tdierikx

The reaction he had to his sutures that you sought treatment for soon after the surgery... were they the internal or the external sutures he was reacting to? If he was reacting to the internal sutures, then it is possible that the deeper layers of same could have been having a reaction too... but the treatment did clear up the visible reaction, yes? So it follows that it would have had a positive effect on the deeper layer suture reaction also... Sometimes complications like this just happen, and can be so hard to diagnose and treat.. even for the world's most experienced vets. Dogs are so good at hiding the full extent of some issues... and so we can only treat what we can see is obviously wrong. From Kane's symptoms, the vet would not have thought that a deeper issue was brewing, or that blood tests might need to be taken to ascertain same. The treatment did clear up the visible problem, but that million to one chance that the problem was much more serious just happened to be the case here. Please don't get angry with the vet for not picking it up at the time... that will only make you more sad, and still won't bring Kane back to you. I say the following from my own experience with the same deep sense of loss... please focus on all of Kane's wonderful memories - the times he made you laugh at his silliness and crazy antics - the times he cuddled with Scout (whether she wanted him to or not) - the times he snuggled up to you and gave you those precious staffy kisses - and just what a wonderful young lad he was in general. Time will make the hurt fade... Hugs... T.

Most people don't see the high costs involved in running a vet clinic... and there is no Medicare for animals, so the costs can be seen to be high. In reality, the costs are less than what human doctors charge for similar procedures and medications... but without Medicare or PBS, the client has to pay the full price. Not many vets are well off... the profits they get from any markups usually go straight back into business/equipment costs and wages for all staff employed at the clinic... T.

I remember about Jan Spate... they treated her so badly... T.

Answered a call at my work placement clinic the other day... a gentleman wanting to switch vets because he wasn't happy with how he felt he and his terminally ill dog were being treated at his current clinic. I was super polite, and passed him on to our clinic manager... Turns out that his dog really needs to go to the Bridge, but he can't bear the thought. The dog is on fluids and all sorts of medications to try to keep it comfortable, and the owner wants to come and sit with it for hours on end in the clinic... which is traumatic for all involved, not to mention having to move the poor dog back and forth from it's hospital cage to a consult room whenever the owner decides to drop in and sit with it. The dog is too ill to be sent home... it will pass away without all of the supportive care... The owner wants to switch vets because the current treating vets keep hinting that his little mate needs to go to heaven. Sometimes keeping human clients happy might not be the best thing for their little mates... *sigh* T.

I have this issue... my 2 girls need to be kept away from each other ALL the time. The next pup I get will definitely be a laid back boy... and I already have the perfect breeder of my desired breed in mind. As for getting another pup from Kane's breeder, I would probably take them up on that lovely offer... you will have some time to grieve for Kane and also to prepare for a new best mate to come into your life and help you heal even more. Hugs at you... T.

Kane was meant to be in your life for only a short time... He taught you many things, including unconditional love and joy for life... Remember him with huge smiles for the wonderful memories he gave you... not the pain of his having to leave much too soon. He wouldn't like you being so sad... T.

And I'll third it for good measure! T.

The traffic can be pretty dismal on Pennant Hills Rd and up New Line Rd at times, but if you are ever stuck in need of an exceptional vet, Galston are well worth the traffic hassle IMHO. I'm totally fussy about my vets as you may already have gathered... I don't recommend if I wouldn't use them for my own pets... if my local awesome treating vet ever closes, I'd drive all the way out to Galston to have them as my preferred vets. I'm so lucky to have them for the work farm animals... they are the best! T.

