poodle proud

I have had Osca at the vet this past week having 4 teeth out. He has been so sooky and not himself since it was done. I made a point to ask about pain relief prior to him having it done and then again on the day. I was told he wouldnt need it and despite my gut feeling I didnt press the issue. In hindsight I wish he had had it as I really believe he was in pain. Where I used to work humans got two types of pain relief with the same number of extractions and this was standard. What I am wondering is what does everbody think? I have no doubt dogs can feel pain. Some people may not want to incur the cost but surely I am not the first person to want pain relief for their dog?

Here is some information: "I have since had a discussion with the Registrar of the Veterinary Practitioners Board of New South Wales about your concerns. He informed me that expiry dates and batch numbers are not required to be indicated on the label of dispensed medicines in NSW. Veterinary practices are also not required to keep documentation of the batch number on the patient's record". That is from the National AVA with this link http://www.vpb.nsw.gov.au/managed_code/upl...isons_guide.pdf I have been advised that this general protocol also applies in Victoria and Qld. I did have a link to a pdf file from Vic govt confirming this but am unable to locate it right now. Confirmation of the rules that apply in Qld came from a Qld veterinarian. I have been unable to obtain any information from any source to indicate that any state or territory in Australia has any obligation beyond this general protocol. Then there is this which came from the Pharmaceutical Services Branch of the WA Health Dept: "Under the poisons Regulations 1965 when a veterinary surgeon supplies a scheduled poison to the owner of an animal it must be labelled with the following- 1) the words 'Keep out of reach of children' 2) Name and strength of poison in preparation or the trade name 3) the owners name and species of animal 4) instructions for the use of the medicine or product 5) the date of supply and a prescription (or reference) number 6) name and address of the veterinary practice 7) the words 'For veterinary use only or 'For animal treatment only' and 'For external use only' if the preparation is not for internal use and 8) the total quantity contained" Obviously there may be individual veterinarians who dispense 'above and beyond' the legal requirements, but the fact remains they are not legally obliged to provide the information which I've expressed concerns about being omitted. Most do not go 'above and beyond' what they are legally required to do. This was interesting to read Do No Harm. Thankyou.

relating to the issue of medications: In my entire life I have never got medications for a dog ina foil packet except where I was told to go to the chemist to get the medications myself. Every vet I have been to has always dispensed medication out of a bottle into a plastic sleeve with the name of the medication, expiration date etc on the sleeve. Is that not ok? I have been to approx 7 vets in 2 states and this was standard practice at every one.

Congrats on your new baby!!! I dont know about the reliability of shampoos but I think most treatments are pretty safe. But with a SWF (small white fluffy) I would avoid anything with permethrin in it which is designed to kill ticks. Osca had a treatment with this in it and he had seizures every time it was applied. When I rang the company they said SWF showed the worst reactions. Treatments like advantage do the same job just without the permethrin We use sentinel spectrum for the puppy and the adult dog, it's worked fine. But apparently it only kills them once they bite as opposed to advantage which repels as well as kills on contact which may not be effective enough for your little one. You might need to bomb your house if there is a major infestation. We can bring fleas into the house just as well as our furry friends. I have read some people feed their dogs a bit of garlic in their food every day which is supposed to repel them. I don't know how much tho so I'll leave this to the others.

How old was the dog?? Just wondering if I could try this with midnight. I think she was five mths - see Lindyx was looking after Maddie at the time for Addicted2Goldens while they were in the states and Lindyx started stressing out about the tooth not falling out and the adult tooth groing in front of it and was thinking 'holy crap I might have to take her to the vet', but all the breeders on the thread said to try frozen bones and hey presto the tooth was out within 3 days and Lindyx was so relieved Hey thanks, Midnight's tooth is the same length as the adult tooth and feels pretty firm in there but i'll give it a go. A few dollars for some bones sure beats $300 Thanks, sorry to the OP for slight highjack

How old was the dog?? Just wondering if I could try this with midnight.

Thanks dyzney, I hope so too! STITCH: Osca has been on chicken and rice several times with his tummy upsets. He still burps after eating it though. Is Eukanuba good quality? I have heard mixed reviews. temperamentfirst: To be honest Ive not actually heard of that and it definitely wasnt mentioned. He is ok after running around a lot. He doesnt burp then. He just pants and sleeps when we get home. I just read about this condition and this doesnt seem to be what he has. His bark is not hoarse and does not change during exercise. Thankyou for mentioning it though. Ive also just realised that he swallows a lot and licks his lips a lot. Not sure if this is relevant. I know no one seems to mention Hills Sciencediet much but Osca seemed to do ok on the sensitive stiomach or oral care formula. Is it nutritionally ok? This was part of the reason I switched to EP because the ingredients were supposed to be better quality.

