aussielover

I can't see how your sister would object to you taking the dog to the vet and paying for it??? I also can't believe that a vet would say wait a month if a dog was seriously underweight and continuing to lose weight and vomit!!! That poor dog should be at a vet NOW.

I find your post quite hard to read. I'm not sure what your question exactly is? Panosteitis is a condition in which shifting lameness and long bone pain are hallmarks. Affected dogs are usually large-breed dogs under the age of 1 year, however it can be seen in all breeds and ages. The affected animals sometimes have fever as well and may also appear systemically unwell. Radiographs are required for definitive diagnosis, although clinical signs usually have a typical presentation and signalment as I mentioned above. Pain on palpation of the long bones in the limbs is also an indicator. Many vets will choose to treat empirically with rest and pain relief if presented with a young dog with shifting lameness and long bone pain. What breed of dog is Murphy? Personally I would be inclined to take radiographs as or some conditions such as elbow dysplasia and hip dysplasia, early diagnosis can lead to a much better long term outcome. But it would depend on the individual case and obviously one would have to see the dog in person and fully examine it and get an extensive history.

As the title suggests, I would like to know whether any registered dog (main or limited) can participate in a neuter class? What kind of preparation is necessary? Are these classes mainly "just for fun" considering none of the dogs would be able to breed anyway. Is there any point in entering a class with a dog that is not of "show quality" ?

I think all dogs need a height card to trial (in ANKC agility anyway) I just measured Mindy myself and she is 57cm so well over the 54.5 cm required for a 500 dog. I don't know why people keep telling me she is "borderline"

My lab doesn't seem to have as much coat as other labs? She has quite a thin/sparse undercoat. She seems to get cold at night and doesn't object to having a blanket placed over the top of her (my aussie shep would get up and walk away if you did that) and lies by the heater and tries to snuggle up to you. Not that it is even that cold in sydney at the moment... I don't worry too much as she is still jumping in to the ocean which is quite cold (to me anyway :laugh:). She is fine when she is out and about, its just at night she seems to seek warmth. It seems a little silly to put a coat on a breed that is used to retrieve game from freezing waters etc :laugh:

... which isn't an elimination diet? The above I probably do agree with this approach. Best in this case to probably wait and see a specialist before going down the path of elimination trials. May as well just make sure the dog is on a great diet and healthy in every other respect so that the derm can really see what is going on. Actually, speaking with the 2 derms in sydney recently and they both said they don't mind if the dog has already been on an elimination diet if it has been prescribed to and adhered to properly by their referring vet. It can even be beneficial and shorten the process/cost as some dogs will be food allergy positive and not even need to see the derm! It's actually a BAD thing to try the dog on lots of different types of food before starting an elimination diet as it can make finding a novel protein and carb hard to do.

Eye contact is rewarding for dogs in the right circumstance- usually when the dog wants attention. Also the person has to be somebody of value to them, most dogs don't take well to be stared at by a stranger who means nothing (possibly even has negative value) to them

Does Gibbs have allergies as well now???

I completed the survey to the best of my ability. However, I hope this is not the main basis for the project. I doubt any meaningful results could be drawn from such a survey alone. I found most of the questions ok- aimed at the "average" dog owner which is fine, however it did give the impression of not being well researched and poorly written. For example, as others have pointed out, there were limited options regarding type of food given, limited options for amount of exercise- one of the questions went from one walk a day to exercise "all the time" a term which is not very specific. Perhaps "several times per day" would have been a better option. I'm not sure about where the questions about if you could afford to feed your dogs fit in??? I found the question about what type of eater your dog is to be very poorly written in particular. Yes, it may be amusing to label dogs in such a way and this is ok for Dog's life magazine or similar, however not really appropriate for a research survey to be written up as a scientific study. There was no option for what I would consider a "normal" dog that pretty much only eats when the owner decides they can eat or if they have worked in some way for the food. To be honest I think the student may need to reconsider some aspects of the survey- specifically keeping in mind how it could come across as more professional, more thoroughly researched and more scientifically valid. Hopefully they will take on board some of the feedback given by members here.

