~Anne~

Maybe you could do it another way. With careful selection, you could foster a dog for an organisation, explaining to your children that you are helping a dog find it's new home. If the dog is the right dog, that home may be with you.

Carrot, sweet potato etc don't contain protein. Have you tried rice as the filler? One other thing you might try is Quinoa. Although a vegetable, it actually does contain complete protein and would be a novel food for nearly all dogs. Agree with this. Only some vegetables contain protein (beans, legumes etc are high in protein). Root veges, as a rule, don't.

I've heard Keppra is good from US friends, but can't find anyone using it in Oz. Monte still clusters even with meds.

What was the reasoning behind stoppping the meds LM? Kirislin, most Vets take the view that if the seizures are infrequent and short then the drugs are not neccessary. The drugs have many side affects and phenobarbitol can cause liver damage. I guess it is all up to weighing up the risks of the condition with the risks of the medication. I'd love to find someone in Australia who has their dog on another drug called Keppra which is apprently a better drug choice for some dogs, instead of, and in conjunction with bromide and pheno.

I've have never, ever heard of vomitting with epilepsy. I speak to people every week with epilpetic dogs and I read mailing lists everyday and I have never heard of a dog with epilepsy vomitting. However, that doesn't mean it can't happen obviously so be guided by your Vets. There is no hard and fast rule for many things, I have discovered, with epilepsy in dogs. There are umpteen ways that seizure activity can represent itself. My boy Monte alone has seizures or seizure activity ranging from simjple eye twitches to staring into space, to falling down drunk for a few seconds to dropping on his side and thrashing for quite some time. The same with the post ictal pahes (the time after the seizure activity). Sometimes he will return to normal within minutes. Sometimes he will be sooky and need comforting. Sometimes he is manic and crashes into walls. All I can suggest is that you record it on video if you can and seek the services of a professional. If it is epilepsy, then that is actually far better than many other possible causes of the symptoms. Epilepsy is not a death sentence, it is just a blip on the horzin which can be dealt with more often than not. It is certainly not a death sentence for most dogs and it is not painful for them or upsetting for them in any way.

Why not send her a PM? I am sure someone can give you her details though anyway.

But given that dog's don't have the ability to be vain, why do they like to rub scents all over them?

OMG!

I'd be interested in hearing the answer actually about why dogs do such things. Thankfully, my dogs don't do it.

Actually, I think it should be a two way street. I find your attitude to it understandable, but very wrong.

It is impossible for a bitch to have 3 litters in the space of one year, lol. Bitches come into season twice a year, most of the time it is spaced 7-8 mths apart! It is impossible for a bitch to have 3 litters in the space of one year, lol. Bitches come into season twice a year, most of the time it is spaced 7-8 mths apart! I've owned a bitch who came in season every 3 months, it is perfectly possible. It is impossible for a bitch to have 3 litters in the space of one year, lol. Bitches come into season twice a year, most of the time it is spaced 7-8 mths apart! I've owned a bitch who came in season every 3 months, it is perfectly possible. Some bitches may come into season quarterly but they are not fertile when this is the case, sorry but I have never heard of a bitch producing 3 litters in a year. No can do, lol They said since Oct 09. That is NOT even 1 year. It is 9 months. 3 litters in 9 months - CRAP.

3 litters since Oct 09. Rubbish. It is impossible. I wouldn't class them as farmers given they only have one adult bitch, but they are possibly heading that way.

Drag the nail across a cake of soap. The soap will 'plug' the opening. This is what my Vet does.

I think it is preferable that you follow your breeders advice for the interim. There is no rush. Eating commercial food for a while will not damage your dog. In the mean time, you can be learning and getting advice from numerous sources to determine the best diet for your dog. In my opinion, most raw advocates prescribe raw diets that do not take into account the specific needs of the breed and the activity.

I talk sternly to him for you...... BAD BOY CHAMPA!

What is the naughty dog's name? I am looking at the pics in your sig trying to pick which one is the overactive naughty boy but I can't.

Wow, it must have been a shock for you. I can't help you with advice because I don't know your dog nor do I really have a lot of knowledge about this kind of behaviour. I can offer a cyber hug though. Hang in there.

Max $200 Wow, that may limit you I believe. Sydney rents are incredibly overpriced at the moment.

Question: How would you define a "puppy farm" in such a ban? Souff That question is the crux of it. I have answered though in the thread that Julie raised about the definition. The definition will be something that needs careful consideration becuase of the ramifications.

The Meredith situation has been rectified I think. This thread has the details. http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=199869

Yes, true Di. The same would apply with famrers going underground...but then, they have to sell their pups somewhere and so they could be tracked. The black market may be fine if you are only selling a few....but how will the public across Australia find them? They have to advertise in some way, shape or form.

Shmurps, replace the word 'petshop' with 'breeder' and you see the exact same thing and yet we are not calling for the sale of puppies by breeders. There are pet shops that are poorly managed and the animals are not cared for appropriately, but proprotionally, I think this is on the smaller scale. The same with breeders. The greater majority are doing the right thing or are willing to do the right thing by the animals in their care. If anything, petshops are less inclined to mistreat animals as they do have inspections and they are in the public eye. Breeders are not inspected. They are not in the public eye. Ban puppy farms, regardless of what they breed (ie cross bred or registered purebreds).

I'd go the merlot... heated, with a few spices added.....

Hi, I hope you find somewhere and am sending you a few good luck vibes. You are probably already aware of how difficult the rental market is at the moment in Sydney. When do you need to move by?

I think puppy farms should be banned. I think pet shops should be allowed to go about their business, with regulations in place, about the care and sale of animals they sell. Pet shops have sold animals for many, many years. It is the puppy farmers who have sprung up that are the issue, not the petshops. Many petshops are supporting puppy farmers by sourcing their pups through them, but if pet shops stop selling pups, do you really think that is going to stop the misery of the dogs in cages being bred from over and over? The internet is the biggest selling tool they have now. The internet is not going away. They will still breed and sell and they will do it without the pet shops. If the farms were outlawed, the problem would cease to be in existance. If petshops are banned from selling puppies, the breeding will not cease, they'll just be sold in a different way. Think about it. Puppy farmers make much higher profits selling the dogs direct than what they do selling to a petshop. The idea that puppy farms just breed to sell to petshops is wrong in my opinion. They have now realised the value of setting up websites and shipping dogs all over Australia themselves. Put your energies and passion behind the call to ban puppy farms, not pet shops.