Staff'n'Toller

I would have said that previously, but I looked at your location and understand that your options are probably limited in terms of choices, not to mention how difficult it is to transport a litter of pups any long distance. Mel.

Oh apologies Rappie....I'm meaning a C5 Also we buy the Aussie made stuff...possibly a bit more expensive. Mel.

When I give that price I am meaning the drug itself......so it probably won't come out as a separate charge...someone back there mentioned $7.50- they are certainly more expensive for us to buy than that. Wine- the way to every Vet's heart I would ask your Vet what he pays his nurses- you might get a shock... The going rate for an unqualified but over 18 yr old is about 11.50phr Mel.

Hey Wasn't having a go at you....that's why I started off with a 'theoretically'. I know that you know what a full exam should consist of, and you are still a consumer, you are still paying for the priveledge of having a Vet examine and Vacc your puppies, you should be getting a full health check for each pup for your money. If the new owner chooses not to have their new baby checked within 48hrs, or chooses not to complete the recommended Vacc regime, then it is on their head- not yours, by having them Vet checked before they go, the new owners don't have a huge amount of comeback- especially contractually when they have not done what they had agreed to. (Yes there are exceptions, I understand, but lets just talk generally.) Again, if I choose to service my own car, and I stuff it up, or it breaks down, then it's my fault isn't it? I'm not a trained mechanic. Alternatively, if I get my friend to service my car, on the pretense that he's serviced a few cars in his time, but he's not a qualified mechanic, and something goes wrong- can I sue him or ask for my money back? FYI, Vaccines these days cost between $10-$13, including GST but with no markup. Cheaper prices also benefit those massive clinics that use huge amounts of Vaccines and can afford to buy them in bulk, whilst the Vet down the road who works on his own with a couple of nurses is paying full price. Mel.

I would be wondering what a 'bill of health' check consists of- a look to see if the dog is alive and walking?????? On the one hand, it is a shame that you can't find a Vet that will do cheap Vaccinations for your pups, but on the other hand...... Vaccinations are bread and butter money for Vets, they pay nurses wages, workcover premiums, power, electricity, phones, stock holding (which is usually about $10,000 worth of drugs per Vet in the practice- yes $10,000), land tax, building maintenance.....whatever you choose to factor in as day to day expenses for a clinic. They are akin to car servicing for a mechanic. Theoretically, you may have ten pups to Vaccinate and checkover, they may be shorter appts i.e. 5mins per pup, but if your Vet is thorough, why should you pay $30 when the person who lives up the road on a farm who owns 5 dogs, who brings them all in together, has to pay $60 per dog????? It's not like your Vet says ok we'll do a cheaper price, we'll examine half the pups, and assume that the other half are healthy, then we'll Vacc them all. Each and every one of your pups should have the heart ascultated, a belly exam, eyes, ears, nose, mouth checked, general body condition looked at and their temperature taken. That's just routine. If I am buying a pup from a registered breeder then I EXPECT that the pup has been examined by a Vet, then I will fulfill my obligation to get a Vet check within the first 48 hrs of the pup being home- I have to pay for that. It's not that I would be second guessing your expertise as a breeder, I just expect that it would be done. Inactivated Vaccines are different to live Vaccines, for various reasons, most of all Vaccine reactions, I would prefer a live vaccine. Mel.

I think I would have trouble getting Turkey mince in Melbourne! LOL Shame about the I/D, could try a small bag of Z/D Ultra though, and see how that goes, it is a newer one meant for dogs with skin or tummy allergies, my Staffy has very bad skin and also always had very bad wind even with raw chicken necks/carcasses etc. No problems on the Z/D Ultra- she is the best she has ever been, and we know if she's been bin raiding or eating something she shouldn't have!! Hills still do a duck & rice- it's a little harder to get than the Z/D, but I know that it is still in production as there are animals that can't eat anything else. Hills Prescription page I would give the Z/D a try at least, or perhaps look at the Eaglepack holistic foods, they do a fish and oatmeal. Mel.

We have a few dogs at my clinic with IBD. They live happily on Hills Prescription I/D or Z/D & very low doses of Metrogyl. (Metronidazole) Hills also have a D/D I think- Duck and Egg or something to that effect, a novel protein source. Mel.

Perhaps ask your Vet if they use Morphine as a pain killer or in their premed???? It makes dogs feel sick + vomit. Good luck for the surgery day.... Mel.

I've heard great reports about this company. I will use them once my pup matures....you can buy the complete BARF diet (bones and all) or just the patties and buy your own bones/frames etc. Apparently they deliver, and use human grade meats. Fresh4pets Mel.

