coogie

Ok found the list - obviously I haven't used them all but it might speed up your search, : Leather leash Store Dean & Tyler via Amazon Eurodog Designs Equus Leather Pets Express Essenjay Leather Karenswood Slade Czech Hideandcollars UK

Flycow, this place has some - I had a list somewhere from when I was looking for some,most of the suppliers were in the States but a couple were Australian.The nicest ones I found were from Ruthless Leather (saving up for these) I'll see if I can find it. Paws Point

Any updates ness? How is Kenzie?

The one near us in Qld is like the photo,it's also a minimum of $10.00 but easily fits 2 Shar Pei, or one large GSD. I never use the shampoo or flea rinse options as we take our own shampoo and conditioner so just leave it on rinse. The disinfectant smells pretty strong so I give it a quick rinse with plain water first if someone else has just used it. There is usually a staff member around too so if someone else has left it grotty they will disinfect it for free before you put the dogs in. Never seen a flea and it is generally very clean. We used to use the DIY one at the local Petbarn but it closed down and the next nearest one has groomers and it is $25.00 for a basic bath, probably not too bad if you are going once a month but with two mudmonsters who need weekly baths it gets very expensive. We have just ordered a shell for a hydrobath from a local fibre glass place and are going to plumb it in and hopefully save some money!

Ouch, sorry to hear that Sandra777, our boy Alfie did this some time ago, it bled a lot and he was limping so it was obviously hurting him quite a bit so I took him off to the vet to be on the safe side. They examined it and said he had lifted the claw from the nail bed and the remaining bits needed removing as it was so loose it would catch on everything and as well as being painful would most likely get infected if just left. They removed the bits and then he had antibiotics and tramadol for a couple days, he was sound after that. It was also an outside toe, can you see if there is any nail left? If so it might be safer to get it removed. They warned us that as he had caused some trauma to the nail bed his nail may be deformed on first regrowth and quite weak - it was - and he ripped it again around Christmas. The whole thing fell off on its own this time so no need for any removal but another round of antibiotics and vet wrap this time as everywhere was very wet. The nail looks good this time as it is regrowing but if he does it again the vet has said they will need to remove the nail bed as it is unlikely to recover.Hope your boy is ok.

Oh Simi is so beautiful Issy is a big water baby,clean or dirty she heads straight for the nearest pool/lake/puddle!

Ness they seem to be sending you round in circles! Do the various specialists confer with each other? Have you decided about getting the third opinion? I really hope you get an answer soon - not surprised it is driving you up the wall.

Just got home, great night! The winner of the best groomer was - Michelle Auld, Bed and Biscuits Pet Day Spa and Grooming, Coconut Grove, NT

I know the feeling re the money tree, we have been told Issy will most likely need a revision of her knee surgery as the femoral head ostectomy has completely changed the alignment in her leg - she will most likely also need the other hip doing so we are crossing fingers her knee on that side stays sound until after any hip surgery on that side. It's not just the surgery for me, I worry about her being in pain a lot of her young life but am reassured by the surgeon she will get a good outcome and have a pain free life once it is over, so we are keeping going and hanging in there. (Also praying for a lottery win so I can build a treadmill here)

We have used Pernaease and found it quite good,not sure how it stacks up pricewise to some of the above but it was much cheaper than some of the big name brands and apparently has the same formula and active ingredients. I did ask in the shop "what is the difference between this and the much more expensive ones?" The assistant said quick as a flash "50 bucks" . Full marks for honesty (although not sure the owner of the store would agree) - we have been very happy with the product, although my husband can't stand the smell. The dogs love it however and he doesn't have to eat it! If you Google it lots of sites have it for well under $50.00. I would call and ask for the useby date - if you are only giving it to one mini poodle it will probably last you quite a while.

Oh no Ness, what was the basis for the suggestion? Would the third specialist be looking for something else or is it more a second opinion to confirm what is going on - not sure what I would do in this situation. I guess we were lucky if it can be considered lucky to have a dog with a shocking back end,all of her problems were very obvious sadly. I guess if you don't have an absolutely clear answer it would worth a try,the one thing we found was that all the specialists had slightly different approaches to post op treatment and rehab - we just had to fiddle around with the combinations until we found what worked. Issy stayed on her pain medication for a lot longer than initially suggested as we felt building up the muscles was crucial-they had wasted so much and she was averse to doing anything if she had pain (who wouldn't be?) . We did this in close consultation with the vet & surgeon and it meant monitoring her very carefully and adjusting her feed times for her meds. It must be so frustrating, good luck if you decide to see the specialist,keep us posted.

This is what Issy did after I accidently left the lounge blind down after her first crate rest, she was bored senseless despite all our attempts at crate games and puzzles. I guess her loss of the view was the final straw. I am so thankful she is through this round of surgery and am crossing fingers we get a long break before the next one.

Sounds like you are doing everything possible - I really hope the two weeks rest gets results - also hope you are still sane at the end of it. It must be really frustrating for you.