This has happened with one tooth of midnights. Ive talked to the vet and she will need to go under to get it removed. If your dog has not been desexed they often do it at the same time. Unfortunately as Midnight has already been desexed it will just be a general anaesthetic for one baby tooth. The vet said the same thing becks said about if the new tooth is more than half as long as the old tooth it is unlikely it will move itself and if you try to remove it yourself you can cause nerve damage. We were told if we left it as is it would start to cause the teeth on the other side to decay.

Hi everyone. I dont know how to quote different people in a reply so I'm sorry if this is messy. Puggy puggy, Osca has done this since we got him at 2.5yrs He has vomited flecks of blood twice since we got him, and every vet we went to wasnt sure why. When he vomited a puddle of frank blood this year he had x rays and blood tests. All they could tell us was that he hadnt swallowed foreign objects and that he didnt have as much fat around his vital organs that they thought he would have had. They labelled it generalised gastritis and put him on cimetedine and an anti-emetic to stop him vomiting. He has seen the vet a couple of times since then and looked at his gums (thanks dyzney for all that info) and they have only said that he should have a couple of teeth removed which we plan to do when our tax refunds come. I looked at his gums just now and they are not overly pale and I couldnt see those pin prick spots you were referring to. After all that vomiting business I changed his food to Eagle pack holistic duck which is supposed to be high quality ingredients, no corn, hypoallergenic blah blah blah $$$ He eats it, but I don't think there has been a great deal of change to when he was on hills science sensitive stomach. I have to admit that on wet food it was much worse both with the burping and the tail end. I am a bit reluctant to move him around on foods but I am open to any suggestions though. Akitaowner, Manuka honey is fabulous and maybe I should give this a go? Osca doesnt get a lot of bones (particularly since the vomiting blood episode)but they do get a lamb shank once a week. He is a quiet dog which sometimes you may think is lethargy but as soon as you say the big 'W' word he cries at you in protest for not putting your shoes on or the other dogs harness on quick enough So I presume if he was genuinely lethargic he would not react so differently so quickly. Staranais I am not sure either and I hope it is nothing but I thought I would ask the DOL'ers because everyones experiences and knowledge are so varied. We have just started going to another vet and so perhaps I should ask them again when he hoes in to get his teeth done. Is it worth trying another food? What sort of food would I be looking for?

Hi all, thanks for the replies Erny I mean human babies, but as you say their bodies are different and I was wondering whether because of this it was unlikely to be a problem. I just wonder because it is after he starts eating anything and then randomly throughout the day, every day. He also seems to get upset tummies quite often and has vomited blood before. The burps alone don't bother me too much but with all of this stuff I guess I just want to keep my eye on everything. We had another dog die this year of cancer in his anal glands. As a kid we just saw him scoot around on his backside and thought this was just an 'odd quirk'. If we had realised then that this was the cause of his cancer I know we would have jumped on it straight away. I don't want to miss something with Osca, if that makes sense? Puggy puggy, Osca is 5 years old.

Hi all, Osca sort of burps and then licks his lips after the first mouthful of food or just at random times in the day. It stops him in his tracks and it sounds like reflux. I asked my vet and she said some dogs just seem to do this. What does everyone think? Is this just a harmless quirk or could it lead to a more serious problem? I know with the babies I work with we put them on medication for reflux if they are bothered by it but I don't know how to tell if he is bothered by it as he is generally a quiet dog anyway. any thoughts or ideas are appreciated.

Great info everyone! We tried the cow hooves but they do last forever and I wasnt sure how long I could leave it lying around the house. Any ideas anyone? The pup will go for single pieces of carrot but the older dog just gives me this look like he's saying "lady, do i look like a rabbit to you? where's the real food?" The sheeps ears are good but much smaller and so go quicker and I worry about small pieces and choking. I am going to buy the venison ears online now :rolleyes:

Hi Kingy, I'm not sure where in Bris you are but Pine Agility Dog Sports (PADS) at Eatons Hill has a fabulous puppy class. They also do a basic obedience class which I took my pup to after her third shot. Their main focus after that is in preparation for Agility. They work with difficult dogs one on one also and when you join you can use the grounds whenever you like. Sure beats going to a dog park IMO. Hope things improve!

Harminee, What an absolute blessing you have been to so many people! I appreciate your computer situation and I wish there was some way I could help If you do get up and running again I would love one of these for my mum who lost our boy not long ago. I was looking for the photo that has the date of his first year with us and realised we got one year less with him than we thought we had I have a tonne of high quality pics and would love to email a couple to you whenever you can or want to do some more. You truly have a gift that comforts the saddened soul.

