tdierikx

RSPCA rangers insist on using a standardised "body score" chart for all animals... which doesn't take into account the physical build of dairy cows and goats which have bony arses as a natural characteristic. This is even sillier when they use it on neonates - which every person actually versed in raising same can attest tend to look scrawny right before their next bottle feed... *sigh* As for that video... some of the cows shot definitely did not look starved, and had nice full udders to feed their babies... T.

@crazydoglady99, we use a cream called Opticlox on our sheep and goats that get corneal ulcers from hay seeds... works great and can also be used in dogs. I've got one little fellow whose eye was completely white and gummed shut nearly 2 weeks ago, and now has only the tiniest shadow of cloud. Should be all fine by Monday. Application once daily also makes it easy to treat with. I've managed to get some on my tongue and it seems to have a numbing agent in there, so it makes them feel better too. Ask your vet to get you some and give it a try before going for invasive treatments. If you don't see any positive results in a week to 10 days, then maybe it's time to think about other options IMHO... T.

12 is still young for a toy poodle... sounds like her new home is agreeing with her, and it's making her progress really well. Keep up the great work @Loving my Oldies... you are an expert in rehabbing oldies and it shows! T.

Their annual financial reports can be found online... paid staff there do very well it seems... T.

I'm guessing that they are also asking that said fines go to their own coffers, not the government's... T.

Those ears are to die for... *grin* T.

Look closely at the piglets in the RSPCA Approved ads... some have skin lesions that look suspiciously like ringworm (common in farmed pigs - even moreso in free-range ones)... crackling anyone? T.

Almost as handsome as their daddy... *grin* T.

I do not have a video of a dog flattening a naughty puppy... and can't find a video on youtube that shows exactly what my dog would do. The closest I could find was this video of a mother dog teaching her little ones submissive behaviours... As you can see with the black puppy, she puts her mouth around him and makes him go on his back... my dog did this with a loud growl and pinned naughty puppy down with her mouth around his neck. It was not friendly, but also did not actually hurt puppy, just gave it enough of a fright that it would remember not to do what it had done to the older dog again... T.

Clive and Dags are turning into awesome dogs... can't wait to hear how they go working with the Boss... I think he's gonna love his newest additions to the team. T.

Puppy naughtiness can make us humans SOOO frustrated... we've all been there @Sunny1979... best to just stop any training or playing session when we start to feel that frustration coming on, OK? Time-outs can be effective when he's in naughty chewing legs/hands mode... if he won't stop when you ask him to, then pick him up and pop him in his crate and ignore him for 10 minutes... repeat as often as necessary so he gets the idea that you don't like the sort of "play" he's been engaging in. I have a special "UHH UHH" that I use for puppies being naughty... it's got a bit of growly tone and is fairly deep voiced. They understand it so much better than "no". I used it a few times on my friend's new puppy just yesterday in fact... he likes biting/chewing on hands and feet too, and when he thought he'd try it on my nose, it was definitely "UHH UHH" time! He started by licking my nose, then I saw his little mouth open wide and come for a chomp... a quick "UHH!" before he closed down made him rethink his options and he pulled his head back and looked at me as if to say "this lady means business"... Patience is definitely the key with puppies... as they do silly things so often, and they do need some time to fully understand what we are asking of them. They still need to be able to do some silly things, but we just need to teach them that the destructive or hurting silly things aren't appreciated. With the food gobbling, maybe you could try 4 or 5 small bowls for his meals to spread it out into smaller portions... put each bowl down one at a time so he has time to swallow the last portion before eating the next one. Alternately, you can have him in his crate while you set the bowls down spaced out, then let him out of the crate to discover all these "dinners" at his own leisure... it becomes a great game then too... When I used to raise puppies for rescue, my older dogs used to help with discipline of naughty behaviour... one older dog would take so much, then turn around suddenly and literally flatten the naughty pup with a huge growl. This is how other dogs teach puppies manners and it looks/sounds like they really want to hurt the puppy, but usually it has only given puppy a really big fright - enough so that puppy learns pretty quickly that what they did just before being flattened just won't be tolerated at all. My "UHH" is a modification of the older dog's tone when correcting puppies, and it is rarely accompanied with physical action, except for removing puppy to a time-out if they persist in their naughty behaviour. Toilet training is the hardest hurdle... puppies don't always have the best control, so it can take a while for them to get it just right. Tuffy is doing REALLY well so far, so just continue what you are doing and he'll get there soon enough, OK? T.

