zeebie

My miniature poodle is 9 motnhs old now and I am not sure if I am being overly worried but she is first dog I have had that just does not seem to be putting on weight. Had a serious setback at 16 weeks with feeding and care issues when I was hospitalised a succession of care givers who were basically putting food down and leaving so of course older dog got it, I came home to a starved and timid pup. Returned to 4 small feeds a day with Nutrigel supplement + vet advised program, development has been normal, then 2 months ago a serious gastritis saw her with severe vomiting/diarrhoea and needing IV fluids etc, returned home on cooked minced chicken and rice only + animalac 4 times a day and gradual re introduction to small amount raw diet (Leading Raw growth)mixed with chicken & rice + nutigel +animalac. Now back on normal diet. She is currenlty hovering around 5.9kg - 6.2kg. Which is probably normal for a dog of her age and size as adult weight in miniature poodle Bitch is usally around 8-9kg.She is very energetic, bright eyes, good coat, my main concern is on feeling her,the backbone protrudes, hips/shoulder bones and ribs are all very easily palpable,(not good when judges examine her I am sure they must think I am starving her), she is not carrying one bit of fat, is extremely fussy eater tends to want to graze rather then eat in one hit, I have employed the put down if not gone in 10 minutes remove(Still having 4 small meals a day due to her inability to eat 2 larger meals). If I take other dog away she distracts to wanting to see where he is and what he is doing etc, If I leave him close by she will eat but often takes food off the plate and puts in front of him to have. I have also left her go all day with no food trying to make her hungry and still she just leaves it, she will have days where she will eat her good quality dry food. also very eager with chicken necks. I tried another main food in case it was the raw she disliked but she just sniffs it and walks away, obviously not a food orientated dog :) Vet does not seem to think there is a problem, said it is a poodle thing! All the other poodle owners I know all their dogs are either way overweight or good weight and no way you can feel any bones but all are adult ages. Only one other pup which is 2 months older and weighs 8.5kg and quite stocky in build so this only increases my concern. She has no fleas or parasitic infection these 2 have been checked out. Nothing I can see gives me any indication that she may have underlying disease. Output is normal in relation to input. Does not fatigue easily, eyes are clear and bright. Gums and tongue pink and healthy, no teeth problems. So do I plod on and wait and see? Or get a second opinion and have blood work done to exclude any medical condition.

Showing my age here, but I grew up devoid of any media way out west, and believe it or not thought only dog in the world was Kelpie or BC and some of the station hands had dingo dogs - yes pure bred dingoes which worked the sheep same as the Kelpies and were so well fed never tried to eat any of them and kept the other wild dingoes and foxes away. So imagine my surprise when moving to the city as a teenager I discovered there were all these other breeds, but strangely enough back then there weren't that many or maybe i just didn't hear about them but settled for an Irish setter, and just like all our working dogs really didn't have too much interaction he was just another dog - very sad really now I think about all the opportunities I missed. Next came a pure bred Boxer experience through a work situation and I helped out showing, grooming etc and started to learn the other side of the dog world, a little female boxer pup came into my life and everything changed after that :) A very long time down the track and a little shih tzu needed a foster mum and I entered the world of small breed long haired dogs and what an adventure we had for the next 13yrs. Circumstances influenced my decision regarding breed size and type so current 8yr old 'furchild' is small long coat lap dog crossbreed from 2 purebred parents who somehow managed their own little rendezvous. Another foster that has endeared himself to my heart. And in all this array of pooches I still do not have a firm decision about a liking for any one type in particular, all I know is that each brings with it amazing differences and a desire to please the human that has taken it on. My latest aquisiton is a purebreed miniature poodle, this is a massive learning curve as poodles are very special dogs in their own right and they don't belong to you, they own YOU :laugh: the little magnet on my fridge says it all -"If it is chewed it is mine, If it is not chewed it is mine, Everything else is yours!" So when the time comes to get your dog look at all your own circumstances and compare to the breeds you have a liking for as this is the most important factor.