They do take ages but I think it depends on your dog. My puppy could take weeks to finish one. But my older boy is really protective of his and he will just break off 3cm long pieces and swallow them whole just to eat it quickly. This is where we got into trouble this week. If your dog eats it slowly then they can last ages! weeks and weeks. Thanks so much for the tips everyone. I am going to have a look at those websites puddleduck and leo01. My venison and sheeps ears have all come from petbarn but the venison ears are $20 or $30 for 10 so I hope they will be a bit cheaper online. I find the sheeps ears go pretty quick though, 10-20 minutes tops.

My two normally get dehydrated treats that are labelled as preservative-free. They have been getting sheep and venison ears and dehydrated beef tendons. The venison ears are a huge hit and don't splinter. As for the tendons, my puppy is fine with them, she takes her time, but Osca breaks pieces off and swallows them. This made him sick yesterday so Ive chucked them all out. They also get a lamb shank once a week. They get sick if they get raw meat bones more often. Can someone tell me are venison ears ok nutritionally as an ocasional treat? And does anyone have any more suggestions? Training treats go too quickly and I dont want them to get overweight. Thanks everyone

I use aloveen on my poodles. Its a leave in conditioner like a hair product. They smell beautiful afterwards. My vet said you can also use it as an ear cleaner by putting some on a damp cloth.

Im so sorry Bini. RIP Mac He sounds like he was a lovely brave boy

I wouldnt be worried but I would get it looked at. If there is an ongoing problem they can be removed (according to our specialist). We just lost our boy to an anal sac/gland tumour and knowing what I know now I would keep them closely monitored if it was a recurring problem. I hope it clears up quickly for Daisy

Lots of hugs to you and your family. I support seeking advice from a specialist. Our little guy who we lost last month developed a growth that protruded from his backside. My mum took him to her vet who thought it was a hernia and while the op was expensive it was not life threatening. But when they went to operate they didnt feel it was a hernia anymore. Thankfully they referred to a sepcialist who operated and it was an anal gland tumour that had ruptured. They gave us options of chemo which would have been upwards of 10 grand but stated it may have only given him a few extra months and he would have spent much time being ill. They drained all the fluid out of the cavity and we got an extra 6 months with him which gave us time to say goodbye in our way. By this time the tumour was hard and was threatening his bowel and organs etc. It was THEN a very simple but not easy decision to make to say goodbye. But I am so glad we got that 6 months. The specialist didnt cure him but draining the fluid gave us that time with him. As others have said a specialist will give you the options and hopefully balance that out with the reality of the extent of the benefit. But at least you won't have any doubts. We loved our boy with all our heart but we were not going to pay 10 grand just to see him sicker than the tumour had ever made him because of chemo with no real confidence it would prolong his life significantly. But if there is a way to help or save your little one a specialist will find it. Thinking of you. Edit: I wanted to add that they gave us a few weeks to 2 months for him to live and he lived 6 before he gave us 'the look'. The vets time-frame is an educated guess but animals can prove them wrong. I know our vet was happy to be proven wrong in this case.

Hi STITCH, thanks for your advice I think this vytrate stuff is the same. You mix the two satchets. For Pigs you just make it available to them but for calves its a particular dosage per kg of bodyweight. Do you just offer the lectade in their bowls? And does it keep in the fridge?

My two are a little under the weather. Osca has diarrhoea and it has been a little explosive overnight and Midnight vomited once yesterday (but that was 20min after swallowing a grub whole) and has had some diarrhoea off and on for a few days. They are both sleeping a lot today but neither have had vomiting or diarrhoea so far today. I have previously been given VYTRATE calf and pig scour treatment. Can anyone tell me how to dose this for my two? Osca is about 6kg and middi is 2.5kg. Also what else could I get for them? I read inner health plus could help. is it one capsule daily no matter how much they weigh? Any info would help. Thankyou P.S If they deteriorate they will be at the vets in a flash but I am not that concerned at the moment. I just want to help their tummy's settle and keep them hydrated while I monitor them.

Thanks Clankaree, That's hilarious! Its the magpies that come searching at our place. She's had a bit of an upset tummy lately so I wanted to make sure I didnt jump to conclusions about the grubs being responsible. She seems fine today. And now that I know they are a pest, its war! Thanks to all

Thanks everyone for the info. I googled images of the white grub and I think thats what it is. When I compared that to the witchetty grubs I definitely recognised the white grub. And as someone suggested that the wittchety grubs are found only under certain plants, so that clinched it. In this garden there is only one plant and its not even doing so well I feel duped! I cant believe I buried them back in the ground. We couldnt work out why an Australian Native plant that was supposedly indestructible would deteriorate so quickly. We just thought we had managed to kill another plant. Our neighbours said their dogs and cats had always eaten them over the years. So the general consensus is they are protein? Has anyone elses dog eaten them?

We have been digging up the garden and midnight has a nose for finding the grubs. Everytime she has found one I have got it off her but she was too quick today and swallowed it whole. She has since vomited it up and is acting fairly normal. Should I be worried?