tdierikx

Can you suggest any strategies to improve the quality of the client's instructions @Danois? What about other things, like the dissemination of documents/information in dribs and drabs by the other party? As this requires the lawyer to read and forward the info - at a cost each time. Would it be feasible for the client to receive this information, then have a meeting with the lawyer at certain intervals regarding same? eg. Email with 10 pages of attachments - lawyer charged 2 hours to read and forward... and no communication as to what he wanted the client to do with said document, nor what he did with it other than forward it on. The document in question was not 10 pages of "legalese" - I read it all twice in about 20 mins myself, and had answers to claims made in same within another 30 mins. (Note: the case is not against me) T.

Thanks @Danois - you make a good point... *grin*... but the lawyers sure know how to rack up the bills... *sigh* T.

Thanks perse, mita, and sje78... I'm not making too much of a fuss of her... Pickles would get jealous, and she can be a bitch when she thinks one of the other dogs is getting more attention than she thinks they should get... lol! Speaking of Pickles... she's 7 now! Who would have thought my wobbly legged camp dog would still be going strong still? She and Trubs are best mates, so it's going to be tougher on her when Trubs has to leave methinks... Harper is oblivious to pretty much everything except her own needs, so she'll be fine (and she's 5 now!) T.

One week update... Trubs is still chomping up chicken carcasses and swallowing fine. Antibiotics appear to have gotten rid of the bad breath smell from the tongue tumour... still have 2 more days of antibiotics to finish the course. Throat lump doesn't appear to have gotten larger... or smaller... *sigh* Vet happy with lack of progress of both lumps, and clearing up of infection on the tongue growth, but we are only controlling symptoms... this will progress, but at what rate we are uncertain at this point. Trubs is completely oblivious to the worry she's causing everyone who loves her... lol! T.

Update @SaffyK? T.

Ingrown hair? Trodden on something? Something more serious? Hope the vet finds that it's something easy to fix... T.

Thanks @Danois... do you think it could be possible to run one's own defense only using advice from a solicitor - or would you advise that a barrister's advice would be needed? It's only local court. One issue is the way information is fielded by the RSPCA... comes in dribs and drabs over a long period of time, and that drives legal bills up and up with little or no movement forward.. grrr! T.

Hang in there Sniper... and don't mind mummy being a little helicopterish at the moment, OK? She loves you so much... T.

Thanks trifecta! T.

Thank you huck house... T.

Thanks heaps Boronia and lillypilly!!! T.

Thank you mita... truly beautiful... paints a picture of life with a dog. Trubs and I have no regrets... she's had a full and varied life experience, that's for sure. I'll take her to the farm I work at one day soon, and she'll be able to tick off meeting farm animals from a VERY short list of things she hasn't gotten around to yet... my boss is great about allowing well behaved pets to visit the farm. If it weren't for the yukky thing growing in her throat, she'd probably have lived to a very ripe old age - the vet was astounded by her overall health and condition. He declared she has the teeth of a 3 year old! (No, she didn't bite him... lol) T.

As far as I know, Meloxicam is not an apetite stimulant - being non-steroidal - but reduction of inflammatory (pain) symptoms may have that effect, do you think? Steroidal anti-inflams definitely increase appetite and water consumption... Prednisolone and the like... Trouble has always had a great appetite... as a pup, it was always an adventure doing poo patrol and finding the strange things she'd decided to eat/swallow. I'm an evil mummy... Trubs is actually 4kgs heavier than I'd like her to be for her frame... but in the current circumstance, I won't be putting her on a diet... *grin* T.

Thanks RP and DDD... Maybe @Danois might know someone? T.

Thought this might be a good place to ask... Does anyone know a criminal lawyer in Sydney willing and able to take on a case against the RSPCA - some experience in same would be great, as most seem to be afraid to take the buggers on... grrr! T.

Thank you so much everyone... it's so comforting to know that there are other people out there who understand how hard it can be when we know our loyal friends are not well. Trubs had an outing to her Auntie's (human) place yesterday, and I swear she ate almost her own weight in treats... still wanted dinner last night too... lol! Pickles was a bit jealous when we got home - could probably smell the Schmackos on Trubs' breath... but I'd saved some for her and Harper, so all was forgiven... hehe! T.

Trouble's is most likely an haemangiosarcoma... and also most likely a secondary metastasis... and we are reluctant to upset it by doing biopsies or the like, as that willl only speed up the already rapid growth... *sigh* So far she's not being troubled by it much except when she lies on that side and it pushes on her throat making her gag/cough - she's still wolfing down chicken carcasses like a pro... gotta love a Lab's appetite at times like this... lol! T.

Yeah... not fair, is it? T.

Thanks ZM... I think so too... *grin* T.

He's going to be a large boy methinks, and so you will want to grow him slower, rather than faster... too much weight during growth can cause issues later in life. Great Dane Rescue has this awesome document about feeding large breed dogs/pups... http://www.greatdanerescue.com.au/Docs/diet_section.pdf T.

Here's a recent photo of Trubs... T.

On Wednesday, I took Trouble (Lab) to the vet to have a looky at what I thought was an enlarged mandibular lymph node... ... and we found that it wasn't the lymph node, but an inoperable malignant tumour of the tongue/larynx. She's on a course of antibiotics and Meloxicam to reduce possibilty of infection if she accidentally nicks it while eating, and to reduce any inflammation it may be causing... but we are actually just on a watch and wait, and reassess at regular intervals ride now. No predictions of how long before the tumour grows enough to have to make any final decisions, but as I only noticed the swelling about a week or so ago, it probably won't be very long... maybe weeks? She's her normal happy and crazy self still... eating and swallowing just fine... and the vet was very impressed with her overall health considering that she's 12 - and should be slowing down (hear that Trouble?) This is the hardest part about living with our furry companions, isn't it? And just not fair... grrr! T.

Huge hugs to you and Sniper... please give him a cuddle and kiss on the nose from me... I've just recently had one of my dogs diagnosed with and inoperable tumour of the toungue/larynx... I can truly sympathise... T.

As someone who has a penchant for fostering multiple pups at a time, I can say that it CAN be a lot of hard work... but also can be VERY rewarding to watch multiple different personalities shape and grow into beautiful canine citizens. Shar Pei can be "funny" temperamentally, so be sure to get them out and about once they've had their shots, and socialise them as much as you can (or they will handle), so you don't end up with issues later on, OK? See how they react to lots of different stimuli, people, other animals, etc... and try for as many positive experiences as possible to get them used to being socially adept. T.

I bet the RSPCA inspectors were terribly disappointed to find a much loved, but naughty roadkill snaffling pooch... they probably only responded to the call so fast because of the publicity possibilities... *sigh* Doesn't Moby look pleased with himself though? Hahaha! T.