Mrs Rusty Bucket

I've met a sheltland from hell, and one that was perfectly nice as long as you were nice to it. So both kinds exist. They are smart tho. I guess a bit like chi of the horse world. Fierce and smart and clever and will take their own way in everything if you let them (tho that's all dogs).

True - but it might stop a whole lot of accidental litters, especially when very young females come on heat early ie younger than 6 months. It won't stop the numbskull on the beach that thinks his bitch won't get pregnant because he's watching her like that's "birth control" for dogs.

after that stinky hot day that the fires started, and then the rain... caltrop prickle creeper is out in force in my suburb in Adelaide. That would put a dog off a walk, puncture your pram and bike tyres and pierce your crocs.. Not fun.

here's hoping you've found something that works, or the anti nausea meds are working in combination with the food system. the latest update is more encouraging anyway.

bees - bees and peanuts... oh and cars... When ever someone suggests we ban dogs because they're dangerous - I suggest we start with cars for the same reason - only more so.

forgot to include link to dog attack stats Brisbane article. http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/council-figures-reveal-some-of-australias-favourite-dog-breeds-are-among-the-most-dangerous/story-fnihsrf2-1226946202941?nk=49dca7d6c7cf1409ebf6596a51f5fb3e And this one saying that there has been no increase in the rate of dog attacks... you might need another browser to stay under your "one article limit" http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/more-dog-owners-being-fined-by-brisbane-city-council-as-prosecutions-against-owners-of-vicious-canines-drop/story-fnihsrf2-1227050794042

It's hard - facebook One of my friends - I've known for ever... she's fat, her hubby is fat and her border collie is like a keg. And now she's adopted another border collie puppy. ARRGGGHHH... So I see animal cruelty every time she posts pictures of her dogs. It horrifies me. She knows her dog is fat, and she doesn't do anything about it. She and her hubby are both too crippled to walk the dogs and they don't teach them tricks either... But the best I can do is share an article about obesity in dogs and hope she sees it. Got another friend who doesn't like it when I share anything pro vaccinations because she's certain that vaccinations are why her grand kids are autistic. Really? Have you looked at your hubby recently - it does run in families. The desex thing - I didn't get a choice - I got my dog from AWL - she was done at 8 weeks. I probably would have gotten her done at about 6 months, not knowing any different at the time, but if I got a dog now and a choice - I'd wait till it was 18 months. Really batshit (to me) is the couple who have been bringing their staffy x to the beach - on heat with an undesexed male - they want to breed those dogs together "when they're older" but I'd be willing to bet she's already pregnant or will be as soon as she's willing. the bloke thinks he's watching his dog but he didn't see me and my friend catch it for a better look.

There used to be really good NSW bite statistics but they stopped publishing them for some reason. It's a bit like the government reporting on refugees - they just stopped. Like that makes the problem disappear or something. Oh wait - they've put some stuff up to 2014 http://www.olg.nsw.gov.au/content/dog-attack-incidents-reported will just go read it now. They used to put up a list of attacks by breed (or breed guess), I think Labs and JRT topped pitbulls. And you really don't want to mess with a cattle dog. They've stopped making the by breed list - perhaps because of the difficulty in identifying the breed in most cases. This is a Brisbane report from June last year - which is almost balanced.

Boarding was $25 per day when I went away in 2010 - some places included food but I liked to provide my own - the cost was usually the same but I couldn't bear my dog being on supercoat for a month. My former neighbour used to get "Annie the pet Nanny" in for his beagles - but they were in the back yard and back verandah and the food was put outside as well - so Annie never had to go inside the house - which is how she prefers it. So she would not be going in to change the cat litter in there. Not sure how you'd sort that out. Someone else I know was going to get a pet sitter but changed their mind at the last minute and got family to come and house sit. Worked out well for them. The pet sitter came across as a bit crazy before she'd even showed up. So in summer - I booked my dog into the RSPCA - because the bush fire risk is low (this was Feb 2012) - I warned them about a tummy rash and it came back under their care - and they didn't notice because they never saw her chewing (she does it at night when nobody is looking) and they didn't look despite the fact that she loves to roll over for a belly rub. But other than that she was a good weight and happy to be with them. But in 2010 and one other time - when I was away in Winter - she went to Top Spot near Macclesfield. She was very happy with them. One night there was a thunderstorm and a big thunderclap and she ripped her bedding to pieces but other than that - all good. They have heated kennels. Tho she's pretty well insulated (undercoat).

