LizT

Melstar, you have been given some terrific advice re your options, diet etc. and we all do feel for you. DO speak to your breeder as soon as you have more information (if not sooner to let her know what is happening). If you have been giving your dog an unbalanced diet AND walking a young dog twice a day that may well contribute to problems in her legs. She may not be overweight, she may just be on the large side. Your dog is young and if she isn't showing any symptomatic signs of Luxating Pattelar then you have time to get a second diagnsosis from a Specialist and confirm if she has in fact got a problem or if you just have an over zealous vet who likes to pull on dogs legs to show what a luxating Pattelar is???? IMHO any person with knowledge of structure of the leg can pull a dogs leg into a Grade One position where it will pop back again. Also should surgery be required (not likely with Grade One) I have recently heard of a less invasive pattelar operation, with a less painful invasive surgery, where both legs are able to be done at the same time and with a shorter recovery time. A DOLer had her girl done a few years back and this may be something a specialist is aware of that a Gereal Veterinary surgeon is not. Hoping for a positive outcome for you.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, no, not King Charles Spaniel, that is another breed altogether. No, these were the original that King Charles doted on, the flat nose King Charles Spaniel became popular later and these were brought back from the brink of extinction in the early 1900's. And.......In response to my other heart breed being called an "Alsatian" (which doesn't happen anywhere near as much as it did when I was young). That is the region from which the breed originated and the British refused to use the word German Shepherd because they loved the breed too, so renamed it Alsation. It's not called that much anymore.

That appears to have been done with a good outcome already.

Funny how some dogs get all anxious. All of my dogs love going to the vets and rush through the doors "singing out their arrival loudly". :D

Such diversity. I also found the schools that finish after 4 weeks a bit dissapointing. Usually your pup was just getting into things. I know it's only supposed to be an introduction. Don't let it worry you, it's probably just their data base. I got letters when my girls turned six months telling me it was a good time to desex them and why, despite the vets there knowing I show and breed.

So sorry to hear your efforts and her stuggle was in vain. But you did all you could. Run free little one.

Such diversity. I also found the schools that finish after 4 weeks a bit dissapointing. Usually your pup was just getting into things. I know it's only supposed to be an introduction.

I agree, sometimes I almost feel like experienced dog owners need a "Puppy Play Group" rather than Pre-school. Kind of less formal and with less emphansis on the training side and more about social skills. :laugh: I guess the problem is at that age it really IS all about the training. Also how does one really decide who is experienced enough? Some could have high opinions of their expereience and abilities and other be quite competent but modest. It certainly is a huge benefit to families with new puppies.

For proof of parentage DNA to work you need to test the parents also. They may not be available. Breed Proof DNA is still a bit shaky. I heard of a case where tests on a Pure Breed Cavalier bred by a Registered Breeder came back saying the dog was a Doberman.

Awwww....do you have an ETA? Hope it all goes well for everyone involved. :)

I know Nekhbet, my two hadn't been washed in about 3 months :laugh: My GSD only gets an Annual bath, each Summer. But lots and lots and lots of grooming. :)

Yeah, but the site doesn't seem to be working

IF he wanted one TODAY, he should been looking at people advertising puppies that are ready to go TODAY! If he is planning, he could contact a breeder but not all breeders run waiting lists. Some feel lists are a waste of time as people do go elsewhere if the opportunity comes up. You really need to monitor the ads closely and hope you get one eventually, and be grateful and excited if one comes up sooner than that. It kind of reminds me of a conversation I had with a Cavalier breeder recently who was contacted about using her "Stud Dog" by a new Breeder. When she started talking about deatils of the bitch it was revealed the bitch was on day 6 of her season and the new Breeder is only now hunting up a stud. Not much planning there IMO.

Crystal has that "faraway look" in her eye. :laugh: But I'm not going to get my hopes up till I see a little squirmer on the Ultrasound after ANZAC day. :)

I would still ultrasound even late in the pregnancy to check size and approx numbers. Always good to know if you have one huge puppy or several normal ones. I have seen some pretty convincing phantoms too with most of the signs mentioned even going into pre-labour and one that looked like she was having a huge litter and only had one normal sized puppy. I agree, when my girl was given an ultrasound and a singleton was diagnosed, she was later given another ultrasound (on the day she was prog tested and actually delivered) and it was nice to know that I was still only expecting the one pup. Even so, we stay close by after pup was born, but you could tell she'd finished. :)

Well here's a heads up for those who keep large barky dogs in front yards near letter boxes. (Which we know you should but you'd be surprised how many people do!!) Posties who are dog lovers and don't wan't their arms bitten by large dogs jumping at front fences or want to 'subdue' noisy angry dogs keep dry dog kibble in their paniers. They feed these barky dogs and make great friends with them. I found this out when I lived on a property that only had one "home paddock yard" and saw our then Postie feeding our young German Shepherd who had started jumping the fence and following her, (I really do think he did this because he was feed! It completely stuffed up his "food refusal" training. We hot wired the top of the fence and after getting his front paws zapped a couple of times never jumped our fence again, but also wasn't keen to jump at agility after than either. This was 20 years ago, and today I work for Aust Post and know several Posties who feed dogs on their runs, to make friends with them.

Because despite using warm water and drying off with a hair dryer they are convinced they are dripping wet and horribly cold and behave accordingly. :laugh: Why, (OH why ) must my horses roll themselves 'dry' after having been shampooed and dryed in the sun for an hour, clean cotton rugs on in the dustiest spot they can find? Same reason I imagine.

One that stops to take the time to think about "Responsible Dog Ownership" and what it means to them, and how it impacts on their own, others and their dog/s day to day lives.

Time will tell. :)

This is one of the reviews on this one: "February 8, 2012Good to start with but.........There always is a BUT. This product just seems to deteriorate over time, the battery, the cleaning and even finding the base. After a while (about 3 months) the cleaner just decides to run backwards for no reason and can bang into things as there is no sensors on the back of it. Mine has also fallen down the stairs - probably due to running reverse when it's not supposed to. These do a good job at cleaning but they start to not work properly after about 3 months. I have 2 and both are doing the same thing. I would not recommend." Probably too good to be true. Ahhh...it usually is (to good to be true)! And there's always a ...BUT. Although I wonder why if it played up at 3 months they simply didn't return it for a refund or replacement??? I'm sure it would come with a 12 months warrantee. I certainly would ship it back.

It wont "suck" as it's a 'Sweeper'!

http://www.dealsdirect.com.au/p/eurolab-multifunction-robotic-auto-vacuum-cleaner-uv-lamp/ Found this. Too good to be true? I'm tempted.

You totally should. I'm a bit wary, I'm pretty sure I'd come home to a 6kg Burmese sitting on top going around, and around, and around. WE so should, (Discounts for DOLers) and...I've owned a Burmese and I can see that. :laugh:

I just love it when the babies start "face fighting". Such a ruckus! They take it far more seriously than the adults. It is an integral part of "simple play" where dogs try to "mouth" each other or gently chew the head region.

Oh poor doggies! Docking probably came about as a result of these types of accidents! (not so much the car door but definitely the horse stepping on the tail). A friend had a kitten that badly injured it's tail by knocking over a terracotta pot and had it docked by a vet too, looked very Manxy after that.