Flick_Mac

Beth I love the colour in the second photo - it's beautiful!

Ooh me! This was actually one of my New Years Resolutions! I'm in! Will post first photos from my **new** camera tomorrow...

Ooh me! This was actually one of my New Years Resolutions! I'm in! Will post first photos from my **new** camera tomorrow...

Thanks everyone - this is just the sort of info I'm after! Possum - how would you rate the user-friendliness of the A33? Rally - Im definitely open to any brands, these are the main ones that have been recommended to me so far! I am definitely going to try them before I buy (or at least play in the shop), but the guy I was talking to seemed to think there were some superior features of the Sony you'd pay a lot more for than in the other brands. He also mentioned you can use the generic (Sigma?) lenses with the Sony now - I definitely asked about lens prices! The main reason I'm seriously considering it is there is only about $50 difference with the sales on at the moment and I want to cash in! Keep the info/opinions coming guys!

Thanks Huga, I was thinking that might be the case... too many choices!

Hi all, I'm looking at getting a Dslr camera, and was pretty set on an entry level Canon. Today I went into a shop and the sales guy mentioned the new Sony Alpha 33 & 55 models which he thinks are a lot better than the Canons or Nikons. Does anyone have opinions on the Sony system? I hadn't thought about Sony at all until today and now am so confused! TIA

What she said! That's the official advice from my Vet lecturers... it takes into account the life cycle length of the parasites... Agree with the minimal use of chemicals too!

Loving the photos everyone. Here are some of mine!

Phew Lilysmum - thank God you said that! I work at Pet Barn and pray to God that I'm not that bad! (None of the people I work with are... and we all refer on to who ever knows most about whichever animals!)

Thanks Trish - they're gorgeous!

I'm going to look completely ignorant but Trish - what's your breed? (I always thought you had rescues )

Or Sunday! Let me know and I can plan work around it!

Oops - I'm out for tomorrow (working)... but if we do next weekend let me know! How will you all identify yourselves?! Maybe you need to carry dog leads

I'm always looking for places to visit and people to talk to! When the executive decision is made I'll be there!

Ohh, ok. That's not too bad! I'll be coming from Gatton way - but am usually in for work, so don't mind the drive occasionally for recreational purposes! Next weekend would be better for me, but we should have multiple ones for whoever can't make the first one!

Where's Nundah? I'm working all this weekend - next might be better...

Staranais - we mainly saw the inside of the works, not heaps of the yards, or offloading. I do know that the yards were designed for minimum stress, all animals were vet checked on arrival, and like I said before, any downer cows or severe injuries were emergency culls with a rifle. Those cows were then loaded onto a truck and put onto the production line. Oh - and I 100% agree that there are issues with all of the industries that need pressure from the public etc to change. Especially the dairy industry - I find it so distasteful that cows that give so much and are so valuable for much of their lives can be sold for a couple of hundred dollars just because their milk yield drops. Polecatty and Nekhbet - I'm SO curious about ferreting now! Sounds fascinating! LL - you're a Qlder - no ferrets (legally) in Qld... I almost had a pet one when I was a kid.

