mackiemad

Safe or good margins generally means a really good amount was taken from a distance all around the tumour - if it was on the leg it can be pretty hard to get really good margins as its often a couple of extra centimetres in diameter from the end of the obvious tumour. Ask you vet to go through it all with you, it will give you a little peace of mind. Hope the dog pulls up well from the surgery

Super interesting - thanks for posting it I wonder if it is from the absence of grains or the inclusion of the substitutes. Or maybe just higher protein levels generally? (Though I doubt it) Would love to read some more research on this.

Yeah, boxers look quite different to pitties etc because they're brachy. They're also pretty common, my brother had an unpapered boxer (pet shop purchase, sigh) who only recently passed and as everyone could identify him as a boxer (they've seen so many they know what they look like) he was fine.

My thoughts too. Also, some of the writing on the website really puts me off.

Anyone heard of Life Wise kibble? My dad pushed a sample and flyer into my hands and so I looked at the website and I've got questions. Anyhoo just thought I'd ask if anyone here has heard of it or tried it? Might be just Victorian but I've honestly got not idea tbh... For those that are interested: https://www.lifewisepetfood.com/

I've found that when you take them out to toilet to keep wandering/moving. It helps them need to go quicker (movement moves everything along inside, so to speak) and usually if they're meandering along they're not nomming on the lead of playing at much. Other than that she sounds like a normal puppy! Pups play hard and are a bit crazy, if they're not you'd be worried. Just keep replacing the biting with a toy she can nom on and play with her and the toy so she learns how to play with people. You're doing great

Separate for food - but I would try and start some counter conditioning to help the pup feel less stressed about food. Take it super slow though. In my home the cat is always right, after all the consequences for the cat are a lot worse should interactions go sour. Though, tbh, my cats run a tight ship and tell the dog (mini schnauzer) all the time who is boss, he seems fairly comfortable having kitty overlords!

You can't expect a child and a dog to somehow figure out how a child should behave. You need to be in charge and either decide your child and home are not ready for a dog or actively teach your child how to interact with an animal safely - and I mean safely for the the child and the animal. You seem to be framing the situation as a dog's choice is either you or the pound. That's not the reality - there are many choices, including foster, another family or euthanasia and for many dogs being humanely dead would be better than the feel of being tortured by being shut away, you're not in pain (physical or emotional) if you're dead. Not a pretty or popular opinion but also not untrue and it's one reason why I'm a big believer in humanely euthanasing a day to early than a day too late. If you can't or don't want to integrate the dog into your life then you aren't offering that dog a much better life at all than a pound. In a pound they get fed and walked and interact with workers and volunteers so really what's the difference? You need to clarify why you are taking a dog on, if it's because you think you're saving it then you're not setting yourself and the dog up for a fun, happy life. You need to want to add a family member and not just provide a different kennel. There is nothing wrong with being able to say I want a dog but my situation is not ready for the lifetime commitment of a dog - it's actually very brave and astute.

Westiemum are you wandering back and forth for a few minutes when taking her out to toilet? They're more likely to go when moving around ime. Might be worth taking her for a tiny walk halfway up the street and back and giving massive rewards whenever she goes as this reinforces the toileting outside and encourages it by the movement. To the op - does the dog hate the wet weather? Maybe he just objected to getting his toes wet one day and a new habit developed? Worth really properly cleaning the area with an enzymatic cleaner and then going back to basics of toilet training to reinforce the behaviour you want - make sure you reward the toileting outdoors of any kind. It's also worth thinking, because it's poop, maybe time the walks so they're about 12 hours after his meal? It'll be when he's about ready to go anyway and can assist in the going back to basics of toilet training. For instance my dog gets his dinner around 6pm and we are always out the door by 7am and within the first 5/10 minutes he always poops.

Your dog is almost 8 months old - he's socialised. You can continue to condition him, train him etc but in terms of socialisation, while he can still go backwards and forwards (usually triggered by an event or by training) his main standard is kinda already there. You have a young, energetic and intelligent dog that knows what he can get away with. You need to do more structured training every day, I'd do it at least twice a day. 15 minutes before brekky and 10 minutes before you head out in the evening and probably another 10 before he gets his dinner. Work on different things and demand better and better responses (quicker, no leaning in the sit, more eye contact, longer duration of stays, slowly moving out of sight during stays etc). You can also start training some fun tricks etc during this time (you tube will probably be your friend here). You will tire him out much more by challenging him mentally than double the same amount of time of physical exercise. Also consider feeding him from puzzles, Kong's, snuffle mats etc. Pick up his toys in the yard and rotate them so they remain interesting, at the moment they're just sitting there and they've become part of the furniture and boring. I'd also spend more time walking him on lead every day, maybe walk to and from the park. Even better cycle there and back and run him off the bike if you need. You can build some training into these walks too, develop manners and respect for people, the lead and other dogs - being able to walk past another dog without reacting, saying hello, getting excited or wanting to play is actually good doggy manners and it sounds like he is over stimulated at the park (because he is under stimulated everywhere else) and not able to control his excitement and behaviour. Ask your trainer about the behaviour and how to address it in the moment (and before and after) because if you're in a generic class (which it sounds like you are) other owners are probably experiencing the same issue and would also like answers! You're paying for these classes so find the best way to get everything you need out of them. Chances are if you start to give him more structure and challenge him mentally he'll probably start to grow out of it. He needs to learn how to inhibit his own behaviours, manners and that other dogs are really not the be all and end all. All of that you need to teach him as teenage dogs don't know these things unless they're taught, he's a cross of some working breeds so he'll probably relish the education process.

