Muttaburra

Pandii, so sorry for your loss

Thanks for this, it is a very important issue to be aware of.

I am wondering if it may be time to strip the coat, with seasonal moulting being the "issue". The winter coat should come on with the colder weather. Biotin is a good supplement for animal coats, as are the omega oil supplements. There is a Doler called Lorraine (sp?) who recently got her Airedale qualified after some coat issues, so she might help if you PM her. It can be a lot of work to bring them up to scratch.

Some dogs also get spurs growing in the lumbar/sacral area of the spine, (just like humans) causing immobility and pain. Also the spurs can break off etc. This could cause stiffness in the back legs. In this case I think an X-Ray of the lower spine could be helpful in assessing the condition. Joint support might help, but it may be that you need to start to consider (depending on the X-Rays) that your dog has limited time left and how best to manage it.

They probably mince them up in sausage mince, so anyone who has eaten sausages may well have partaken of such delicacies. Now I wish I hadn't thought about that, since I am having (or was having) sausages for dinner tonight.

Nomis That's interesting. You might find it worth your while to phone the base and let them know your dog's reaction, they may not be able to confirm or deny it, but someone at the base would find that interesting information for sure. You could also ask around the neighbourhood and see if other dogs are being affected. Until you know what it is, it will be difficult to de-sensitise the dog or behaviour-mod for it. Do you know any electronics hobbyists or nerds that might have some instruments to pick up sub-sonic transmissions? Is there any changes to your radio reception around those times?

At that age your dog could have some Arthritis and be getting cold being left out all night, the cold and evening damp will cause more arthritic pain and the dog could be desperate to get inside and get warm. When dogs become Senior dogs it is time to review everything, including bedding and where they sleep, diet etc. they only have a couple of years left and it is time to give them some pampering to let them live out their final years in comfort. Also good to give some fish oil caps or look into some of the Joint formulas. He's happy to be in the sun during the day as that will give relief to the old bones. IMO these issues should be addressed before looking at behavioural reasons or neighbourhood disturbances.

Ci, so sorry for you loss and such a sad time for you. Zeke sounds like he was so very special. :D

Kaffy, so sorry to hear of your sad loss of Kobe. :D

Carlibud, so sorry for your sad loss :D :D

Paula, so very sorry to hear of losing Harvey in this tragic accident. :D Everyone did their best for him.

However ...... Not all or many domesticated dogs will regurgitate - yet generally there appears no issue with "bonding". Also, my readings have it that a pack of wolves in the wild will regurgitate for their pups and that this role does not necessarily solely belong to the pups' mother. Therefore, I doubt that 'saliva exchange' would bear a big/any influence on specific bonding. Well, while I'm not about to rush off and start spitting in my dogs mouth, I do find these sorts of things interesting. For decades Mothers knew that putting honey on the baby's dummy would sooth a crying infant. Then there was the "enlightened" arguments against it, how it might be bad for the developing teeth, how it might influence the baby's palate towards too much sweet things. Interestingly recent research showed how in fact this does work to sooth a griping infant. It is to do with the nervous/sensory system, when there is pain the baby feels it intensely, but if you give something sweet then the sensory input of the sweetness factor "distracts" the nervous system away from the pain sensation and gives some relief. So I like to keep an open mind on these things. My post mentioned "other canines" meaning not just the mother, and whilst modern canines might not disgorge there are many breeds that will gorge, and the gorging would be instinctive. I once knew a dog that would eat everything put in front of it, and selectively disgorge the chicken necks, wait for the other food to go down then eat the chicken necks, I guess this varies with the breed. It is also believed that human kissing, part of the pair bonding/arousal, is a remnant of primate behaviour of feeding the infant primate with masticated food from the mothers mouth. food for thought? :rolleyes:

Also if you gently pull the hair between the toes down, then cut at level of pads, that will also take out the long hairs from between the toes. I think foot hygiene is important and you can also reduce the possibility of fungal infections or grass seed embedding by paying close attention to the paws and keeping them trimmed.

Sorry everyone if I am repeating something here, haven't read all the posts. Sas, I would recommend getting rid of that collar, it could be spreading a Staphylococcal infection over inflamed skin. Is it possible to change to some collars that can be washed, or keep the collar off until the infection and rash has stopped. Allergies can appear as a rash and then pustules, but normally this can resolve quite quickly if treated properly. Once you get sores and scabbing for an extended period then that can mean a secondary bacterial Staphylococcal infection has set in. This bacteria is normally present on the skin but causes problems once it gets into open woulds and grazes etc. The Cortisone is not the solution for this case, cortisone will help with anti-inflammatory issues (early on with an allergy) but also reduces the auto-immune system making it hard to fight off infections. CavsRcute At this point I would be looking at something like CavsRcute, the chlorhexidine will fight the staph infection. Get her off the cortisone ASAP, its not helping this problem in this case. You might also look at putting some Manuka honey on it too, it is anti-bacterial and promotes healing. Woolies has it in the health food section for around $10, look for the ones that are "active".

