Tassie

How beautiful! I'm sure you're right, Zena's mum, and it must bring you relief to know that Molly is going to be OK .. and you are too, as she gets you to join in her games. Thanks for sharing those precious moments with us.

To be honest, I'd be taking her to a specialist orthopaedic vet for assessment. My understanding is that damaged ligaments do not repair themselves, even partial tears. What can happen is that scar tissue can build up around the knee to stabilise it, but the original damage is still there, and in an active dog, there is always the potential for a complete tear. There is also a greater risk of arthritic changes, and damage to the meniscus .. the cartilage covering the surface of the tibial plateau. You're lucky in Victoria to have a choice of really good orthopaedic specialists .. you might be able to get recommendations here. I think most are in Melbourne, but worth the travel. My vet explained that diagnosis on an awake dog can be difficult if it's not a complete tear, especially if the dog is fit and well muscled, as they will tense up their muscles and inhibit the movement the vet is looking for. She's only two and a half, and clearly wants/needs to be active, so I would definitely not be letting it go much longer. Whether it's something coming from the back, or from the knee, it's causing the dog discomfort, and limiting activity, and could well be setting up pre-arthritic changes, I'd say it's worth pursuing via a specialist clinic. But then, as my vet would tell you, I tend to be a bit of a worry wort about my dogs.

Tough times for you Gretel And you're so right .. 15 years is a blessing , but never long enough. My BC girl Kirra has been showing blood test results of kidney failure for 18 months ..progressing slowly. But now we're dealing with lymphoma. So far, thanks to cortisone, she's doing OK .. but getting weaker. She's lost a kilo in a week and a half, partly because of cutting out carbs. She's still eating well, taking her meds, and happy to do little bits of 'training' to join in with the boy. I'm blessed in that I can be with her or have her with me all day. But it's going to be tough. H ugs to you and your little Ingrid.

What a wonderful set of memories your beautiful girl has given you, Zena's mum. And the fact that she had more than double the expected time is a tribute to your great love and care for her. And how special was her way of telling you it was her time. Bless her. Take good care of her Molly, and yourselves, and thank you again for your generosity in sharing her story and her passing. Hugs to you all.

My agility/obedience BC was partially non weight bearing one morning .. and still the next morning, though no particular pain response on palpation by me, so vet visit . My own vet (does a lot of ortho, though not a specialist) manipulated him for some time, and partly because the dog was resisting, and is well muscled, he could only get a few indicative signs, but he thought it was probably a CrCL partial tear. Vet was going to be away for a while, so we decided on 3 weeks conservative management with Rimadyl/carprofen as anti inflame/[ain relief. I also took him to a rehab vet to discuss post surgery rehab protocol. Her examination produced the same result. So we scheduled surgery (TTO) for when the vet came back, even though by this time, the dog was weight bearing .. but on very limited on leash walking.) Once the dog was anesthetized, vet rang to say he could no longer feel instability or effusion in and around the joint ... so although x rays are not definitive, we did knee xrays (and hips just to compare with the hip rads taken 6 years earlier. And the good news ..."beautiful knees", and no significant arthritic changes in knees or hips. So the conclusion was the original symptoms must have been from a sprain. I didn't take any chance though, and rehabbed him slowly and carefully anyway. So the bottom line for you is that if you have any symptoms suggestive of a CrCL injury, I'd definitely do a vet visit. A partial tear will almost certainly become a complete tear if not treated, and more damage can be done in the meantime. X rays and ultrasound can be indicative, but the only really conclusive imaging apparently is MRI. For information, there is a brilliant FB group called TPLO Treatment for Canines .. in spite of the title, covers all sorts of CrCL surgeries and conservative management. Hugely supportive group, and files have heaps of useful information. Good luck .. do hope it's just a sprain, but if it is a tear, it does seem like surgery is a preferred option, but maybe get a specialist ortho opinion.

I'd endorse what TSD suggested. But don't let the fact that you haven't had the chance to interact with the pup, or that pup will be flying interstate, put you off. If you're happy with your contacts with the breeder, and you like what you've seen about the litter and the parents and family, that's encouraging. I met one of my current dogs for the first time when I went interstate to pick her up, and my boy I met for the first time at the airport when he arrived as a 10 week old on an overnight flight with one 2 hour stopover. Haven't regretted either for a moment, and I have wonderful support from their breeders. ETA .. when my boy arrived, the first sound I heard was his tail happily wagging in his crate. It's hardly stopped wagging since.

