tdierikx

My mother sent me a link to a legislative assembly petition link against the closure of 4 schools in Murwillumbah (where I went to school) and plans to merge them all into a mega school... WTF?!?!? When I went to Murwillumbah High School, there were around 1800 students... and that was back in the 80's, and only the high school... population has grown in the surrounding areas exponentially since then, so to merge ALL schools - both primary AND secondary - into ONE school is just mind boggling with regards to logistics and planning for future population growth. Here's a link to an ABC news article on the issue... https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-29/parents-shocked-by-plans-for-murwillumbah-mega-school/12826378 ... and here's a link to the petition... https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/Pages/epetition-details.aspx?q=HLk6IX0rg5TK+UDkLE0k+A== Please... if you live in NSW, can you sign the petition? T.

Completely understandable... and don't ever feel silly for being vigilant and proactive about your babies' health. You are doing great! T.

OMG!! He's just so gorgeous... totally handsome boy and growing so fast! I think that future photos should include Scout... her on one side, and Chase on the other, with proud mummy you sitting in the middle. Those outtakes are hilarious... *giggle* Give the cheeky man (and ever patient sweet Scout) some extra snout kisses from me... T.

You are the best ever puppy mummy @NikkiandKane... and Chase will probably give you one or 2 more hiccups along the way, but I'm sure he'll grow up to be an awesome boy in every respect. You are doing a great job, so hang in there, OK? T.

From my experience (and literally hundreds of puppies - of my own, and fostering whole litters of pups for rescue) what happened with Kane is extremely rare, and the things that pups can chew and pass safely or without any bother at all is myriad. I currently have a 10 year old dog of my own that has pica, which means she has a crazy need to eat all sorts of things that aren't actually food... like rocks, plants/grasses, poop, wood, bedding, my bloody doona(!), paper, cardboard, etc, etc... seriously the things she has chewed and swallowed (and passed completely without incident) in her 10 years would make your hair stand on end. Here's to many years of us all being regaled with young Chase's funny antics... Hugs, Tracey

Chase... you are not supposed to scare your mummy like that! Chewing your toys is OK, but chewing anything else you find is not... @NikkiandKane... it's awesome that you are so alert to anything that could be wrong and seek medical help asap... I'm sure he will be fine now. Normal bloods are a really good sign, OK? Massive hugs to you... T.

I know of at least 1 pet store that sells pups/kittens that increased their prices astronomically once they realised there was a higher demand for them this year. Regardless of the pandemic, there has been a steady increase in the asking price for pups of all breed and mixes over the past few years... even those in rescue. I'm thinking it's mostly due to supply and demand, but the pandemic situation is seeing more people at home more often (and their children), and the demand for pups and kittens has skyrocketed of late... it only follows that some will seek to profit from that. Personally, I'd rather buy a quality pup from a breeder like @asalfor a fair market price than chance the unknown background/breeding of some crossbreed possibly bred only for the current profit margin to be had right now... and that means that if I have to wait, then that is just how it is... T.

Squeeeee! She's gorgeous @koalathebear... T.

Usually fungal infections thrive in moist or damp areas... but Wee Maxi seems to be bucking that trend... lol! Do you know what fungus he has? F10 shampoo might be helpful, as it is magic stuff that most nasties can't withstand. We wash our ringwormy piglets in it at work, and it really seems to speed up the healing process... much faster than Malaseb. T.

Good boy Chase!!! Well done @NikkiandKane! T.

Hoping Chase behaves himself and does really well for his first show... go Chase!!!! T.

I'm always finding piles of poop on my front lawn... some people walking their dogs obviously think that as long as it's not in their yard... *sigh* T.

He gave me lots of lovely memories in his 4 weeks with me... I'll treasure them and remember him with smiles and joy in my heart. Raising baby animals can be so rewarding... but sometimes so heartbreaking too... Every now and then one comes along so full of personality and joy for life they touch your soul. That was Herbie. T.

