Staff'n'Toller

Yep - a cat would drive me bananas. They annoy me enough taking them to work and it's only 30 mins. Somewhere either side of the border would be fine. You might find some inside dog accom on Stayz..I'm not sure about the hospitality of the cheaper hotels. I don't believe many of them accept dogs inside.

I'm pretty sure your only options are Holden Commodore/Adventra or Ford Falcon. Even then I don't know you'd get 2 x lab crates on top of a false floor.

I have an X-trail and I love it but recently have had a 7y.o. dog with a muscle injury I just can't get right and jumping out even whilst being supported is exacerbating it. I am moving towards having to take out the false floor and have my Puppy Bars redone so I can get a ramp. I really like the look of these in terms of space and that you can take passengers. I have no idea of their safety though.

Minirin can be good for cats but not so good for dogs AFAIK. If her diabetes is not stable then that will cause the incontinence to be worse. Better to get a blood glucose curve done at your nominated clinic and see where she is at right now.

A Victorian Vet Behaviourist has said the same in a lecture recently too. Reason is that fear/anxiety is an emotional response and you are not going to reinforce or increase it by comforting the dog as it just 'is'. Makes sense, really.

Backseat Buddy in the natural colour. I can see Toller fur on it but no-one else can. :) Totally waterproof and simply zip off the fleecy sections and wash them in the machine. Had mine 8 years before the zip broke, and that's because a naughty Staffy used to jump over it to the front putting pressure on the zip. Otherwise it would have gone another 8 years I should think.

Poor little dude, he obviously no longer feels safe at home. Make sure the owners tell the Vet that they've had an intruder in their yard. Give him a good check over for injuries. A few x-rays could be quite reasonable in this case. Check the mouth etc. After being given the all-clear physically they should consult a Vet Behaviourist. He may need meds but he also needs a concurrent retraining program to help change his perceptions of the yard/house.

Welsh or English Springer? A Toller is a smaller gundog but very energetic.

There are lots of SBT's who swim perfectly fine. I guess with them and all stockier dogs it's about whether they can learn to manage their weight in the water and stay afloat. Mine wears a float coat but only recently, so she can do more laps for her arthritis before she tires. She has swum very well independently since she was a baby though.

Uh-oh! :laugh:

Sounds as though you're doing the right thing. :) I have pulled out of class during those types of exercises and had to answer questions as to why I did by a rather miffed trainer. Still, I don't like confrontation and I find it difficult. But, I can't see any positive purpose it serves other than to increase the pressure for all dogs, and then they receive an aversive when they break positions. I've pulled out of the 'all walk together into the circle' exercise and witnessed a dog turn to it's neighbour and bite him on the nose. I've also seen a GSD totally wig out due to the proximity of the other dogs. It's not a natural way for dogs to meet or socialise, particularly if they are on lead and feel trapped. There is nothing useful about it IMHO. You should be applauded for recognising your dog is not okay , not something I would have noticed myself as a first time dog owner. Be assertive and keep trying until you find a club you feel comfortable with. Don't be afraid to step out of exercises in the future and the trainer should be fine with it or modify it for you if they are worth their salt. I never want anyone in my classes to be made to do stuff they are not happy doing. :)

Where are you? Pet registrations generally fund local laws. I don't know any where it's free - apart from remote shires that have no animal management set up yet.

Just for future reference, had the Vet rep in today talking about Virbac Indorex spray. Kills fleas for three weeks and flea eggs unable to hatch for 12 months. NOT for spraying directly onto pets. Cats should be kept away for at least 48 hours (contains permethrins).

Is it possible to move her bed into your room? You can move her back out later but it might make her more comfortable for the time being.

I'm sorry for your loss. I would be inclined to go easy on her a bit. Obviously not to the extent of starting behaviour routines you have to fix later, but there's lots of things changing. Her buddy has gone and you would smell different - hormonal changes etc. I haven't been in the same situation but notice the re-adjustment period is generally 2-4 weeks with my pack. I lost my boss-lady dog last year and the other two spent an extended period of time not doing very much. You might want to think about a thunder shirt or DAP collar or DAP diffusers...or a combo.

