LizT

Same here, not trying to be stubborn either. Just pointing out what I have been told...yet again by Animal Health Care Professional, and really, that is WHO we as consumers listen to isn't it. :) So really, the question is....have my dogs remained flea free out of sheer dumb luck with my divisons...or...the fact that on occassion I purchase a pack of the small for them, and it has been sufficient to cover them? I have been told that 'monthly' chews have a longer than monthly coverage so perhaps that has contributed, or maybe the dosage has been by happenstance within a range to be effective. Who knows? My bet is on the "sheer dumb luck". ;)

Having seen part of the manufacturing process (on video) they, along with most pharmaceuticals are made individually. (unless it is single ingredient, or liquid based, i.e. topicals) It is similar to an injection moulding process, as they have to be sure the correct dosage is allocated to each chew. Obviously very hi-tech and production line like… i.e. the mould has each of the 3 ingredients filled separately then the beef flavoured suspension mix is added. No cutting or shaping is required I will try and get a copy of the video (or link) or photos and share if it is allowable Okay, ta.

The maths is pretty simple. Small dogs contain 5.75 mg Milbemycin oxime, 115mg lufenruron 57 mg praziquantel Large Dog contains 23 mg Milb. ox. 460mg Luf. 228 mg Praz. One large divided into four pieces for four Cavs. One whole for the GSD. You do need a good eye and a steady hand. :) As to under or over dosing, as with most animal worming products there is a huge margin of safety re dosing in both areas (over and under). I mean have you ever given a cat or horse a syringe of wormer? You end up with more spat out than down the throat. That's what I love about these 'tasty' meat chews for dogs. Pity my cats thumbed their noses at the cat version. Anyway, I'm not necessarily "recommending" anyone do as I do, I'm simple stating that once again, as per years ago, I have been told, by yet another Animal Health Care Professional, that it's fine to do.

It really has nothing to do with believing Novartis (or any other manufacturer) It comes down to common sense, the law of physics and several other factors. You have a small chew, for arguments sake the size of a 5c piece The ingredients as per advertised dosage's are blended with a suspension mix. There is no way anybody can be sure of the dispensation of all ingredients once the chew is pressed into it's form. There is a good chance there may be an even percentage of all ingredients throughout the chew, however it could be 55% one side, 45% the other, maybe top heavy or bottom heavy. It is like making meatballs, you add an onion to the mince, mix it up, you are happy that it is mixed well, but no matter how hard you try you will find it impossible to have all the meatballs you make the same ratio (meat to onion) unless each ball was made individually by weight and volume, even then the composition within that ball will be different from half to half, or even quarters. I hope that makes sense… (the more onions the better IMO) I doubt these "meatballs" are made individually though... ;) anything that is in production for large volume is made in a vatt and the mixture is then dispursed into it's mould or shape for cutting etc.

I have to admit I'm not overly concerned about the heartworm protection factor as I'm told it isn't a problem in this area either. My girls live indoors and I doubt a mozzie would be able to penetrate their coat! My GSD lives outdoors and I'm pretty darn sure a mozzie would have a hard time biting him too! Our poor horses suffer with them though, they have no trouble getting into their summer coats. I'm sure this would be the case with short coated dogs such as my friends Greyhounds.

I have already answered that. Here is the evidence. From - Small Animal Oncology Joanna Morris Formerly of Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge Veterinary School and Jane Dobson Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge Veterinary School There is probably more evidence, but you can google that yourself. Thanks Greytmate. Many years ago I had a ginger and white cat, certainly not predominate white, but white on face and legs. He developed a cancer under his lower eyelid. I hear this can even happen to indoor cats who sit in windows.

I use Sentinel and after the initial first few months where it needed a bit of time to "kick in" I haven't had a flea problem in years. In the early days I used it in conjunction with the occassional "Capstar" if a flea was found. It's so easy as it covers intestinal worms and heartworm too.

Today my 16 week old Cavalier got her vaccincation and my vet said it was time to start her on a heart worm program. I told her the other dogs were on Sentinel and she said that was fine to start her on and to just chop a small chew in half for her for now. Just thought I'd mention it as there has been a number of posts on whether this was an acceptable practice or not. This is the second vet that has told me it's fine to do this. I buy the large breed size and chop it into four peices for years now. It all made en mass and chopped to size during production.

Ooooh ahhhhh. :)

Do these predominantly white dogs who suffer skin complaints include tumours? I've seen a number of mostly white Staffys over the years, with horrrible lumps on their underside and ribcage areas.

Yep, I had a temperature drop at 10.00 pm went to bed beside whelping box and slept with one eye open, got up to make a cuppa at 5.00 am, temperature back to normal and first pup born half an hour later!

