw Sharon just joking, she is a great lady and will most likely jump at the chance to help. You are permitted to say that I dobbed her in!

This breed is not currently recognised by the ANKC, so I doubt that it would be an acceptable listing on the DOL mature pedigree pages... Not sure what state the dog is in, I would look for a reputable rescue in your state that accepts big dogs from private surrenders. There may be a wait until a foster space become available. If you can't find one then perhaps you can assist the current owners in safely rehoming the dog themselves, there are some excellent suggestions on PetRescue re do-it-yourself rehoming, what to look for in prospective new homes etc.

My first thought would be to have a vet check her teeth and gums for possible problems - she might like the kibble because it is in smaller pieces which she can keep away from a sore gum or tooth?? If she has an all clear from the vet then I would experiment with the texture of the food you are preparing - I second the idea of running her share through a food processor or blender and see if she can manage it better then. You can do this just after you have made up your batches of raw food and just blend a fifth of it for her. Also increase her allowance of raw meaty bones which require chewing as this might help to exercise her tongue and prevent further atrophy of those muscles. For small breed seniors I like beef or roo marrow bones with the marrow removed ( you can freeze it and add small amounts to the raw mix). Personally I don't feed dried bones, only raw, I worry about impacted bowels and the like... And yes, you're quite right, kibbles that have a lot of fillers (sugar beet, too much grain etc.) will produce big poos.

Okay found the post. Yep it is the same cat, breeder is in Victoria and has put in an application to adopt ...he will be releasable about mid June I believe. Last comment on the FB post to date: "The chip is in the original purchaser's name and the breeder as the second person to contact. The original owner has given permission for the kitty to be released to the breeder so the outcome has been good. However, his brother is also missing. The original buyer "gave" them both away to another woman who let them both out" So eyes peeled for a similar looking cat loose in the areas services by Blacktown pound. Let's hope he hasn't been skittled by a car...

With many breeds there IS a significant difference, with some others there is a slight difference and there are a few breeds where there is little or no difference between the sexes. It is not uncommon to hear a ringside comment that so and so has a lovely feminine head or such and such is a bit on he small side for a male etc. I guess it is how you determine the adjective "vast" - certainly any differences between the sexes within a breed should not exceed the differences between one breed and another.

Is he already crate trained? If not, it may pay to crate train him at home first so that he gets the idea the crate is a secure safe place before crating him in the car if he is demonstrating some sort of anxiety in the car. Just a thought.

Agreed. More to this than that press release made out.

This conversation has been around, in one form or another, since about thirty years after confirmation showing started, and in my humble opinion it is a healthy discussion. Like it or not, some of the show lines in some breeds today ARE strikingly different from the working lines in the same breeds today. And many cream of the crop in some breeds today (not necessarily the same breeds) are strikingly different to cream of the crop in the same breeds five or more decades ago. In some of those cases, in my own opinion, the difference is sadly for the worse. In some breeds (and I don't believe the labrador retriever is one of these cases) where the INTERPRETATION of the standard by breeders and judges over the years has led to over-emphasis on various aspects so that the resulting "cream of the crop type" would actually have horrified the original standard writers. I am not going to point the finger at any breed in particular - there is a sliding scale (plus in some cases limited gene pools have meant harder work for the breeders.) In some instances, the original standard writers didn't bother to write in what horse and hound users assumed was common knowledge of the day and later generations have simply not realised the necessity of the "missing" instructions. I don't think I could say whether or not the winning dog in the OP is fat - not just looking at the picture. The strong bone and heavy coat are going to contribute more to his shape than in the example of the lighter pet in the same post. Whether the difference is fat or muscle cannot be judged in a photograph. And I would not consider that dog obese, as can easily happen with labradors. In my own breed, as it happens, exhibits are quite often simply too fat. My breed should not be lean, however a good healthy covering of well toned muscle over the correct body structure and weight of bone should, in my opinion, produce the required shape. Just adding weight with fat, as happens too often in my breed, I do not accept it as correct. Apart from long term health considerations, muscle weighs more than fat and the overall goal for my breed is "multum in parvo" [much in little]. Personally, while I believe that the confirmation of a breed type should reflect original purpose I don't agree that all aspects of temperament for original purpose need to be retained in every breed.. Hypothetical example: I love the tenacity, loyalty and courage of the Ukranian Bear Baiting Dog but because I don't need it to defend me from bears while I lie possibly unconscious in the forest, but I'm still very glad that the showing line now also has bidability so that it can be called off if it thinks someone or something is bearlike.

If that is the pound pic than I am almost positive I've seen arrangements via FB rescue pages for the breeder to re-aquire this guy who ia a Singapura..but I also have a vague memory that when he was rehomed (pre-impound) there was another male Singapura who went to the same home that had run off and got lost? Will try to remember to chase it up and update here.

Hands up please anyone who HASN'T known someone with this attitude to selecting dogs? We just have to keep educating, educating and educating. I usually compare adding a puppy to the family to adding a baby - similar amount of hands on work and training. Not exactly the same methods- a puppy is NOT a baby, but certainly the same commitment. A little less hands on work and quite possibly some un-training to clear established bad habits if adding an impulse adolescent or adult dog - similar to taking in a teenage foster child, not something to take on lightly. Too many people think its okay to spend less thought on choosing a canine family member than on choosing a lounge suite.

If the damage is already done and the growth stage has ended I would probably at least give the joint food a fair trial. The vet may be intending to assess her progress on that regimen for a while. Nothing to stop you adding supplements provided you discuss it with the vet. Nothing to stop you getting a second opinion from another vet if you are uncomfortable with that treatment. If the Dane is less than 18 months old, then I would recommend a second opinion form another vet immediately.