Ummm... has anyone seen the latest RSPCA Approved ads doing the rounds? Watch closely to the ones with piglets in them... I can see ringworm lesions on a few piggies... lol! Not that ringworm in pigs is anything out of the ordinary, but if you are "visited" by the RSPCA and you have a pig(let) with ringworm, it will be siezed... T.

Toilet training can be frustrating... but he will get it eventually... lol! Puppies are a bit like children sometimes... and they don't always have great bladder control when they are little. If they feel the need to go, and something else is more interesting at the time, they will just wee where they are and then continue playing. Tuffy is smart, and I'm sure he'll work it out just fine as he gets a bit older and has more control in holding his need until he gets to the pad. 70% accuracy is really good for his age already, so keep doing what you are doing there... it's working! Puppies also have the attention span of a gnat... so training sessions should be very short to start with... like 5-10 minutes at a time. If he wants longer, he'll let you know by looking for more cues to do things for you. Being cheeky or naughty should be ignored, and then when he does do what you are asking, lots of praise or a food reward (very small pieces) will do wonders for his attention... T.

@Sunny1979.... sounds like Tuffy is doing really well in your care... keep up the great work, OK? Looks like the vet on 2nd Jan gave him a 7 in 1 vaccination - which covers all the nasties needed plus a few types of Leptosorosis (and possibly coronavirus - which has similar sytmptoms to Parvo). Ordinarily, I wouldn't give a 7 in 1 to a pup under 10-12 weeks, but Tuffy has handled it just fine by the sound of things... sweet! Just to note... if you have another Parvo test now, he WILL show positive for Parvo, as the vaccine has a modified (not deadly) version of Parvo in it. This does NOT mean he actually has Parvo, just that his body is producing antibodies to protect him from it (which is GOOD). I would say that Tuffy probably just felt a little bit overwhelmed by leaving his Mum and littermates, having a change in diet and routine, and most likely a lot of undivided attention from his new loving family... not that it is bad for him, but can sometimes overstimulate little ones and they can feel unwell for a few days. Also, he eats very fast because he most likely had to share dinners with many other pups for a while, and he learned to gobble up as much as he could so he didn't miss out. You could try slowing him down by maybe putting very small amounts of food spaced a distance apart so he has time to swallow each mouthful before gobbling down the next one... over time he will learn that he doesn't have to share, and should eat a bit slower. Eating too fast can make their tummies upset too... and might have been why he vomited that day, and then associated eating dinner with feeling unwell for a couple of days. Eventually they get hungry enough to chance eating properly, and never look back... *grin* I agree with everyone else here who is advising you to not take Tuffy out in public places until after his 3rd vaccination has had time to kick in (about 5 days after the actual vaccination)... you are doing everything else just right to ensure he has a long and healthy life, so a little bit more patience before you share him with the rest of the world will just be the icing on the cake, OK? What a smart little man bringing his bowl to you when he wants food! He is obviously learning and growing up smart... maybe you could try teaching him basic obedience at home while you wait for when he can go outside safely. Things like sit, stay, drop, walking nicely on the lead, are good to start with... and who knows, you might find a few other cool tricks for him to learn as well... Keep up the great work... Tuffy is doing awesomely well with you so far! T.