Herbie goat became an angel today... we and the vet tried everything we could think of to try to make him better, but it wasn't to be... I'm devastated right now... *sob* T.

Unfortunately, if there is no payment contract stating monies owed and signed by both parties, there isn't much that can be done to retrieve those monies. Maybe a payment plan could be suggested? Say $50 a week? Something is better than nothing... and they may be more amenable to work with a plan of smaller amounts over time... T.

I have personally witnessed my own 2 dogs ignore 2.5 full cans of Police capsicum spray in their faces while having a serious fight. Unfortunately a dog fully in the zone and determined to cause harm can block out many sensations and painful things. Having Police draw their guns on your beloved pets because nothing else was going to stop them is a massive wake-up call... thankfully the dogs actually ran out of steam and stopped of their own accord before the Police pulled any triggers. My heart starts racing even now some years later when I recall that particular incident. Your best protection is avoidance and vigilance IMHO... T.

You could also gently massage the affected area to ease out any knots he has there... T.

Such a handsome little man... and Scout is gorgeous in her own right too! Just remember that in a couple of weeks he'll be teething... make sure he has plenty of things he's allowed to chew ready to go, OK? So glad to hear that the meds are working. He'll be back to his old silly self soon enough... T.

Great news that Chase has only done himself a silly puppy injury... and that he now has a treatment plan to make him better. You did good! T.

Maybe also try to get a urine sample? UTI's can present in very strange ways... especially in a young silly pup who can sometimes focus more on playing than on whether they may be in pain... Hopefully the blood test will indicate if there are any worrying things that need nipping in the bud... and if they come back normal, then that will help ease your mind about anything sinister not being present. T.

Has Chase had a bit of a growth spurt lately? And how old is he now? If he's still acting funny this time next week, I'd take him back to the vet and ask for bloods to be done - just to be completely sure there is nothing untoward going on internally. The fact that he's eating and drinking, not losing weight, and is otherwise fairly normal behaviourally is a good sign. The extended sleeping sessions and aches after long naps could be growing pains if he's having a growth spurt, but they shouldn't go on for more than a couple of weeks as his tendons catch up with his bone growth. Teething (which usually starts around 16 weeks of age) can also make them feel a bit off, and a bit more reluctant to gobble down harder foods like kibble, and can give them a bit of a fever. Another thing could be that he's overdone it somehow while playing or getting into the rhoeo, and maybe his neck/back is a bit sore. How good are you at back/neck massages? You could try firm but gentle rhythmic massaging of the muscles on either side of his spine, from the base of his skull all the way down to his rear end, you may find an area that is a bit knotty and be able to slowly release the knots for him. One of my dogs has mobility issues that mean that she moves differently to normal dogs, and I'm always having to massage knotty areas in her neck if she's been silly doing zoomies. Worth a try anyways, and he won't hate it... *grin* Oh... and I think we need some more photos of the handsome boy... T.

UTI?? Can have very strange symptoms sometimes... Maybe get the vet to run a full blood test (at the very least, the blood test they run before anaesthetics) which should indicate any kidney, liver, or infection issues. If they have an in-house IDEXX, the results should be ready in about 15 mins. The vet can also palpate the kidney, liver, and guts to see if any of those are tender, or if his guts are a bit mushy/hard. Fingers crossed he's just having growing pains or something equally benign... T.

Look at the fees for cats... no difference whether they are desexed or not!?!?! Only discounts are if you are a pensioner or got it from an approved rescue... where is the incentive to desex there? Cat rescues are gonna get a whole lot busier methinks... *sigh* I'm glad I paid my lifetime rego for my 2 dogs before this change... both were desexed older than 6 months... T.

Alex posted a photo of the twinnies at their job today... apparently they were the stars of the show delighting the kids with their antics... lol! Herbie at the back... Harvey at the front... T.

We have a Herbie doppleganger who is about 10 weeks older than Herbie... and they both went on a job together today... twinnies!! Doppleganger's name is Harvey, and he's only about an inch taller than Herbie!! I'll try to get photos of them together soon, OK? T.