aussielover

I'm sure it could. I guess we won't really know until we do the food trial and allergy testing. It is pretty hard to avoid grass though! Especially as she should technically be able to go everywhere with her handler. I am still waiting to hear from GDs as to whether they want to go ahead with further investigation. I hope they decide to look into it further, because my vet is convinced it is atopy and also you guys here have confirmed it is not likely to go away and apparently the younger they start desensitization injections the higher the success rate. She has rubbed all the hair off her tummy I noticed this when I was rubbing the tummy of another lab and it was all hairy. Mindy's tummy still looks like a naked puppy tummy. But at least there is no sign of a rash or infection.

If you've rented before, then a report from your previous landlord stating your pet didn't cause any damage etc to the house would be useful. Also any training courses you have done with your dog and any titles they have. Previous neighbours stating that the dog didn't bark and wasn't a nuisance could be helpful too.

i had it done on my 12 yo aussie shep girl who had OA in her elbows. Although we did see intial improvement, she sadly developed a neurological condition and died only 12 months later As rottifan said, there areno scientific results to suggest the procedure works. You also need to know that they are not injecting purified ie. only stem cells, but injecting a matrix of cells, so you can't quantify how many stem cells each dog actually gets. I am sure there is huge variation in the number of stem cells extracted from each individual, which accounts for the mixed responses to treatment. It is an expensive procedure, you're looking at $6000 for the treatment. I have heard of a number of young dogs who have done well with this treatment though, I think assistance dogs and pet therapy dogs (aka guide dogs) have had this procedure done on some of their dogs with positive results (i remember seeing something on the 7.30 report or something about this).

Bugger!!! We will have an unhappy puppy for a couple of weeks.. He loves running around the park/oval. Be guided by your breeder and vet, not someone elses vet. My vet and breeder recommended getting ours out and about from 8weeks. He even got tiny walks... sure hasn't done him any harm and he's not been sick. He even walked small distances when he went to the vet the day after he came home, as we had our kelpie too who was scared of cars and had to walk him to the vet. It's really personal choice and if you're willing to risk the dog getting sick.. However, he did not socialise with any 'unknown' dogs until he was fully vacced, or go to the dog park (in fact, he's only ever gone twice.. I hate it). Really depends on your area. Ask your vet about the parvo incidence and risk in the area.

A muzzle in which a dog cannot bark, is also one in which a dog cannot pant to cool itself, or drink I don't think muzzling a pup will teach it not to bark It may though just give it something else to be concerned about. I would not recommend such a course of action . Actually you can get muzzles where dogs can pant but not fully bark. Obviously you have to use your judgement, if its a really hot day don't use it, but seroiusly, not drinking for half an hour is not going to kill them in normal weather. Its not like the muzzle with be on for more than an hour or so. Personally i wouldn't use a muzzle at all, im just repeating a suggestion from a trainer at work. apparently she has used it successfully with a few pups with the same problem.

NO medical insurance as GD covers all the medical costs of puppy raising, and technically she does not belong to me, so I would have been unable to get insurance anyway. Luckily, I am a vet student and vet nurse, so I get good discounts on treatment and no consultation or dispensing fees, if i go to the vet i work for. I know if this is an ongoing issue, she will end up being a very expensive dog!

Thats what i thought, however, i know humans can "grow out" of allergies, but I guess this isn't the case with dogs. I used to be VERY allergic to cats when I was young and now I work with them all day, no problems. I have got the first vet to send off a report to guide dogs (although they already have all her medical history, so they must realise she has skin issues), asking about a derm referral. So i guess it is up to them now as to what we do next. She is currently on 3 tablets, twice a day Nizoral, Zyrtec and Rilexene and must be on these for at least 3 weeks. She also gets 1/2 a pred tablet if the itching is extreme. Not sure how this will affect her guide dog chances yet, but I can't see a visiallu impaired/disabled person giving all those pills and applying creams, baths etc, its like having a geriatric dog! Perhaps she will be more comfortable in winter though and not require as much medication.

Chellz- Could you muzzle her in the morning? only if she starts barking? that way the neighbours aren't disturbed (and neither are you!) and she learns she can't bark in the morning? My personal alarm clock rips my doona off the bed when she wants to get up, but thank god its usually at reasonable hour (7.30am).

My 10 month old labrador has had ongoing skin issues from a young age. It has really flared up in summer but she has had a history of occaisonal itchiness and secondary pyoderma as a younger pup, even in winter. She also had digestive problems (runny poo etc) as a young puppy but this has now resolved. One vet thinks this is typical for a dog with atopy and food allergies and is unlikely to ever resolve and recommends a food trial and then if still a problem (she thinks it will be as many of these cases have combined food/environment allergy) skin testing for allergywith a specialist. Another vet thinks that it may resolve with age? This vet said that young dogs can have an overactive immune system and this may settle down with age. I am more inclined to accept the first vets opinion, but I was just wondering if anyone had ever had experience with an itchy puppy, that had actually had this resolved as an older dog?

Every dog gets a full check over, which imo is necessary. We have a discount for multiple dogs and also a separate breeder discount, which is just one consult fee and then of course the cost of the vaccinations for the puppies. usually vaccinations are around $100 which is typical in our area. AT another vet I have worked out in a different area vaccinations were $50.