With first dog I got a 2nd hand (very new) crate from a local dog club which sells new ones and recycled ones as dogs out grow etc, often people purchase and then find it isn't suitable to dog size or needs, this crate is still being used 4 years later excellent quality and very stong but lightweight, I paid $70. I also got a collapsible canvas type crate as I travel a lot by air and dogs accompany me so always need somewhere familiar for them when staying at various places, dog was 4yrs old when this was purchased. new puppy spent first few weeks in puppy playpen which is invaluable due to various configurations I can make with it as well as using as a gated system to prevent access to down or up stairwell. this I got off Topbuy.com online for $40 it has individually hinged panelling, door access and I have 2 so can join up when doing away dog comps to give dogs free range yet safe access, they are 1metre high and I also picked up a nifty expander soft roof cover from a local pet retailer for $24. when folded up I can fit in my car boot easily and I only have small sedan. Puppy fits in older dogs original crate and I also have 2nd cloth crate and she often bunks in with older dog and they are happy together rather then in their seperate crates. Also had to purchase (again a 2nd hand one) IATA airline crate for air travel, this also doubled as in car locked in with seat belt safe travel system until recently when pup is now suitable weight to go into harness. The airline crate she loves and will often just go sleep in there on her soft bed. This cost me $20 from person who used once to fly puppy and never again. So there are a few options for you to chose from.

Just for general reading and featuring your breed of dog "Until Tuesday" Author Luis Carlos Montalvan for quick reference online but also can be purchased - http://mrwalnuts.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/dog-owners-home-veterinary-handbook.pdf For a great laugh -"Dogs" by Ben Wicks (not sure if still in print)but this one is equally as funny -The Dangerous Book for Dogs: A Parody [Hardcover] :laugh:

I got a commercial brand from an auto store has elasticised on all four corners, waterproof backing like picnic rugs, colours not great but fits small or large vehicle cost was around $30. Over this I put a sheet which I tuck into the excisting cover, my dogs dont shed but sometimes i give a ride to someone who does have a white hair shedding dog. I got several 2nd hand sheets from an op shop and cut in half to make them fit better and is easy to just wip them off leave on line for couple days and most of hair disappears sometimes I have use vacum and it comes off the cotton sheet material easily. Under the good cover I have some old towels just to make sure upholtery stays in good condition should I need to actually have humans in car :laugh:

This item is available in Australia from naturopathic outlets, just slightly different formulation :D probably costs more though, there are also several other homeopathic remedies you can use if you just want and 'energy boost' as such ;) Second this import item is heat treated, each lozenger is idividually vacum wrapped and then packet is also heat sealed, so if I can bring in an item which was loose in packet and although still sealed in original packet was declared on airport card as 'food item' and was totally fine. However when I purchased several items from clean run in a bulk order it was stopped at border, opened for inspection and forwarded on to me all because it was DOG products none of which were edible only readable, and watchable and wearable, but I presume because it came via a dog outlet and sniffy dogs at customs may have thought it was pressie for them I informed clean run via email that in future please ensure products were listed correctly on labelling for customs so this would not happen in future as on enquiry this was the problem they simply wrote "dog items" on the declaration sticker.

My Silky X is absolutely obsessed with water and has no fear of the biggest waves and will bound into still water or surf, was introduced to calm water swimming as 5 months old pup, favourite past time is to race up beach snapping at froth on waves and will do this repeatedly and then gets sick unless stopped. New poodle pup at 4 months followed older dog into low tidal flats at beach without hesitation and suddenly out of depth. she just popped under momentarily and came up swimming, poodles originally water dogs so maybe it was genetic imprint. She is now also fearless around any water. :D Another family dog (British Bull dog) totally freaked out at first water confrontation(age 8months) - low tide mud flats - would not move, when my dog went running after a ball, he followed and forgot that he had to run through water gradually we exposed him to deeper still water situations and now at 2yrs while not that keen he will go in and swims well.