@NikkiandKane - very special humans sometimes get to have a very special dog come into their lives to be their soulmates. All too often the time we have with our very special friends is way too short, but the bond is all the stronger because of the short time you had together. When they leave us, they take a piece of our soul with them... we feel broken forever because of that. The pain never goes away, but we do manage to come to terms with it, and know that our friend will always be connected to us even though that bond is no longer a physical one. The Rainbow Bridge poem sometimes helps to make us feel a bit better... "There is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth. It is called the Rainbow Bridge because of all its beautiful colors. Just this side of the Rainbow Bridge there is a land of meadows, hills and valleys with lush green grass. When a beloved pet dies, the pet goes to this place. There is always food and water and warm spring weather. The old and frail animals are young again. Those who were sick, hurt or in pain are made whole again. There is only one thing missing, they are not with their special person who loved them so much on earth. So each day they run and play until the day comes when one suddenly stops playing and looks up! The nose twitches! The ears are up! The eyes are staring and this one runs from the group! You have been seen and when you and your special friend meet, you take him in your arms and hug him. He licks and kisses your face again and again - and you look once more into the eyes of your best friend and trusting pet. Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together never again to be apart. Author: Unknown" Much love and deepest sympathies to you from one who know EXACTLY how you are feeling right now... T.

@Loving my Oldies... Galston Vet Clinic is well worth the drive from your place... Andrew and Sandy (partner vet owners of the clinic) are the loveliest people who go that extra mile for both the animals AND humans. They are at 7 Arcadia Rd, Galston - Ph: 9653 1622 - 8:30am - 6pm Mon to Fri, and 9-12am on Saturdays I rocked up yesterday unannounced with a very poorly little calf, and Sandy dropped everything to accommodate and get him better... she didn't even get to eat her lunch, but didn't mind at all. If you are after vets with sound animal healing skills and good old fashioned caring and great client skills, you won't find a better vet closer to you IMHO. T.

Oh jeebus @NikkiandKane... my heart sobs for you... Fly free with the angels little man Kane... I'll be looking for your special star in the heavens shining love down on all of us... *sob* My beloved Woosie is at the Bridge... she will show Kane where all the best sunny snoozing spots are... and where to chase the best bunnies... he is in great company, OK? Massive hugs to you and yours from me and mine. T.

Good on the vet for pursuing the matter... too many hunker down and try to ride out the storm from disgruntled customers with a chip on their shoulder... T.

I've owned and bred Rotties in the past... and 7.3kg at 11 weeks is a bit smallish, but if he's otherwise happy and healthy and not starving, then he may well just be a smaller type... it happens - especially with an unknown parentage/breeding. Also, I've had smaller type pups have startling growth spurts and end up well within the breed standard with regards to height/weight. Personally, I'd be feeding him as much as he will eat at each feed at this age/stage... he's going to be having very interesting growth spurts for the next few months, and will need all the fuel he can get for those. Also, don't overdo the calcium... larger breeds should be grown relatively slowly in order to avoid bone/joint/tendon issues futher down the track. If Ares turns out smaller than average, does it really matter? As a Rotti, he will still be a faithful, loyal, and loving family member who will love you to the moon and back forever. T.

If your dogs are doing well on whatever you are feeding then, then I'd be happy enough with that... and as perse says, if you throw in some other food types (meat, bones, vegies, etc), then you can't really go too wrong. My philosophy is to feed my dogs whatever they are doing well on and don't go too much into the "science" about it all. Seems to be working, as they are now 10 and 8 and are virtual strangers at the vet clinic... Over the years I've had dogs do well on the cheapest supermarket foods, as well as on the more expensive premium brands, and raw diets... it's hard to really work out why, so I don't hurt my brain about it... *grin* T.

He is such a stunning boy... T.

Looking good!!! Go you and Kane! T.

But @asal, there are some inspectors who do play fair... who only sieze as an absolute last resort... we know that for a fact, don't we? The system IS rigged to make it virtually impossible for the average Joe, but that doesn't mean that their tactics are completely foolproof. Unfortunately, the legal system is so fecking expensive if you want to fight any charges... but more often than not, when you do fight them through the system, the charges don't always stick. T.

