tdierikx

I'd go with third time lucky - contact a few people from your waiting list, and if she is still with you after that, then she was meant to stay... *grin* T.

That last picture is heartbreaking - poor girl does look like she may be in a bit of pain from her surgery - or depressed in some way. Please talk to your vet about safe pain relief for her... you may see a marked increase in her appetite and enthusiasm for survival. Getting more calcium into her will also see her perk up some. Her condition is bad, but definitely looks recoverable - she has a bit more meat on her bones than our Minnie had... and if Minnie could come back from her condition, then Gnarla can/will too. Seriously, try the Pedigree puppy tinned food... with or without flavoured rice... and maybe mix in some powdered calcium with it. Have you tried offering her ice cream yet? And try some raw chicken wings if she has a preference for raw food - beef/lamb may still be a bit rich at this stage. Keep up the addition of Nutrigel and/or honey in her water. Did you try offering her some of the puppy formula? Apart from feeding herself, she is feeding pups, and as she's been desexed, her milk production will be much less than if she wasn't - more things like formula, calcium powder, or even a daily sub-cut shot of calcium will help her milk come in better. Thankfully she is only having to try to produce milk for 5 pups, so if you can get it to come in better, they will have a better start too. How old would you say she might be? T.

Caesar is only a young fellow, isn't he? Many young dogs don't have great manners when bounding up to other dogs and wanting to play - and some dogs react badly to the lack of tact that an exuberant pup displays when looking for a game... A long line lead might be a good idea to let Caesar have his run without any chance of other dogs getting testy with him... at least until his recall is much better... T.

And that is why when I'm donating towards an animal's vet care, I call and make the payment to the vet clinic direct. I'm not looking for a tax deductable receipt - and I can be 100% certain that the money I'm paying is going directly towards the vet care. No way on the planet would I donate directly to a rescue's bank account - not even the one I volunteer with. T.

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/home-garden/half-of-australias-vets-sickened-by-animals-they-treat/story-fngwib2y-1226641178248 ALMOST one in two vets contract infections from animals they treat because of bad hygiene practices, a study has found. Research by the University of Sydney's Veterinary Science department shows poor infection control has led to 44.9 per cent of vets contracting an infectious disease during their career. More than 75 per cent of the 344 veterinarians questioned admitted they did not use masks, gowns, or gloves when performing surgery, dental procedures and post-mortems. "Our profession appears to have a complacent attitude towards the use of personal protection," said the study's author, Dr Navneet Dhand. "Not using appropriate protection when necessary is just like having unprotected sex with a stranger and thinking that it will be alright." The study found almost 22 per cent of vets did not have eating areas separate from animals, and more than a third (34.8 per cent) did not isolate animals with contagious or known infectious diseases. Dr Dhand said this was of particular concern since an increasing number of people had been affected by zoonotic or animal-borne diseases such as the Hendra virus and avian influenza. "Vets are likely to be among the first people to encounter animals infected with these pathogens," said Dr Dhand. "Their vigilance has implications not only for their own health but also the health and safety of the wider community." T.

Agree that dogs will happily eat weird combinations. Also good idea to check with vet if she could have post-surgical pain that might be helped. Meloxicam might be suss, tho'. Hasn't been rigorously evaluated with lactating animals. Also risky when the current health status is poor. So vet check critical. See Precautions: http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=ed2227e6-8c69-4057-a8b2-94f74cb11264 Thank you for that mita... I'd always check with a vet before giving anything to a lactating bitch - you can't ever be too careful. Excellent reading material mita... and looks very similar to how we nursed our Minnie back to health. We did adjust a bit for added calcium intake due to her needing to nurse her babies too. T.

She's probably not cleaning them because their waste doesn't taste right from the AB's she's taking - you are going to have to stimulate and clean them yourself before and after feeding methinks. A warm damp towel or facecloth will simulate her tongue. Also, the fact that she has been desexed means that her hormones are all out of whack, and that will reduce milk production. Go easy on what you feed her - if it's too rich, she may react badly to it. Can you cook up a large pot of rice with a couple of chicken stock cubes in it (for flavour) and see if she'll eat some small amounts of it to fill her a little? You could even mix ice cream through it for extra boost - dogs don't care about things we may find weird with food. You can also try Pedigree puppy tinned food - I haven't met too many dogs who will turn their noses up at that - mix it into some boiled rice and see if she'll take it. The aim of the game is to try to up her milk production some, so she can feed her babies as much as she can - while also trying to put some weight on Gnarla. Lots of small meals is the trick. Could she also be in pain from her surgery? Can the vet give you anything for that which is safe for her babies? My bottle of Meloxicam doesn't say anything about not giving to lactating animals... Minnie - the girl I posted pics of - responded very well to all of the things I've posted here. We had her on a drip for the first 3 days and really thought she wouldn't make it at that point. She had 11 pups 4 days later, of which 3 survived - which was no mean feat, as we thought for sure they were all going to be dead. It was a lot of hard work, but the outcome was well worth it all for Minnie and her surviving babies. Minnie's weight on arrival with us was 29kgs (and a good portion of that was her babies in utero) - and when she left us, her weight was 65kgs, which was a perfect healthy weight for her size. T.

