Boronia

Pity they don't do an article on Don-the-Berk

That's the stuff I was looking for SecretKei (you beat OSoSwift to the post :-D ). I may have got the hip score info wrong...maybe he is talking about the parents, I'll find out. I think he is hesitant about breeding so the info may get a bomb under him to go and get her desexed. Thanks everyone.

I know I have read on some forums here about problems and expenses on breeding. A neighbour has a pretty 8 month old GSD,(no papers) when I asked him when he was going to get her spayed he said that he was unsure as 'people' had been telling him that it is good for a bitch to have a litter. I asked him if these people were registered breeders, or, even had a dog (they didn't, surprise surprise) I did tell him if he thought he would be improving his breed if he had her mated, and that there may be problems with whelping that could be expensive. He did say that she had hip scores done and that they were #2 Can someone here direct me to any threads on problems with breeding so that I can cut and paste and email him with some facts so he can make a informed decision (like get her desexed now! :-D ) Thanks, B

Yes Drumbeat, I also thought that when I read a little of it....you UK Terrier-peeps had better wake up to yourselves By the way...my Westies don't want to be part of the UK Breeds http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43077321/ns/world_news-europe/t/scotland-split-uk-be-nation-again/

It's ok now, I found it (sort-of) I searched the breed sub-forums, I could only search 'Terrier'...if I wrote 'Border terrier' in the search box I got this message: The following search terms are not allowed and were removed from your query: border perhaps the DOL computer thinks the word 'Border' is rude. Border terriers are in the UK Terrier Breeds forum.

I have a friend who has a Border Terrier...I have suggested she check-out DOL and was going to direct her to the forum But where is it? Can't find it at all :-D

Yep...straw mulch in my house as well! Also some banana skins...Mac found some bananas that had ripened and fell off the tree, he and the girls ate them but he bought the skins upstairs for me.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-03/dogs-get-a-ride-as-man-stand-up-paddles/2822660

At least the dog didn't do a poo and put more crap on the street...those women may be beautiful but they could quit throwing their rubbish hither-thither-willie-nilly all over the paths. How annoying they are.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/breaking-news/elderly-parents-booted-to-make-room-for-dogs/story-e6freonf-1226103940961 A ST Petersburg woman threw her elderly parents out of their shared apartment to accommodate her 11 dogs, then bombarded court officers with glasses, dishes and tear gas when they arrived to remove the animals. A court had ruled the unidentified woman must give up her pets so her 70-year-old parents could return to the apartment, RIA Novosti news agency reported overnight. When the court officers, who had found a place to take the dogs, informed the woman when they would arrive to pick them up, she said she would have a "surprise" waiting. First, she locked herself in a room with the dogs, barricading the door with boxes and wardrobes. When the officers finally got inside, after more than three hours, the woman pelted them with glasses and dishes and sprayed tear gas through a hole between doors. One of the dogs jumped to her assistance and bit an officer on the shin. RIA Novosti said the woman eventually was handcuffed and the animals given sleeping pills and taken to their new locale. The parents reportedly returned to the apartment.

I think she eventually wants to do agility...she has the right dog for the job

My friend is interested in training her rescue Belgian Shepherd Just over 1 year old) at Redland Bay Obedience or Cleveland Obedience Clubs. Does anyone have any recommendations? Thanks :-)

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/breaking-news/late-designer-mcqueen-leaves-75k-to-pets/story-e6freonf-1226102436994 BRITISH fashion designer Alexander McQueen, who committed suicide in 2010, left £50,000 ($74,805) of his £16 million ($24 million) fortune to his beloved pet dogs, according to details of his will released today. McQueen, the former enfant terrible of the fashion world who went on to find huge success with his provocative designs, left the money to insure his dogs were pampered after he was gone. Family members, his housekeepers and his favourite charities also received large sums in the will. The will, released after a request from Britain's Press Association news agency, said £50,000 was being left "for the upkeep and maintenance of my dog or dogs so long as my dog or dogs shall live". He left behind three dogs named Minter, Juice and Callum, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported. McQueen wrote a suicide note asking his family to "look after my dogs" before he hanged himself in his central London flat after taking a cocktail of drugs the day before his mother's funeral. McQueen left the lion's share of his estate in a trust for his Sarabande charity, named after his spring/summer 2007 collection, with a request that part of it be used for scholarships to Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, which he attended.

I just read this article in the Brisbane Times PM, it is so sad the dog has to be euthanased...poor dog and poor owners, how awful for them.

+ me as well

The word Westie is easier to say than West Highland White Terrier, if someone asks what sort of dogs mine are and I say West Highland White Terrier, they then usually say..Oh, a Westie. So I say Westie so I don't appear to seem superior

There is a company called Pet Sit Australia where they have people who mind dogs in their own homes as well as taking care of them in the minder's home, for a fee. It may be worth contacting them http://www.petsitaustralia.com.au/ Hope this helps

Penny did this when we first got her...we thought it was because she was an older dog and had been a puppy producer at a BYB. Shortly after we got her I needed to take her to the vet for another problem, she was given ABs for that and she was also cured from needing to go out to pee several times a night. I didn't even think of taking her to the vet at the time, it didn't even dawn on me that it was a UTI

Hi Stolzseinrotts, it may be an idea to write to Inghams to ask them if they have a supplier in Melbourne. I get mine from Capalaba Pet Foods who buy them from a supplier in Jacobs Well (I think) and that supplier must get them direct from Inghams. They are human grade. I usually buy a 14kg box and mince 1/2 and the dogs get a whole one cut in half a couple of times a week. Daisy sometimes hucks hers up but then she eats it up again (sort of like a cow chewing it's cud I suppose ) Here is their web site http://www.inghams.com.au/enterprises/home.aspx?docId=397

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough in my post...what I meant was...if a vet nurse does advise a person and that person doesn't follow the advice or follows the advice incorrectly, it may open the nurse to verbal abuse or legal proceedings. At least when the nurses are working in the surgery environment they are covered by insurance (though they will still get verbal abuse from some of the general public I reckon ) I didn't mean the notice-board nurse was unqualified for giving advice....good on her for helping. As a little note.. I do love my friend who is a vet nurse and gives me some great advice...and especially good vaccination advice.

