ChristineX

Kate is intolerant to all forms of meat as opposed to allergy - no anaphalactic reaction in sight. But red skin, that goes sticky and hot is a precursor to scratching and biting, and at its worst, she actually gnawed skin of her back leg. An elimination diet pointed to chicken, and over time, to all meat. Vet,by the way, was impressed that I took the time for elimination diets - most of his clients want an automatic fix. She is currently on Z/D low allergen - but for her the kicker is that if that is all her diet is, she is incontinent, so she has to have some meat/normal kibble. We run a balance between itchiness and incontinence, down here. Best thing I have found for the itchy/red skin - chamomile tea. Got the idea from here. I don't think Kate appreciates the smell - she does not get to have a say. ChristineX

Hi all. I spoke to the senior ranger who says "it trespassed on private property, case closed.". Neighbour is still ranting and raving, and I am starting to think it was his job to put the cat in that night - and forgot, because he sounds more about guilt than grief. Nevertheless, Kate and Duke are very jumpy currently, particularly when he starts yelling, so I have put them on rescue remedy and I am locking them in at night until the neighbour settles down. For the first time ever, I am starting a second round of antibiotics as my hand after a week is still not back to normal. I'd love to see cat containment laws come in too. Although, most of the people I know already keep their cats in at night simply to spare wildlife. And my Mum insisted on padlock and chain for the gate - just to ensure nobody 'accidentally' lets the dogs out....... Sometimes, what a world. ChristineX

So tonight my neighbour has come over and ranted a lot about my "evil dogs" and how he is now terrified for the welfare of his kids and I need to do something about my dogs - although I don't think he is disputing that the cat was in my backyard. Sigh. Nobody calls cats evil when they kill lizards and birds, do they. I will be calling the rangers in the morning for a chat about the situation. At least he said he doesn't bait animals. ChristineX

Hi Everyone, and thank you for your responses. Kate and myself are both on antibiotics (Duke wants to know why he is left out - because he didn't pick up any injuries!). I still have a finger that is not happy to bend at all, but everything else is starting to work pretty well. What I still can't understand is why the cat didn't head for the nearest tree - it was practically next to him. I feel so sorry for the cat, but I did my best, and certainly when all three of my neighbours moved in I did warn them that any cat in my backyard would not likely make it home with a heartbeat. Interestingly, one of the vet nurses suggested putting up a sign saying that cats did not fare well in my backyard. First time I have heard that cats can read! Thank you again for your support and advice, it means a lot to me. ChristineX

It's a bit after 5, and Duke is fine. Kate, who usually stays out of these events, is on three legs and extensive blood down one ear/face. two of my fingers don't feel too good - so its GP for me and vet for kate. interestingly, duke has been on his 'its dangerous tonight' behaviour which makes me think that the silly cat landed on kate when it came over the fence and his territoritality has kicked in majorly. now to email the boss - i dont think i will make it into work until very late. and thank you to the insomniacs on dol - you helped me with the adrenaline surge, helped me calm down, and thereby helped me keep my asthma attack much milder than would otherwise have been the case. christinex

you may remember that when I got new neighbours last year - Duke almost killed their cat. Fortunately, they were pretty much 'that's what terriers do'. Well, it came back. This time, Duke has killed it. I've got some serious cat bites to one hand - I dont know yet if the dogs are hurt. It was still living when I picked it up - and I think I have scared two sets of neighbours - cat's owner and lady next to them. Gary from next door has the cat back, and Denise from next to them - who also has a black and white cat - came to see if I was okay (her brother and a young lady answered the door - a very young cat lover who backed away and wanted to know if I was going to put Duke down.) Denise has fixed my hand up with betadine and a bandaid (and I get the impression her guests can't understand why) and is making sure we exchange phone numbers etc just in case next doors go off the deep end. One off my bites is still oozing - I may be off to my own 'vet' tomorrow as it is over a finger joint. Damn cat. Why didn't it stay smart. ChristineX

Its made by the same people who make gentle leader head collars - check with the instructors next week, the club has them for sale. It suits Duke really well, as he has the type of neck that flat collars slip off, and for some reason collars around his neck cause him stress. My aim in life is to diminish his stress levels as this keeps him calm(er). And I luuv the way Ivy played with him - its always been difficult to find dogs big enough and playful enough to play on an equal playing field with the poor boy! See you next week, ChristineX

