Pretty Miss Emma

In the meantime before you get your hands on a thundershirt use one of your kids old small tshirts if you have one and tie it tightly at the back. I did that to a GR at work who has storm issues and she became calmer within about 5 minutes (pacing and panting decreased). It might help til you get a proper one. You are making me super glad I have my little foster girl as I suspect her fate would have been the same as this boy had her owners not come to the realisation that BC's are not the easiest of dogs if you aren't prepared to put in the time.

They told me in an email just last week or so that they had stopped the payment until I decided if I wanted to keep the policy (which they did because I enquired what the new premium would be in November, and if they would actually send me the paperwork before the renewal date!). But then in another email the other day I was told that they had actually refunded and cancelled Kenz's policy about a month ago. So I really haven't been notified officially/correctly in any way!! I want to know if there is someone you can complain to, even though they have refunded money etc. I just want to get it to some official body that they have done this, and left me uninsured without notifying me.

Is there some way to find out litters that are registered of a breed? Either via state canine council website, ANKC? And to find out what names have been registered for litters? Just curious. Obviously when you look at the DogsVic gazette you can see litter registrations that are included in that. But I'm wondering if there is some way of seeing a summary of all the litters bred under a particular prefix, what names have been registered for puppies, etc without having to independently go through each gazette and compile what information you can from those. And along with this also see pedigree information for the puppies/parents. And on a similar note is there a central record that can be accessed that has results of health testing? Like I said just curious. I've just been looking in to a few things for work and trying collate information (and it is really tedious and difficult!!), and started wondering if this sort of thing exists for dogs. Which I sort of think could help make it easier for people who are trying to find out information about dogs in terms of looking to find a good stud dog, or are looking for dogs from certain lines, etc.

So I have all the money refunded that I'm supposed to have. BUT, I find out yesterday that they cancelled Kenzie's policy a month ago!!! At no point have I requested for her policy to be cancelled and there is no reason for it to be cancelled. I don't get how they can do that without me requesting it nor informing me. I've now signed her up with soemone else (as of today!), so I don't want the policy reinstated, but I feel like I should be able to complain about this to someone. Is this the sort of thing you can complain to the ombudsman about? Is there anyone who this sort of thing can be reported to? It feels to me like quite unethical practice (I know, don't expect ethics from an insurance company!!).

Not sure where in Vic you are PME but I suggest you try contacting Ann Nevill a holistic Vet in Bentleigh East (East West Veterinary Group) 9555 1899. I believe she will also do phone consultations. That's not too far from my friend, I will pass the details on - thanks!

Do you know what they were HMD? Or who did you see to get them? My friends dog is doing a lot of barking, I don't hear it really but I know it is driving her mad and it annoys some others also. She sleeps a lot but then when she wakes up she barks. So yes, that whole thing of a behaviour that is just slightly beyond tolerable but it's due to dementia.

One of the dogs I work with we think has dementia. She's possibly around 16 or so years old, BC x kelpie x a bit of everything else. She's lost a lot of vision and she doesn't hear a great deal anymore. She will stand in the middle of a room and bark. She used to be phobic of shiney floor and now she'll go wandering everywhere on them. So, there is no hope of slowing/delaying any dementia it's now more an issue of management and of ensuring she is not stressed. She has shown some signs of stress, so I've recommended to her owner to try things like calming essences and rescue remedy. She has a great deal of routine in her life and her house layout and work layout are stable so she doesn't have to deal with variations to her environment. So I'm just wondering if anyone has any stories or advice they can share that I can pass on to my friend. Or if you have any strategies, words of hope, etc. And on the other side of this did you reach a point where you decided it was no longer in the dogs best interests/welfare to keep living like this and as such you made the decision to PTS. Just wanting to try and help my friend out as I think she and her family are getting to a point where they don't quite know how/if they manage this.

Let the PetPlan saga continue! I was refunded the wrong amount, and it's taken them over 5 days to get back to me about it. They're now sending it to their accounts department! And then they want to know if I'll be cancelling the other policy that expires in December - I don't understand why they don't wait til the policy requires renewal!!! And I'm still left wondering why I haven't received a single thing in the mail from them even though they have stated that they have posted stuff to me!

Maybe you've hit the nail on the head here. My lawn is somewhat water logged, so maybe it is just the water leaching out nutrients that is making it just taste yum! And yep, can definitely tell when they've eaten it as it comes out pretty similar to how it goes in!!!

Oh I have no issue with them eating either. And yep my 2 are just like cows also!!! They have their favourite grazing patch which is where they run straight to when we first go outside!! It actually doesn't bother me if they eat dirt. And seeing as though everything about them seems healthy I'm not too concerned about it, just wanting to make sure that I shouldn't be concerned about it!!