I saw on a local noticeboard a sign that read: Vet Nurse Advice...call xxxxxxx (phone number) if you have any questions about your pet. It went on to say that she would mind your pet as well for a fee, (yep, fine, that is ok) My question is..is this normal for a vet nurse to charge for advice?...wouldn't there be some legal ramifications?

"Laced" is perhaps a little OTT but the article is interesting. http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/pet-food-laced-with-dangerously-high-levels-of-sulphur-dioxode-tests-reveal/story-e6freoof-1226095928053 this is the video link to an affected dog (I hope it works) http://video.couriermail.com.au/2056026475/Dog-food-damage A pet dog in Western Australia affected by thiamine deficiency after eating fresh pet food with high levels of the preservative sulphur dio... Courier Mail15 July 2011 SOME pet food is being laced with high levels of a preservative that can trigger severe neurological conditions in cats and dogs, Sunday Mail tests reveal. Companies are allowed to use the preservative, sulphur dioxide, in pet meat products with impunity because there are no rules about labelling or how much can be added. One product tested by The Sunday Mail last week had 435 times the sulphur dioxide level claimed on the packet, while others included the preservative without any mention. "The problem is because often it is the cheapest thing you can get to feed an animal, ill-informed people or pensioners feed that," University of Sydney veterinary specialist Professor Richard Malik said yesterday. After being alerted to the test results by The Sunday Mail, one major supplier to Coles and Woolworths withdrew its website claims about the preservative. The results come as a wider debate rages over whether pets are being harmed by an exclusive diet of canned and dry food. Clinical studies over the past two decades have proven that sulphur dioxide can destroy Vitamin B (thiamine) levels in food, which is essential to animal health. Scientists have warned that thiamine deficiency can cause neurological breakdown in cats and dogs. The RSPCA has been pushing for new laws to ensure there is enough thiamine in pet food and last week said it was alarmed at The Sunday Mail's test results. "If you want to feed your pet raw meat, our recommendation is to use human-grade products until we have adequate safeguards," scientific officer Dr Jade Norris said. Vet and nutritional expert Linda Fleeman treated a cat for thiamine deficiency at her Victorian clinic in April. "It happens very suddenly and is extremely severe. They get neurological signs that are over a very short period of time," Dr Fleeman said. "It may appear that the animal has a brain tumour or other neurological condition." Confusing symptoms could lead owners to have their pets put down unnecessarily, she said. A new Australian Standard requires that pet food has adequate thiamine but the voluntary system does not apply to fresh pet meat. Sulphur dioxide is used in red wine and dried fruits but in pet food can cause illness when the animal's entire diet consists of products high in sulphur dioxide with no thiamine added. The Sunday Mail last week bought 10 products, selected at random, from Woolworths, Coles and a pet store chain and passed them to Biotech Laboratories for testing. VIP Pet Foods Supreme Steak Mince for Dogs had the highest sulphur dioxide level at 1140mg/kg. Published research says a level of 1000mg/kg depletes thiamine levels in pets by 95 per cent. Paws Fresh Roo Mince for dogs and cats - part of the VIP group - had a level of 870mg/kg, despite the brand's website claiming it "keeps sulphur dioxide at a minimum, at just 2mg/kg". The brand withdrew the website claim after being contacted by The Sunday Mail and said it accepted consumers could have been "confused". VIP's Supreme Steak Mince for Dogs and Gourmet Fresh Mince for cats did not mention preservatives on their packs. The company says all its packaging will have a preservative statement by the end of next month. A VIP company spokesman said extra thiamine was added to all its products to make up for any lost through the use of sulphur dioxide. He said VIP conducts regular tests which show the thiamine levels in their products meets or exceeds international standards. "The sulphur dioxide we use is a food-grade product; it's no different to what you'd consume in wine," he said. Pet Cafe Fresh Meal for cats, manufactured by Sydney Pet Foods, had a level of 715mg/kg. A Sydney Pet Foods spokesman said levels were safe, however the company would soon sell products free of preservatives after developing a process where sulphur dioxide was not needed. Vet Dr Bruce Syme from Vet's All Natural helped develop the product some years ago and continued to receive a "small royalty" but his company withdrew its endorsement after being told of the test result last week. "I don't know if that's safe, unsafe or not an issue, but we don't have preservatives in our pet foods," said Vet's All Natural managing director Andrew Gleeson. A spokesman for Coles said the company would contact manufacturers of the pet food it stocks to "have them verify that their products are appropriate for sale". "The Coles product you've tested contains appropriate and safe levels of sulphur dioxide and is fortified to counter the effect of the sulphur dioxide on thiamine," the spokesman said. "There is no current Australian standard for pet food so we follow the American one." Woolworths has begun running its own tests on a range of pet food it stocks, including its own brand. All products will remain on the shelves until testing is finished.

And don't forget the front page of the Redland Times Good pictures Lisa http://www.baysidebulletin.com.au/news/local/news/general/abandoned-dogs-need-adoption-into-forever-homes/2226931.aspx