Hi DDD I probably wrote this before - but did you try wrapping the pills in sardine. My dog will take gigantic pills encased in peanut and then sardine and it doesn't touch the sides. Peanut alone she tends to chew on, gets stuck in her teeth and then the pill tastes horrid so it doesn't go down. Even peanut dipped in oil to make it less sticky... but the peanut is probably a bit rich... Other than that, at some point there is a kind of swallow reflex and stuff will go down automatically if you can get it there (including the teaspoon in the case of small children).

maybe he'd like a cool coat for his walkies? With my dog it was the chain collar - took two years to over come reluctance to go walkies after changing to a flat collar, but now she's very keen. Even fetches my shoes.

thinking it's time for stomach cam... wonder if anyone is doing that for dogs? you know where the critter swallows a pill (you push it down past the swallow reflex), and it takes photos all the way through... not sure if it needs a flash tho.

I just use an ordinary sports drink bottle with a nipple on it, and my dog drinks the stream from it. It's not really good for sharing tho. I was thinking of using an ordinary drink bottle and taking a small cap lid thingy to put water in for her. I've got a neoprene sock for my drink bottles (or wine bottles) that does a good job of keeping the water cold for a few hours. Even in the car.

I think they published the exact same article - this time last year. Must be hard to find real local news.

I think dreams about a lot of water are supposed to have something to do with your emotions... or in my case - I need to wake up right now... I had an icky dream about my dog the other night - that she was really skinny boney sticky out ribs - she's a bit cuddly right now but still in the "ideal range", but that was starving dog. And I also dreamed she got out and I couldn't find her - combination nightmares. That will teach me not to watch RSPCA UK dog rescue. sigh.

I think it needs some of this - just to finish the detachment from natural bodily functions. I submitted the poo trap (a different ad) years ago to Gruen Transfer and they gave it one of their awards. Woot. I'm guessing I wasn't the only one to submit it. Somebody said in a thread about it - that it would be really useful for blind people. Tho I suspect that their dog would go on command before they leave home.

Maybe you could send an email to the Roseworthy vet school and ask them what is going on and is there someone you can talk to about it. But when it comes to people who disagree with me about something fundamental... I just say "I don't agree", "I didn't see it that way" (especially with me making umpiring decisions players don't like". But I think that the vet school could use an update from a groomer's point of view about how ear care seems to have changed because of the anti-mite spot-ons. I can't imagine my dog co-operating but she's got half prick ears that are well aired, not flat down the side of the head like spaniels.

hugs DDD I wish I could fix it for you, but I suspect if anyone knew how to do that it would be done already... sigh. aloe vera, turmeric, coconut cream/butter stuff? Note - Aloe vera will stop licking but the other stuff might encourage it.

Gawd DDD I hope you figure it out. I would maybe try having several different foods (as you do) and the pattern so far is whatever he loved yesterday - he's going to turn his nose up today... so have something completely different on offer (eg pasta sauce?) - my dog likes the water that the pasta was cooked in - a little bit salty and starchy...

definitely at the try anything stage... glad the chicken stock has worked for now. And it should be less fatty than beef marrow bone stock. You could probably try something similar with fish - tho I'd be extremely careful about fish bones.

6 weeks is a bit extreme - is that for boy dog or girl dog? Sometimes with boy dogs - can't find the nuts, with girl dogs you risk incontinence at older age - not to mention the bone growth problems. Not that I can talk - my dog was desexed at 8 weeks by the AWL - and she looks a bit lanky and narrow for a cattle dog but so far - no other problems. And yes to compete at ANKC - needs to be desexed. But for agility would probably want to wait till the dog was about 18 months anyway. And here is heaps of foundation work you can do before that. Ie the clubs will still let you join and train. There are non-ANKC affiliated competitions eg flyball just got disassociated from ANKC and there are Agility comps (not in SA yet) that are not ANKC and don't have the same rules about desexed dogs.

gorgeous... but you know what we call the family recipe for self saucing chocolate pudding? Cowpat. (helps put guests off - all the more for us).

That looks like fun. My dog would be no good - she pops tennis balls.

DDD That vet was horrible. I've never had that problem with any vet. ARGH. last time I took her in - I was working on her front end while I thought the vet was checking her joints, cos I'd asked for a general checkup including joints and next thing I know, the vet says "she's really good about having her temperature taken"? Both me and the dog made cat's bum faces. Wha? But my dog didn't move or complain and nobody was holding her down in a headlock (that would just be a good way to get bitten). Some people are probably better off in research - maybe pathology would be a good profession for that vet - then she would not have to deal face to face with animals or their "mums".

There's a few articles here http://www.caninesports.com/useful-info.html you can probably look up more details on scholar.google.com but mostly it just has abstracts and you can buy the actual study or journal - which is frustrating.