RSPCA NSW has 532 paid staff... and 3140 volunteers. That's one hell of a free workforce, considering they rake in tens of millions in donations every year (32 million in 2018/19). 7.3 million reported as being spent on providing for all animals in their care - some 29,000 animals reported - so that is $251 per animal - but 9305 animals were either euthanaised (8990) or died in care (315) - that's 32% not making it out alive 102,110 received in fines (and 77 prosecutions commenced) - not a good return on costs involved to get that pitiful amount - when the cost of running the inspectorate was reported to be 5.8 million 67,128,718 in FREE media coverage... !!! Scary figures no matter which way you look at them, aren't they? T.

She's a bit of a camera tart, isn't she... and so proud of herself... lol! T.

Glad to hear that all is starting to look so much better with Kane's wound... I'm tipping the naughty beggar was doing some surrupticious scratching/rubbing to relieve the healing itch... T.

It does mention accountability, but seems to only be where budgets are concerned... however, if they end up funded by a government department, then there will be a course that one can take to make complaints and have them taken seriously... According to the committee report, in the 2018/2019 financial year, RSPCA inspectorate cost 5.8 million to run. Only around 500k of that was government funding, so no real course of action can be taken if a complaint is made... but if the government ends up funding more than 50% of that enormous figure, then they are really going to scrutinise how it is spent, and there we may have recourse when overzealous actions are employed - as such things are a bloody waste of time and money, and rarely cover the costs of doing them. Case in point: My work got done over a few years ago, and were served with 12 offence notices. Those 12 notices took some 60 days to happen, with many costs regarding animals in care, vet fees, time taken to collect all data and present to their legals before they were (apparently) checked for legal veracity, then sent to our legals. 12 months of back and forthing with said legals which racked up considerable legal fees on our end, so it could be construed that the other side racked up their fair share also. The apparent bill for "care" of the animals siezed totalled over 10k - add that to the legal personnel costs and the costs of sending 2 inspectors and a vet out to do the raid, the inspector's time to collate the data and send to their legals. 1 week before the due court date, the offer came to drop 11 charges if my employer would plead guilty to just 1 - the fine for that guilty plea was around 20k, of which RSPCA received a moeity (supposed to be half the fine). So the financial return was anywhere between 10k and 20k (depends on how much of the fines they actually pocket). 10k wouldn't even have covered the cost of "caring" for the animals they siezed... so are their tactics financially viable? If they become more fully funded by government, there will be the need to account for all monies spent... and that gives us poor bastards a way to hit them where it hurts. T.

There are strict welfare/husbandry standards set out for virtually every type of animal you can think of LG... however, even if you are complying with same (or even above), RSPCA can "form an opinion" that an animal isn't getting something it needs and sieze it. POCTAA, EAPA, etc are just ambiguous enough in their wording to allow for a fair bit of overzealous interpretation also... At my work, it's part of my job to regularly check the various welfare standards for each type of animal we have, and make sure that we are aiming well above them in how we care for our animals. Some standards are state dictated, others are federal... I pick the strictest ones available and try to do even better than what is mandated. There is a reason that we always get an A+ rating in our DPI audits. Unfortunately, the RSPCA march to the beat of their own drum in these matters, and you can never be certain what they will choose to find fault with at their own "discretion"... *sigh* T.

Rude that the 3 year signoff costs more than the 1 year.... seeing as it's the same concoction... T.

I read it as the animal libbers looking to update POCTAA to recognise sentience, impose higher penalties for animal cruelty offences, and better fund whichever parties are tasked with enforcement. However, with increased government funding also comes some form of accountability... so fingers crossed that bit is enacted. Funny how AWL say that they are aiming to be completely self funding for their inspectorate within the near future, yet RSPCA still have their hand out, but don't feel accountability is needed... *sigh*... AWL admit shortcomings of current complaint processes regarding their practices, RSPCA does not (funny that). Personally, the main thing I want to see happening is accountability... an indepentent ombudsman to deal with breaches of power/procedure/law. Currently there is absolutely no accountability short of complaining to the entity that is perpetrating the offence(s)...and it's unlikely that will get you far... grrr! T.

Scratch has the right of it with regards to the C3... however the KC component needs to be give annually. T.