Mum to Emma

Thanks for the feedback. Well I went and visited tonight and Maggie tried to jump up and say hello but she immediately yelped and fell backwards. So I rang the vet and they squeezed her in. The vet said she had very sore muscles down either side of her lower spine. Essentially she had pulled the muscles in her back. She was given prilocaine injections in the area and 10 days worth of tramolol to take with the metacam.

My mum's old iggy slipped while trying to jump onto a couch yesterday. She fell backwards, yelped and for a couple of seconds held her left hind leg off the ground, trembling slightly. Soon afterwards, Maggie put the leg down and now walks mostly normally, albeit a bit wobby/uncertainly. She will still squat to pee and poo, but when sitting in the 'down' position, will have her rear left leg extended while the right is gathered underneath her. The most noticeable signs that she is still in pain are that (1) she now holds her tail bent slightly towards the left leg: (2) she won't jump up to greet you although the tail still wags. She tries to, but stops - it obviously hurts to do so. Does this sound like a leg or back injury? The way she holds the tail to one side is particularly odd. She already had a vet appointment scheduled in 10 days and plans to keep Maggie on metacam until then, since the pain is obviously not extreme and in past experience, that's most likely what the vet would suggest anyway - although obviously if things don't improve by the end of the week, will make the appointment earlier. But what does it sound like - leg or back injury?

Thanks for the replies. The foot looks different to your photo because the top is not swollen at all, just underneath. We're just back from the vet who was puzzled by the state of her toe. Not broken and no sign of infection or a wart or corn. Just a very hard, very overgrown pad surface. She decided to smother the toe with an emollient and bandage the foot for 5 days in the hope that this draws out whatever is under the thickened surface. At the very least it should be easier to see if anything is buried in the pad when the surface is softened, and hopefully pull it out without resorting to xrays and surgery.

The answer is in your question. There are two prices for the SAME product. My dog doesn't have a medicare card so if I buy medicine at the chemist using a veterinary prescription, I'm paying the full price, which is counter to the argument that the chemist is cheaper than the vet because the medicine they sell is subsidized by the PBS. Prescription lines have a subsidized and non-subsidize price.

Then why do pharmacies have separate prices on the same product for PBS ("only available to customers with a current Medicare card") and private prescriptions ("Prescriptions not subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme")?

I have a whippet that has been limping for a couple of weeks. Initially I assumed it was a recurrence of a shoulder injury (she tripped when walking and the limping started after that) and it seemed to improve over the course of a week. However after the lameness returned, I took her to the vet who prescribed meloxicam. This has had no effect and indeed I noticed today that the pad on one of the two middle toes of her front left paw (the sore leg) is swollen to double normal size. I'm pretty sure this is the cause of her pain. The pad is swollen, slightly roughened but not inflamed. The toe bone above it seems normal and not swollen/broken. There's no obvious deformity looking down on the foot as I'd imagine there would be with a broken toe - only if you compare the pad to the next one do you see the increased size. Any ideas? A corn? Finding an experienced/competent vet at this time of the year is quite a challenge ....

I'm sure this subject will have been discussed many times before however I was surprised to hear that a friend has been told by his vet (well respected, known to many dol'ers) that his puppy - a mini schnauzer - should ideallly not be desexed until around 18 months of age. This seems far too late for me. His previous mini schnauzer had problems with aggression and marking around the house, and we are trying to avoid a repeat scenario. But the vet said that later castration is the latest recommendation for the long term term health of the dog. I have always understood that later castration is better for large breeds but am surprised that this vet has recommended waiting so long for a small dog (there are obviously no plans to breed from this dog). Any comments?

Thanks for your replies. Yes, she's under the care of an eye specialist. The glaucoma is secondary to lens luxation. My concern is the constant discomfort caused by the eye drops. At nearly 13 years of age, do I wait until the discomfort worsens (as I sense it will) before surgery, or wait until she is older when the risks of surgery are greater. That is my dilemma. She is otherwise very bright and healthy for her age.

Has anyone had experience treating their dog for glaucoma? The pressure has come right down using a combination of drops but I'm finding that my girl's eye is constantly sore and will suddenly become watery, hours after the last drops were administered. I've read here and elsewhere that dogs are so much happier when the troublesome eye is removed. Am beginning to think that this is the only thing that will give her true eye comfort for her remaining few years. Does anyone have experience with prothetic eyes in their dog. What is the likelihood of ongoing complications? My priority with treatment is what will give her the most immediate comfort. BTW, she has little if any vision in this eye.

