OSoSwift

Hey OSoSwift have you spotted Bedazzled down your way yet???? If you do - can you put her in a post bag and send her back to Perth please Nope sorry, been away for a few days myself, but if she is still down here I am keeping her to help my training

What an awful situation for you. I am glad your little Foxie is okay. I have owned Dobes in the past and eventually they have just had enough ( when another dog picks and picks and picks) and fight back which of course results in severe injuries, especially when the dog is much smaller. IT is a good decision to rehome the Foxie as the both will never forget and I am quite sure will never be able to be run together without injury or worse.

I returned my Male Dobe to the breeder. I tried for 18 months, I tried everything. He came to work with me, went everywhere with me and was a complete pig who couldn't have cared less where I was or if I was around at all. I did obedience, showing beack walks. One day I had had enough and rang the breeder in tears - I had rang and tried what was suggested over the 18 months. He suggested I return him for a short time so he could assess him and possibly do some training with him to see what he was up to. I returned him and whilst I was sad as I had no dog, I was relieved he wasn't there. After a few weeks the breeder told me he was one of the hardest dogs (temperment wise) he though he had ever bred and he thought I had done a great job and trained him quite well. He had sent one of his retired bitches to stay with me while he was there. I fell in love with her, she had a great time at the beach and after a period of time I asked him if he would consider letting her stay. He said he was going to ask me if I would like her to stay - I was soo honoured. It also helped me to know that I did not want my male back, it was chalk and cheese. I went up to Perth to see him at the royal and he couln't have cared less, infact he wass more responsive to the girl who was handling him. I knew then I did not want him back. He got rehomed to a lovely couple that didn't want anything other than a dog who wandered around the house and went on walks. He was much happier with that. I kept the lovely girl, we had a great relationship even though she was 6 when I got her. I went on to get a grandaughter of hers and we had a wonderful relationship. I just figured that I was not suitable as a male Dobe owner. Maybe it was just him, but I vowed and declared I would never get another one ever!

I haven't seen that surgery done have have seen success with a total ablation. Dogs responded very well and had a good recovery. I feel for you it can be very frustrating having to deal with ear problems especially Pseudemonus(sp). From memory Westie Lover had a little dog with chronic ear issues and ended up with a total ear ablation, they may have some helpful hints or ideas and info

I grow my own so I know which one go and what they look like! I still have a freezer full of yummy beef and as one of mine has a sensitive tummy to raw food and especially bones the butcher cuts the rib bones up to the perfect size and makes sure they are well trimmed so there is no or very little fat! Very spoilt. I also know what backliners etc they get and that the paddocks are chemical free or not. Gotta loive home grown beef. If any of you lived closer you would be welcome to most of my beef bones as I only have so much freezer room. Most end up thrown out.

For those dogs that are really hard to get weight of it is worth getting them a medical check up and a full blood panel including a Thyroid panel.

I definately think desexing is best then there is no chance of accidental litters. I would also leave it to 12 to 18 months before doinf it. My male is entire he never humps unless it's a bitch in season which of course is allowed, does cock his leg occasionally but usually squats and is VERY clean in the house and does not cock his leg inside at all. Training and what you allow deem if they pee everywhere and are properly toilet trained. HUmping only happens if it is allowed

It depends on which fly the maggots are from. There are blue fly's and green ones that lay maggots on sheep for example. One will only invade a sore already there but can make the skin soft and infected under the wool which although it is nasty it is not as bad as the one who does bore into the skin and can go through the skin and I have seen it in the abdomen of sheep and also where they have eaten into the back end of a sheep. SO the senario is definately possible

Best first place of contact would probably be the Working Kelpie club of Aust. So sorry to hear about the loss of your girl. Such an awful thing to see.

Poor boy and you must be so worried. Fingers crossed you get it sorted very very soon. Such a worry. Goodluck.

Most recommendations on dry food packets are way above what a dog needs. I have only known one dog so far that actually needed to eat the recommended amount and she was walked for at elast an hour, trained in obedience/agility for a hour and had free running on 5 acres for quite a few more hours. I would cut his food in half he is getting way too much. At 40kg he is in great danger of joint disease, cruciate rupture and heart disease. Not to mention that the risk of heat stroke over summer is vastly increased in an overweight dog.

Considering Rommi will plant herself infront of Lewis so that if he is running along he will sommersault over her, I don't think she is too concerned about doggy rape??!!!! My problem is keeping her away from the poor boy!

This for me as well. I think each situation can only be decided when it happens - which of course we would rather it didn't! When I didn't have kids yep whatever it took, which wasn't much I can tell you! These days I am in a better financial position but I wouldn't starve us all to pay for one of my pets treatment. It is also very dependent on which animal, their age and prognosis. I wouldn't fix one of my whippets if they were destined to hobble for the rest of their lives and not be able to have a good run around. If my aged Stafford was diagnosed with cancer I would wait until it was causing him a problem and euth him well before he had no quality of life I wouldn't go surgery and chemo. He has many other medical issues and I don't think it would be fair to subject him to that. One of my younger dogs, I MAY dpending on prognosis and type of cancer/treatment required. I have seen older dogs have large surgeries to have large tumours etc removed and they have presented weeks to maybe months down the track and have needed euthing. I don't want my dogs last few weeks to be filled with the pain of recovering from surgery just to be euthed before they have recovered. I really cannot stand it when people say euth I can buy a healthy one cheaper. I have had someone say that to me when his dog had a fractured leg that needed pinning and had a good change of return to normal function. The surgery was $800 and he said well I can buy a new dog for $600 so put him down (yes many years ago!). I just about reached across the counter and punched him!