Hi Guys - Duke is going to be on the sidelines this week due to an infected foot - but he will come along and wait in the car and have some short walks before and after classes. It's going to make Kate's week, she loves classes! ChristineX

quick technical question: whats targeting? ChristineX

I agree with the author - the damage done by a dog not going through this process is incredible. My IT Duke, who I got at 17 months did not get to experience these. As best as anyone can figure, he was kept in the backyard/back of the house, until his first owners just could not cope. He had no education, boundaries or experience. His owners told the rescue lady "they did not understand how much time he would need". His breeder (hey, rare breed, easy to track down) said he was the biggest,most boisterous puppy in the litter. At 17 months, he was in full hysteria two steps from the front door (fear/over-stimulation mix). At 3, he is still stressed by leaving the house, he still can't generalise dog language - he learns one dog's language over time (about 12 months, it seems). It took a year and a half just to be able to join an obedience class, and we still spend a lot of time walking away from the class when it gets a bit much for him. I do wish all puppy purchasers were given this type of information. It would prevent so much heart ache. ChristineX

Hi Lab Rat - its really only when things go wrong that you could call them terrors (like teaching not to bite) - their tenacity and intelligence means that they take a different tack. With Kate, it would be 'are you sure I can't chew this finger?' and when you say no you can't, she'd just move on to the next finger, and then the next hand, and then the body language would say "are you SURE you mean this"? and she would start with that first finger again. And then you wake up one morning to realise that all your rules are suddenly just the way the dog lives...... as though no biting of fingers ever occured. They are very sweet natured, very good watchdogs that only bark if there is something to bark at, they love interacting with you, love training/agility etc. Lousy at retrieving. Mine look with puzzelment at other dogs chasing balls. But on the whole, once matured, not really interested in other dogs. At least, Kate and her Dad. The jury is still out on Duke, but he is kinda special, in an earpiercing way. At the last Jorgensens Park DOL meet, all the other dogs ran around and played in a crowd - Kate just went her merry way and checked out the bush. Came back about every 15 minutes to check on us, and would dissapear again which is why her collars now have a growing collection of cat bells on them. Hi ValleyWA - yep I can always use help with Kate's nails - so much easier with someone holding her, it definately avoids her 'its armageddon!!" impersonation!! ChristineX

Hi BelgianBlue - I've two irish terriers, but Duke usually does not come out until classes have started (he's a bit hysterical around other dogs)but Kate is nice and sane and loves her training nights (she and Duke alternate weeks). Just head for the changerooms, and look for the table under the lights - having a phobia about being late, I am usually wandering around the park pretty early on, and I do tend to head for people with dogs looking a little lost. ChristineX

Hi ValleyWA and Belgian Blue - I'll see you on 3 Feb (thats my dog club too). I will be dogless that week as I am 'gophering' (first week is always crazy). Bring your vaccination certificate with you as well, as they like to know that the dogs are as protected as they can get. You know, this means that you get to meet my other IT, Duke. (He's only a little bit crazy, these days. Talk to someone who was there 2 years ago - he was a lot crazy then). ChristineX

Lets see: 1. will always have a vet that takes me seriously, and does not pat me on the head when i say "something is wrong". (changed vets, experience has now taught the new vet I am always right). 2. Next rescue dog - if it has problems outside of little training, no boundaries, I will now be camped on the doorstep of my favourite dog shrink that day rather than 10 months down the track. 3. Remember that just because it's an IT does not mean they are all the same. Kate is quiet, calm and centered. Duke is gregarious, loud, and screams with excitement (about 0.00001 second from dead calm to screamingly excited) to the point of hysteria. 4. Just because it isn't a Great Dane or a Bullmastif doesn't mean that there is room on the bed for you and the dog. You have to get there first. 5. It takes 0.00001 seconds for a dog under the doona to turn said doona into a donut wrapped tightly around herself. Unwrapping takes considerabley longer. Particularly in Winter in an unheated room. ChristineX

When Kate was young, and needed help in recognizing me as a source of great stuff, I gently fried small kibble, bacon, a touch of garlic, added cubed cheese afterwards. Every single dog in the park was grovelling at my feet for some - except Kate, happily trotting off into the sunset. Thereby proving yet again, that she deserves the title of Kate The Independant. These days, she is intolerant to all forms of meat, so I use cheese for the ultimate bribe. But I have been known to use raw pumpkin (worked, too). ChristineX