Webinar Tuesday 21 Aug 8PM Whelping Problems in Dogs Dr Noam Pik, Emergency and Critical Care Vet, Managing Director ASAP Lab In this informative webinar Dr Noam Pik will cover common whelping problems in dogs, what are the signs, what to do and when to go and see the vet. These sessions are very well done FREE and interactive, you need to pre register to recieve your code to activate on the night of broadcast online. http://www.anymeeting.com/AccountManager/RegEv.aspx?PIID=EE56DB87884F

Yep BCC have policy in place for dog club members either Dogz QLD or affilates(obedience clubs etc) if you show your paperwork you not only recieve a discount but do not have to register until 6 months of age. New rules means all dogs must be microchipped at point of sale (isn't happening in a lot of cases), so my guess is eventually these microchipped dogs will all be on a central register and cross checking can then be done to follow up on those not registered Certain dogs are exempt from paying registration fee but are still registered in event of loss etc (Guide dogs/Approved service dogs from government accredited organisations). Interestingly in the past 27years we have had one only council street check (door knock) to check dogs registration and at time I did not own a dog, must have been previous home owner!!! Local council do not have staff to check up on dangerous dog situations, enforce other blatant law disregard such as hundreds of people who ignore their dogs 'doo' on the main walking paths, catch all the non lead walkers etc. And our council has privately contracted out the management of the two former dog pounds to the "Lost dog home" organisation, so we cannot even go to the local facility to register dogs/cats, it can be done online but if you have to show paperwork etc then you must go to a BCC office. They want all the cash but do very little for it to protect the pets belonging to responsible owners.

Life for me is all about setting goals and working slowly toward achieving them. One of these was to get a furkid who would just want to enjoy being with me 24/7 and give me an interest and a focus away from my work and other tedious tasks we all have to endure - Goal achieved, and along the way we have met some fantastic doggy people, been travelling, found out that he enjoyed doing agility so made me get fitter :laugh: New doggy furkid joined us this year and we have new goals to complete in her training, so we are taking a different route and doing the show circuit to socialise her and explore a different aspect of the dog world, if per chance she happens to achieve great things along the way this will just be a bonus. Philosphy as such is this nice little saying - "We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made". -M. Acklam

Not that it is any help but the deceased pups 'blackened mucosa' would probably be due to decay due to death in utero at some early stage in the pregnancy, without seeing them is hard to know but by the very fact they were underdeveloped this indicates time of death, the bitch was lucky not to have suffered any sort of toxic effect from retaining these pups and not having gone into an earlier labour then she did, with a natural birthing process and having had so many deceased pups etc it is critical to have her and other pups checked immediately to ensure all are well and I know if this was my dog I would have been at vet as soon as the first deceased pup was whelped.

Oh and BTW the dog that attacked my dog 2 yrs ago was a small terrier xbreed who just came flying out of a unfenced yard and more recently the 2nd attack was just a large Xbreed which looked like a BC X lab type male not desexed, and I have seen the owner of this dog abusing it, so no wonder it wants to pick on every other dog around and the council & RSPCA are powerless unless i can supply footage of the abuse or of the dog attacking me or other dog etc, so how ridiculous is this

Just moving away from the devastating 'accident' that occurred, WHY was the 'guide dog' being walked with another dog in the first place this is highly irregular and yes had the owner of the dog been with it he also may have been more seriously injured etc). But the fact remains that when Guide dogs are 'off duty' with their owner they are usually free to move around the owners property but usually stay within close contact at all times. I may be wrong but I know in my own service dogs case NO one can just take him for a walk as such let alone with another pet dog. Most guide dogs do so much 'walking' in course of their work they don't need to go out for 'walkies' I feel very sorry for this unfortuneate situation, which ultimately came about due to a whole set of dynamics. There are laws in place to prevent things like this occurring but some in society don't seem to be following them and the ones who do still get penalised. So it harks back to the same old thing 'Don't blame the animal, blame the owner'.

I got one from a lead maker here in australia in Victoria she has a facebook site, and also a webpage http://www.blingleads.com/ very helpful and made to order this one is parachord which is very easy care and won't discolour dogs hair etc which often leather will especially if you have used leather soften on it etc. You can get them plain or have a beaded design. the other provider who also offers these is http://www.snazzypoochleads.com/index.html in NSW there are several others around just google show leads and martingale :D

thank you penumbra for your kind and thoughtful words, no we don't have AWL here in Brisbane (well we do but they only look after rescue animals and fostering etc)My 9yr old moggie was given a send off at the vet and taken by the animal waste management department attached to the council. My recent loss in June we found her in a neighbours yard 4 days after the dogs attacked her in my yard. I don't blame the dogs but I do blame the owner who constantly let his 2 wolfhounds roam the suburb and terrorise children and small animals alike, but this won't bring her back.