I know there have been threads on this before, but I can't find them!!! If you know where they are I'm more than happy for you to give me a link to read them. But wondering what the cause is generally for dogs eating grass and dirt. Both mine love grass, I'm pretty convinced they just eat to fill up their tummies!! But I know that they will eat grass for other reasons, what are they? And also dirt. I know that it may indicate a nutrient deficiency, but which nutrients?

What colour are the dogs faeces? If they are dark it will likely be indicating internal bleeding. Having just known a dog who had this (most likely), he went 1 week from having symptoms not so bad as what you have described to being PTS. Once the symptoms were like what you described he only happily held on for a couple of days. I believe there is surgery that can be done, but it's very costly and will only buy a little bit of time (this is all from what my friend learnt not first hand experience).

showdog, I think you and I were on the same wavelength!!

Your puppy probably thinks your kids are other puppies, and is trying to play with them the way that puppies play. I don't know that for sure, but that's the first thing that pops to mind for me. I would crate train the puppy so it can be in the same room as you but be separated from the children (and the children must be taught that they do not put their hands in the crate etc). Don't leave them unsupervised together ever. Get in to move the child before the behaviour starts, once it's started the game is already on so the puppy is being reinforced with even a small amount of "the game". In terms of putting the puppy outside, you need to stop the children getting to the glass so that the puppy has any chance of ever being calm while outside. Are you pupping her outside as a "punishment"? If you want her to spend time outside happily then don't use outside in a negative way. Food stealing - that's an easy one. Make sure the food isn't somewhere she can steal!!! Again, the more times she does it the more times the behaviour is reinforced! So don't let it happen. I have a friend with a food stealing 10 year old and I can tell you as someone who has trained their dogs not to take food I find it a nightmare to have to think about clearing off every single benchtop when this dog visits. I think you are brave taking on a puppy for the first time while you also have 2 such young kids. But take the time with the puppy now to get it trained so that it can live happily with your family. She is going to grow fast and be a big dog, much faster than your kids will grown. So put the time in to training while she is little, and then keep it up when she is big!!

A couple of suggestions in here from when I wanted her to gain weight but not mess with her blood sugar. They might be helpful.

Did Rosie lose a lot of weight when she first became sick? It may be that Rosie isn't quite regulated yet. In my experience it took awhile to get dosages and feeding right before everything settled down and Perrin lost a lot of weight right at the start so it seemed like he was always hungry. Especially with his levels seesawing all over the place. But once we were on top of everything his weight has maintained itself for the last 3 and a half years or so. I think it took maybe 10 weeks to get it perfect. He was difficult. :laugh: Agree with all of this! But look in to what you can add in to the food that is calorie free that will fill her up a bit more. I think I used brown rice (it wasn't digested by the time it came out so there were negligable calories. Carrot. Psyllium husk (it's just fibre), bran. Things like that which won't increase the blookd sugar level but will make her tummy a bit more full for longer! I'm pretty sure I asked about this and there may be a thread that i started about foods that could be added in. I'll see if I can find it for you.

Puppy pre-school... Go to Jean's Puppy Pre-school in Niddrie. It's not too far and she is a trainer (not just a vet nurse who has been asked to run a puppy class), she will be able to offer good advice and runs a well structured puppy class that provides good safe socialisation for the puppies as well as teaching the owners some good basic obedience and puppy problem solving information. My 2 went to her and it suited us really well, also I know of about 8 other puppies that have been there and it has been great for them. Google it and you will find details. In terms of an obedience school, have a look at Sunbury obedience but I would also suggest going to have a look at Keilor Obedience Dog Training Club (which runs in Airport West/Niddrie), there are also others in the area they are just the ones I know about. go and watch a class and speak to committee instructors before signing up, you need to be happy to what you are signing up to!

Whereabout is Vic are you Neigh? Just thinking that maybe we can help narrow down a decent puppy preschool for you and possibly good training close to your area. My BC boy had long days alone when he first came home, but he was set up well for it - lots of food in puzzles to keep him busy. Once I got home from work he was with me, did things with me and slept in his crate in my room. He has grown up to be a really well adjusted boy (although we are currently going through some sooking when he knows where I am and can't be with me!!). To be honest I don't walk my 2 anywhere near as much as I would like to, summer may change that. But there is a lot of mental work for them. We do dog dancing weekly, obedience every day (in short bursts) and we go herding once a month at least. I also take them most places with me and they have a more active social life with their friends than I do!! As I think Tassie said be prepared that they often don't like the company of random other dogs. My 2 adore their friends, they make new friends, but really they have little interest in socialising with random dogs and they don't like meeting dogs on lead in the street. Come visit the BC thread in the breed sub-forum and get some more BC specific info there!!