Firstly, good on you for taking on this poor kitten and at least giving her a chance. You are obviously an amazing person. By the sounds of things, Cookie retains both superficial pain response and voluntary limb movement in her hindlimbs. These signs are GOOD prognostic indicators. Recovery of neurological function can take months. Obviously, during this time, the animals require intensive care with regard to nursing (toileting, physio, feeding etc). Even for animals that are completely paralyzed with no deep pain, it is recommended (if the owner wishes) to give them at least 2 months to recover some neurological function- if the cause for spinal cord damage has been removed (if it hasn't been removed than there will be no improvement). I think it is pretty poor form to only be *partially* sure that the animal has a fractured vetebral column and hence recommend euthanasia. As a minimum, radiographs should be performed. Even then unless there is severe luxaion of the vertebrae, they will not tell us about the extent of spinal cord damage and whether it is likely to resolve, or if there are surgical options for correction. A myelogram or MRI would be needed to determine this. Obviously all this requires time and money, but the vet should at least offer the "gold standard" approach and then let the owner decide how far they want to go. Personally, I would be inclined to continue giving the nursing care you are providing, and at least give the kitten a few more weeks, as it seems she does make improvements over time. It seems she is not suffering or in any pain at present. My main concern would be the issue of incontinence as it seems Cookie doesn't have 100% control, going after feeding or stimulating her perineum may be considered a reflex action rather than concious control. But the fact that she does go by herself (even if stimulated in some way) is a good sign again. The main risk for incontinent animals is UTI and bladder atony (where the bladder becomes very large and flaccid and can't contract properly). If she is urinating regularly, her chances of complications are less likely. Only time will tell whether she will regain full function unfortunately. ETA: You can request that the radiographs are read by a specialist if there is any doubt over such a potentially serious diagnosis. Going off her clinical signs and possible contience issues, I'd say her problem probably is lumbosacral. A "fractured" spine is not always very obvious as there may not be a crack through bone, but instead there may be a luxation between 2 vertebrae (eg. instead of being in a line, one of the vertebrae will be displaced usually up or down). This can be quite subtle. But as I said before if it is subtle, its really hard to tell what the actual damage to the spinal cord itself is.

Thanks for the rec Aussie! Just to clarify though we do actually do house visits when required :) Oh really? Sorry, I didn't know!

What area of sydney are you in? I would recommend K9pro, but they're about an hour out of sydney and they don't do house visits. But worth the trip if you're willing. Otherwise Barbara from positive puppies is quite good and does home visits on sydney's north shore.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: I think for some dogs the only solution is to not hang stuff on the line when they are going to be outside unsupervised! This is pretty much what I do- if I need to leave mindy outside, I put my washing inside on one of those portable clotheslines. The weather had been unpredictable lately as well so I've just been leaving everything inside anyway. My lab used to be terrible when she was a puppy. She would destroy stuff, dig up and chew irrigation, rip down shrubs, dig holes everywhere, ruin hedges by jumping in and out of them etc. She actually did just stop doing all those naughty things over time. The other day i was very pleased with her, she was left alone outside for about 6 hours and there was no destruction!!!

No. Ideally you should not use any kibble either. If you do use kibble then you should feed that kibble only and it should be a hypoallergenic kibble with a novel protein eg. Eukanuba response fp or hills ultra z/d or rc hypoallergenic. These commercial diets are not as good for picking up good allergy as a home cooked diet with up to 30% of dogs with food allergy going undetected You should be feeding roo plus potato ( or other carb) only.

What do you do if your dog is borderline though? Obviously it is almost impossible to accurately measure within 1mm (which is why 546mm is a bit ridiculous as a cut off!!!) so the dog could vary on any given day it was measured depending on how it holds itself, if it wriggles etc. Someone was saying to me that it only really matters if you're going to win- that's the only time there will be a challenge. So it may be better to have my borderline lab measured as a 500 dog as we aren't realistically ever going to win and although she is a leaner build than many labs she is still a labrador. But then, I don't know if i would feel like this is cheating (although I do see plenty of dogs that look like they should be in the next height class!). Obviously I want to do what is best for my dog's health though.

I can't see a problem with asking for other people's opinions as approaches to pyo can vary slightly between different vets (with regard to specific drugs and technique, although the general principles remain the same), however I agree with Sway the way the question was worded wasn't the best. I don't think the assessor would be too pleased if the references only consisted of forum members opinions though, so I assume that the OP was also intending on doing further research and looking at textbooks and journal articles. Personally I recommend the textbook Small Animal Surgery (edited by Fossum) your TAFE might have this book available? It is an excellent textbook providing the basics of surgery and anaesthesia for many small animal procedures. It also briefly covers management of surgical conditions. You will also need to look at recent research and it is also a good idea to get other vets opinions as people do things differently.