Yes spent last 12hours with upchucking very sick poochie who has gut infection poor little mite, started 1230am all over doona on bed and followed with carpet runner, main carpet stairwell etc etc and not once but several times before I woke to sounds of disruption. So everything that could be washed today was and the carpet was treated with a bicarb soda and water mix gently patting on the area which I had previously removed soilage with paper towel and left a wet peice of paper towel over all night (could not face this job at 2am in morning), then I used this spray foam carpet stain removal product, when it had dried so no foam was evident I then did the rolled up old towel squeeze trick placing on spot and stomping on it to remove excess fluid, so far my olive green carpet looks pretty good.when dry I will vacum excess off. doggie is now safe in pen with tarpulin and newspaper, and medicated approriately so we should not have a repeat hopefully.

Not here in Australia as yet overseas yes, but the QLD University Vet hospital will discuss the option when they have been treating an animal. And just on the topic of University vet hospitals, a huge thanks to the Melbourne University Vet hospital who saved my daughters cat post accident the local vet quoted $3000, the university took her in operated, replaced her hip with a muscle flap graft, kept her for 10days, did all necessary IV fluids etc etc, and cost was $400 and a lot of learning for the students, she was 4 months old and we lost her to a dog attack in June this year aged 8yrs old RIP Trixie

As previously said home burial is difficult due to various factors including in suburban areas of Brisbane the local by laws etc. Water tables, risk of contamination to other animals if they should access etc. With the registered pet crematorium here when my older dog passed away I was asked if I wanted to attend the centre and their chapel and they conducted the whole service as if it was a human service very respectful and dignified, when he came back it was with a lock of hair in a blue bow, his paw print on embossed card with beautiful saying on the card, a certificate which is required by council to notify of dog passing so they can be deregistered (Yes you have to do this!) otherwise you will continue to recieve notice to re register, you also have to inform the various Dog governing bodies if the animal was registered as pedigree etc. I was able to discuss the container I wanted his remains to be placed in and chose a small wooden box which had photo frame on front and this had his photo in it which I had given to them. At the time in 2002 this total cost including transfer to and from was $275. The company who runs this particular service offer payment plans and also hold tours of the facility so you know exactly what happens, I know this may not suit everyone but it helps if you know the full story etc in some cases. The manager use to work in the people industry saw a need for this for the beloved pets so branched out. When my cat was PTS I asked the vet to make the arrangements and there was no charge and I was informed by her and know this to be true that just as in hospital waste and body parts post surgery etc, all deceased animals were transferred to a government run industrial site for disposal via safe and controlled closed incineration. Specific 'infectious waste' yellow biohazard bags are used.

Just a couple points: 1. Not sure about other states in Oz but under Brisbane city council law (health rules regulations blah blah blah) you cannot bury an animal unless it is done to exact specifications, hence why there are now 'pet cemetries' and 'pet crematoriums'. 2. Scenario 1 ->9 yr old Cat very ill diagnosed with Feline diabetes, decision made to Euthanise, cost of consult & diagnosis $60, remaining cost including disposal $40 I have been attending same vet practice for 27yrs. 3. Scenario 2 ->13yr old small breed dog end stage heart failure, becomes dramatically unwell late at night, rushed to a referred after hours vet clinic, explain at reception situation and that I wanted him PTS, dog is taken away I request to go with him, I am told emergency out back with another patient etc etc, wait 30mins, insist on action all this time my dog is alone in back room, finally vet nurse comes out rudely tells me "they are busy", another 15 mins pass, vet comes out tells me worst case scenario, yes your dog is very ill we have done a echo scan of heart, have him on ventilator, done all these unnecessary procedures, I totally lost the plot and screamed at him telling him I brought dog in to have him PTS, we then went out back dog was connected to every imaginable peice of equipment, I said my goodbye and it was all removed, clinically he was already gone nothing needed to be done to help him on his way. Then I arranged for him to be collected by a pet company who did an amazing compassionate job for $275 and he is always with me here at home. The total vet cost for that night was $1500 this nearly cost me my sanity Shortly after all this happened it was reported in the media about suspicious vet practice whereby this clinic were preying on human emotions, misdiagnosing and doing unnecessary procedures, all for the almighty dollar which of course when you are vulnerable you pay, they were subsequently shut down, run out of town not that it was of help to me or all the other people they took advantage of. We did try to take legal action but it all was useless as 'company' was wound up and debtors took over.

