tdierikx

Nice!!! Do you live in Sydney FF? If so we should hook up one day for a photo outing at Taronga Zoo... what do you think? Or if you are located in south west Sydney, we could meet up at Symbio (at Helensburgh) - it's smaller and the animals are closer... *grin*... oh, and it's cheaper than Taronga... T.

I get reduced rates at 3 vet clinics - for both fosters AND my own dogs - even when I designate that the dogs are my own and am happy to pay the going rate for regular clients. Then again, none of the vets see my own dogs very much at all - they are remarkably healthy specimens if I do say so myself... *grin* I have established good relationships with all 3 vet clinics, and always pay my bills at the time of consultation or within the next couple of days if I have to scrape up a bit more for an emergency visit... which goes a VERY long way towards vet confidence in a customer... T.

I have seen both Parvo and vaccinosis... both look very similar in the initial stages... and both will return a positive Parvo test. Vaccinosis will see a much faster rebound after about 24 hours on a drip... If puppy is not eating the Supercoat, try the Royal Canin... it certainly won't do any harm, and if he likes it better than the Supercoat, no harm, no foul... I'd probably lace the dry with human grade chicken mince (raw) as well... worked wonders for runty/sickly pups I've had in the past. T.

2 words... vet, now... ...then chiro... T.

3/52 Waiter, there's a hair in my meal... 18-01-2014-symbio 176 by tdierikx, on Flickr T.

Hahahaha! Too gorgeous for words! T.

I had a guy at work ask me if I could take his friend's rabbit, and when I suggested that they contact Small Animal Rescue where the bunny would be desexed and found a new loving family, he was completely horrified at the idea of desexing a rabbit... muttered something about cruelty and wandered off... T.

I saw a teenage dog having a tantrum and refusing to be told (but the guy's tone was more "asking" than telling, yes?) to go to his kennel. I found the subtitles of what the dog's vocalisations were quite funny... not so funny was when the dog started using it's mouth to get what it wanted. If it were my dog, I'd have grabbed the back of the harness and yanked the bugger up onto it's feet and told it in no uncertain terms that it was going to do what it was told. Playing silly games like that could lead to the "oh, he's never shown signs of biting before" scenario we hear so often in the media... T.

lillypilly is possibly without internet right now, as she has moved recently... If you text her, she may be able to see if she can help... T.

OMG! How do you ever discipline her for being naughty when she gives you THAT look? T.

Bugger!!! T.

None of us bite! :) I swear I felt better immediately after my GB surgery. Just avoid lifting stuff. Like all the retail therapy :cool: I don't bite either... *grin* Will be nice to meet a few more DOLers in the flesh... T.

Having my gallbladder out on the 6th... if I'm feeling well enough, I may go... if only to meet WIW and HDW in the flesh (and their dogs of course!) T.

Wow! I doubt MY Labrador would make the best therapy dog... her name is Trouble for a reason... lol! My Pittie cross on the other hand... perfect for a therapy dog... go figure! T.

Wrong colour emigremlin... T.

Same problem here... bloody fleas seem to be resistant to 2 types of treatment so far... Comfortis and Advantage. Not giving them anything else in case they end up poisoned though... we may have to just scratch our way through summer this year. Funnily enough it's only 2 of my 4 dogs that the fleas won't disappear from... the other 2 were fine after the Comfortis only... *sigh* I'm in suburban Sydney... T.

My Lab doesn't smell... I'd not have her on my bed if she stank... ewww! None of my dogs smell "doggy" actually. It's been well over 12 months since any of my dogs had a bath - not that you'd know it from their nice coats and lack of doggy smell. My dogs don't swim though... I'm sure that would make a difference... especially with the Lab... T.

I think there are valid points on both sides of this particular equation... Most good breeders put their all into breeding and raising dogs to be all that they want them to be... so they have every right to put restrictions on who they want to rehome their dogs/pups with... who knows their dogs' needs better than they do really? Then again, as a lot of people here have pointed out (some tactfully, others not so much), there are plenty of people out there who manage to raise a young pup to well adjusted adulthood whilst also working fulltime. In the end though, it IS the breeder's decision as to who and where they are prepared to rehome their pups to, and under what circumstances they feel the pup will thrive the best. My personal opinion is that some breeders that have blanket requirements (such as the not working fulltime issue) may be missing out on some awesome homes for their pups... but it's still THEIR call to make at the end of the day, isn't it? T.

It's nearly 10 years since my heart girl went to the Bridge... and it still hurts every day. Treasure every day you have with her... and you will have some lovely memories to keep in your heart, OK? T.

As much as it may hurt his owner to make a decision like that for a very young dog, I tend to agree... T.

Obviously BOAS isn't something tested for, or can be ruled out completely from occurring in a breed where the standard is for a certain shape of face/head, yes? The fact that parents and other offspring are fine doesn't necessarily indicate that ALL offspring will be fine and danady. Tough one to pass judgement on from this side of the fence... *sigh* T.

Some vets can be a bit quick to advise that an issue is "genetic". In a large number of cases, there will possibly a genetic component, but there will also be environmental factors at play to bring out the "fault". I've yet to meet a vet that will tell a distraught owner of a purebred dog that they may have inadvertently played a part in "causing" the problem... much easier to lay the blame squarely on the breeder for breeding with "inferior stock", isn't it? Some problems that dogs develop (or even breed specific issues), there are no tests for - so how does one guarantee those issues will never develop? Seriously, as others have said, some issues just happen through no major "fault" of either breeder or owner. T.

I think she looks lovely... look at that shiny coat! I'd not let her put on any more condition than she's currently carrying... and if you want her a little leaner, that won't hurt her either. She's certainly not what I'd call fat... not by a long shot... especially for a pup - they can fluctuate weights over hours... T.

Maybe try alternating the raw meat with some vegetables, or cutting the amount of it you add... or cut the kibble if you prefer to feed raw. It's actually amazing how little you need to feed a dog to keep it in good condition. T.

wire - 2 cups of Supercoat kibble for Pickles, Trouble, and Zeddy each - 3 cups for Harper... sometimes they get raw stuff or treats, but not often. T.