My Border Collies have and use their dew claws ... sport dogs, but also just general cornering etc. A couple of them have had the odd problem, but so far haven't had to have a vet deal with them. (I did take my boy to the vet last year as he was worrying at his dew claw .. it was obviously not normal, but not completely detached. Between me trimming it and him licking it, we must have loosened it, since as the poor vet was handling it as he explained they would normally sedate the dog and just removed the damaged claw so the new one could grow, the remaining bit came off in his hand .. with the dog not even noticing!) Depending on the nature of the damage, it's a bit like us losing a nail after some kind of injury .. no real drama.

Thanks Zena's mum/ Her name is Kirra (T.Ch Khayoz Sweet Soul Music RAE TSD ADM3 ADO6 JDM3 JDO6 GD SD SPDX HTM.S DWDF.S ET) ! The visit to our holistic vet was good .. one good thing was that the Prednisone has reduced the lymph node swelling already, although of course that will only be a short term thing till it loses its effectiveness ... but good for the moment. Now she's had a variety of diet change and herbal remedies for immune support added into the mix, none of which are going to be curative at this stage, but should help to ensure good quality of life for the time she has left .. and may increase that time slightly. She's happy enough, and was wanting to join in some raining last night with my boy. The pictures were taken a year and a half ago, but they quite sums up my cheeky girl. Your dear Zena must be a really tough little girlie .. with a good immune system. That's a tribute to your care for her.

Thanks for your kind thoughts, Zena's mum. Your girl is obviously a tough little cookie. I know what you mean .. the day I decided it was the end for my first dog, I carried her into the vet's office, and she was looking round brightly and greeting everyone as if there was nothing wrong with you. I haven't had to make the decision for a dog since then, although I have for cats. The two dogs that I've lost since then went quickly .. one from an accidental poisoning .. couldn't be saved, and one from haemolytic anaemia. Thinking out loud here, I guess it's just a balance sheet sort of thing .. for each day have there been more good things than bad, and then looking for trends. My girl saw our holistic vet today, so we're going with some dietary changes as well, and some herbal remedies. The Prednisone has reduced the swelling in the lymph nodes already, which is good, although of course it's only temporary, Treasuring the good times.

Just wanting to thank you for your posts. I just got a lymphoma diagnosis for my retired agility BC girl, who turned 15 a month ago. She's had early stage kidney disease for over a year, but this has come out of the blue. I suspect it will be fast moving, because I only noticed the swollen lymph nodes last week .. I don't think I missed them before. I've lost dogs and cats before .. some very fast, some slow, some older, some young, but it really never gets any easier. And your sharing has been just what I needed to start getting adjusted. Thank you, and very best wishes to you and your family.

There was a town somewhere in the US that used to open the pool to dogs before they closed it after the summer. Great idea.

Soooo pleased for you.

Another firm believer in the effectiveness of supplements - mine have glucosamine/chondroitin chews and fish oil, and Rose Hip Canine Vital. Have to be careful with anti-inflame pain relief with my just turned 15 year old retired agility girl, as she has early stage kidney disease, so for the moment we're going with a herbal arthritis pain relief powder (kidney sparing) from our holistic vet, who practises 'normal' as well as herbal and traditional Chinese Medicine. Mine also have remedial massage, acupuncture, laser etc. as needed, and also do hydrotherapy. I'd definitely be consulting your vet .. and maybe a rehab vet to see if there are some exercises and massage things you can do to keep your lad supple and comfortable.

So very sorry to read this, PME, but what a wonderful life she had with you and your kids, and what a lovely peaceful end. Loved seeing and reading about her ... thanks you on behalf of all old dogs.

So pleased for you and Scotty, on all counts! She sounds like a great find.

+1. At 12 weeks, your pup will be due for a vet visit anyway for vacc. Or has that been done already? Either way, I'd be getting it checked.

That's very likely. My BC boy has hurt a front dewclaw a couple of times, and it is quite painful. I think a vet visit is well in order, sooner rather than later. Apart from the fact you don't want the pup to be hurting, they tend to lick the paw to make it feel better, and that can become habitual .. to be avoided if you can. Your vet will give you advice on whether it is a temporary problem, or whether it needs a bit more action.

It's such a complicated thing isn't it .. we're so fortunate that they get to get old ... but it gets hard for us. That sounds like a productive consult though ..