Please send in a well written logical submission so the powers to be will consider all options, if no one comments then they can pass through whatever they want without any opposition, and then it will be in place an unable to be undone.

did same topic 2 weeks ago hope people do comment etc

Currently the wheels and cogs are moving slowly but soon- hopefully within next 2 yrs the law will be changed and NO live animals will be permitted in pet shops (I think they are still allowing things like hermit crabs/mice/guinea pigs and birds) any exotic birds or reptiles you need a permit to sell anyway and a permit to keep. Next the internet and other print media will also be changed to STOP advertising of dogs and cats unless from registered breeders.This I beleive will make a huge difference. The other solution which has been bantered around is a compulsory pre purchase dog owner course like is done in the USA, with people having to complete this they may think twice about an impulse buy. As cats and dogs who are coming into homes via rescue groups/RSPCA and pet stores are required to be desexed so irresponsible breeding will dwindle. However everytime there is a movie/TV show/celebrity/major dog event featured and focussing on a particular breed we see this huge public interest in owning that breed (after Red dog every one went mad to own a kelpie and it had to be "just like the star - tricks and all " Seriously though even many breeders need to 'vet' potential purchasers to ensure they understand the breed and the demands etc. :)

As usual this is a story that has resurfaced again after a long and protracted leagal case It is happening all the time everywhere and these people know that there are other people out there wanting a product and so they supply the goods, if every single person was educated properly to understand NOT to buy from any dog breeder unless they have the proper certification eventually this business would stop Compulsory microchipping of all dogs sold is not working as the animals are falling through the cracks as prospective buyers are ignorant to fact that all dogs must by law now be M/C pre sale. I know of one case which has been prosecuted and the person is no longer allowed to keep or breed dogs and yet this person has circumvented the law by organising a'friend' to use her property to continue breeding and selling dogs from???? when this came to light and was investigated suddenly all the animals mysteriously disappeared prior to the raid occurring and no one could be found to be acting illegally. so now the bitches get spread around a number of people and a tuperware/Avon system is set up where they have a party network in place and different ones advertise in different places so as not to arouse suspicion, and absolutely nothing can be done because there is no real 'proof'

A good quality impecable breeding line toy poodle/miniature would cost around the $1200 upwards, STandards more, for showing and breeding, for pet only not on full register and agree to desex $500 - $1000, with breeding rights price is negotiable but dog has to be shown and usually only goes to 'known'home.

The human brain is amazingly wired, as such we are programed to care for and focus on our own offspring (human pack structure)none more so then the new mum, is similar to a bitch just whelped pups she becomes so protective toward her new litter sometimes to the exclusion of favoured humans and even her own health often not eating etc. Priorities shift with a new baby in the fold and often for first time mums who are anxious about this little fragile infant entrusted to them, all else gets sidelined, often without realising, things like extra chores or the regular phone chats/coffee dates etc, these all get put on hold because bub takes 100% of time, energy and emotional input. Every new mum will identify with the feeling of 'oh my god am I doing this all right?' So this is no doubt why the dogs are taking a back seat it is just all a bit unmanageable at the moment, and you as the partner are stepping up which is great and exactly what is needed, do not push the issue and just give it time, as bub gets older and a routine is established everything will slowly (and I emphasise SLOWLY fall back into place. My guess is right now your partner is grappling with dealing with all the changes in her life and physical state that this 'yelling' at dogs is just a release (the medical term is transferance), and while it is not the best thing to be happening dogs are very preceptive of human emotions and they will survive and as long as you keep interacting with them and get someone to walk/groom them if need it is way better then just locking them in a far corner of the yard or totally ignoring their needs. this is an excellent blog site which may give you a lot of help http://www.dogsandbabieslearning.com/