I would probably start by looking at her confidence with you and in the home environment and working on that (especially when the other dogs are not around). Get her confident with you before battling the scary outside world! I can't recommend trainers in your area as I don't know any particularly off the top of my head. But I would say it is probably worth having some 1 on 1 sessions with somebody to get some strategies you can work with to help your dog before putting her in to a group class situation.

I've cancelled Hamish's policy with them, and I'm supposed to get a refund of the premium they have taken (I still haven't received any paperwork about his policy!). But they have refunded me the amount of Kenzie's premium which is still an active policy! I don't think they have a clue what they are doing at the moment. Mind you with the way people are leaving them they should have plenty of time soon to sort it all out!

Can I ask you what "Treats" you gave your dog please. I thought they could have anything between meals. I tried to avoid food between meals unless it was necessary (for whatever reason). But treats that I would carry on my would just be things like the Natures Gift strips, or for high value I would use boiled chicken, and sometimes it would just be dry food. But it's important to note that the quantity given of these was tiny. If I wanted to give her a treat just because I loved her then she would get something chewy like bits of beef jerky, tendon, etc or chicken necks; but these were usually given to her close to her normal eating time and she had a slightly reduced meal to account for it. I still wanted her to enjoy the things she loved!! Also if you look at low calorie treats like the Educ that I think royal canin produce they may be appropriate if you want/need something.

My BC has front feet that turn out somewhat (I call them his ballet feet!!). I also was told that as he matures it should right itself to some extent, and that has proven true in the last few months. He's a slow maturer and in the last few months his chest has been dropping and the extent to which his feet turn out is getting less. I was also told that just gold old walking is good for building up the muscle in the area and this can help. Obviously all of this is relevant if it is just due to maturity not due to some other problem.

I've just signed up to PIA after leaving Petplan also due to the huge hike in premiums. After looking in to them it seems to be on par with the other companies. But I have no experience in actually dealing with them. However in saying that when I signed up online it was all easy, and I rang a couple of days later to check stuff and didn't have to sit on hold and they answered my query straight away - so far that is better than the service I've had from Petplan!!!

So sorry Kirty. RIP Maisie.

Have been there with a diabetic dog, unfortunately I don't have her with me anymore. But her diabetes was quite easy to manage once I got used to the idea and got ourselves in to a routine. We kept doing our agility trials and everything we normally did. I did have to stop doing our pet therapy just because I couldn't coordinate our times to facilitate her insulin doses, but that was ok. Things that I found important... *write a list that is very clear about what medication and food is required and when (be exact), just in case someone else needs to know this at short notice. *get other people used to administering insulin and feeding (this will help you in those times when you might want to go out to dinner or go away for a weekend). *figure out the routine and stick to it. It is important to administer the insulin at as close to the same time 12 hourly. Playing with this can end you up back at the vet. *make sure other people understand how important it is not to feed treats to your dog without first consulting you, again this can mess with blood sugar levels and end you up back at the vet *I found it useful to use diastix and measure glucose in urine every 2nd day or so, just as a monitoring measure. *get ready for cataracts. I wasn't and they took me by suprise. *make up a little kit for just in case of a hypoglycaemic episode (powdered glucose, honey, easy to eat high energy food) - I had one of these at home and also one at my mum and dad's where Emma spent a lot of time. *always carry food on you when you take your dog out in case blood sugar levels drop. I always had dog treats, but I also had a little sample sachet of honey that lived in my handbag (if they go hypoglycaemic you rub honey on their gums to try and increase sugar levels) I think really importantly, try to relax and not stress too much. I know that feels impossible, but really diabetes is quite manageable. Be prepared for some changes to life as it does mean you live by a pretty strict routine as unlike with humans dogs have a standard insulin dose, need a standard amount of food, the same food every day, the same exercise and need their meds at the same time. Humans can use pumps or be taught to read their glucose levels and adjust their insulin accordingly - that is much harder with dogs. But it will be ok, and once you are in the routine you won't even notice it. Your dog is still your dog she just needs medication now. And yes if you can get her ready and start training in case she loses her vision your life will be lots easier if/when that does eventuate (which hopefully will be quite some time away for you). Feel free to ask me anything you like as I"m happy to tell you about any and all of my diabetic dog experience, I know exactly where you are at, I was there about 5 years ago!