Maybe the injoured wanted to get their names in the papers? Maybe they shoved themselves and their dogs into the mouths of those poor unfortunate puppies? Maybe its about time people stoped stressing these poor dogs, kept right away from the poor things, if you see them, have a heart, keep away, stop provoking them, dont put them at risk of being villified through no fault of their own, if their owner wants them to be free to roam where they please who are you or I to be so mean as to expect to use their streets and paths when they are going about their business? Sureley its about time everyone realised the only way to protect them is to stay off their streets until they decided to go home, surely a bit of patience is all thats needed so they are safe from being upset instead of whats been happening by the up to now uncaring public. Dont know why we ever didnt realise how easy the solution is, stop setting up these poor dogs for bad press, get a concience people, stay home and off the streets, its their turf, stop being so arrogant and think you have the right to walk down their streets, then they can live their lives in peace surely? Brilliant post! Sadly many on this forum won't see your post as 'tongue in cheek'. DOG is GOD spelt backwards, right?!?

As a reminder that there is kindness in the world: Kitten rescued from CityLink tunnel One lucky kitten almost used up all its nine lives after ending up in a CityLink tunnel. The tunnel's operators have no idea how the adventurous feline – nicknamed "Dodge" – ended up deep in the Burnley (eastbound) tunnel last Wednesday, but they do know that it is lucky to still be here. A spokeswoman for CityLink, Selby–Lynn Nicholas, said there were reports in peak hour last Wednesday of a kitten in the Burnley tunnel, but it was not until 11.40pm that he was finally spotted. A passing driver saw Dodge and stopped his car, which got the attention of the CityLink control room. Advertisement "It was in a shallow drain at the very edge of the Burnley tunnel," said Ms Nicholas. "It basically was pretty timid and frightened. Our incident response team went out and he went underneath their van." Maintenance crews joined the effort to get Dodge, forcing the closure of two lanes. As it was midnight, that fortunately presented no problems for traffic flow. Eventually, Dodge was safely in human hands. "They managed to coax the kitten out and give it a bit of a cuddle. They brought it up to the control room and gave it a drink of water and some old roast beef," said Ms Nicholas. Dodge was entrusted to the care of the Lost Dogs Home and on Tuesday he was brought back the CityLink control room to visit his valient rescuers. Ms Nicholas said no one had the faintest idea how Dodge ended up three-quarters of the way inside the tunnel. Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/kitten-rescued-from-citylink-tunnel-20130416-2hy8d.html#ixzz2QcadFP7u

The same should apply to dogs. It would decrease the number of dog attacks on people and other dogs substantially. And, of course, the huge number of dogs being dumped and euthanized each year. Let's face it - how many otherwise sensible men refuse to have their dogs desexed for no other reason than the sight of their pooches balls dangling between their back legs, bolsters their own masculinity. It's quite pathetic, really ...

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I guess she just has to learn to rely on her other senses. I noticed last night that she's starting to use her nose when climbing stairs to judge where the next step is, so the learning process has started already. As for thoughts to cheer her up, I particularly like the idea of sprinkling liver treats through the grass That can be her Christmas Day present!

My parents' 10 year old miniature schnauzer has lost much of her eyesight over the space of a month due to retinal inflammation. She is under the care of an eye specialist and they will find out next week if the treatment is working. The most difficult thing to accept, however, is how the loss of vision is affecting her. She is extremely depressed - won't play, won't go for walks (will get as far as the front gate post and refuse to move), won't leave her crate in the morning when the door is opened, although she still barks at the doorbell and wolfs down her dinner. She will follow people around and occasionally wag her tail but that's it. The rest of the time she is just flopped down on the floor. I, myself, have a blind dog and perhaps because her vision loss was slow due to PRA, she copes extremely well and is as happy and confident as she ever was. I try to tell my parents just to treat their dog as normal and not 'molly coddle' her - to encourage her to play and speak to her in happy tones. Essentially, behave as if nothing is wrong. Does anyone have experience with their dog going suddenly blind? How long did it take for them to adjust? Also, does anyone have experience with a dog that has been diagnosed with retinal inflammation? I'd be interested to hear of your experiences. For us, the first sign that something was wrong was the depression which the vet initially put down to arthritis and put her on cartrophen. Later we noticed that she was walking into things ...

So mating an unwilling bitch would constitute rape. Taking and selling her puppies would be a particularly heinous crime (without her permission of course - I wonder how you'd get that??) And, of course, euthenasia would be murder ... No, dogs are NOT human. And perhaps they're lucky that way.

You know, I suspect your vet gave you antibiotics for the same reason GP's used to give us antibiotics - to look as though they were doing something and somehow responding to your concerns, ie NOT because there was any real need for them nor because the dog's health was at risk. Don't get me wrong - I'm sure I'm as over-reactive as you when it comes to my dog's health. And no one can criticise someone who loves their dog so much. But let's face it - all dogs noses would be covered in bacteria. Sniffing is what they do best! You need to consider if unnecessary use of antibiotics will in the long term cause more harm than good in the canine population, as has happened with humans. And if it is a fungal infection, antibiotics aren't going to cure it.