Sorry to hear she is not going too well ness - is there a canine physio near you who could take a look - Issy was over the hill work very fast,the physio gave use some figure of eight exercises,stretches and other things to mix it up with. She also said it is common for them to get stiff and sore from tensing other muscles to avoid pain/any instability. She taught us to massage her legs and back to "loosen" and relax other muscles, which seemed to really help but it was quite specific areas and muscles we had to work on and I would have been too scared to try without expert direction in case it did more harm. I hope things improve soon for you.

You could try here - I haven't used them myself but friends have and were happy. Esther Horton I think she has a Facebook page, there is also a list of holistic vets in Qld here: Australian Holistic vets

Kirty, if you get the all clear from the vet for exercise see if you can find a hydrotherapy place with a treadmill that submerges so she can walk in the water rather than swim - the swimming is good for core muscles apparently but they tend to use their strongest limbs to do all the work and so don't get as much benefit for "weaker areas". My girl has been having hydro as part of her rehab post op and we have seen much more improvement in her muscle mass with the walking in the water than with the swimming alone. I really hope she is ok.

Sounds like she is getting the best of care Ness, one comment re the swimming - we found this great for Issy's core strength and to get her some much needed exercise but found she used all other limbs rather than the one we needed her to. It wasn't until the hydro sessions where she is walking on a treadmill that submerges to take the weight off but make her use the leg under water to actively build the muscles, that we noticed a big difference. She gained back more than 5 cm in a couple of weeks - can you walk her in the water rather than letting her swim?

Ness I can only respond based on experience with our girl's luxating patella and am certainly not an expert. We found the episodes increased quite dramatically and suddenly,from it having been diagnosed and being told surgery not immediately necessary to surgery being needed was not very long, she was only allowed to do minimal exercise that involved any twisting etc in the meantime and we followed instructions - but it did deteriorate quickly. She had episodes like you are describing where it had obviously been more painful when it dislocated and she was subsequently hesitant to weight bear but ok the next day. Can you ask the vet to have another look? Is there any where near you that you can take her for hydrotherapy? Issy has been going since her latest surgery (for her hip) but last time she went to the ortho he commented on the fact it had also improved her stability in the knee dramatically. I really hope she is ok.

I've got one of those, lures people in to laugh at her hippo wallowing, then jumps up and shakes!

I have ordered from them and the service was fantastic,the stuff arrived very quickly and I have to say the leather slip leads have become my favourite bit of dog kit.They are fantastic and although I do loads of internet shopping here and from the states I haven't found anything remotely similar, quality wise for the price.They are so soft right from the start. Other family members have ordered soft crates ,harness, collars & leads - all sent to Mackay where post is notoriously slow/bad and all have arrived safe and sound. If I ordered anything very expensive I would always insure,but that is to do with bad experiences with Australia Post rather than K9Pro.A couple of things I have ordered from other sites have gone astray or been badly delayed,the companies involved have sent proof of postage so I know the stuff was sent. I don't think other companies can be responsible for Australia Post's bad service.

Hi Huntia, there is some info here: Rehab If you are not sure could you call the chiro back? Hope he is ok.

Never mind

You can get treatment for tetanus but some people who get it will die despite treatment. Good hygiene practices in this country (generally) probably keep the incidence rates down. Epidemiology reports vary this is from Health Australia - "There were 18 notified cases of tetanus during 2001–2005, but 120 hospitalisations (July 2000–June 2005) where tetanus was the principal diagnosis. This discrepancy suggests under-notification. During 2001–2005, there were 2 deaths from tetanus. The case-fatality rate in Australia is about 3%. " There are no reports of death in vaccinated adults, however there are incidences of partially vaccinated adults contracting it which makes sense as no vaccine is going to have 100% efficacy. I think you are more at risk of other infections with dog bites, I guess if you have previously had tetanus shots without any bad reaction you should probably err on the side of caution and have one, but as Pebbles OH found out a reaction to the vaccine can be pretty bad as well. There are more than likely thousands of people who cut themselves every day and "should" have one but don't and don't get tetanus either. I grew up in East Africa and I worked in London as an immunisation coordinator for 6 years and saw some not very nice things hence - I tend to be jab, jab, jab. I suspect for every person who holds my opinion you will find one who thinks vaccinations are unnecessary and in some cases harmful/evil. I tend not to argue,things get very heated around this subject. :) Krystal&Coco I hope the bite heals quickly and cleanly, and you don't have any more dogfights.

Depends - if he has had the 3 courses/doses and at least one "booster" dose recommended prior to adulthood he may not need one. These days a further dose is recommended for adults at 50,if it is a long time since they had one. I would call Qld Health and ask - people still get tetanus in Australia and it is very, very unpleasant and as it is preventable I wouldn't take a risk for the sake of getting a vaccination. But that is probably because I have seen the consequences of not bothering to get a shot, so am probably a bit more of a if in doubt jab type of person.