Here's a pic of our emaciated mumma when we first got her... 8 weeks pregnant to boot! WARNING: Do not look if easily upset! ... and here she is just before she was rehomed...

Try giving Gnarla some ice cream - vanilla flavour is a fave with our poorly mums... will up her calcium a bit also. Raw chicken wings (whole) are also a fave. As she is rather underweight, may I suggest 5 or 6 small feeds a day - her tummy may have shrunk a bit by going without for a while. Is she drinking much? If not, she may need another dose of fluids (possibly by IV). If she is drinking OK, put some honey or Nutrigel in her water - or even some electrolytes - just to give her a boost. If you are supplementing the pups feeds, maybe you could mix up some of the formula for Gnarla too... We had a completely emaciated large breed mum a while back, and the above is what we did to help her get back on her feet... it worked a charm. T.

This is how my Lab used to look in her younger years... and how I prefer her to look... which apparently was "too skinny" in other people's eyes. ... and this is how she looks now... as you can see, I'd like to drop a couple of kilos off her, but she's still far from fat... most people are not calling her "skinny" any more... T.

I only pay for the vial... T.

What I was trying to show with the Pickles example is that feeding the "recommended" portions as per the side of the bag for a particular weight is not necessarily the only way to make sure your dog is going to end up in a healthy weight range. Pickles also has sighthound in her breed mix, which means she is of a leaner build type to start with. I was also trying to point out that even though she is lean and invariably has her ribs visible, she doesn't have her hip bones protruding... Maybe your overweight dog might need even less food than he's currently getting if you are having issues keeping weight off him? T.

Another fan of Royan Canin Junior here... feed it to all my fosters and they thrive on it. My own large breed (cross Dane) pup was on RC Junior up to 16 weeks, then I switched her to Nutro Adult Lamb and Rice - she's in beautiful health and has hit all her growth milestones just fine. She is now 8 months old, and I've cut down the size of her feeds as she isn't spurting (growth) much any more. T.

I get told sometimes that my Pickles (mobility challenged camp dog) is skinny. Firstly, her weight is strictly controlled because of her mobility issues. Secondly, the way that she moves means that some areas where most dogs have muscle, she doesn't have full development of same. Thirdly, she eats twice as much as my other large dogs who are twice her weight, but as she is a very "busy" dog, she uses up the extra just to get around. Pickles' hip bones are not pronounced, but most days you CAN see/feel her ribs. Pickles also obviously has some sighthound in her, which does give her a much leaner frame than most pet dogs. Then again, people tell me that my Lab is skinny too, and I reckon she could happily lose about 2-3 kilos before I'll be totally happy with her weight... *grin*... I keep telling her that she has "booty"... lol! T.

If she were mine, I'd probably like to see a little less of her hip bones... but it's early days for her so far. Give it a little bit of time for her to settle in and get some good food into her, and I'm sure she'll be fine. Overall she does look to be in a pretty healthy state muscle tone wise... Does she have a name kirty? T.

You are probably getting a consult as well as the vacc... T.

Seems a little bit silly detailing their defence of the charges in public like that - just gives the RSPCA a better standing for their prosecution by allowing them the chance to refute each item on the list before it gets to court. T.

Cutie patootie!! T.

Will get it oranised and to you asap LG. T.

Snook - one of your screenshots shows an action planned for June 24 at 4 Kay Ave, Berri... I believe that is the court house... so that may be the date she has to appear?? T.

Jed... you are an inspiration to many - what you have been through would have completely crushed most of us. I have always respected your sound advice and the amazing knowledge that you so willingly share with many a newbie (and some "veterans" that need reminding now and then also). Hoping that the rest of your recovery is less painful than what has so far been endured - and grateful that your spirit is still strong. T.

That's a pretty scary list of issues that they say were evident in the dogs/cats they seized. I don't know how they are going to counter them... T.

I have some printer transfer paper I bought a while ago LG - unopened... would you like me to send it to you? T.

Definitely another vote for MTD's work... she's great! T.

Aggressive or "protective" behaviour in public is not acceptable from any dog - no matter it's size. It is NOT funny when a little dog decides to provoke a larger dog - just as it's not funny when a larger dog snaps back and injures the provoking dog. There are no different sets of rules for small or large dogs - ALL dogs in public are supposed to behave in an appropriate fashion towards humans and other animals. T.