I have heard of bad experiences when doing this. Personally I wouldn't risk it. Allergies are extremely frustrating for vets and owners to deal with Special diets are generally only useful for food allergic dogs. Desensitization injections reduce itchiness in up to 70% of dogs that go thru the process. Unfortunately they don't help in around 30% of cases. It is extremely rare they completely resolve the problem though. Cyclosporin and Pred are options for management of severe cases. They can greatly improve quality of life as stormie has said. For less severe cases, anti histamines and topical steroid creams/sprays can help manage allergic dogs. My own dog is moderately to badly affected by atopic dermatitis. She is allergic to pollens, grasses and dust (so basically to life!). She is currently managed with twice daily anti histamines, topical creams and desensitization injections although she remains moderately itchy but less so than previously. Unfortunately she reacts quite badly to pred (lethargy, polyphagia) so I prefer to keep her off it. We will re evaulate her for cyclosporine once she has finished the course of desensitization injections.

I don't think twice yearly dentals under GA are warranted in general but... I haven't seen your dogs teeth so its hard to say if this is appropriate or not? If they are actually bad, perhaps you could try brushing them daily and see if you can make an improvement or at least prevent any further tartar build up?

Aww Buddy is adorable!!! I don't think he looks too skinny in those photos- he looks like a healthy labrador should look. Sorry to hear he is unwell again If he does well on dry food alone- that's what I would be feeding him. Not all dogs do well on a raw diet or with bones. I cannot give my labrador bones and her diet is only dry dog food, she is still perfectly healthy and has great teeth. You sound like you are doing the right thing re the separation anxiety. I also find that my labrador is a one person dog- she doesn't really have any interest in greeting stangers and totally ignores any attempt at interaction with them usually. She also showed some separation anxiety/naughty behaviours when she was younger as she would become very destructive if left for more than about an hour. I have gradually increased the time leaving her and she was ok for 6 hours alone the other day but she still probably wouldn't cope with being left for normal working hours. Kongs are good- I wouldn't fill the whole thing with peanut butter (too fatty!) but I do layer PB with the kibble and then seal the top with PB. I also like the bob-a-lot toy. You can see my lab also has long spindly legs and contrary to popular belief, Labs should have a waist!

If you can't cope with the puppy, it is probably best to return him. It's easy to say that deaf dogs are easy to train etc, but I think it really depends on the individual dog. Some people struggle to train a perfectly healthy dog, so if you feel out of your depth, then I think the best outcome for the puppy and yourselves is sadly to return the dog to the breeder.

So sorry for your loss RIP Lola

I got up early to walk my girl before work. She shouted me a coffee and a bacon and egg roll though. Even if she did end up eating most of it herself :laugh:

It is about what is finding what is right for your dog, and of course, what makes you feel good. For many people feeding a super-premium food makes them feel good and the dogs do well on it so its a win-win. As my previous dog got older she could only tolerate the low residue or GIT veterinary diets (eukanuba, RC or hills). My current dog is young and healthy and I notice no difference in her health when she has been on pedigree, hills, royal canin, advance or bonnie. If anything she seemed to do better on pedigree (less poo's, better body condition etc) Personally I don't care whether a food is "premium" or what ingredients it has in it (within reason) as long as it is nutritionally balanced. I judge foods by what my dog does best on not what someone tells me is the "best" food.

I would not like my dog to be housed/kennelled with another unknown dog and she is a very friendly, submissive dog who has never had problems with other dogs. I do worry that because she is quite submissive, that she may be bullied by another dog if they are not compatible personality wise. I think supervised play sessions with a small group of dogs of similar size and personality would be beneficial for my dog as she is quite social. As others have said, i think it entirely depends on who runs the kennels and how much you trust them. I know how ridiculous!!! As if dogs would care whether they have a 4 poster bed and a TV (well mine wouldn't anyway). I am sure most dogs would prefer exercise, human interaction, company and mental stimulation.

I like: Hovawart. There are none (breeding dogs) in Aus as far as I know I also like the German Spitz (mittel), we had a really cute one in at work the other day. He also had a lovely temperament, although I was told that they are all not as nice???