tdierikx

Well done for once by the justice system... T.

Awww... how cute is that? T.

I think the bit I bolded actually tells the story... T.

Not the best news... hopefully he'll be OK... T.

Woolies are worse... they could have decimated Coles a few years ago, bt the ACCC wouldn't let them buy more stores... T.

The thing is though Anne... when do we start to worry? When they get upwards of 200 clinics on board? 300? 400? More? When they start undercutting smaller clinics in order to put them out of business, so that they then have the monopoly in certain areas? It all starts innocently enough - a slick business model, and lots of dosh floating around for those willing to do pretty much anything to get their hands on it... T.

Kind of reminds me of the way some of the human medical centres sprang up in the 80's and made some people obscenely rich - but the care actually given in those places felt like a processing centre more than a doctor's surgery/practice... and still does today... T.

At what stage will the ACCC step in and say they have too many clinics/outlets? Coles/Woolies are only allowed a maximum 36% of total grocery stores for example - to allow for competetive practices to keep prices affordable - will we see the same for vet clinic conglomerates, or will they be allowed to eventually hold a majority share of the market? T.

Still geared towards commercial "breeding" establishments very much, isn't it? T.

I'd probably get some fish oil into her regular feeding, and just trim her feathered bits so she doesn't get those stringy mats. See how her coat recovers before doing any more damage by clipping right back again... T.

Watch out! My 14 year old has become a senile delinquent since teaming up with former foster pup Pickles... they are so naughty together, getting up to all sorts of mischief! The oldies are great pals for the littlies though, aren't they? Teaching how to play nicely, and being just firm enough when they aren't... T.

Yay for Juniper!!!! T.

Ask the pound to hold him in isolation from other dogs for the next 7 days minimum - redo the parvo test after 5 days. Do not vaccinate with a live virus vaccine - Parvac is OK, but only does parvo... if pup is vaccinated with a live virus, he will test positive for parvo for aup to 7-10 days after being vaccinated... and you want to be sure he doesn't have it before you even consider bringing him home. If he is not positive for parvo after 5 days, then you could possibly be safe to vaccinate him properly then and take him home. T.

The local vet clinic that was taken over by Greencross started out only rebadging their clinic and paperwork - nothing changed at all... at first... Over time, they introduced the upselling and wanting to order the most expensive things that would generate decent profit for the clinic. At that point I found another local vet who is excellent at what he does, and doesn't mess anyone about (least of all the animals)... the only thing he doesn't do is in-house pathology, so I have another vet further away that I use for that purpose if I need a quick result on pathology (like a fecal float) T.

If the pup is healthy and has been getting regular worming, then a larger dose won't hurt - maybe at worst will make for a bit of yukky sloppy poop for a day or so. At 3.9kgs, and as physically immaculate as Neko is - the half tablet won't muck her about at all. If she had a large worm burden, and wasn't as well cared for as she is, then I'd recommend trying to get as close to an exact measured dose for her as possible. T.

You could get some Canex puppy worming syrup... or if you go the tablet route half of a Canex or Fenpral worming tablet will be easier on her than Drontal. I don't use Drontal on young pups - seen a few die from complications from the nasty stuff. Then again, most of the pups I've seen it have adverse affects on are rescue pups with decent worm loads... T.

I changed vets when my preferred clinic sold to Greencross. Upselling is rampant there now, and they will happily stoop to the guilt trips to get you to spend up big there... My friend (a vet) who recently left there said she couldn't handle the pressure to upsell any more... T.

Well done Wiz and friends! T.

I had one litter born the day of my Godson's christening... thank dog she finished in time for me to get over the other side of the city to be there! It wouldn't have been pretty if the Godmother didn't turn up for the christening... errr! T.

Litters being born on Christmas day can be a bummer... not easy to party when you are up to your eyeballs in afterbirth... lol! Note - never mate your bitch on 23 October... But I'll agree that there's not much cooler Christmas playthings than a litter of healthy and happy puppies, is there? T.

awesome news!!! T.

19 degrees can be "hot" if there's a humidity factor... I've been known to break out in a sweat in 19 degree "heat"... T.

See what a decent diet results in regarding the wonky back feet.... it may be all she needs... If the back dewclaws are not attached, then they could be removed when she gets desexed with no big issue, but if they are attached it will be more tricky (and painful) to remove. Another solution if they can't be removed is to put a bit of vetwrap around them if she is going to do agility or the like - just so they don't get caught on anything. T.

For those on pensions, the Seniors magazine regularly has warning articles regarding these scams... On another note, my mother got a call from Telstra once insisting that she change her mobile plan - they were very insistent that this "awesome deal" was only for that day, etc... she refused to make any decisions about changing her plan until after she had talked to me - and the guy on the phone was rather threatening until she hung up on him. Turned out to be a bloody legitimate call no less! she than called me and we decided that the plan she was already on was the best for her, and when they rang back again, she politely declined... to more abuse from the dick on the other end of the phone! Very professional Telstra... not! T.

Awww... happy gotcha day Tempeh! T.