If Tuffy had/has Parvo, then Tuffy would be extremely sick or dead by now wthout hospital treatment... so we can safely say he didn't/doesn't have it. In the video he looks active and alert... pretty normal to me. You say he was wormed on the 31st? Is it after that when he felt unwell? Some puppies can feel poorly after worming - I have even seen puppies die after worming because their tummies didn't take the assault from the worming drugs very well. If you can use worming tablets like Canex or Fenpral, they are easier on puppies, but work well against worms. I would steer clear of tablets like Drontal until he is much older/bigger. Are his poops solid or runny? Solid is good, runny is not so good, but depending on other symptoms and diet, not necessarily a huge issue in a young pup. At 6-7 weeks of age, I would expect Tuffy to sleep a lot more than we humans normally think is enough... he will be growing and needs the sleep to do so. As long as between naps, he is acting normally (read active and alert), then more sleep may just be normal for him at this stage of his development. Has Tuffy had any vaccinations at all yet? If not, I suggest that a C3 ASAP is required at the very least - I would not do a C5 until his 3rd and final vaccination when he's a bit bigger, OK? If your vet is still insisting that Tuffy should be put to sleep when he appears to be doing just fine, then you need to find another vet... I wouldn't bother with another Parvo test at this stage... I'd be making sure Tuffy gets his C3 vaccination NOW. T.

If Tuffy was vaccinated within 10 days of the Parvo test, I would expect him to show a positive result... as the vaccination would have given him a tiny modified dose to stimulate his immune response. This does not mean he had Parvo. Another possibility could be vaccinosis - if he'd been vaccinated just prior to you taking him home. Little immune systems can react adversely on occasion, and little ones can feel unwell for a few days. I would expect a poor outcome, even with immediate treatment, in a 6-7 week old pup - if it did actually have Parvo. At the very least, he would have required hospital treatment on a drip... I have seen pups go down with Parvo within 2 days of exposure... and they usually die within 3-4 days of the onset of symptoms, even with hospital care. It is an extremely nasty disease. I have lots of experience with illnesses in puppies, as I used to foster them for rescue... have had well over 200 pups over the years. Feel free to ask any questions you need help with, OK? T.

More likely indicative of the number of complaints actually investigated... getting them to attend a complaint is near on impossible, unless it's likely to be an easy target IMHO. My work's most recent contact with the RSPCA was when they turned up at a job saying that they'd had a complaint a month earlier about us using dirty carriers to transport our animals... funnily enough this coincided with a staff member leaving under circumstances not of her own choosing... and the RSPCA inspectors found that our carriers were perfectly clean and of the correct sizes for all animals being transported... *sigh* I wonder how many real cruelty/neglect cases weren't followed up on in order to try to find something on us? T.

Next time you are in Sydney, I'd be happy to introduce you to all my babies @crazydoglady99

*love* T.

Molly is the sweetest little thing... she really enjoyed her snuggles with Santa... Here she is being led to meet him... She was really interested in getting to him for cuddles... lol! Molly is 5 weeks old. T.

Looks like Dags is gonna be tall like his daddy... all the better for loping along with the Boss's team... *grin* T.

I have a copy of the RSPCA "temperament test"... and can safely say that I've never owned a dog that would pass it. The test seems designed so that dogs will fail it... and then RSPCA are "justified" in killing said dog... *sigh* And I've had many dogs that were perfectly fine canine citizens, fully capable of being around children and small animals, and well behaved in public places. T.

This is a 5 month old Lab pup, yes? I wouldn't be overthinking any behaviours or body condition scores at this age personally... everything changes on a daily basis at that age... *sigh* He is still growing, and that will have impact on behaviours at times. Sometimes he might just have some growing pains (yes, dogs get them too) and that has coincided with your decision to reduce food intake... therefore NOT related to each other at all. Seriously, just chill and enjoy your puppy...they grow up WAY too fast to be fussing over every aspect of their growth patterns... if you continue your fussing, you're gonna end up with a bloody neurotic mess of a dog, and no-one wants that, right? Having fostered well over 200 pups in my time, I learned long ago not to make too much of changes in behaviour, food intake, energy levels... funnily enough, pups go through so many ups and downs in the first 12 months, that if you start fussing about them, you will actually do more harm than good.... let the poor little mite be himself and enjoy every moment of it, OK? T.

That dark one comes running to me every time I go near the coops... she thinks I'm going to smash an egg for her... little cannibal... lol! Most of our chooks will happily sit on shoulders or heads... so tame... T.

I just found a puppy photo of Trubs... for some strange reason it's coming up sideways... grrr! ... and another with Zeddy in their younger years... Trubs must have been around 3 or 4 there.. Weren't they gorgeous? T.