Sir WJ - When they're stunned they're unconscious. It's like you becoming unconscious under anaesthetic I guess, or if you drank too much. You don't register the pain with a stun because the pain centres in your brain have been destroyed permanently or not (the cortex, which is one of the conscious parts)... With the electric stun they acutally induce an epileptic seizure - it has to be a certain frequency to induce this and then like I said, they have to be bled before they're going to recover. With gas stunning it's a bit trickier because the person bleeding them can be exposed to the yucky gas, it takes a long time for them to become unconscious and depending on the gas, they can recover very quickly. Sorry - my brain is stopping working - I've been at work all day after a long week at uni! Stormie - like I said, the abbatoir I went to the guy with the stun gun has to be very accurate, and there is someone testing corneal reflexes ready with a second stun if neccessary. I didn't see a missed shot, but it would take all of maybe 5 secs to get the second stun to the cow. Also, the way this abbatoir was set up the cows were fed in on a travellator for the last part, and they are kind of wedged in quite tight - this is supposed to calm them (similarly to how some autistic people find pressure calming), and they weren't lead in - it was all incredibly quick. They also didn't see the cow in front of them fall. I've heard some not so nice things about chickens, but the way I understand it is that they are all put into the water bath at once, and then the electric neck-cutter is there. There is a person there to dunk their heads, to make sure they are shocked correctly, and while this isn't the nicest thing to do, it's far better than to have your neck slit while unconscious and then be scalded. There is also someone there to check everyone gets their neck cut, and if they've been missed they have it broken before scalding. ETA - I'm just re-reading my lecture notes, and bolt guns to stun don't necessarily penetrate the brain, they actually cause concussion by delivering a high-velocity force over a small area, and a loss of consciousness (or cause insensibility as my notes say).

I've been to an abbatoir, and will be doing a rotation there in 2 years as part of my vet course. We also had part of a 'production' subject on slaughtering and killing. The stunning that is done (reversible or irreversible, usually bolt gun or electric shock, sometimes gas) renders the animal unconscious and the animal must be bled out before it can regain consciousness (if it's a reversible stun). Therefore, the last thing the animal knows is the actual stun - there is no pain while it is bled out. The abbatoir I went to is one of the biggest in the southern hemisphere and I found it to be a lot better than I was expecting. There is a high emphasis on welfare - including emergency slaughters if animals come in injured (we actually saw one of these cows), and the actual design of the place takes into account the studies by Temple Grandin (the autistic lady who's a genius about these things). I found the whole thing very confronting, but also reasonably reassuriing - as the cows were exposed to minimum stress. However, if given the opportunity (not that I could do it neccessarily) I would probably prefer home killed meat. Back to the topic! Ferreting looks awesome! Such an interesting day out - I wish I wasn't in QLD! ETA: Also - the guy using the stun gun has to be VERY accurate - he's not allowed to miss more than 1 in 100 or something like that or he's kicked off it. They also had someone underneath the knock-box as the cows came out checking for missed shots and ready with a bolt gun to re-stun if neccessary. To me that was a very important aspect.

Another vote for the zoom groom! Just a note, but I've found some coats the Furminator doesn't work on - maybe see if you can try before you buy! (or borrow one)

My Louie can be a bit full on with other dogs (Looooooves wrestling). I'm usually on top of it, but don't be afraid to let me know if I've gotten slack! I'll bring my long line in case he's a real pain!

Oooh - I'd love to come! Probably not the weekend of the 16th... and preferably not the 9th, but it could be done. I'll keep my eye in here! Oh, and I love Nudgee!

Mum has just called to say she and Dad have put Hugo to sleep. The toxins from the stings were too much for his little body, and his brain swelled, he was having seizures and vomiting blood so it was the kindest thing to do for such a precious little dog. Thanks to the emergency vet and the team on Magill Rd who I'm told worked tirelessly researching possibilities to help my poor boy. RIP Hugo 1/11/1996 - 25/09/2010 I hope you're looking down on me with a nice big bone.

Thanks everyone - I'm waiting to hear from the emergency vet (to get a proper update)... I will keep you posted.

No - it's not a joke... My mum called me today to tell me they'd rushed my 14 year old mini poodle Hugo to the vets because he had been attacked by a swarm of bees. He's totally deaf, so must have wandered into them unawares, and got stung. Luckily my little sister found him outside, and got the remaining bees off him. Then they rushed him to the vet - he was unconscious when they got there (less than 10 mins away), and had 0 blood pressure. He's been transferred to the emergency centre overnight, and it's looking guarded - he's had seizures and his brain is swelling, so we're crossing our fingers and toes that he makes it through the next 24hrs or so... Healing vibes appreciated ETA: Forgot to mention: they pulled 115 be stingers off him - brave little thing