In an emergency we always treat straight away, but we are not in an area that has a lot of bad debtors. I think a deposit is reasonable, so long as the animal is taken through straight away and treament started, while the receptionist or nurse can sort out payment with the owner. Poor owner and dog I would have just turned up at the vet clinic anyway, especially as they had half the money already. I doubt the vet practice would want a scene especially if there were others clients there waiting and watching. I also think that vets shouldn't be expected to do things for free.

No way would i walk an unvaccinated puppy anywhere near the vets! Sick dogs are likely to have toileted or spewed in the surrounding area. The iside should be fairly safe as hopefully the clinic cleans the earea with disinfectant but theres still a small risk there. 1.4 kms is probably too long for a lead walk anyway. just my opinion

But this actually sounds more intelligent- they expend the least effort in order to get what they want. Why bother solving something yourself when you can get someone else to do it for you? Very manipulative if you ask me.

I call mindy, Minnie-poo at home.

Perhaps they were going somewhere that wasn't safe for dogs? There are a few places where I wouldn't be comfortable taking my dog. You finally have a different colour in your gang now though!

4 aussies!! you lucky thing Gayle! where did you find a rescue aussie? they don't come up much do they? With 3 other dogs i'm not surprised you went for an adult! If i was going to add another dog, it would be an adult rescue. But i do like the challenge of raising a puppy and it can be a lot of fun (sometimes).

Just to defend the labs Mine is very quick to learn, very quick to perform and good at remembering the most random things ever! My aussie (which is a breed well known for being clever) only knew one trick in her whole 13 years (the labs knows over 20 at 10 months old) and was selectively deaf but that was more slackness on my part and perhaps manipulation on her part, so who would you say was smarter???

haha i get this all the time! She often gets called a pointer cross and of course the ridgeback when she gets all excited and her hackles go up. We also get mini-labrador.With all these mini-groodles and mini labradoodles i think people maybe think there is a mini labrador now. a vet student kept calling her a labradoodle the whole way through the consult and asked if i got her at a pet shop? One person would not believe that she was a purebred labrador and insisted she was crossed with a pointer and told me id been ripped off!. ummm my dog, i think i would know???? Also a very strange one- a black golden retriever???? However most people seem to realise she is at least part lab, with my aussie we got the weirdest things- of course the typical response was "thats a lovely border collie you have" we got rough collie cross kelpie cross old english sheepdog Koolie sheltie or sheltie cross honestly i think some people didn't even believe me when i told them the australian shepherd was a breed.

welcome to DOL! You seem like a very sensible person who understands the responsibilities of dog ownership. I think you would do well with either a ridgie or a dobe. My advice to you would be to find a great breeder who can match you with a suitable puppy. Within every breed, there are always individuals that are "easier" than others and if you have concerns let your breeder know and they can match you with a calmer, more relaxed puppy if you chose a dobe or a more eager to please puppy if you choose a ridgie. Good breeders know the personality of their pups and do spend a lot of time trying to find the ideal home for each pup. My lab puppy was a very easy puppy and continues to be a very easy dog but I have met some labs that have a totally different personality, that would proably need a better or more experienced trainer/owner than me.

I would say moving the bone away could be considered resource guarding and also noticeably tensing up. My dog just wags her tail (and body) if you approach and continues to munch. I'm not sure i would interpret this as concern as she always wags her tail and goes into happy mode if you approach her. You can easily take a bone away from her.

Sometimes i think the smartest dogs are those that do the least and can get away with doing nothing themselves, but getting their owner to do everything for them! Within a breed I think there are always particularly smart dogs and also those that are average or not so bright. In terms of being trainable, herding breeds and gundogs are generally at the top of most lists. The australian cattle dog, is well known to be both intelligent and trainable, as long as you know what you're doing.

Well bred maltese are great as long as you treat them like dogs. Sadly, many people dont, and combined with BYBers and poor quality dogs, this is why so many Malts and malt crosses end up in the pounds with health and behaviour issues. ll.

You still need to vaccinate anually for "kennel cough". Especially if you are considering using a boarding facility, they won't take dogs that arent vaccinated for KC. You also need to recheck the titres occaisonally. The ones we do are quite expensive so I think 85 is a very good price, but we also send one of our tests overseas. It ends up being about the same price as a vaccination.

Yes the behaviourist she saw has some interesting ideas.... I agree with the others who suggest to seek another opinion. Preferably with someone experienced in dealing with aggressive dogs or a vet behaviourist. only a very irresponosible person would rehome this dog to another home with an existing dog. Imo it is even a risk to rehome it him at all seeing as he has aggression issues, if he were to be rehomed it would have to be with an experienced person.

There is a condition known as juvenile incontinence. It is more common in female puppies. However, this is more like "leaking" rather than actually peeing. You may notice wet bedding or small puddles of urine around the house. You can use propalin syrup to help with incontinence, if that is the problem. I think the first step should be a vet check to make sure the problem isn't medical. If it turns out to be behavoiural, a consult with a behaviourist would be ideal, but obviously the dog isn't yours, so it would be up to the owners to follow up. good luck.