In the comments section attached to The Age article, this one best sums it up: Every dog has the ability to attack children and vulnerable adults if it is provoked or trained in a certain way- sure, but, physically, certain breeds have specific and particular jaw structures, builds, behavioural traits and strengths that mean the wounds inflicted differ drastically from one breed to the next. This situation has gotten ridiculous and is now at a point where the public is sick of relying on certain owners doing the 'right thing'. There are just reckless, self-indulgent idiots out there who do not keep these dogs for the reasons the rest of us keep a pet, and they cannot be trusted, and for that reason, unfortunately, for the safety of everyone else, these breeds have to go. There are other dogs, you'll get over it. Ayen Chol's parents and family will never get over her senseless and needless death. Kate | North Melbourne - December 07, 2011, 10:15AM

Anyone who has any sympathy for those dogs (or in any way tries to apportion blame to the people who were attacked) should listen to this: http://podcasts.mrn.com.au.s3.amazonaws.com/steveprice/KylieGillatt.mp3 And I'm sorry - there's no way two golden retrievers, however poorly they were raised - would behave in the way these rottweillers did. And responsible rottweiller breeders, who acknowledge what their breed is capable of, would agree with this. There's a reason why some dog breeds are better suited to first time owners. Not ALL dog breeds are capable of the same level of aggression.

IMO if she is spending more time in distress/discomfort than she is happy and comfortable and there is no possibility of that changing, then I would let her go. Ask yourself, why are you keeping her alive. For your benefit or for hers? I don't mean that unkindly, but remember that she doesn't understand her own mortality (animals are lucky that way!). She will not go in fear. But if you leave it too long, her last days could be spent in pain and distress. And I'm sure you don't want that. I've made the mistake of letting a pet go on too long (in this case a cat). And vow I will never do that again.

I'm just curious. At what age would you consider their immunity has built up enough so that vaccinations are no longer necessary (unless, of course, your dog is in a high risk category such as one that visits dog shows or is boarded in a kennel).

PLEASE see a veterinary eye specialist. Don't let your local vet attempt the surgery (hopefully he wouldn't even suggest this himself). This is something for an expert - eyes are not something you want to take a chance with. And don't worry, specialists are used to operating on older dogs as many vision-related problems develop in old age.

Hey, with a few exceptions, greyhound owners have been forced to walk their dogs with a muzzle for years (and they know the dangers of letting them off leash). You don't hear them complaining ...

Where does it say that?? From http://new.dpi.vic.gov.au/pets/dog-care/restricted-breed-dogs/frequently-asked-questions-restricted-breed-dogs "Dogs that were in Victoria prior to 1 September 2010 that are registered prior to 30 September 2011 will be able to be registered and so you should ensure your dog is registered as soon as possible. After, the registration amnesty ends on 30 September 2011, if your dog is a restricted breed and is not registered and was not in Victoria prior to 1 September 2010 then it is not able to be registered and council will be entitled to seize and destroy the dog." It's quite simple really - if you have a restricted breed dog or even suspect you do, REGISTER IT NOW and register it honestly as the breed/mixed breed you suspect it is, and it will be safe from complaining neighbours. Remember that it's the law that ALL dogs should be registered. People who are complaining about the fact that bully breeds must be registered or risk being seized and and destroyed have forgotten this basic fact.

Thanks for all the tips. And I'll certainly be taking him back to the vet if the situation doesn't improve. However essentially what I'm asking is this - should diarrhea resolve after a week of chicken & rice (which DOES make his stools relatively normal) or can it take 2 weeks or more before it's safe to reintroduce a more balanced diet? I should point out that he normally has a cast-iron stomach but I suspect the fact that he's a first class scavenger may have caused this. He literally scrapes bird poo of the footpath with his teeth. Oh, and he's 4 years old and is otherwise in superb health.

My whippet developed intermittent diarrhea about a month ago. I took him to the vet after 10 days because it didn't resolve on its own. The vet did a thorough examination (felt his abdomen, checked his stool under the microscope for parasites) but couldn't determine what the problem was. Metrozine has worked on the same dog in the past, so we came away with 10 days worth of metrozine. Whilst on it, the diarrhea lessened however I knew it wasn't going to fix the problem this time (the stools were still soft but formed). He was on his normal diet at the time. Sure enough - after the end of the pills the diarrhea returned. I decided to worm him with drontal chews (just in case). This was last Saturday and since then he has been on a chicken & rice diet (with a little well-cooked broccoli over the past couple of days). His stools have been formed but soft. If this was your dog, would you keep him on the chicken & rice for another week, or would now be a good time to slowly introduce his normal diet. I dread when he looks like he's about to poo(!) This has dragged on so long - I just want to get his feeding routine back to normal.