There could be some basis in fact why this might work. Foxes, dogs and other canines will often gorge large amounts of food then take it back and digorge it for pups to eat. So the mouth to mouth connection would represent this bond. Food for thought? :rolleyes:

Hannah, so sorry for your loss of Ziggy, it's so hard with cats, some seem to have road sense and some not. Rest in Peace Ziggy

Trisven, so very sorry for your loss. Tonka such a lovely dog taken too young. RIP Tonka

Maxi sometimes does it so forcefully he slides backwards, like Michael Jackson LOL but only after relieving himself. Somtimes I have to duck the dirt he kicks up.

Perhaps some X-rays would be helpful. Maybe X-ray the hips and skull. Soft tissue injury of course won't show, but with lack of specialists at least an X-ray might show up something in the head area. If there is no ongoing neurological problem, issues resulting from puppyhood problems might resolve a bit - such as the neck, the strengthening you have already seen and the brain making new pathways for motor functions. If however there is hydrocephalus or some other serious brain problem that is a different matter. If she was small and weak she may have been trampled a bit by the other pups so her reaction to the pup might relate to that, it's hard to know for sure without diagnostics.

Just a word back to Caron, the fear thing as Peibe mentioned could be part of it, but putting that aside, a vet check would be good too. Just to make sure health and reflexes etc. are good, a hearing check and so on.

Hannah, so sorry to hear of the sad loss of Maggie-moo. What a dreadful experience for you.

Check with your local Vet regarding the occurrence of Paralysis Ticks in your district. Paralysis ticks are a major problem especially along the eastern coast of Australia. They cause severe cardiac, respiratory and muscle weakness, eventually killing their prey within days of attachment. Every year dogs (& other animals) die from Paralysis Tick poisoning. A range of products are available to repel them. Preventatic or Killtix collars are effective. Topical spot applications like Advantix are good too, some can be used in combination e.g. collar and spot treatment. Your Vet should be able to advise you of products can be used safely together. The effectiveness of any preventative treatment varies from dog to dog depending on texture and type of coat, body mass etc. The appearance of the Paralysis tick can vary depending on the stage of the insects life cycle and gender. A daily inspection of your dog from head to toe, between toes, under tail, "armpits", ears, gums, neck ruff, and all over every part of the body is necessary even if collars or spot treatments are used. Always be vigilant for the following symptoms - the earliest signs often suggest that your pet has something caught in its throat or the back legs are not working properly. Other commonly noticed changes are vomiting, heavy breathing with a grunt and alteration to your pet's vocal sounds. While signs vary with the individual the usual course is a progressive paralysis with subsequent loss of use of back and front legs. Some animals may become distressed, anxious and confused. Eventually there is an inability to breathe in enough oxygen as the lungs develop congestion and chest muscles become paralysed. When animals are fully paralysed, the chances of saving them are greatly reduced. The live tick should be quickly pulled out of the skin using a fine pair of forceps or a tick remover, avoid squeezing the ticks body. Keep searching for other ticks since there may be more than one. Keep dog cool and calm. After tick removal take dog immediately to the vet. The Vet can administer anti-serum and other treatments and the dog may be saved if treated early enough. Never leave your dog untreated from tick paralysis, it is a very painful neurotoxin and your dog will be suffering. More About the Parlaysis Tick www.tickalert.org.au/ixholdet.htm /medent.usyd.edu.au/fact/ticks.htm For information on other parasites vwhumane.com ================================== Hope this helps

Puggy puggy, just to clarify on the point of zinc as a dietary factor Dietary zinc is an important mineral, but its normal concentrations in the canine diet are very low, about 80 to 120 parts per million on a dry weight basis. The large amounts found in pennies, zinc-coated objects, and topical medications like zinc oxide cause acute zinc toxicity in dogs, leading to gastroenteritis, haemolytic anaemia, inflammation, and possible necrosis (destruction of tissue) of the liver, kidney, and pancreas. Go easy on the zinc, it is only needed in tiny traces.

Zinc is toxic in high doses. The symptoms of zinc toxicosis can be confused with acute gastrointestinal episodes because the patient may be uninterested in food or lethargic while vomiting and having diarrhoea, either of which may be bloody. The swallowed object may not be visible in X-rays depending on its size, whether the dog vomited the object or passed it in faeces, and its consistency. Zinc-medicated ointments and shampoos aren’t visible in X-rays the way pennies are. from http://www.dogicuts.com/index_files/toxic.htm You have the advantage in that you discovered your dogs ingestion of zinc quickly and have the opportunity to monitor and observe knowing what the problems might be. With luck he has vomited a lot of it up or passed it through. Just keep an eye on him and get in touch with the vet if any further symptoms occur. Glad that all seems ok. Now please forgive me I just have to say this At least the sun won't shine out of his ass anymore, at least for a while

Try some Lucas Paw Paw Ointment. I wonder if it might be a bit of a "hot spot" fungal type infection that has set in. In which case you could use remedies for Athletes Foot or prickly heat powder. I used some human athletes foot creme called Daktarin between Maxis toes when he got a bit of a fungal infection there. Alternatively you could try dusting the area with some babies nappy rash powder (that contains zinc) or similar. With all the wet weather, fungal infections are common and stubborn to get rid of. Make sure his bedding is clean and very dry, and his paws and any other "damp" areas are fully dried off before bedtime.