The affair in Victoria has made me take a closer look at my own state RSPCA. I'm not done yet, (Duke keeps trying to help, and he is a terrible typist), I have found it interesting that Inspectors responsible for policing the animal welfare act are divided between the Govt Department, the RSPCA and the Police. Any of those three can nominate a person to be what they call a General Inspector. I'll probably be spending the next month looking into how this works, and what sort of checks and balances and accountability is in place, but WA, on my casual glance at the moment, is not straying too far from commonsense policing. Does Victoria only have the RSPCA being the animal police? If so, would this account for the fact that some cases/inspectors appear to be overviligant in certain areas? ChristineX

Hi ValleyWA, I'd give Kathy at Kathy's Dog Training & Behaviour Consulting a call. (yes, this is Kathy Kopellis McLeod). Having been in her reactive rover class for a year now, her people skills are every bit as good as her canine skills. If she can't help, she will have the number of someone who can. ChristineX

Hi Sunnyy, I currently go to Reactive Rovers class in Dianella with Kathy Koepeliss (hope I got the spelling right). Dogs have been helping with the filing lately, but I'm sure I can find her contact number if you like. She's been awesome for Duke, and he's been a big help with providing opportunities for the others in ignoring suddenly barking dogs. As far as I can tell, everyone pretty much enjoys it, too. (so does Duke, he sulks if we can't attend). No reason why you couldn't come one weekend and see what you think (with Kathy's permission, of course). ChristineX

Hi to everyone that replied - I have been reading, but from my work computer where I can't really reply. I've tried the suggestion of not using enough solution (yes, he was on dermotic as well as the antibiotic), and this seems to have worked, to the pleasure of the vets. Mind you, now that the infection has been cleared, NOW he is scratching his ears! And depending on the time of day/night, his ears are either a normal skin colour, or bright cherry pink, which is not doing great things for my peace of mind. Kate probably does not have normal allergies, they seem more related to her episode of infective endocarditis (courtesy of a really rotten pigeon carcass), which also resulted in a heart murmer. Her coat also suffered, and only now, about five years after this episode, is it starting to actually develop the normal irish terrior coat. The 'windows' where she had her echocardiogram done took 2 years for the hair to grow back. It is also clear that her reactions to meat are now beginning to subside, so I am hopeful that eventually we could get back to a more natural diet in some years to come, although I think that chicken may always be off our diet plan. Her food allergies were identified with exclusion diets (fortunately, she quite likes vegetable based diets, we have even done training using pumpkin for rewards). I will do my best to avoid grain based products, and will check out the substances that someone highlighted in ZD. Of course, ear problems cleared up, and now they both have kennel cough, so more antibiotics as the strain running through South Perth seems to respond well to them. And best wishes from our vet surgery that they dont see us any time soon! (Isn't that nice of them?) Thank you again, everyone, I have learnt a great deal that I can apply to both Kate and Duke.

Hi All, this is my very first post (have been lurking for ages) - I could use some information/previous experiences that anyone has with infected (yeast) ears. My Irish Terrier Duke (ie, no symptoms!) sprang a nasty aggressive yeast infection about 4 weeks after having seen the vet, which included an ear check. He is currently on his second round of antibiotics and tapering off the steriods (to reduce the stenosis in the ear canal). I've noticed that other postings in the past suggested RAW, Barf type diets, which I would be reluctant to try as my other IT Kate is allergic to all meat protiens, and in the past has gone rather psychotic to other dogs if there is meat in the house. Duke, unfortunately, can be a bit food aggressive, and has problems recognising submissive 'can we stop' behaviour (and yes, I am in Perth and we are seeing Kathy as he is also reactive to strange dogs). An aquaintance has suggested using metholated spirits - I can see where she is coming from, but there is a good chance one of his eardrums is already perforated, so I don't feel inclined to try. He has been fed on Supercoat where Kate is on Z/D low allergenic (I have to buy the supercoat anyhow, Kate gets incontinent if she only gets Z/D,where a few pieces of Supercoat fix the problem), which I mention as surfing the web suggests allergies may cause infected ears. Co-incidentally, we had a fast run to the vet on Saturday with Duke collapsing thru the backlegs. Vet thinks it may have been colitis. Could this be related to the drugs??? Anyone have any advice or previous experience they can offer? ChristineX