But your dog has a huge amount of pigment and was never at any risk for deafness - its a different gene. White boxers dont have anywhere near that amount of colour. Sorry, plenty of Aussies with white ears have some degree of deafness. Technically yes, it is a slightly different gene but it essentially works the same way regarding pigment in the inner ear. Plenty of white boxers, including some posted in this thread, have way more skin pigment than my girl. O.K. I take your word for it I dont know much about Aussies but if a boxer had that much pigment I doubt the breeder would be concerned about deafness. When she was born she had NO pigment on her head at all. But she had colour on her body . Just about all dogs with pigment on their noses, around eyes and small spots or freckles DON'T have these present at birth. They develop over the first few months. Some spots and freckles don't even show as adults until they have their summer coats. This is certainly the case in Cavaliers. The large areas are present at birth and when first born are often an adult colour that appears lighter as the puppy fluff comes through, then when that moults you have the original colour back.

It will be a significant drop compared to where she is normally, but you can miss it as it can happen overnight and go up again in the morning! Leaving you with the feeling it never dropped.

No it doesn't. And while it might seem easy to say give teh deaf pups to rescue it isn't as clear cut as that either. My ex Bro in law had a ACD many 20 ago that was an absolute horror. He had been passed from owner to owner and no one could do anything with him. My BIL took him on as it was the end of the line for this boy who was about 18 months old at the time. He took him along to obedience training and the instructor immediately suspected the dog was deaf. With much patience and kindness they worked together to teach Ollie with hand signals etc. Ollie passed away at about 12 years of age and would never have had such a good life if it had been left up to the less observant and patient people in his youth. While admirable I can tell you not everyone is equipped to deal with it. And nor should they be expected to either.

Sorry, but can you provide a reference for that figure? Some figures from America = 10% bilateral deafness + 20% unilateral so the opposite to what you claim. http://www.auburn.ed...dalmatians.html Though some other references give the numbers as 8% and 22% respectively. Thus these figures give 30% with some level of deafness, NOT the other way around. Note also however, that in Australia we do not accept blue eyes in the Dalmatian standard, which they do in the US. Dalmatians with blue eyes are at a higher risk of hearing loss and prevalence of deafness is higher in populations where blue eyes occur: http://www.lancedal....lth/gstrain.htm Thus the percentage of deafness in Australian Dalmatians will be even lower than these figures from America - something that is supported by anecdotal evidence from breeders. That is incorrect. Estimates range from 10%-30% in the US that are deaf although it's not clear whether unilateral and bilateral dogs are included. The AKC standard allows for blue eyes whereas the ANKC standard does not. Blue eyes are associated with deafness. I expect the % of deaf Dalmatians to be lower in Australia. There is a lot of pressure on breeders to BAER test and a number have consistently good results over many generations. The breed clubs also advocate on behalf of members to vets to buy the equipment and offer the service at a decent price. ETA: Yes, members of breed clubs are not permitted to sell bilaterally deaf puppies. My apologies I got it arse about. 30% of puppies born are deaf in either one or both ears. I do hope the percentage of both ears deafness level is low. It seems all breeds will have some issue, it's a constant battle for those who care.

That is huge costs! My vet is reasonably expensive for a vaccination and they are only $75 - so $225 for the course. Why were 2 proheart injections given? My understanding is they last 12 months and shouldn't be given until the dog is over 12 months anyway! And while that may be cost to the general public you would think the vet would factor "cost price" not "how much we didn't make because we "owned" the dog at the time. Very very strange. Agree. It appears they are using their usual markup.

I haven't read all this thread so if it's been mentioned my apologies. But I do believe that many Dalmations are born either deaf in one ear (unilateral) or totally deaf. And that the deaf puppies are PTS at 6 weeks of age, once testing has confirmed total deafness. Apparently only about 30% of Dalmations have hearing in both ears.

Hmmmm...maybe here in Victoria we could start giving treats to the rangers if they are good and well behaved! ;)

Does this vet usually run a foster agency? Or is he working in conjunction with another Rescue service? That price does seem steep for, a mixed breed puppy via a rescue group. Usually they just try to cover vet and basic costs and since it is a vet doing it himself I would imagine the costs are only to himself? Are you cover food and care costs yourself?

You took the words right out of my (or maybe her) mouth! :laugh:

The devildog made me do it!

That's right. The more exposure and socialisation dogs get the better behaved they are. But try telling that to those who make the rools here.

What despictable people! No padlock and secure gate is going to be of any help if they are so desperate and willing to kick off palings to get at your dogs. Definitely keep your dogs with you. Sad for them though not to be able to enjoy their own yard. A camera would be great but sounds like you'd need a few, front and back. My girls have a guardian. (photo)

My sister lives in London and it is very dog friendly there. No renting problems, able to take on Public transport andinto shops. You can also take your dog around Europe easily and when I was in Austria it was lovely to go to a Hotel (Pub) and see people enjoying a drink in the beer garden with their dogs (Rough Collie, GSD, DOberman) sitting quietly under the tables. :)

My dog hadn't even noticed this dog, until he was in her face. We were miles away in the playground, he was initially on the other side of the oval. If anything this dog, was VERY interested in my dog, the owner kept yanking on the lead, because he was staring at my dog in an obsessive manner. I was aware of it from the second it entered the oval. I stupidly believed that because it was restrained it would be ok, obviously not. I don't think the dog was aggressive, because once he got to us, he just stood over my dog, but who knows what his intentions were. Standing over a dog can be an aggressive stance, especially if it's tail is wagging rapidly and the dog is at an angle from shoulder of other dog.