Depends on what training school you have chosen to go to.

A general anaesthetic for ear flushing, with ear swabs sent for testing to see what bacteria is growing is NORMAL protocol for badly infected ears...any responsible pet owner would agree to it. That the ears have gotten so bad sounds as though the owners have refused a GA and ear flush before. That is just plain neglect IMO...it's refusing to give basic medical care to a dog. I have seen some bad infections but have never seen a dog with green puss. He must be in so much discomfort, he probably has perforated eardrums to boot with an infection that bad. The last time one of my dogs was head shaking they were seen to straight away, there were few yeasts seen after a swab and they didn't even look infected to the Vet examining, but itchy ears are uncomfortable enough....I can't imagine how badly this dog would feel. Mel.

If you want to try one just make sure you find a trainer that has fitted alot of them. The dog will hate it at first due to loosing control of being able to pull etc. and you need to be able to fit it slowly using lots of food rewards, encouraging the dog to turn their head to stop the 'correction'. The halter looks like it would give a subtle correction, but it is actually quite powerful. I have fitted many many halters, and suggest the first week putting it on for meal times only then taking it off, and don't attach a lead to it in the beginning. You need to be able to turn the dogs focus from wanting to pull it off or having a panic attack with it....which often happens. The other thing is that you can get into a fight-fight situation where you tighten the lead-it corrects under the mouth-dog pulls in the opposite direction and you get a stand off happening. So you need to find someone who is competent in fitting them. My suggestion would be to find a dog trainer in your area using the Delta website Also we have brought a few of these into the county from the US, and have found them to work quite well Easy-walk harness Not sure about the armpits though- these fit quite close to the underarms. Mel.

Sorry Erny missed your last post....thanks for the info When I said I had seen dogs, I meant in the US, wearing head halters. I know Guide Dogs also use correction chains. Although that interests me as a few ppl are having success with the senseation or easy walker harness over here in Oz, and is similar to the Guide Dog harnesses....I guess the correction chain is just for added safety. However it's interesting to know what independance are using. Mel.

Interesting post Erny... I see what you mean about the service dog industry....but I think you might find that over in the US more prong collars are used (which we know already) I have also seen alot of assistance dogs on head halters, which makes a lot of sense to me if they are to be assisting persons in wheelchairs. Also I have heard some remarks about the way some service pups should be trained here in Melbourne and to be honest it's quite behind the times IMO. Just my two cents worth... :rolleyes: Mel.

Erny I'm of the opinion though, that there is much wider misuse of the correction chain, than there will ever be of the prong collar. Mel.

It's spelled Cartrophen - the ingredient is Pentosan Polysulfate, so sometimes it is called Pentosan- depending on the drug manufacturer. The other drug Carprofen is Rimadyl- a non-steroidal anit-inflammatory. My Staffy has been having monthly injections for about 15mths, as she has quite alot of arthritis in the elbows due to dysplasia. I think it works fairly well and I can tell when she's getting towards the end of the month. Mel.

Are there actually any learned prong spotters out there Anne? I'm not sure *scratches head* Anyways I heard you could thread a sock through it too...or just sew up a casing with open ends out of some thin cotton material. Mel.

Chirnside Park would be a good clinic for you. (Switchback Rd.) I also used Stud Park before I was a nurse, and use them occasionally when my dogs are ill on the weekends or late evenings....they are open 8am-9pm weekdays, and 10-6 on weekends I think, so they have fantastic business hours. I'm a big fan of Bob Cavey but any of the Vets there are great. In an emergency I would go to the nearest clinic....no hesitation. Mel.

What is your actual suburb haven? Or the suburb closest to you? Mel.

She's a Lab- they have a soft mouth and they just love to hold things!!!! Mel.

Yeah it's a great club....windy and cold in the winter as it's outdoors...but I guess you're used to that huh? Mel.

Hey Clover when I used to train @ Altona (Agility Dog Club of Vic) there were a fair few Ballarat ppl that used to make the trip down on Friday nights. Mel.

;) :D Good one! Yes cat poo is very yummy according to dogs. Teach your cats to toilet outside on command. Mel.

Well this topic went a little haywire.....anyhow George my Doggie I found this for you as I have just taken out a subscription of 'The Whole Dog Journal'. You can do a search of back issue articles and buy them separately for 7.50USD. Hope it helps!! ;) vegie dogs That link just has a little blurb, you need to purchase the whole article. Cheers, Mel.

Could be the beginning of an infection. ;)