Orthopaedic I would think - they deal with bones and the disks etc and that's where his muscle spasms seem to be stemming from? I don't have any recommendations just good luck wishes

Sure asal but there are laws in place. There's also a lot of research that concludes pups staying with, near or around the bitch is better for their bite inhibition etc. Just cos your bitch was happy to be parted from her pups early it doesn't mean it's the right thing for all pups.

Not everything on the internet or fb is 100% accurate, without bias etc. So worth doing more research than just taking one person's or one page's opinion as fact Pet food is a topic that gets people passions well and truly stirred up fwiw

@Papillon Kisses might be able to give you some info, techniques, further reading etc as her boy has generalised anxiety disorder I think.

Of course the pups should be with their mum but I'm not sure by law that they have to be. They just can't be sold and sent to new homes before 8 weeks - the law is designed to keep pups with mum but that is really up to the person who bred them I guess. Every chance I'm reading the legislation wrong though because I have no legal training at all

Thistle I think the 7 week old pups aren't for sale but for pre sale so to speak, which is within the law. So someone can come in, meet the pups, choose one, pay for it and pick it up 3 days later when it is 8 weeks old. I'm not sure how the no selling pups in pet shops is supposed to be enforced or who is supposed to be doing the enforcing... I image the coppers have bigger fish to fry and assume it is up to the rspca, whether the rspca prioritise it I don't know.

Ah, that would be rainbow jungle. They cater to a certain kind of market and charge an absolute bundle for their puppies. Also, wasn't selling puppies and kittens in pet shops banned in Vic recently? I that they all had to be up for adoption through a rescue via the store now. Though maybe the legislation has changed but there is a grace period before it is implemented?

I often wrap the snuggle safe inside a furry hot water bottle cover. Sometimes I'll pad it out with a flanelette pillowcase as it hold heat well and it's nice and soft to give some padding. What I did more recently was put it under a soft faux fur square cat mat from petbarn to give it some softness (I have either these mats or polar fleeces in my pp20's for the cats)

LG-re you thinking of the snuggle safe? I've had mine for longer than I'd care to admit!

What feet is he scuffing? Front, back, all? Is it when he first wakes or all day? Has it been sudden onset or gradual? Without seeing it it's hard to say - it could be because of a nerve/spinal issue or it could be run of the mill arthritis. There's a whole lot of things that could be causing it so best check with your vet as I don't imagine he's pain free.

My sister had better success teaching her havanese to use the pet loo when she put a pee pad down on the ground and stuck the fake grass onto it. Once he had that then she put it on the plastic thing - I think teaching where to toilet and to step up at the same time is a bit hard. There is also no shame in using a puppy pen and don't let your friends tell you so - just use the grass on the pee pad in the puppy pen and start to move it to the balcony over time. You also need to remember to give huge play, vocal and treat reward when he does it where you want. Many people cue this with a vocal cue and you may have success with that given you're not sure when he needs to go. Also, remember to reward when he squats to pee but doesn't actually toilet - faking it is a sign he's getting the concept

I also thought (besides the genetic component which shouldn't be ignored) if it could be caused by cleanibg/psesticide products on grass/kennel areas? I mean, props to advance for doing a recall and continuing to test but it seems less likely to be food than other issues given you'd expect food to have made other dogs outside of the service industry ill too.

So sorry westiemum, it doesn't get easier and they leave such gaping abyss behind

Just because the dog was sold as a puppy, if it is a breed with a lot of health tests it doesn't mean that the breeder's costs were covered. If the dog is still entire then it could be sold on as a breeding dog (if health tested and of sufficient quality), show dog or then desexed and sold on as a pet - it's not a simple thing. Care, food, vetwork, tests, behavioural modification etc all takes time and money. Also, just because they have a price on an adult dog it doesn't mean that it is hard and fast - it is common to put a price on a dog to avoid tyre kickers and time wasters, where the price is actually not as important as the weeding out unsuitable people process (which really takes a lot more time and energy than you'd think)

From my knowledge ocd has a huge environmental component so I'm not sure how successful you'd be in thing to get a refund. Definitely worth talking to the breeder and keeping them informed etc, she may decide that a partial refund is acceptable/necessary/the right thing to do.