Adding to the "make a change" group . The service you're getting at the moment is well below what should be the norm. I might have missed it, but what did the vets say they are treating with the metacam.? I'd be wanting detailed explanations and expectations. I am so fortunate with my local vet clinic. I'm normally able to see my main vet (the practice owner) and he is lovely with the dogs, treats me like an intelligent being, and tolerates my use of alternative therapies with the holistic vet we also see .. who does remedial massage, acupuncture, PEMF and laser .. and has an underwater treadmill .. and also uses traditional Chinese medicine as well as the Western therapies. He is also lovely with the dogs, and knows that I use my local vets as well.

Just heard an interview with the PETA woman, and it sounds like they are really just taking the opportunity to get publicity for the anti duck hunting campaign .. season about to begin in Victoria and Tasmania, and already on in SA. So maybe not quite as way out as a lot of their other stuff .. more like somewhat clever marketing.

Boronia, this is obviously subject to what your vet says, but I would be seriously restricting Henry's activities before he sees the vet. If there is cruciate damage, by being active, he is risking further damage, including meniscus tearing, which complicates the issue and wets the dog up for arthritis. My instructions while Rory was on carprofen pre surgery, was stricltly conservative management. (Think in terms of human sprain or torn ligament.) If he does have surgery, then whatever type he has, he will need a significant time of very limited activity to ensure a good rehab. outcome, so it's good to get him used to it sooner rather than later. Hoping for a good outcome either way. How old is Henry, and what weight is he?

THat's bad luck with your boy. Went through a possible partial cruciate ligament tear scare with my BC back in October. Actually scheduled surgery, which was delayed for 3 weeks because my vet was going to be away, so three weeks of conservative management .. anti inflam/pain relief (carprofen) and only short on leash outings to toilet. TTO was my vet's well thought out preference for surgery but when he had the dog anaesthetized, he could no longer feel the indicators of a tear which both he and a rehab vet had felt immediately after the injury, so after discussion, he went ahead ad x rayed the knees, and the hips at my request (for comparison with ones done 6 years earlier. Although x rays are not conclusively diagnostic, he could seen no signs that there was or had been a tear .. the knees were "beautiful",and there were no signs of arthritic changes, which was good for me to hear in my 8 year old agility boy. In the course of all that, I was referred to a couple of really helpful Facebook groups .. Orthodogs, and TPLO Treatment for Canines. Both cover a range of orthopaedic topics, and have some really good advice, and are very supportive as well. The TPLO group covers a whole range of options for cruciate ligament damage repair, including the use of braces. If you have the chance to consult an orthopaedic specialist it would be worth doing I'd think. It would also be worthwhile shooting Jumabaar a PM/ ETF spelling

It will be worth waiting for TSD . IMO this age, and particularly while she's teething, the main emphasis is on strengthening the relationship and her behaviours with lots of rewards - as TSD says .. various kinds ..and coming from various places, as you're doing. And for situations, particularly involving the children, managing with a leash or pen so that she can figure things out a bit more and everyone can stay calm. In the event of non compliance, think about whether the pup really knows the cue in a variety of situations and levels of arousal, and depending on the answer maybe tweak your training plan .. which at this age will always be quite flexible. TSD and I have an online guru whose NRM goes something like .. calmly saying something like "I don't think so" while you reset or manage.

I guess if the breeder is unable to help, then my next step would be a breed rescue. Found this one

Just in addition to the great advice from KobiD , for a 10 week old baby, I would also be using interrupt/redirect .... which does mean having something the puppy is allowed to chew close to hand all through the house .. cardboard tubes are great .. insides of paper towel rolls, etc. So if the pup starts nipping, I'd use an interrupt noise .. like a low uh uh . as I'm reaching for the permitted thing .. then engage the puppy with the cardboard tube or whatever .. and tell puppy he's wonderful .. have a little tug to engage him, and leave him to it. So what you're doing here is giving the pup information about what is OK to chew and what isn't . Time out is fine if the pup is completely OTT, but this is for times when pup just needed to chew on something. It takes a little while, (took 3 weeks to convince my baby BC that my pants legs were not for chewing), but it's a nice positive interaction with your pup. Helps if you're not too house proud too So nice that your boy is enjoying little tug games ... lovely way to engage him. Agree with the advice you've been given about the rules of tug. ETA // meant to say .. when you're interrupting the nipping behaviour, just keep your voice low, otherwise you'll sound like one of the littermates he's been used to chewing on.