I'm not a spokesperson in any way, but Delta have always made it very clear that they offer a course to teach people how to be pet dog trainers and run a business servicing that area. They never purport to be able to train service dogs, or serious sporting dogs or law enforcement dogs. Unfortunately many many people choose to enter both the Cert IV and the NDTF Cert III having had no experience with dogs whatsoever. So, ethically, Delta recommends that if you have little experience in applying punishers or little experience with aggression in dogs you should refer the dog on - both for the dog's sake and for the legal implications that we all face these days. It would be irresponsible in the extreme (and potentially very dangerous) to teach trainers how to use punishers through a textbook, or a week long intensive. It takes a genuine feel to know how much force to apply and when - for a good result. They may not practically teach all four quadrants but they definitely cover it - I did the assignment. Of course they are method pushers - as are all dog trainers! :laugh: Everyone pushes the method they feel most comfortable with and gains results for the dogs (and handlers) they teach. They teach a method that is safe, humane, acceptable to many dog owners, and fits the majority of pet dogs living a suburban lifestyle. They have never promised to fix all dogs and all problems. :)

Does anyone in Vic have a schedule for Bolinda? I assume it's in the gazette which I am not getting at the mo due to needing to renew my membership. ETA: Sorted. :)

I personally pay to see my GP, the same GP, who is not on a 15 minute time limit and trying to push me out the door. I also use the local non-franchised, non-discount chemist because it keeps local people in local jobs. Someone who has never run a business would not understand how what you make in some areas (medications) help to subsidise other areas (pathology machines) in the clinic. Vet Clinics are private businesses not public hospitals. We don't receive government funding. Vets don't walk out of Uni with a 50k hecs debt expecting to be paid crap wages or doing it for the love of animals. This is the real world. If you don't want to pay for the convenience of taking the drugs home with you at your visit (and most people do). Then you'll eventually end up paying a report writing fee for the time and materials it takes the Vet to print out your script and you'll be no better off.

It's a very common statement from a member of the public who doesn't understand the actual costs of running a GP practice; full surgical theatre; orthopaedic theatre; hospital ward; infectious disease ward; radiology dept (xray + ultrasound in most cases); pathology lab; pharmacy; pay GP's who are also full surgeons that are experienced in more than one species; pay fully qualified support staff (and quite often foot the bill for their TAFE fees). Then there is the most exhorbitant insurance and workcover premiums for what is an extremely risky business (not just nasty dogs and cats but chemical handling, radiation and anaesthetic gas exposure). I beat my drum about this often on this forum, but those smaller practices, where there are great Vets who provide a personalised service and are happy to go the extra mile for you - might go the wall in future because they were already running the wire on profit margins. Then people will be screaming on here about how their favourite Vet has closed up shop and they have to see a super clinic plus take out insurance because consult fees have doubled in price...whaddya do..?? ETA: We are so very lucky in this country with subsidised human healthcare. If you're ever in a private hospital ask them what a knee reco costs at full price. Your own medications are subsidised by the pharmaceutical benefits scheme. Most people would have no idea the full price of the medications they swallow every day.

Be aware that if you order the human equivalent from your local chemist and it is not registered for use in animals, if you want to make an adverse reaction complaint you have no where to go, and not a leg to stand on legally. Every time you choose to give a medication not registered/licenced for use by the APVMA it's at your own risk. There's not many businesses that run with such tight margins in regards to overheads these days. If Veterinary pharmacies start popping up it will eventually change the way consulting fees are structured.

There are lots of previous threads on this in general and in nutrition. Try doing a search.

He's looking really handsome RubyBlue! Congrats on your pass. Are you doing Inverleigh? I'm trying to get annual leave on those dates and come down for one or two nights. :)

HW: http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/guide/anti-inflammatory-drugs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analgesic If NSAID's weren't pain killers, dogs would be having surgery and treatment around the world with no pain relief...

Most likely because he has some constant pain relief. If he does have osteoarthritis then I'd urge you to speak with your Vet about a low-dose treatment plan rather than taking him off entirely. Some dogs go well without it over the Summer but definitely need the extra help during Winter. You wouldn't with-hold arthritis medication from a human member of your family, would you? Why do it to your dog?? For all the scare mongering about this drug on the net there are thousands of dogs benefiting from this treatment who have no problems and die of old age - not every dog develops liver or kidney problems and blood screens are the best way to make early treatment decisions.

The use of Carprofen needs to measured against the dog's actual arthritis both with what you see on xray and what level of pain is ascertained by the Vet. Also the types of behaviours you see at home that are related to chronic pain. No-one on an internet forum could or should tell you to stop a prescription treatment. If you are concerned about cost absolutely phone your Vet and ask to speak to them about it (you shouldn't have to go in for a consult for this, they have a responsibility to communicate with you on drugs they dispense). Regular liver and kidney function blood tests plus getting down to the lowest level of medication needed per day are the sorts of things you need to discuss. It's not appropriate for us to be making huge assumptions about any dog's level of pain over the interwebz. If you needed to discuss your chronic pain you would be seeing your GP and same goes in this instance. Apex are the company that make the flavoured and non-flavoured carprofen and for the big dogs we have found it's just as good. Schnauzers particularly mini are renown for pancreatitis, and in older Schnauzers 7+ that is vomiting with fever and bellly pain it's pancreatitis until we are proven otherwise by blood tests, just to give an idea of how common it is. :p