Get a Whippet! ;) You may have the wrong breed for you. :( agreed! Whippets do shed but very little. Mine were having their winter to summer malt and I was actually noticing a bit of hair on car seats etc. So I attacked them with the Zoom Groom, now no more hair getting left on stuff - oh and no ear plucking!

I saw on the ABC that they are looking at testing to see if it is a new strain so if it is a vaccine can be made to appropriately cover this new strain. Bit of a worry. Have known of a couple of dogs that were vaccinated and have died from PArvo. Leads you to believe it is a different strain.

Oh noes I condone Polygamy!! If you own the dog and bitch is it then no longer prostitution as no money has exchanged hands??????? Some people really make me wonder!!!! I can understand the avergae person thinking we a re a little nuts spending lots of money to import semen or fly a dog to another country, but paying a stud fee is prostitution??????? Not sure if it's legal or not but Kalgoorlies Hay street is rather notorious

I would be happy to be a WA address for anyone who needs it, I am good at re-addressing and sending on, I do it all the time for the inlaws when travelling

Poor Penny I hope she is feeling better soon. I also second a Chiro, muscle person ideally someone that is experienced with working with hounds.

Good to hear it is over. I am glad Judy has the money to pay the costs of the RSPCA having her dogs, even though I am sure they are vastly inflated. Hopefully the legal costs are not too large. All I can say is spread the word. I had a conversation about the RSPCA with a friend last night (who incidentally has a dog who has burned out 2 electric collars as he barks a fair bit even eith them on. The barking is worth it to him) She had no idea wthat the RSPCA is answerable to no-one and their is no watchdog if you have a problem with their dealings with you. She was amazed and more than horrified. I talked to her about the petition and she agreed with me that down here I would be pushing poo up a very large hill with a very skinny stick to get signitures as most people think the RSPCA are all good and have NO IDEA that they are a private notfor profit organisation who have no watch dog. I am printing out the petition and going to make it my mission to get some signitures but I think I will be hoarse from all the explaining. Our closest RSPCA officer is nearly 500kms away so cases are usually dealt with by local rangers and vets with communication with the officer in another who sometimes, not always comes over to see for himself. Most people have no idea there is no RSPCA watch dog, educate people, try and get this legislation through and hopefully we can stop this kind of rubbish happening again. Many also do not realise with the RSPCA you are guilty until proven innnocent. And this is a PRIVATE organaisation - dog help us is all I can say.

Simple he is devine give him lots of cuddles from us. I love Bullies and especially the tri's,

Oh I need some of these for Rommi she is a powerhouse chewer for her size and has destroyed some toys she apparently shouldn't have. I am liking the other cuz. hiho hiho off internet shopping I go...............................

The pain relief my dog is one is a human medication and is available from pharmacists, infact my mum was presribed them. He only gets them rarely so I wouldn't bother trying to source them from a pharmacy however at $3 per day when he was on them twice daily for a couple of weeks, if he needed to be on them all the time I would look for a cheaper purchase price. I am glad you have found a cheaper place to purchase your dogs medication. She is only three, you could be buying them for a long long time to come!

Hey Bedazzled Let me know when you are down. If you are here on a Saturday come down to training and take advantage of our gear I am at the Esperance Dog Club at the moment, not running our own at this point in time, too many kids between us, makes it a bit hard. The Esperance dog club is at the Ag show grounds opposite the Ports football oval. It runs from 1pm to 3pm on Saturdays.

Nope not this time unfortunately Would love to though it's been 8 years

it is the closest to the show and they will accommodate your times as well. Marianne runs the place beautifully and Dad is still around. Rainbow coast was owned by Jan Benson from memory Ridgebacks, it is on Albany Highway a little out of town close to the airport. If they are still there it is a well run kennels There is another in the king river area, I forget the name but not sure it its still trading and I can't offer a recomendation as I have never used them . We lived in Albany have used both Ulster and Rainbow. Ulster was closer and Dad president of the club, plus a good friend but both are good. Thank you for that I have used Rainbow Coast around 15 or so years ago and was quite happy with them. I will need to board the kids only for a couple of days, and not for the show this time, just going to Albany for a few days, but as Rommi is still on very limited exercise because of her strained cruciate I need to know that she will be kept as quiet as she needs to be for it to heal properly. I also want to go somewhere where they do not mix dogs to play as I do not want that. Rainbow coast has a website, but Ulster didn't so thanks for the info I will be ringing around very shortly